Pitt long snapper Byron Floyd pairs with 'Loyal Sons' podcast to raise money for Children's Hospital

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
nhiles@post-gazette.com
JUL 24, 2023 5:28 PM
Pitt long snapper Byron Floyd only recently discovered his love for the game of golf. His love to support and help others, however, has existed for much longer.
At the age of 10, Floyd and his younger brother, Brennen, were playing in the woods near their grandfather’s home in Waite Hill, Ohio, when both fell into a well. For 30 minutes, the two brothers waited to be rescued in submerged water up to their necks in the freezing December cold.
While Byron was able to bear the frigid conditions, Brennen, who was 8 years old at the time, suffered severe hypothermia. After losing consciousness, Brennen was transported to Cleveland’s Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital.
Although Brennen was able to make a full recovery in just a day, his older brother never forgot the efforts of those who saved his life — which is what inspires him to use his platform as a Division I athlete to give back today.
Following in the footsteps of former Pitt long snapper Cal Adomitis, Floyd launched a campaign titled “Snapper49” this spring, which aims to raise $49,000 for UPMC Children's Hospital this football season.
“I watched Cal do his stuff when he was here and knew, when I had the spotlight as the starter, I’d want to do something similar,” Floyd said. “It’s great to give back to people who can help save the lives of children, like the people at Children’s Hospital who saved my brother’s life when he was a kid.”
Floyd’s efforts began through NIL initiatives like clothing sales or his personal-branded hot sauce and steak seasoning, but last weekend, the redshirt junior was able to make serious headway toward his overall goal thanks to his partnership with a golf outing.
Through a collaboration with the “Loyal Sons” podcast — a popular Pitt-themed show hosted by a trio of die-hard Panthers fans — Floyd was able to raise $8,530 on Sunday at Quicksilver Golf Club in Midway.
This summer marked the third straight year Dylan Mitchell, David Haddad and John Cotton organized an outing for Pitt fans and players to hit the links and mingle. While the three admit in the past two years the event was thrown together through just a few weeks of planning, they hoped to make it bigger and better in 2023. And with the help of one of their most loyal listeners, they were able to make that happen.
Floyd and the Loyal Sons were connected through Greg Rendine, a Pitt alumnus who has served as the golf event’s sponsor in each of the three years it has existed. A fan of the show with connections to Panthers athletes thanks to his involvement in the NIL space, Rendine helped Floyd join Mitchell, Haddad and Cotton for an interview on their podcast this spring.
After learning more of Floyd’s initiative, the three co-hosts, along with Rendine, all collectively agreed that Snapper49 would be a worthy cause for the event’s proceeds.
“We really wanted to add a charitable element to the event,” Mitchell said. “Having that connection with Byron with him being on our show, it just made a ton of sense.”
“It means a lot to see this grow,” Rendine added. “Next year, I’d like for us to raise $10,000 or even $15,000 and I’d like to keep it associated with some sort of player charity. It’s great to see so many people involved. I hope to do something like this for the next 30 or 40 years.”
Joining Floyd on the golf course Sunday were more than a dozen of his teammates, along with Blake Hinson, Ishmael Leggett and Zack Austin of the Pitt men’s basketball team. Some Panthers, like tight end Gavin Bartholomew, had played in the event in previous years and were excited to do it again. Others, like center Jake Kradel, heard about the fun and made sure to not miss out in 2023.
“It was nice to get out there with my teammates, a bunch of fans, a bunch of donors, people who really care about Pitt athletics, Pitt football,” Kradel said. “It was nice to see everyone helping Byron’s cause. So many people came here to support his mission. It was just a great day all around.”
“This is a really good turnout,” Floyd added. “For my boys to come out, it’s awesome. It’s really fun being out there and nice to see everyone having a good time, especially a couple of weeks before camp.”
While Floyd still has a ways to go before meeting his goal of $49,000, he believes the event has him on the right track with the season’s start not far away. As a redshirt junior, Floyd told the Post-Gazette he intends to be involved with the event once again next summer, with hopefully one more special guest from the Pitt football program.
“My goal is to get coach Narduzzi out here next year,” Floyd said. “He couldn’t come this time because it was on his son’s birthday, but next summer, I think we can get him out here.”