Football

There are a lot of things that stand out about the Vitale brothers: their alarming athleticism, their easygoing demeanors, their Illinois roots and, of course, their long, curly hair.

But the Vitales’ hair stand out for reasons far deeper than physical appearance alone.

Northwestern senior superback Dan Vitale and his younger brother, freshman linebacker Tommy Vitale, are growing their hair out in memory of a young boy who passed away from cancer.

“There’s a little boy from our town, and he actually died of pediatric brain cancer. So it’s always just been a big thing for us,” Tommy Vitale said. “We’ve always just wanted to grow out our hair and donate it to Locks of Love. It’s just something I’ve always loved and thought about doing.”

Locks of Love is an organization that collects hair donations of at least 10 inches to turn into wigs for pediatric cancer patients who have lost their hair to cancer treatment.

The boy behind the Vitales’ inspiration is Ross MacNeill, who grew up in the Vitales’ hometown of Wheaton, Illinois, before passing away from brain cancer in 2013 at the age of 11.

The Ross K. MacNeill Foundation — or, as it is more commonly known, R33M — is a non-profit organization founded in honor of MacNeill’s fight with brain cancer.

The foundation’s goal is to raise awareness about pediatric brain cancer and to collect funds for pediatric brain cancer research, said president and co-founder Kim MacNeill, who is also Ross’ mother.

It was at one of those fundraising events where the Vitales’ and MacNeills’ stories began to cross.

“Last spring in March … was the first time I had met both Dan and Tommy. They both participated in the event. It’s a big dodgeball tournament that spans three days and fundraises for our foundation,” Kim MacNeill said. “From that point forward, they’ve reached back to us, wanting to be involved and supportive of our foundation and the work that we’re doing.”

The foundation’s end goal is to “be out of business,” or end the fight against pediatric brain cancer, by 2023, when Ross MacNeill would have been 21, his mother said.

Moved by Ross MacNeill’s story, Tommy Vitale has been growing out his hair since the beginning of his junior year of high school, whereas Dan Vitale made the decision last year, the brothers said.

The extra inches sticking out from under their helmets certainly hasn’t impacted their football skills: Dan Vitale has 207 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the first six games of the season.

And the younger Vitale said he hasn’t had any problems with his long curls since he started growing it out.

“I’ve actually never gotten it pulled while playing. It’s gotten like stuck in my pad, which is very uncomfortable, but that’s about it,” Tommy Vitale said.

Kim MacNeill said the brothers’ actions are about much more than football or hair.

“For young men like this, who are very involved in an incredible program at Northwestern, who are incredibly successful and have so much going for them, for them to take time and pause to think about others and other work they can be apart of and give momentum to, I think that speaks volumes about each young man,” MacNeill said.

While Ross MacNeill wasn’t an avid football fan, he had an insatiable passion for hockey, his mom said. She believes any athlete can understand Ross’ and the Vitales’ passions.

“What crosses the lines between sports,” Kim MacNeill said, “is that when you have a deep love for something, and it is, to no fault of your own, taken away like it was for Ross, it makes us step back and say, ‘How can we be a part of making sure that the next athlete that is trying to grow up and do something he loves doesn’t lose that?’”

When the Vitale brothers step onto the football field everyday, they carry with them a physical reminder of the opportunity they have to play college football.

So who wore it better?

“Definitely my brother,” Dan Vitale said. “It’s a lot longer, wavier. Mine’s just curly and knotty.”

While Dan Vitale still has a ways to go before he can donate, Tommy Vitale said he has well over 10 inches.

Tommy Vitale, who was ruled out for the rest of the season due to a lower body injury, said he planned to cut it this week.

Tommy Vitale said he might keep his hair short for a while but will eventually grow it all back with the intention of donating it again, all for a little boy whose passion for life — and sports — was taken too soon.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @clairechansen