Charlie Becker torched Ohio State for 126 yards in last season’s Big Ten Championship Game, despite growing up a die-hard Buckeyes fan. Now, the Indiana WR is preparing to face his childhood favorite team again, but his touchdowns carry a bigger purpose. A recent Big Ten Football feature revealed that Becker has pledged $1,000 for every touchdown he scores to support ALS research, a cause close to home as his aunt, Amy Stiens, has battled the disease since 2021.

“I really just want to help her as much as possible,” he said. “Try to put a smile on her face as she’s going through these terrible, terrible months and years of her life. And it’s so much more than football. And it’s so much more than the hurt that I’m going through. There’s no cure to it.”

ALS is a progressive nervous system disease that damages nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, gradually affecting muscle control and movement. For the Stiens and Becker families, the diagnosis changed how they viewed time together.

Charlie’s mother, Tracy, is Amy’s sister. She remembers the moment the news arrived.

“You get those phone calls sometimes in life where the world just kind of stops,” she said. “And it just makes you cherish every single moment together.”

Amy has refused to let ALS take away her sense of humor.

“I want to laugh about the stupid stuff that ALS takes from you,” she said in the Big Ten feature. “Because it is just, you either laugh or you cry. And I’d rather laugh.”

Watching his aunt’s struggle has changed how Becker views his own setbacks.

“My struggles have nothing compared to everything she’s going through,” he said. “I just want to do everything in my power to bring her a smile.”

Becker is putting money behind those words through Huddle for Hope, a foundation he created to raise awareness and support research into ALS. Then Pat McAfee heard about the plan in August and decided to get involved.

“We will match that,” he said.

The Pat McAfee Show pledged to match Becker’s contributions dollar for dollar. McAfee and his co-hosts also mentioned prominent Indiana-connected figures, including Mark Cuban, Joe Buck, and former Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza, as potential supporters.

Through six games this season, Becker has 30 receptions for 529 yards and eight touchdowns. His touchdown total ranks fourth nationally, and he earned a spot on Sports Illustrated’s Midseason All-America Second Team. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has praised his willingness to give back.

“That tells you a lot about Charlie that he wants to give back,” he said. “If Charlie keeps improving, one day he’ll have a lot of money and he’ll be involved with a lot of causes.”

Charlie Becker grew up dreaming of playing for Ohio State

Becker didn’t grow up dreaming about playing for Indiana. His father played football at Ohio State, and the family remained devoted Buckeyes even while living in SEC country. Dave painted OSU’s iconic helmet stripes around his sons’ bedroom. The family even attended the first CFP national championship game, when Ohio State beat Oregon.

“We were die-hard,” Charlie Becker said. “We had Ohio State posters up. You name it, we had it. Every Saturday, we’d be sitting down, watching Ohio State play ball, kicking everybody’s butts. That was a dream: to play for them or play against them.”

Becker ended up doing the latter in a way his younger self probably couldn’t have imagined. Last season, he led the Hoosiers with six catches in the Big Ten Championship Game. His leaping 33-yard reception on third-and-6 helped Indiana burn precious time late in the game, making it one of the defining plays in the Hoosiers’ victory.

Ohio State will try to keep Becker out of the end zone on Saturday as Indiana looks to stay unbeaten. But another touchdown would also mean another contribution to his family’s cause.

“I’m so proud of Charlie,” Amy said. “For the person that he is. For letting this family come together to think about something other than ALS.”