Ziggy Hood Rents Amarillo Theater for Autism Awareness

Community has always been a big part of Amarillo. People picking each other up when they need help, and just overall doing the right thing. A lot of times, these are selfless acts that come from people you don't even know.

Then, there are those who are considered Amarillo "royalty," I guess you could say. Well, one person who made it to the big time from Amarillo is Ziggy Hood.

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Who Is Ziggy Hood

Evander "Ziggy" Hood is an Amarillo native who played his high school football at Palo Duro High School and was a standout. He went off to play in college at Missouri, and parlayed that into being the Pittsburgh Steelers' first-round draft pick, being selected 32nd overall, in the 2009 NFL Draft.

He'd go on to play 10 years in the NFL, then came home. He'd return to his high school alma mater to be the PE teacher, as well as the defensive line coach for the football team there.

Renting Movie Theatre To Bring Awareness To Autism

Hood is now giving back in another way. It was recently put out there that he had rented out an entire theatre at Hollywood 16 on October 12, 2025, for the movie "Tron: Ares". Hood has a child with autism, and he is all about bringing awareness to it.

So what do "Tron: Ares" and autism have in common? Well, the programs in the Tron series operate based on logical code and rules as opposed to social convention. Many have said that the Tron movies have drawn many parallels to those with Asperger's, which is known as a form of autism.

Hood has invited the students of Palo Duro High School and up to five immediate family members to the movie for free. He is also providing all the snacks for them. Good guys giving back to the community, love to see it.