Matt Leinart to receive Roy Firestone Award at Westcoast Sports Associates' annual benefit in Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Former USC quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart will be honored with the 2026 Roy Firestone Award on Tuesday, Nov. 3, as Westcoast Sports Associates hosts its 31st annual benefit at the Sandbourne Santa Monica, raising money to provide youth sports opportunities for children in underserved communities throughout Southern California.

The event will bring together leaders from the sports, business and entertainment communities to support an organization that has spent more than three decades helping children participate in organized sports regardless of their families' financial circumstances.

Founded in Los Angeles, Westcoast Sports Associates is a nonprofit organization that works directly with the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks to cover expenses that often prevent children from participating in youth sports, including league registration fees, uniforms and equipment.

The organization has expanded its partnerships to include Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine and other nonprofit groups throughout Southern California, helping provide opportunities for more than 25,000 children annually.

Over its 31-year history, WSA has raised more than $4 million for youth sports programs and currently distributes more than $200,000 annually to organizations serving economically disadvantaged communities.

For many families, the cost of organized sports can be a significant obstacle. Registration fees, equipment and uniforms can quickly add up, particularly for households with multiple children. WSA works to eliminate those financial barriers, giving young athletes the opportunity to experience the physical, social and developmental benefits of team sports.

The organization's signature fundraising event dates to 1996, when legendary sports broadcaster Roy Firestone was recognized for his commitment to community service and youth development. Firestone subsequently became WSA's honorary chairman, and the organization renamed its highest honor the Roy Firestone Award.

Since then, the award has recognized some of the biggest names in sports, including Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Magic Johnson, Jim Brown, Sugar Ray Leonard, Joe Montana, Andre Agassi, Vin Scully, Clayton Kershaw, Charles Barkley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Candace Parker.

Firestone himself received the award for a second time in 2025 as WSA celebrated the 30th anniversary of its annual benefit.

This year's honoree, Leinart, is one of the most decorated quarterbacks in USC football history. He led the Trojans to back-to-back national championships and compiled a 37-2 record as a starter under coach Pete Carroll.

Leinart won the Heisman Trophy in 2004 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017. A first-round selection in the 2006 NFL Draft, he played six seasons in the NFL before transitioning into broadcasting, where he has spent the past decade as a college football analyst for FOX Sports' Big Noon Kickoff.

The Heisman Trophy will be on display at Tuesday's event, which will also feature a live, onstage interview with Leinart conducted by sports broadcaster Chris McGee before the presentation of the Roy Firestone Award.

WSA will also introduce its inaugural WSA Playmaker Award, recognizing individuals whose long-term partnerships have helped advance the organization's mission. The first recipient will be Michael Karlin, a founding partner of NKSFB and a WSA board member who attended his first benefit in 2000 and has supported the organization for more than 25 years.

The evening will feature a cocktail reception, dinner, silent and live auctions and a fundraising appeal to support youth sports programs. A portion of this year's proceeds will also benefit Olive Crest, a nonprofit organization that Leinart has supported for years.

WSA's origins can be traced to a breakfast meeting in Manhattan Beach in 1994, when four college friends — Michael Gottlieb, Mike Rosenberg, Allen Lynch and W. Chip Eggers — gathered at the Local Yolk restaurant to discuss how they could give back to their community.

Three were UCLA graduates, while Eggers attended USC. Although none had been star athletes, all four credited their participation in youth sports with helping shape their lives and careers.

They recognized that thousands of children across Los Angeles lacked access to the same opportunities because of financial hardship and a shortage of organized recreational programs.

With encouragement from former Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Commission president Steve Soboroff, the group began focusing on underserved neighborhoods, including the Jim Gilliam Recreation Center in South Los Angeles, where youth sports programs could help bring children back to local parks and provide a positive alternative to negative influences.

The organization was formally established in 1995 and has continued growing through its partnerships with local recreation departments, community organizations and supporters from the sports and business worlds.

More than three decades later, WSA's mission remains largely unchanged: Make sure a child's ability to participate in sports is not determined by their family's income or ZIP code.

While Tuesday's benefit will celebrate Leinart's accomplishments on the football field and his commitment to giving back, the larger purpose of the evening will be supporting the thousands of Southern California children who might otherwise never have the opportunity to put on a uniform, join a team or play organized sports.