Football Brought Them Together, Fundraising Set Them Apart
The Monday Morning Quarterback Club of Birmingham, Alabama was organized in 1939. Under the direction of Zipp Newman, then Sports Editor of The Birmingham News the club was established for the express purpose of fellowship among football lovers. This was a unique idea in light of the fact that other such clubs were generally organized for former football players.
But it wasn’t long before the club began looking beyond football. At the time of the club’s inception, polio was the number one medical concern in the U.S. The disease was rampant, striking thousands, most of whom were children. With a humanitarian desire, the club members promoted and sponsored an annual high school football game in order to raise money for a magnificent hospital to help care for afflicted children.
The club, with others, subsequently raised over $3 million to build the Crippled Children’s Clinic and Hospital. In late 1969, the clinic building became a part of the Medical Center at UAB, and the Crippled Children’s Foundation was formed. Since then, the club has remained active in this fundraising capacity.
In 2020, the charitable arm of the Monday Morning Quarterback Club was renamed Quarterbacking Children’s Health Foundation to be more inclusive and reflect the broader scope of giving. In 2019 alone, the Foundation donated over $1,625,000 to health related charities for children. Lifetime giving of the Foundation exceeds $33 million.
We are indebted to our Charter Members and Past Captains for making this great club possible. Not only do we continue to enjoy the fellowship, but serve many worthwhile purposes for others who have such great needs. This year we are celebrating our 85th Season.
Learn how football brings us together but fundraising sets us apart. Find out why we are and remain the team that never lost a game by watching these short videos:
Monday Morning Quarterback Club 2022 from MMQBC on Vimeo.
MMQBC Stand Tall PSA from MMQBC on Vimeo.
Monday Morning Quarterback Club 2019 from Real World Productions on Vimeo.
