GCAC
2019 Scholarship
Recipients!
Celebrating Sports Fellowship,
Spirit, and Community Pride
GCAC funds scholarships for local athletes, as well as helping local athletic departments. The membership is made up of more than 80 men and women who are graduates and supporters of college athletic programs across the country, including the SEC and other conferences.
To raise money to support scholarships and athletic programs, an annual golf tournament, several trivia nights and other activities help to accomplish the club’s mission.
Each of the eight Fall meetings includes dinner and a well-known guest speaker as well as team reports and a “crying towel” award. The meetings are held at the Craft Farms Golf Clubhouse on Monday evenings.
Those interested in joining GCAC may contact Andrew Harte,
membership chairman, at 251-223-3622 or email at Andrew@remaxgs.com , or go to the website at
If you have identified anyone you would like to invite to join the club this year. please send me their name and email address. I will work with Andrew Hart to solicit these potential members next week.
Thanks you for your continued support of GCAC!!!
President: Linda Martin
Jake Lartigue and Kaily Werthem
Congratulations to our
2019 Scholarship Winners!
Kaily Werthem & Jake Lartigue
President Linda Martin and Vice President David Lee
were on hand to announce the winners of
2- $3,500 Scholarships awarded this year by
Your Gulf Coast Athletic Club!
From GCAC President, Linda Martin:
The 17th Annual Gulf Coast Athletic Club Golf Tournament was held at Craft Farms. The tournament was a great success with nearly 100 golfers enjoying a fun day of golf and festivities. The net proceeds from the tournament will fully fund the scholarships to be presented this year to deserving Gulf Shores High School senior scholar athletes and helps assure GCAC‘s continued support for Gulf Shores High School Athletics.
Thanks to all who participated as golfers and those who volunteered their time to make this tournament a success. A special thanks to Fred Dickinson and his committee members for all their hard work.
Congratulations to all winners!
Womens
1st Place Gross Ladies: Carolyn Boudreaux 1st Place Ladies Net: Linda Spangrud
Kathleen Forbes Joy Majors
Shirley LaFoy Angela Wolfe
Mary Ann Terrell Linda Runtz
Mens
1st Place Gross: Tom Bruce 1st Place Net: Caleb Davis
Preston DeFriend Cody Rhodes
John Mitchell Dennis Stastka
Leroy Shamburger Wade Ward
Thanks to everyone for helping to make this another great year for GCAC. I know everyone is looking forward to our new season which starts with our kick-off meeting in August.
See you then!
Linda Martin
President
2019 GCAC 17th Annual
Golf Tournament Results
Congratulations to our Winners!
A special thanks to our Tournament Chairman,
Fred Dickinson, who again has put on a great tournament. Also we want to thank Craft Farms and their staff for exceptional support to our tournament, to
all the volunteers who provided additional help, and
especially our tournament sponsors for supporting
the GCAC 17th Annual Golf Tournament!
Thank You!
To all our GCAC Sponsors!
Without your support, the
GCAC 17th Annual
Golf Tournament
would not be possible.
17th Annual
GCAC
Golf
Tournament
Click on the picture below to view
more scenes from our tournament.
Another great lineup of Gulf Coast Athletic Club speakers for this year!
Please respond to President Linda Martin's E-Mail RSVP
just prior to each meeting to help prepare for the event.
GCAC Speaker Schedule for the 2019-2020 Season
Aug. 26: Jake Coker Former Alabama QB
Sept 9: Tommy Tuberville Former AUburn Coach
Sept. 23: Sherman Williams Former Alabama/Dallas Cowboys RB
Oct. 7: Johnny Davis Former Alabama/NFL RB
Oct. 21: Verge Ausberry Former LSU Player/Coach
Nov. 4: TBA
Nov. 18: Cole Cublic Former AUburn player/TV analyst
Dec. 2: Trivia Night
Jan 20, 2020: TBA
From Our
GCAC Meeting
Monday
August 26th, 2019
Jake Coker
University of Alabama
Quarterback
President Linda Martin opened the 2019-20 season of the Gulf Coast Athletic Club at 7:00pm on Monday, August 26, 2019. She thanked the large crowd assembled and said she was looking forward to another great year. She had the Board stand up, noting we had two new Directors this year.
David Lee then took over the podium for a well-deserved tribute and memorial to our late member and former master Membership Director, Dixie Dave DeMeyer. He recently had a stroke and passed away far too quickly from this earth. Dave was a huge Washington State Cougars fan and, last year, had the legendary former WSU Athletic Director Stan Jankovich here as his guest and our Guest Speaker. David Lee told several Dixie Dave stories, from his tragic US Navy Ensign flying days where he was involved in a mid-air collision in Pensacola during training, his subsequent 2 year recovery, and other exploits of our dearly beloved fellow member. Good Bye, Dixie Dave DeMeyer, gone but never forgotten.
Linda introduced Membership Chair Andrew Hart who reported we have 80 members and counting at this point. New members and guests were introduced.
David Lee took over the mike again and told all of the Football Pool on again for this year. Joey Daughtery will be handling this and we’ll get cranked up this week. $25 gets you in the pool picking 10 games per week against the point spread for the next 14 or so weeks. This year, each player only gets 2 autopicks, then all losses after those two for all weeks not selected by the participant. Our Defending Champion as the Most Proficient Pigskin Prognosticator is Mrs. HiYield herself, Cynthia Tunnell.
Coach Matt Blake was introduced and made his way to the stage amid a chorus of “GO DOLPHINS” commemorating the first ever season-opening win for the newly established Gulf Shores High School City System. Coach said they had a great off-season and there was excitement in the air. He talked about getting to hire 6 new coaches for the new Athletic Staff and thanked Superintendent Matt Akin for his support, also, of course, the continued support of the Chair of the School Board, our very own Kevin Corcoran!! The 17-14 win came with a blocked last-minute Satsuma field goal attempt! So proud, GSHS!
Dec McClelland will give Team Reports and the legendary Crying Towel again this year. He noted this was the 20th year of GCAC and thanked Kevin Corcoran, Dr. Gaylon McCollough, and Chuck Norwood as original members. The CT resumes in two weeks. He did note the demise of the Mayor’s ponytail.
Dr. McCollough said, before introducing our Speaker, the Club annually hosts male and female Student Athletes during our fall meetings and scholarships are awarded to one each at year’s end. The amounts have ranged from $2,000 to $5,000 each, depending on our fundraising events’ success.
He then introduced former FSU and Alabama Quarterback Jake Coker, the only Division One QB to play on two different National Championship teams, once at FSU under Coach Jimbo Fisher and winning the Championship in 2015 under Coach Nick Saban. Your Editor felt Coker’s presentation was refreshingly candid, honest, humorous, and extremely sincere, lots of experiences in a short time.
He graduated from St. Paul’s in Mobile, and detailed his quest for a college scholarship. His Father was also present and added comments to Jake’s well-received remarks. We might add his wife was also present and it was announced they are expecting after year’s end. Knee and shoulder injuries riddled his playing career and cut short his pro career with the Arizona Cardinals. He now works for a Mobile bank.
He told numerous stories about FSU and Alabama, how so many things were the same at each (the FSU food wasn’t the best), and the mental toughness needed to excel. “Saban means a lot to me,” Jake said, and related some emotional moments during his career that helped him and the Tide win in 2015 after an early loss to Ole Miss. Elected Team Captain that year, he said the season was “what I always wanted to do.” Well Done, Jake Coker!!
The 50/50 was drawn and awarded and adjournment was at 8:27pm.
By: Bill Tunnell
David's passion for all things Washington State is legendary. We'll think of you every College Game Day as the WSU flag flies proudly.
From Our Last
GCAC Meeting
Monday
September 9th, 2019
Tommy
Tuberville
Former Auburn University
Head Coach
President Linda Martin opened the Gulf Coast Athletic Club meeting at 7:00pm on Monday, September 9, 2019. She thanked the large crowd assembled, then, in a ‘salute” to Past President David Lee, told a joke! Granted, it was better than most of David’s. New members and guests were introduced.
George Autrey took over the mike and told all of the Football Pool on again for this year. After two weeks, it seems that Taylor Means and George himself are pacing the field so far with 13 wins in 20 games. Lots of picking to go for the 30 participants.
Coach Matt Blake was introduced and then proceeded to introduce his better half, Courtney Blake. Good choice, Coach, although she seems to be a closet Auburn fan married to a former Crimson Tide player!! With a daughter at AU, she can be forgiven. GSHS lost a heart-breaker last Friday in their Homecoming game against Robertsdale. The decision to go for two after the Overtime touchdown didn’t produce the expected result, but Coach said it was the team’s best effort of the year. New Girls Volleyball Coach Karen Atkins is doing a great job, and Cross County is doing well.
Dec McClelland gave the Team Reports with a Top 25 rundown, plus some local favorites. It was good to see Karen Sabatino giving the Colorado Buffaloes report in the same manner as her late husband and former Buff, Bill Sabatino. The legendary Crying Towel started with a bang this year, well, maybe a whimper, as John McCormick took the Crying Towel Award due to Tennessee’s lackluster performances this year. John did note he’s got a nice collection of towels so far. Go, Ole Sloppy Top!
Filling in admirably for his son Taylor, who was out of town for a funeral, Mayor Means gave a fine introduction for our Guest Speaker, former Auburn University Head Football Coach, Tommy Tuberville. He is running for the US Senate because he believes in America as this is not the country he grew up in.
Coach’s resume is most impressive with assistant coaching stints at Arkansas State, Miami, Texas A&M, then Head Coach positions at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati. Auburn was undefeated (13-0) with a Sugar Bowl win in 2004 and Coach was selected as the Coach of the Year. He has been President of the American Football Coaches Association and was hired by ESPN in 2017 as an analyst. He did say something about a thumb, apparently when his Tigers drubbed the Tide six straight years.
Beginning by asking all Veterans to stand up, Coach Tuberville held the audience spellbound with his great collection of stories, sentiments, and hope for the future. He expressed his concern that America was trying to kill Football. He coached for 40 years and, in all that time, college players are still kids, working hard, taking losses very hard, but all should remember they are just kids – 17 to 23 years old.
He told some great stories of hiring assistant coaches, one in particular, some guy they call Coach O of current LSU fame. He said college football is blossoming because of Quarterbacks and the Spread Offense. Without a great QB, it’s tough to win. Jalen Hurts has a great opportunity of Oklahoma this year since little defense is played outside the SEC.
To be a great coach, you must be organized, work hard all year, especially on Sundays during the season, have 120 or so great kids, and be a great motivator. The best motivator he said was Jimmy Johnson at the University of Miami. R.C. Slocomb was also great. Recruiting is also key to success. He did say Nick Saban was the most focused coach anywhere. He said running QBs get killed in the NFL. Coach noted all college athletes get $1,000 monthly and a $1,500 cash bonus at the end of the semester, so paying players not something he sees coming. Game attendance is down due to high ticket prices.
When asked about his vision of the future, this Christian Conservative gave an honest assessment of the problems he sees, and he wants to go help the President. He’s a motivator and a great communicator, and left the crowd talking enthusiastically about his chances in the upcoming 2020 Senate election.
The 50/50 was drawn and awarded to COL Bud Patty and adjournment was at 8:24pm.
By: Bill Tunnell
Our Next
GCAC Meeting
Monday
September 23rd, 2019
Sherman
Williams
Former University
of Alabama
Running Back
Sherman Williams attended Mattie T. Blount High School, where as a senior he became the first running back in Alabama prep history to rush for over 3,000 yards in a season, after registering 3,004 rushing yards, 307 carries and 31 touchdowns. He also received All-State honors, while leading his team to the Class 5A state title and receiving player of the year honors.
He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Alabama. As a freshman, he played in 8 games, tallying 108 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.
In his senior season he rushed for 1,341 yards (second in school history) and became only the fourth Bama player to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season. His 291 carries broke the school record for a season and his 138.5 all-purpose yards-per-game ranked 16th best in the nation. He earned All-SEC and second-team All-American honors in 1994. In the Florida Citrus Bowl, he became the first Bama player to gain over 100 yards rushing and receiving in a postseason game, after posting 166 rushing yards on 27 carries and 8 receptions for 155 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown reception for the winning touchdown with 42 seconds remaining, in the 24-17 victory over Ohio State University.
Williams finished his college career with 2,486 rushing yards (fifth in school history), 535 carries (third in school history), 27 rushing touchdowns (fourth in school history) and 424 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. He is also remembered for his signature touchdown dance, the "Sherman Shake".
Entering the 1995 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys considered their roster so strong, that they drafted players based on their contributions as backups. The team traded their first round draft choice (#28-Derrick Brooks) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for two second-round picks (#41-Ron Davis and #63-Shane Hannah). The Cowboys selected Williams with their first choice in the second round (46th overall), which was criticized by the media and quarterback Troy Aikman, for using a high selection on a backup player. As a rookie, he was a part of the Super Bowl XXX championship team. He tallied 205 rushing yards (second on the team) and one touchdown.
By: Linda Martin
