Ozzie Newsome to Host Charity Golf Tourney, High School Golfers Included

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Tuscaloosa’s fifth annual Bridge Builder Celebrity Golf Classic, hosted by former University of Alabama All-American football player Ozzie Newsome, will include, for the first time, a tournament round for high school golfers.

The 36 person high school tournament, along with The First Tee golf clinic, will be Friday, June 24. The annual charity tournament will be Saturday, June 25. Both events will be at the Ol’ Colony Golf Course in Tuscaloosa.

“Although the emphasis has been on recruiting minority golfers, the tournament is free and open to any competitive high school golfer,” said Dr. Samory Pruitt, vice president for community affairs at UA and the high school tournament chair. “We hope that the high school tournament will serve at some point as a tool for colleges seeking to recruit talented minority golfers.”

“I am pleased with the support that the tournament has received from the Tuscaloosa community and am excited about the high school tournament that will be held for the first time this year,” Newsome said. “Helping to provide more opportunities for young people to succeed is very important to me.”

Newsome, who made history in 2003 by becoming the first African American general manager in NFL history, was named the 2004 Walter Camp NFL “Man of the Year” for his commitment to public service. He is credited with putting together the Baltimore Ravens team that dominated Super Bowl XXXV.

Celebrity participants for the charity tournament include former Alabama football and basketball players, Johnny Davis, Lemanski Hall, Hugh “Deacon” Jones, Buck Johnson, Thomas Rayam, Wendell Hudson, Kerry Goode, Freddie Robinson, Andrew Zow and Leon Douglas. Other celebrity participants include former Cleveland Browns All-Pro Hanford Dixon and NBC13 anchors Mike Moore and Jim Dunnaway.

Proceeds from the tournament, sponsored by the Alpha Tau chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., benefit The First Tee of Tuscaloosa, a program designed to introduce disadvantaged youth to golf, the Benjamin Barnes YMCA of Tuscaloosa; Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School; and local scholarships.

For more information, contact the Ol’ Colony Golf Course Club at 205/562-3201, or visit the tournament website at www.bridgebuildergolf.com.