When Adam Fox matriculated at Harvard in 2016, he had already been drafted in the third round by the Calgary Flames.
But when he met his future wife, Tate, in their freshman year, he knew that his NHL potential wouldn’t impress her too much.
“She’s coming from a dad who played in the NFL,” he said.
They married in 2024 and had their first child, daughter Greer, earlier this year.
Greer is former Atlanta Falcons pass rusher Tim Green’s 11th grandchild. That’s plenty to keep him busy.
Fox, too, given he’s now balancing parenthood with being a veteran leader for the New York Rangers, the 2021 Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman and a hopeful to make his first Olympic team in 2026.
Fox and his father-in-law have an added connection in the form of a cause: raising awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- or Lou Gehrig’s disease — a progressive loss of motor function and muscle use. There is no cure.
Green played in the NFL from 1986 to 1993. Around 2011, he realized something was wrong. He began having problems using nail clippers with his hands. In 2016, he was diagnosed with a slow-progressing version of ALS.
In 2018, Green went public in a Facebook post. He opened it with the hashtag #TackleALS and announced the launch of a fundraiser to support ALS research.
Before meeting Green, Fox’s knowledge of ALS came mostly from the viral Ice Bucket Challenge trend of 2014.
“Tate and Adam came to me asking how they could get involved and support our mission,” Green said in an email. “From the start, they’ve gone above and beyond, organizing events to raise funds. I’m truly grateful and incredibly proud of them.”
In 2020, after his first season with the Rangers, Fox began partnering with Tackle ALS. He raised money through a raffle, by doing personalized videos on Cameo and holding a kids hockey clinic with teammates.
“Seeing how Tim has courageously handled his ALS diagnosis makes this cause personal for my family and me,” Fox said.
In recent seasons, Fox bought a suite at Madison Square Garden for Rangers games to host families who have been affected by ALS.
“You meet everyone in different stages of it,” he said. “Some could still talk to you and are just in a wheelchair. Some are non-speaking. I think it’s definitely emotional for them. I think the biggest thing for them is being seen.”
In 2024, Fox received the club’s Rod Gilbert “Mr. Ranger” Award for leadership and significant contribution to the community.
Tackle ALS recently surpassed $10 million in fundraising. Green called it “an incredibly humbling milestone” and also called out the backing of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
“What I’m most proud of is the grassroots impact behind it (the $10 million),” Green said. “Many of our donations come in smaller amounts, from families. It means a lot to know our message is connecting directly with people.”
Tackle ALS funds support efforts to make testing new medicines more efficient in the search for treatments and a cure.
“I think it was very much a silent killer of a disease,” Fox said. “But now, with the technology and the research, I think a lot of promising things have been coming forward.”
Fox announced before the start of this season that he will donate to ALS research $1,023 for every goal he scores and $523 for every assist he tallies. He called on Rangers fans to support the cause by visiting TackleALS.com.
“The first time I met Adam, he and Tate were just dating, and I could immediately tell he was quiet and humble,” Green said. “His parents clearly did a wonderful job raising him, and even after several seasons as one of the NHL’s top defensemen, he still carries himself with the same humility.”
Throughout the winter, in a series called Hometown Hopefuls, NBC is spotlighting the stories of Olympic and Paralympic athletes from across the United States as they work towards the opportunity to represent their country at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. We’ll learn about their paths to their sports’ biggest stage, the communities that have been formative along the way, and the causes they’re committed to in their hometowns and around the world. Visit nbcsports.com/hometown-hopefuls for more stories on the road to Milan Cortina.
