Often, it takes a tragedy in order for people to reveal, as Abraham Lincoln once put it, “the better angels of our nature.”
An unspeakable tragedy happened on Tuesday, December 28th, 2021. Longtime ESPN NFL writer and host Jeff Dickerson succumbed to complications from colon cancer. What made Dickerson’s death all the more tragic is that he had lost his wife Caitlin to cancer two years prior, leaving their 11-year-old son, Parker an orphan.
What happened in the days that followed was an amazing story of generosity and kindness and a testament to the “better angels” of the human spirit.
A well-publicized Go-Fund-Me was started for Parker by Dickerson’s aunt. The original goal was $100,000.
Fueled by social media promotion, sports media members across the country banded with athletes, team owners and fans to quicky meet and surpass every feasible expectation.
As of Monday, January 3, “Parker’s Fund” has raised nearly $1.1 Million.
JD WAS FAMILY
For the hosts, producers, and staff at ESPN 1000 in Chicago, Dickerson was more than just a colleague or co-host. He was family. This was someone who had been there for birthdays, bar and bat mitzvahs and bachelor parties for the better part of two decades.
While Dickerson kept his diagnosis private, his inner circle at ESPN 1000 knew this was coming. It didn’t make preparing for the inevitable any easier.
“I was heartbroken,” said ESPN’s newly named Director of Content Danny Zederman, who had worked alongside Dickerson for sixteen years. “JD was a fighter and he was determined to beat it. He told me all the time ‘I have no choice but to beat this.’ I talked to him on the phone three weeks ago and he told me it had gotten worse. I went to visit him in hospice on Christmas Eve with Carmen DeFalco, Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman. When we were visiting him, he was talkative, upbeat, and cracking jokes. Again, he insisted he was going to leave hospice and beat cancer.”
Dickerson’s friend Marc Silverman, ESPN 1000’s longtime afternoon show host, had his own well-publicized battle with cancer the last couple of years. In a cruel twist of fate, he was the one that had to break the news of Dickerson’s passing on the air.
“I was constantly checking my phone for updates & wasn’t sleeping knowing what was coming,” said Silverman. “All that said, with all that you know, there is nothing to prepare you for when you announce that your friend and co-worker of twenty years has passed away. And there’s nothing to prepare you for having to tell thousands. I don’t remember what I said, or how I said it, it was a blur and gave me a sick feeling. I knew the news would be shocking to our fans because he wanted to keep his journey private. I think the approach from a lot of us was to make JD proud. That’s what I kept telling myself.”
THE STARS BECAME ALIGNED
The day after Dickerson had passed, something you rarely see in our world happened. Media members, regardless of the outlet they worked for, came together. Team owners, players, and fans, often at odds with each other, found a common cause.
Everyone needed to help the orphaned son of a good man.
Word of “Parker’s Fund” soon reached the Twittersphere. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, who has nearly nine million followers, posted a link to Parker’s Go-Fund-Me Page.
ESPN 1000 went fully local with an all-day tribute to their former teammate. The ESPN 1000 team promoted “Parker’s Fund” on air, and implored listeners to donate.
The effort soon snowballed into major donations from major figures.
The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers, longtime division rivals, each donated $25,000. Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder and Colts owner Jim Irsay did the same. Executives from the White Sox, Cubs, and Blackhawks all made sizable donations.
Even a local apparel company, Obvious Shirts, raised over $50,000 selling commemorative tee-shirts and hoodies with all proceeds going to the cause.
Many of the more than 15,000 donors to Parker’s Go Fund Me are a veritable “who’s who” of sports figures across cities and leagues from around the country.
“It was surreal,” said Zederman. “Everyone at ESPN 1000 was amazing. All the hosts and producers raised their hands and offered to do whatever they could to help. Many of the hosts were on vacation and still came in to honor JD. We always say ESPN Chicago is a family. That has never been truer.”
Even for Silverman, how the all-day tribute unfolded was beyond anything he had ever seen.
“These eyes have seen a lot in twenty-three years at ESPN 1000 and twenty-seven years working in my hometown,” said Silverman. “There are many Chicago legends who have passed away where you’re definitely sad and emotional. But they are not JD. They are not people who you worked in the trenches with to make ESPN 1000 relevant. They are not people who you’ve celebrated engagements, bachelor parties, weddings, and births with.”
THIS WAS ABOUT WHO “JD” WAS
The outpouring of support for Dickerson and the phenomenally successful effort of raising money for “Parker’s Fund” is another example of the power of social media.
It certainly speaks to the power of radio, and how it can still reach and engage with so many people so quickly. It’s also a testament to how many people have had their lives affected by cancer, and how the tragedies it has caused have bonded so many.
In the final analysis, this wasn’t about any of that. It was about “JD” and who he was at his core.
“It’s a testament to who Jeff was as person,” said Jonathan Hood, who co-hosted shows with Dickerson on ESPN 1000 and ESPN Radio for a decade. “Jeff was one of the few people that I know that could form a friendship easily. He had many colleagues that he became friends with over the years.
“This business bonds all of us that are lucky enough to play a role,” said Zederman. “JD was a reporter and host that interacted with people in the industry from all over the country. The support from fellow media members was incredible and a testament to the type of people that work in broadcasting.”
“(Tom) Waddle tells the story of JD emceeing the Vaughn McClure fundraiser in October and not caring how shitty he felt, he just wanted to pay tribute to Vaughn,” said Silverman. “That’s who he is. Totally selfless. So, it’s great to see so many acts of kindness directed JD’s way. Parker deserves it because he certainly doesn’t deserve what happened to his parents.”
Ryan Maguire is a columnist for BSM, and a longtime sports and news radio program director. He has managed KIRO-FM in Seattle, WQAM in Miami, 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, 610 Sports in Kansas City, and 105.7/1250 The Fan in Milwaukee. Presently, Ryan serves as the Executive Producer of Chicago White Sox baseball on ESPN 1000 in Chicago. Originally from Michigan, Ryan still holds out hope that the Detroit Lions will one day deliver a Super Bowl title. He can be reached on Twitter @RMaguire1701.
