The annual Hit the Bricks fundraiser, which raises money for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund, was back in person in the fall of 2021, setting new records for participants (1,693), the number of teams (146) and total money raised ($202,787.85 and counting.) Runners and walkers circled Hearn Plaza for 22,789 laps, or just under 5,700 miles.

Brian Piccolo was an All-American football player who attended Wake Forest in the 1960s and went on to become a running back for the Chicago Bears. Piccolo died of embryonal cell carcinoma at age 26 in 1970. Funds raised from Hit the Bricks support the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Since 1980, Hit the Bricks and other student-led initiatives have raised nearly $4 million for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund.