As a star wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, Amon-Ra St. Brown has all the right moves on the football field. But would you want him slinging pies in your pizzeria’s kitchen?
Little Caesars decided to put him to the test—just for fun, mind you—in the first-of-its-kind St. Brown Pizza! Pizza! Showdown, which took place at the chain’s headquarters in Detroit on December 16.
In the fundraising event for Detroit Prep, a charter school organization, Little Caesars challenged St. Brown’s pizza skills and competitive spirit in a series of timed contests in front of an audience.
For the first challenge, St. Brown went up against a Detroit Prep student, 12-year-old Dean Cole, where they had two minutes to make the most creatively delicious pizza possible. Next, the NFL athlete faced off against Little Caesars CEO Dave Scrivano to see who could perfectly top two Classic Pepperoni Pizzas the fastest. In the final round, St. Brown went up against Sports Illustrated journalist Claudette Montana to perfectly top a pair of pies.
“I’ve never made a pizza in my life,” St. Brown later told WXYZ. “It looks a lot easier than it really is….You know, there’s a clock involved, so I am trying to beat the person next to me. Competing, but while you’re competing, [you’re] still trying to be precise and accurate. So, I mean, it’s the same on the field.”
Granted, however, St. Brown was competing against a seventh-grader, not a speedy and muscular pro cornerback. Even so, the youngster emerged as the winner of the competition.
In addition to the thrill of meeting St. Brown in person, Cole told WXYZ, “What I learned was to have perseverance with everything that you do. Just try your best, like, do everything to the best of your ability.”
Detroit Prep is a free, grassroots, community-founded public charter school organization that approaches educating underserved Detroit kids in a fresh new way. The students selected to attend were named “Light Leaders” of their school, a prestigious award recognizing those who exemplified the school’s core Habits of Character nominated through peers and staff.
After the challenges were completed, guests had the opportunity to speak with St. Brown and participate in a special guided tour of the Little Caesars headquarters.
