Ernie Els and Dan Marino are not two athletes that you would consider "alike." One's a golfer, one's a former football player and they hail from entirely different parts of the world.But there is one thing they have in common, and it's pretty touching: they both are heavily involved in the fight against autism, because each of them has a child afflicted with the disease.
Els arranged to meet Marino last year to play golf, but more importantly, to seek his counsel.It seems pretty clear, too, that Els' meeting with Marino helped the golfer and his wife, Samantha, to realize the idea of founding the Els for Autism foundation. Els' foundation will kickstart its American-based campaign with a Pro-Am at Pebble Beach on March 23.
"We hit it off well," Els said.
"I did share [Marino's son] Michael's story with Ernie," Marino said. "I think it does provide hope for people. The big thing with Michael is that from the time he was 2 years old, we started with occupational speech and other therapies. Early intervention is where we were really able to make an impact. That's helped other people, with hope, that if you are diagnosed early enough, you have a chance to be successful."
Although Marino wasn't on the name of celebrities and pros locked into play, it seems pretty likely that he would make the trip. And even if it he doesn't, he's already provided enough inspiration for the Els family.
