Give a few pro Football players some basketball gear and a chance to channel their inner Michael Jordan and there are bound to be plenty of giggles.

And laughs abounded at former Texas Longhorn Michael Huff's second annual game at the Austin Convention Center this past weekend.

Ex-Longhorns wideout Sloan Thomas debuted his John Stockton style short-shorts (circa 1984) to the delight of several female attendees.

"I was looking for a shorter pair but this is all they had,'' said Thomas, who is now helping UT-San Antonio start its Football program.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett was comic relief personified, from starting the game with a slam dunk in the wrong basket, to his dance moves during timeouts or running off the bench to goal-tend a youngster's free-throw attempt. He even gave his sneakers away and signed them for an excited fan.

"You're not going to sell these on eBay, are you?'' he asked.

Amid all the fun being had on a busy sports weekend in the Austin area, Huff's friends entertained and sent a message that you can have a great time and help your community at the same time. Huff was a Boys and Girls Club kid growing up in Irving and remembered the local center as a refuge of sorts as he came to grips with his parents' divorce.

"There were days when it was the only place I could go besides hanging out on the streets,'' said Huff, the Oakland Raiders defensive back who organized the event with former Longhorn Rod Walker and gave away several dozen tickets to the Boys and Girls Club of the Austin Area. "This event means a lot to me because we have a lot of guys who are coming here to give back and support a good cause."

Bowles wore a bright grin on her face during the game and it wasn't because she was so impressed with the basketball being played but because this gathering helped efforts in her own community.

She is the founder and president of Women Called Moses, which helps battered women and their children. Part of Saturday's proceeds went to Bowles' Dallas-based organization, which has been operating for seven years now. Bowles gets 30 to 40 calls a day from women who need assistance in getting away from abusive relationships.

"In this economy, there are so many women out there who don't have the resources they need to get themselves and their children out of bad situations,'' she said. "We have women on the run for their lives and we want to help them any way we can."

In a time of economic upheaval, professional athletes are somewhat recession-proof, and it's refreshing to see some of these young millionaires putting charitable works on their priority list.

People like Huff's teammate Stanford Routt, a former Connally star whose Routt 2 Success Foundation assists underprivileged kids through education programs and after-school activities.

People like Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson, who was named the 2007 Role Model of the Year by the children of the Boys and Girls Clubs of greater Kansas City. The former Longhorn All-American's foundation just paired with several Kansas City businesses and over 200 volunteers to build three playgrounds in his city.

Huff believes the event will continue to grow and with the support staff he has in place, that's good news for fans that love rubbing elbows with their heroes in an informal setting each spring.

And even better news for the people who need our help.

cgolden@statesman.com; 912-5944