April 17, 2009
GREENSBORO, Ga. – Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson and former NBA center Will Perdue will represent the Commodores and compete for a share of the $350,000 scholarship purse in the annual Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge golf tournament.
This marks the first time that Vanderbilt Athletics will be represented in the nation’s premier head coach and celebrity golf event. The tournament will be held at the beautiful Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee outside Atlanta April 28.
“I can’t wait to represent Vanderbilt with Will Perdue in the Chick-fil-A Challenge,” Johnson said. “It should be a lot of fun, it’s for a great cause, and I’ll have the benefit of an outstanding former Commodore as my partner.”
The field includes defending champions Steve Spurrier and Sterling Sharpe from the University of South Carolina, along with head coaches and celebrities from the Alabama, Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Kentucky, Maryland, Ole Miss, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
Event organizers will award a $120,000 scholarship grand prize to the first-place team.
“Don’t expect this to be a nice way for the coaches to unwind after spring practice,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO. “These guys are very competitive and we fully expect that spirit to carry over to the golf course. We’re looking for a great event with some low scores and a lot of money heading back to these schools for scholarship.”
Johnson, entering his eighth year at helm of Vanderbilt football, guided the Commodores to their first postseason appearance in 26 years last season, culminating the campaign with a 16-14 victory over nationally ranked Boston College in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. It was the first postseason victory by a Vanderbilt team in more than five decades.
A towering center in his Vanderbilt playing days, Perdue still ranks among the Commodores’ finest basketball players. A four-year letterwinner, Perdue became a two-time All-Southeastern Conference performer, earning SEC Player of the Year honors in 1988.
He continues as the Vanderbilt all-time leader with 157 blocked shots and a field goal percentage of 60.6%. He also ranks among the all-time Commodore leaders in rebounds (708, 7th) and scoring (1,281, 21st).
After graduating from Vanderbilt, Perdue earned fame after becoming the Chicago Bulls’ first-round draft pick in 1988. Playing with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin, Perdue helped the Bulls to three NBA titles before being traded to San Antonio in 1995. He added a fourth world championship as a member of the Spurs in 1999.
Perdue now works as a basketball analyst for ESPN and co-hosts a morning sports talk radio show in Louisville, Ky.
The current field of Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge competitors includes:
TEAM — COACH, CELEBRITY
Vanderbilt — Bobby Johnson, Will Perdue
Alabama — Nick Saban, Johnny Musso
Georgia Tech — Paul Johnson, Jon Barry
Kentucky — Rich Brooks, Jared Lorenzen
Maryland — Ralph Friedgen, Neil O’Donnell
Minnesota — Tubby Smith, Jim Petersen
Mississippi — Houston Nutt, Kris Mangum
N.C. State — Sidney Lowe, Monte Towe
South Carolina — Steve Spurrier, Sterling Sharpe
Virginia Tech — Frank Beamer, Dell Curry
Wake Forest — Jim Grobe, Billy Packer
Additional teams may be added prior to the event.
The Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge features pairings that include a university head coach and a celebrity or former athlete from the same school competing in a scramble format against other university teams from around the country. In addition to the $350,000 scholarship purse, another $130,000 of the proceeds will be donated to selected charities. The Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge is a significant contributor to the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s overall charitable and scholarship donations. The Chick-fil-A Bowl leads all bowls in the country in charitable giving, including record gifts of more than $1.2 million in 2008 alone.
For more information on the event, visit www.Chick-fil-ABowlChallenge.com.
