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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Source: John Kropilak, 785-532-5352, jkropilak@thefirstteemanhattan.org
http://www.thefirstteemanhattan.org

Thursday, May 29, 2008

GOLF MARATHON AT K-STATE'S COLBERT HILLS GOLF COURSE TO HONOR EARL WOODS, BENEFIT EARL WOODS YOUTH ACADEMY AND ESTABLISH BASEBALL SCHOLARSHIP

MANHATTAN -- A special event at Kansas State University's Colbert Hills Golf Course Saturday, May 31, will honor the legacy of noted K-State alum Earl Woods in several ways.

The third annual Earl Woods Memorial Golf Marathon will raise money to benefit not only the Earl Woods Youth Academy and The First Tee of Manhattan, both based at Colbert Hills, but will also go toward establishing an endowed scholarship for the K-State baseball team in Woods' honor.

While Earl Woods may be best known as the father and life coach to Tiger Woods, arguably one of the greatest players in the history of golf, he also lived by a mantra of caring and sharing.

Simply put, Earl Woods felt that's what people needed to do -- to be active and be engaged to make things better for those and not bypass an opportunity to impact somebody or create a better opportunity for someone else.

That is what K-State's Earl Woods Youth Academy tries to do as well. The academy is named in honor of Woods, a 1953 graduate of K-State whose many accomplishments included being the first African-American baseball player in the Big Seven Conference and a distinguished 20-year military career in the U.S. Army, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

The academy uses golf as a vehicle to teach life and leadership skills. It also introduces young people who haven't had an opportunity to be involved with the sport and its inherent values. The academy, K-State and Colbert Hills also have been hosts to The First Tee National Life Skills and Leadership Academy since 2000.

According to Jon Kropilak, executive director of The First Tee of Manhattan program, the mission of the academy has evolved since it began.

"It used to be just to provide access and make golf affordable for those who wouldn't have otherwise so they could benefit from the game," Kropilak said. "It has evolved into a comprehensive youth development initiative.

The academy now has learning facilities, a character education and life skills curricula. That, Kropilak said, was Woods' vision.

"We're just trying to take his caring and sharing philosophy and impart it on the community. This third-year event is developing some positive momentum," Kropilak said.

"Our goal is to create an awareness of the things that Mr. Woods did. One of our nine core values for The First Tee is perseverance and Earl Woods certainly modeled that very well," Kropilak said. "He was an African-American athlete at K-State at a time when it was not the easiest route he could have taken. Then he graduated from college and made the decision to enter the U.S. Army at a time when it wasn't the most racially integrated institution. He continued to fight those challenges and face those battles as a Green Beret.

"He then was father and the life coach of a young man who will probably turn out to be one of the best golfers the world will ever see. I think that just speaks volumes of what he was able to accomplish," Kropilak said.

Participants in the golf marathon will be expected to complete 100 holes of golf at Colbert Hills. More information is available by calling 785-532-5352.