TAMPA — Jon Cooper stands next to the gray post, hidden from the sight of most who gaze toward the platform in the front of the Lexus Lounge, waiting for his cue.
The emcee then announces his name and hands Cooper the microphone. The couple hundred people in attendance for the kickoff dinner for Coop's Catch for Kids meet his entrance with applause.
"Wow," Cooper says. "I can't believe this is Year 3."
He also had trouble believing how many faces looked back at him, there at Amalie Arena on Monday to raise money for the fight against pediatric cancer.