Popular Ole Miss, University of South Alabama and Mississippi State head football coaches to participate in PGA Tour Champions event during 2016 Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic
Biloxi, Miss. (March 7, 2016) – A trio of popular college football head coaches will take a brief break from recruiting and spring practice to sharpen their golf games when they participate in the C Spire Pro-Am golf event on Thursday, March 31 at Fallen Oak.
Ole Miss’ Hugh Freeze, University of South Alabama’s Joey Jones and Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen will headline a group of 200 amateurs playing alongside 50 professional golfers from the PGA TOUR Champions participating in the 2016 Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic.
The tournament, now in its seventh year with a $1.6 million purse, features defending champion David Frost and 26 of the top 30 money winners from the 2016 Tour, including the first three winners of the year – Duffy Waldorf, Esteban Toledo and 2015 Charles Schwab Cup winner Bernhard Langer.
Freeze, who is playing for the second time in the event and entering his fifth season as Rebels head coach, has led the team to four straight post-season bowl appearances, including a 10-win season in 2015 and a winning berth in the 2016 Allstate Sugar Bowl. “It’s always good to return to the Gulf Coast, which holds a special place in my heart,” said Freeze, a University of Southern Mississippi graduate. “I’m looking forward to a great day of golf and fellowship.”
Jones, the only head coach at USA since the school began its football program in 2008, led the Jaguars to their first post season bowl appearance in 2014 in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. “I’m looking forward to playing in the Pro-Am with other coaches, community leaders, business executives and elected officials as we enjoy one of the most beautiful courses in the country,” said Jones, who was named the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year.
Mullen, who is entering his eighth season as the Bulldogs head coach, has led the school to six straight post-season bowl appearances, the winningest two-year stretch in program history with 19 wins and a Belk Bowl victory in December. “I’m excited about playing in this event with some of the world’s best golfers,” Mullen said. “The Mississippi Gulf Coast is an important part of our state and I’m looking forward to participating in an event that has such a significant economic impact on the region.”
C Spire, a Mississippi-based diversified telecommunications and technology services company, is presenting sponsor of the tournament for the third straight year, one of 12 consortium partners and title sponsor of the Pro-Am event. The company has invested over $3 million in the tournament in the last several years. “We’re excited about Hugh, Joey and Dan participating in the C Spire Pro-Am and we look forward to a great day of golf as we continue to build the reputation of this first class tournament, which is a major contributor to the economic health of the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Jim Richmond, vice president of Corporate Communications for C Spire. “With some of the world’s best Champions Tour golfers coming to our state and playing in this event, we know it will have a positive impact on the region’s economy.”
The tournament, scheduled for April 1-3, has generated over $90 million in direct economic impact on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since its inception in 2010 and last year surpassed the $1 million mark in total charitable giving. The three-day tournament is scheduled to air on the Golf Channel once again this year, exposing the region and its attractions to a live national and international audience.
For more information or tickets to the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, go to www.2016mgrc.com. Children 16 and under accompanied by an adult receive free admission. Proceeds from the tournament benefit the Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
About C Spire
C Spire is a diversified telecommunications and technology services company that provides world-class service and a superior, comprehensive suite of customer-inspired wireless communications, ultra-high speed Internet access and a range of other telecommunications products and services to consumers and businesses. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire.
About the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic
In addition to C Spire as the tournament’s presenting sponsor, the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic is uniquely funded by 11 other consortium partners, who see this event as an ideal way to promote the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The 2016 consortium partners are: C Spire, Mississippi Power, Beau Rivage Hotel & Resort-Fallen Oak, IP Resort & Spa, F.E.B. Distributing, Habitat for Humanity, Hard Rock Biloxi, Harrah’s Gulf Coast, Hancock Bank, Hollywood Gulf Coast/Boomtown, Coca-Cola and Roy Anderson Corp. The tournament is administered through the MGRC Foundation, Inc. and will benefit Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
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