Ron Jaworski teams up with SAFR to make high school football safer for Philly’s student-athletes

Ron Jaworski stood in front of a crowd inside the Northeast Philly location of Chickie’s and Pete’s, holding two football helmets.

The one in his right hand was a smaller, primarily plastic helmet from his days as Youngstown State’s quarterback in 1973. The one in his other hand was a modern-day helmet with advanced materials and a SAFR helmet cover decorating the outside.

“I look inside that helmet and say, ‘How did I survive four years of Youngstown?’” the former Eagles QB said Tuesday. ”Look at the inside of the [modern helmet] compared to this. The player is now going to be well protected. It’s about their safety, number one. Not winning, not losing. And that’s the important part of the game. It’s about safety first.”

The 74-year-old will tell you he suffered a number of “unofficial” concussions during his high school, college, and NFL career. Now he’s making it a mission to promote football safety and reduce the risk of concussions.

He has partnered with the Chester Springs-based safety innovation company SAFR Sports in its “We Made Philadelphia Football SAFR” campaign. Jaworski and his wife, Liz, are donating $10,000 to jump-start the program.

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“As a former NFL quarterback for 17 years, as a former high school quarterback for four years, and four years at Youngstown State, 25 years of my life was playing football,” Jaworski said. “And I suffered numerous concussions as a player. … I realized it’s all about safety and we’ve got to take care of the kids.”

SAFR wants to provide a safer environment for all participants in contact sports through its patented force reduction technology in its football helmet covers. The campaign is designed to provide every student-athlete in Philadelphia high schools with concussion protection and education.

“It’s a campaign to outfit every Catholic and Public League football player you know regardless of social status or economic concerns,” said SAFR Sports’ CEO and president, John Zeglinski. “We’re a Philadelphia-based firm, but we think we’ll expand [the campaign] to other cities.”

Approximately 2,100 high school football players across public and private high schools in the city will be provided with SAFR helmet covers starting in the fall. The covers are made of polyurethane foam that absorbs and dissipates the energy caused by hits, acting as an air bag and protecting players from the impact. The cover attaches to most football helmets and can be customized to fit team colors.

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SAFR also partnered with the International Student Athlete Academy in the campaign to maximize its impact. The ISAA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring grit, encouraging integrity, and instilling confidence in athletes through youth sports. The partnership means that every sponsorship and donation is 100% tax-deductible, directly supporting local teams, players, and coaches.

Donations to support SAFR’s efforts can be made on the organization’s website, safrsports.com.

“Their whole mission aligns very well with ours, just like Ron,” Zeglinski said. “That mission is to take care of the youth of America.”

The NFL has made strides in player safety compared to when Jaworski played. In a 2013 Daily News article, Jaworski recalled walking to the sideline “seeing stars” before sniffing smelling salts and heading back into the game.

“I remember being concussed during games, the trainer would come out and say, ‘How many fingers?’ I’d say two. ‘What’s your wife’s name?’ I would say Liz. He would say ‘Oh, you’re OK,’” Jaworski said. “And that was kind of the concussion testing. As time evolved, and the game has evolved and the medical profession has evolved, we’ve made the game safer. It’s got to be safety first.”