Click Photo to Enlarge

Tournament winners are from left, David Wainright, Washington Redskin alum Leonard Black, Scooter Batchelor, Joel Batchelor and Phil Briggs. The team had a 13-under par winning score to match the age of the youngest player. The team had an age spread of almost 60 years.

The sport celebrities who helped jump start the inaugural Mooseheart Charity Sports Memorabilia Auction and Golf Tournament at Northgreen Country Club pose with event founder Betty Robinson. Pictured from left at front Bucky Waters, Bob Harris, Paul Houseman, Betty Robinson, Donnell Woolford and Leonard Black; from left at back: Abe Jacobs, Ed Bradley, Steve Patton and Dick Conn

Bucky Waters, far right, thanks the team from JR’s Maintenance Service.Waters asked all the golfing celebrities to sign the hole sponsorship sign, and the team promised to return next year. Waters retired from Duke University after being associated there for 41 years.

Rocky Mount’s Betty and Mike Robinson wanted to invite friends to play golf, eat dinner and help raise money for a youth charity close to their hearts — Mooseheart Child City and School.

Mooseheart is a community and school for children and teens in need, located on a 1,000-acre campus, 38 miles west of Chicago. Since 1913, Mooseheart has been home to nearly 12,000 young people from all over the country ranging in age from infancy through high school.

The Robinsons accomplished their funding raising goal recently when numerous sports celebrities and friends helped launch the Inaugural Mooseheart Golf Tournament and Charity Auction held at Northgreen County Club.

Sports Memorabilia and Celebrities Auction

The community and the tournament golfers were invited to a charity auction where they enjoyed heavy hors d’oeuvre, the opportunity to bid on sports memorabilia and an opportunity to meet and greet the sports celebrities.

American Auction’s Ralph Handy kept the crowd involved and actively participating in the sale of approximately 60 items ranging from Arnold Palmer signature putters, Duke Blue Devils 2010 NCAA basketball championship limited edition posters and a crowd favorite poster of the Yankee’s Babe Ruth and friends.

Sports Celebrities

Bob Harris has been the Voice of Duke Blue Devils basketball and football for 34 years and a 2006 inductee into the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame. Harris has called almost 1,130 Duke games since 1976. His career includes eleven Final Fours and four Duke National Titles.

“Without a doubt, I will forever be remembered for Christian Laettner’s last second shot which beat Kentucky, 104-103, in 1992,” Harris said when asked about his most famous call.

That game is regarded as one of the best collegiate basketball games.

Bucky Waters played basketball for N.C. State University’s Wolfpack, coached at West Virginia for four years before a 10 year coaching stint at Duke, including four as head coach.

“My biggest career disappointment occurred when future All American Bill Bradley signed with me to attend Duke,” Waters said.

Bradley was a fall no-show as he headed to Princeton, as his dad requested.

Bradley became a three time All American and player of the year in 1965. Bradley took his undersized Princeton team to a third place finish in the NCAA and set the Final Four single game scoring record of 58 points.

“Duke played in the Final Four twice during this stint and if Bradley had been a Blue Devil, we would have won three National Championships. Few know about Bradley’s defection as a Blue Devil — the big fish that swam away,” Waters said.

Paul Houseman was an NCAA basketball official for 30 years blowing his whistle for more than 2,000 games at approximately four miles per game. This celebrity is most famous for his non-call of goaltending at the 1983 NCAA Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.

Down to its final clock tick, N.C. State turned an air ball into a national championship, as sophomore Lorenzo Charles slammed home a missed desperation jumper by Dereck Whittenburg to give Coach Jimmy Valvano’s Wolfpack a 54-52 championship victory over top-ranked Houston Cougars who were the favorites.

Super Bowl winners Dick Conn and Ed Bradley, linebacker for the Demon Deacons and a member of the Deacons 1970 ACC Champions, described what it was like to play on the legendary Pittsburgh Iron Curtain Defense teams with quarterback Terry Bradshaw and Mean Joe Green.

Chuck Ramsey was a All-American punter for Wake Forest. He spent eight years as the punter for New York Jets and was named to the Jets’ All-Time team in 2003.

Donnell Woolford, a Clemson Tiger, was a first -round Chicago Bears’ draft pick-eleventh overall in the1989 NFL Draft.

He played 10 seasons in the NFL for Chicago (8), Pittsburgh and Carolina Panthers — being an all pro in 1993.

Woolford works with PrepSportsnet.com, which helps promote high school athletics. He has a passion for being involved in fundraising event for underserved youth.

Steve Patton is Head Coach of the Gardner-Webb football team with more than two decades of experience coaching college football as well as playing college and professional football.

Leonard Black played wide receiver for Duke and signed as a free agent to play wide receiver with the Washington Redskins.

Black is the golfer of the crew and played in more than 25 charity tournaments last year.

Golf

The morning of the golf tournament was a scramble format. All players hit and go to the best shot were all hit again, the process repeated until the ball is in the hole.

The first place team had quite an age range, Scooter Batchelor age 13 played with his dad Joel, Phil Briggs, David Wainright and 72-year-old Washington Redskin alum Leonard Black.

The team eagled the par five eighteenth for a score of 59-13 under par and a beautiful first place crystal trophy.

Future Plans

The Robinsons already are planning next years tournament to include a few entertainment celebrities using Betty Robinson’s Nashville, Tenn. connections.

Kurt Wehrmeister, Moose International Communication Director, flew in from Chicago to attend the dinner and auction.

“Sun, fun, golf, interesting and caring people whose donations will be helping youth develop into mature self-sufficient young adults who in turn will be able to help the less fortunate in the next generation,” Wehrmeister said.

Mooseheart Children Home is supported by private donations and is primarily funded from dues of the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization.

Mooseheart provides complete home care, education and training for youth whose families are unable, for a wide variety of reasons, to care for them. Some have lost one or both parents; others are living in environments that are simply not conducive to healthy growth and development.

Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus where the youth live in one of approximately 30 residences, each designed like a spacious single-family residence and serves as a home for six to twelve children. Currently the home serves 230 youth.

“The heart of the program is the in-home caregivers who provide consistent, systematic care, with emphasis on social-skills essential and work ethic needed for success in later life,” said Kurt Wehrmeister from Mooseheart. “Mooseheart’s policy is to admit qualified children who have a need and the Admissions Committee considers all applications of children in need.”

Wehrmeister did not stay for the golf tournament as Saturday was a big day at Mooseheart’s Fieldhouse. Graduation day was attended by 2000 Moose members from across the continent and the student’s family and friends. Wehrmeister said the graduating class of 24 included three graduates who had attended the school for 12 years and for one — graduation day was also a celebration of his 13th anniversary at the school.

Mooseheart high school students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship for tuition, room and board with funding comparable to an in-state public university’s cost.