MAGNOLIA – The Southern Arkansas University Foundation will host the inaugural Rip Powell Invitational Golf Tournament beginning at 8 a.m. on Thursday, March 17, at the Magnolia Country Club. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Mulerider football program and will be part of a campaign to name the field at Wilkins Stadium in Powell’s honor.
The tournament will be a four-man scramble with entry fees set at $400 for a team or $100 per player. Entry in the tournament includes a continental breakfast, refreshments and snacks, lunch, and a gift bag for each participant.
“Those who played with and for Coach Powell, as well as those who coached with him, remember the tremendous impact that he had on their lives and the dedicated service that he gave to SAU (then SSC),” said Jeanie Bismark and Josh Kee of the SAU Foundation. “When these alumni approached us about a way to keep his legacy alive, the possibility of an annual golf tournament emerged as an opportunity to remember him and celebrate his accomplishments each year. Both those who knew him and those who are hearing of him for the first time will enjoy the fellowship of this tournament while benefitting the University.”
Powell passed away Oct. 29, 2010, at age 79. He served as head football coach at the University from 1969-1979 and head track and field coach from 1964-1969. He was inducted into the Arkansas Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2002 and was inducted as part of the inaugural class of the Southern Arkansas University Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
For more information on the Rip Powell Invitational Golf Tournament, contact the SAU Foundation at (870) 235-4078 or visit www.saufoundation.org/rippowell.
