He is one of the most revered professional athletes of the last fifty years and despite retiring in 2001 he remains incredibly popular with baseball fans all over the country. Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. paid a visit to the Roy Rogers in Brick on Monday as part of the quick-service restaurant chains 50th-anniversary celebration. Hundreds of fans came out to meet and greet Ripken who spent most of his time across the counter, even serving those who were just as interested in roast beef or fried chicken.

Ripken played all 21 of his major league seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and was a 19-time All-Star. He is best known for playing in a record 2,632 consecutive games, surpassing Lou Gehrig’s one unbreakable record by more than 500 games which had stood for 56 years. Ripken was a two-time American League Most Valuable Player and helped the Orioles win the 1983 World Series.

Ripken’s partnership with Roy Rogers centers on their involvement in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation which is named after his father, a player and coach in the Orioles organization who died in 1999. Along with his brother Billy (another former MLB player), the Ripken’s started the foundation with a focus on giving back to distressed communities by creating and building parks for at-risk youth.

To date, the Ripken Foundation has 75 completed parks and recreational communities across the country in 21 states and Roy Rogers has been one of their biggest supporters.

Roy Rogers has two locations in Ocean County….Brick Boulevard in Brick and Route 9 in Pine Beach.

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