September 24, 2025- For many, it’s hard to believe that it has been 20 years since the first edition of what has come to be known as the Matt Hobby Game – a celebration of a young man’s life which doubles as Pope High School’s community fundraiser for childhood cancer research. Partnering with the Rally Foundation, this annual spotlight event has garnered more than $400,000 in donations throughout its existence. To mark the special occasion of the 20th Anniversary game, Greyhound Nation surprised the thousands in attendance, as well as Matt Hobby’s family, with the announcement that the Pope football facility is taking on a new name in Matt’s honor. It will now be known as “Matt Hobby Field.”

Matt’s family was in attendance to celebrate the anniversary, not knowing about the surprise to come. Jud Hobby, Matt’s father, has faithfully attended every Matt Hobby Game for two decades. While the return is always emotional, realizing their son’s legacy would live on through the naming of the field was particularly moving this year.

“It’s overwhelming,” Jud said after the announcement. “Matt took great pride in stepping out on that field to represent Pope football. So, to have the field named after him, we are overwhelmed with emotion right now and very honored for Matt to be remembered in this way.”

The Name Behind the Game

To fully appreciate the significance of this announcement, one must understand the story of Matt Hobby. Matt was a promising linebacker at Pope in the early 2000s. By all accounts, he was a tenacious competitor on the field and a popular student everywhere else. The summer after his sophomore year, however, he was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a childhood cancer that the National Institute of Health identifies as “the second most prevalent primary malignant bone tumor, predominantly afflicting adolescents.” Matt’s love of football gave him the will to fight cancer. That fight and his magnetic personality drew people towards him.

“Matt was two years younger than me,” recalled current Greyhounds football Head Coach Sean O’Sullivan. “I remember Matt as a hard-working kid who also enjoyed having fun. He had an awesome personality and was also a talented football player who gave his all on the field.”

“He was friends with just about everybody,” Jud said of his son. “It was his openness, his warmth. He was generous and empathetic toward others.”

After his diagnosis in the summer of 2004, Matt’s primary goal was to get healthy enough to play football with varsity teammates his junior year. However, after enduring chemotherapy and clinical trials, he was left far too weak to play. Instead, he fiercely cheered on his teammates from the sidelines through practices and games. During that season, some Pope moms organized an informal effort to help support Matt and his family in their cancer fight. They called it “4 Quarters 4 Matt,” and buckets were passed during games to collect spare change. While the community had Matt’s ordeal on their mind, he had noticed a far greater need.

“We had been to all these different cancer centers and saw all of the children who were suffering from cancer,” Matt’s dad said. “There were children his age, infants, toddlers, and he was struck by the need. So, when the Pope parents presented him with a check during his junior year, he said that, while he was appreciative, after seeing everything going on with so many other children, he asked that the donation go to childhood cancer research.”

It was this selfless gesture that would later ignite what was to come.

A Mission is Born

Matt eventually completed his treatments and resumed football workouts in the summer before his senior season. He was even cleared for two-a-day practices. Although never regaining his prior playing weight, he was able to earn his #70 jersey and be part of the team. While Matt was working hard to return to game action on the field, his cancer was making a return of its own. 

Around this time, another Greyhound parent, Dean Crowe, had witnessed the alarming effects that cancer was having on a friend’s son. Wanting to help, she turned to existing cancer organizations and found that little was being done specifically for childhood cancers. This inspired her to launch the Rally Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to raising support and funding for research for childhood cancer. 

These two independent, tragic realities came together supernaturally at Pope High School. They were the impetus for the newly named “4 Quarters 4 Research (4Q4R)” fundraiser during Matt’s senior season. Following his prior wishes, proceeds from the game would go towards funding childhood cancer research via the Rally Foundation.

“It was our very first fundraiser,” said Crowe, the Founder and CEO of Rally Foundation, acknowledging the Hobby family’s role in helping her 501 (c) (3) in the early days of its creation. “I vividly remember where I was standing at that first game. Matt and I locked eyes. We smiled and nodded at each other, both knowing that something bigger than either of us was happening.”

That game in the fall of Matt’s senior year would be the last 4Q4R he would attend. His cancer returned in full a short time later, sending him back into medical care. When more clinical trials proved unsuccessful, Matt decided on his own to stop treatment and try to enjoy what life he had left. He died in May 2006, just days after his graduating class received their diplomas.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Matt’s spirit, though, carries on. The 4Q4R Game informally became the Matt Hobby Game. Matt’s #70 symbolizes determination, perseverance, and grit for the Pope football team. It invokes tenacity and relentlessness in a fight. Every year, a senior lineman who exemplifies Matt’s spirit is given the prestige of wearing #70. It is considered an esteemed honor within the Greyhounds program. The 2025 recipient of this cherished tradition is James Burns.

“Matt’s fight against Ewing sarcoma while a student here at Pope showed what having a ‘Stand Tough Mentality’ can do in tough times,” Coach O’Sullivan said. “He lost his battle with cancer, but being able to recognize him every year and continue to raise money for childhood cancer is a big thing in the Pope Community.”

“There is no other event that brings together our community more than the Matt Hobby Game,” agreed Pope Athletic Director, Josh Mathews. “When a legacy transcends decades and generations and can unify a community for a life-changing cause, that is really special.”

“Our current students were not even born when Matt was able to walk the halls and participate in athletics at Pope High School,” Principal Matthew Bradford said. “Yet, if you asked any of them, they could tell you the story of Matt Hobby and his impact on this community.”

That impact has been felt far beyond the Pope community. 4Q4R is now a national program used by over 300 schools in ten states. It provides far-reaching support for Rally Kids and their families, helping them endure the cancer fight through a Family Emergency Fund, the Rally Travel Fund, and the Rally Good Meal program. It also funds much-needed research specific to finding cures for childhood cancer.

“Rally Foundation has now funded over $40 million in childhood cancer research, leading to incredible breakthroughs, and has secured $317 million in new federal funding for kids fighting cancer,” reports Crowe. “We have done all this while walking with families every step of their journey and making sure that 93 cents of every dollar goes directly to our mission.”

It is a mission in which Matt Hobby played a significant role. On the football field, as a linebacker, he took pride in standing tough and holding his line, so that if he couldn’t make the play, his teammates could. Matt’s heart for others continues to do this even now through the fight against childhood cancer. His legacy holds the line, and others take on the crusade.

A Field, A Family, Forever

“Few individuals have left such an enduring mark on Pope High School while also influencing communities nationwide,” Principal Bradford said. “Matt’s impact extends far beyond our own. His legacy embodies the character, resilience, and generosity we strive to instill in our students today. Naming our stadium in his honor is a fitting tribute to his remarkable legacy.”

“No one else that I know in Pope’s history has done anything comparable to raising $400,000 for cancer research,” agreed Athletic Director Mathews. “Putting Matt’s name on our field was a no-brainer.”

By attaching Matt’s name permanently to their facility, Greyhounds Nation hopes that Matt’s family understands how proud it is of his legacy.

“I am so excited for Matt’s family,” Coach O’Sullivan said. “I have known his brothers for over 20 years now, and I know their family. I hope they know how their son continues to be an inspiration to this community.”

“Our hope is that the Hobby family understands how special Matt’s life and legacy are for the entire Pope community,” added Mathews. “Hopefully, putting his name on our stadium will speak to the vastness of what this community thinks of the courageous and impactful life that Matt Hobby lived as a Pope Greyhound.”

Asked what Matt would think of all this, his dad replied, “He would be extremely honored to be remembered 20 years later and honored to have the community still focused on fundraising for childhood cancer research.”

That honor will continue, with his name now officially connected to Pope's field, as should his impact. 

That honor and impact were evident on this 20th anniversary night. After the game, it was announced that proceeds had eclipsed $40,300 – the largest amount ever collected in the history of the Matt Hobby Game.