American Cancer Society honors Phil Martelli and Fran Dunphy

One day, Phil Martelli received a phone call from a high school coach in Hazleton, who said, “Phil, I need your help. I am dying.”

With Coaches vs. Cancer’s great success in Philadelphia, Martelli and La Salle men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy receive many calls asking for guidance and help. “Where do you go from there?” Martelli said.

Later down the line, Martelli received another call from the same coach, expressing gratitude toward the Michigan assistant coach for saving his life.

“Nope, not me,” Martelli, formerly the longtime coach at St. Joseph’s, said Sunday. “And not me or him [Dunphy] built this building. Not he nor I raised 18 million dollars. You did. You’re the heroes. We just happen to be the ones that get in the front.”

Two driving forces behind Coaches vs. Cancer, Dunphy and Martelli were presented with the American Cancer Society’s St. George National Award, a prestigious volunteer honor that was given to 11 others nationwide this year. The event took place at the Philadelphia Hope Lodge, a home away from home for cancer patients seeking treatment in the city.

The longtime coaches did not break ground to build the facility, but they could have. With their connections and determination to put plans in place, they have helped shape the Philadelphia Coaches vs. Cancer chapter, raising more than $18 million.

» READ MORE: Fran Dunphy back on practice court at La Salle, still aiming for ‘perfection’

What started over breakfast with 34 people on the day after Selection Sunday at a City Line Avenue restaurant has turned into a breakfast for nearly 600 people on the floor of the Palestra. Martelli and Dunphy have had a hand in several Coaches vs. Cancer programs throughout the year, from golf outings to youth initiatives to the annual gala and the Suits and Sneakers fundraiser created by Dunphy’s fellow La Salle alumnus Bill Campo.

“We talk about all the time that every table here, there’s a story of how cancer affected all of us,” Dunphy said. “For me, that table [pointing to his family] means a great deal. I’m the world’s sappiest guy, by the way, too.”

The Philadelphia Hope Lodge is one of more than 30 homes providing help for cancer patients across the country. Since 2009, the home has supported more 13,000 guests in their journey to recovery. The home houses 74 guests.

Dunphy and Martelli had special thanks for Dr. Arnold Baskies, former board chairman of the American Cancer Society, who has helped the two coaches direct those in need of treatment to doctors.

“He cares so much about all of the things that he can do to help others, and you can do nothing but learn from him,” Dunphy said.

“We’re not going to give up. We are going to crush cancer,” Martelli added. “If I can brighten one person’s day with a word, a smile, a visit, a call, then count me in.”

“When they give you these jobs of coaching, especially in the city of Philadelphia, it’s part of the DNA that comes along with it,” Dunphy said of Coaches vs. Cancer. “Just give back as much as you can. We’re pretty lucky to do what we do for as many years as we’ve done it.”