Our History

Out of all the ventures enacted by a barber, a newspaper editor, and a NFL executive, the Ed Block Courage Awards is surely among the most successful. It’s now been over thirty years since barber, Sam Lamantia, Baltimore Colt’s Assistant General Manager Ernie Accorsi, and Baltimore Evening Sun assistant sports editor Larry Harris came up with the three components to raise money for abused children. Ernie Accorsi suggested that they honor the courage of a Baltimore Colts’ player as chosen by his teammates, Larry Harris felt that long time trainer Ed Block should be the namesake of the Courage Award, while Sam Lamantia and the rest of The Eastside Athletic Club’s board put together the award presentation as a fundraiser for abused children. The first award was given in 1978 to Baltimore Colt’s defensive end Joe Erhmann. The award was voted on by his teammates and was in recognition of the player who best exemplified and displayed courage on and off the field of play. Joe dedicated that year of his life to his brother who was dying of cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Joe had his best year on the field while at the same time having his most challenging year off of it. From 1978 to 1983 the award continued as such, but along with many other things in Baltimore at the time, change was ushered in by bright yellow Mayflower moving vans. With the departure of the Colts franchise the foundation was forced to make a decision. Rather than abandon their mission, Foundation Chairman Sam Lamantia, Baltimore Colts Head Athletic Trainer John Lopez, and The Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (P.F.A.T.S.) instead decided to push the award to a national stage. Sister Grace Calvisi from St. Vincent’s Center along with an inspired group of volunteers created the dynamics and synergy needed to take the Awards event from one Courage Award Recipient to 28 (the number of teams in the NFL at the time). It was at this point that the true mission of the foundation took shape. It is from these humble beginnings that the Ed Block Courage Awards event has grown to the most prestigious in the NFL. For more than thirty years the NFL’s elite have traveled to Baltimore to recognize not only the courage of their peers but also to promote the message of awareness and prevention of child abuse. In 1989 St. Vincent’s Center of Baltimore was dedicated as the first Courage House in honor of the NFL Commissioner’s office. In 1990 a ceremony was held in New York at the Giants/Browns game, with the assistance of George Young, and a donation in the amount of $10,000 was made from the Ed Block Courage Awards to NFL Charities dedicated to abused children nationally. In 1991 Holy Family Institute of Pittsburgh was dedicated as the Pittsburgh Steelers Courage House in the name of late owner of the Steelers, Art Rooney Sr. Since these humble beginnings the Courage House National Support Network for Kids has grown to include 19 members, with the goal of 32.