LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Raiders’ home field turned into a charity dinner table Friday, as fans and former players rallied around a Hall of Famer’s Crab Fest for a cause.
The Biletnikoff Foundation’s Celebrity Crab Fest Gala took over Allegiant Stadium for its 26th year.
Guests dined on all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab, bid in silent and live auctions, and took pictures with Raiders legends and other celebrities.
Fred Biletnikoff said he holds the event in honor of his daughter, Tracey, and that it means everything to see people still showing up to support her legacy.
“Well, because of my daughter, Tracey, from years ago. You know, she was an addict and she got clean and sober. And her wish was always that, you know, there weren’t enough things for adolescent girls. So after her passing, this is what we did. We started a foundation for adolescent girls and named it Tracey’s Place of Hope,” Biletnikoff said.
Biletnikoff said the foundation gives young women going through similar struggles an avenue of support to help them get back to a normal life. He said the event became a crab fest because it reminded him of the kind of gatherings he saw growing up with the Raiders in Oakland, and the idea stuck when a banquet was first proposed 26 years ago. He said his favorite part of the event is seeing people come back year after year in a home-style atmosphere.
Former teammates show their support
Other players and celebrities said coming out Friday was their way of standing behind Fred and the kids who count on these programs.
“Freddie has been a guy that we’ve admired for many years on and off the field. And his contribution in his daughter’s name off the field has just been, I think, phenomenal. It’s been Hall of Fame as well,” said Marcus Allen, former Raiders running back.
Willie Gault, who played for the Raiders under Biletnikoff as a coach, said Biletnikoff is an inspiration, pointing to the work done through Tracey’s Place of Hope and crediting Biletnikoff’s wife, Angela, as well.
Tim Brown, another former Raiders player, said Fred and Angela Biletnikoff have fought through tough times and turned the event into a way for people to come together.
“Freddie and Angela have, you know, fought through some really tough times in their lives. And when they started this deal years ago, it was a beautiful thing, right? Come together, you know, have fun, you know, and eat a whole bunch of crab,” Brown said.
The money helps fund Tracey’s Place of Hope at Saint Jude’s Ranch for Children in Nevada, and other Biletnikoff Foundation efforts to fight abuse and human trafficking.
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