TOWSON, Md. - Competing against the heat and each other, the participants at the Hall of Fame Black and Gold Invitational survived 18 holes of golf in heat that approached 100 degrees.
The water bottles were evident all over the course at Towson Golf and Country Club as the 23 foursomes did their best to battle the humidity.
The reward for all the golfers and volunteers was a nice lunch in the air-conditioned club house.
A significant number of Hall of Famers participated in the tournament as Nancy Kearns, John Gaburick, Bill Leonard, Chuck Lightening, Mitch Lekas and Vince Angotti all teed up.
The tournament lineup also included former Tiger athletic standouts like Chuck Konka, Gary Kimmel, Rick Bielski, Randy Bielski, Steve Kinsey, Scott Hargest, Ray Tannahill, Alex Brueggeman and Eric Wagner.
Among all the Tiger Hall of Famers was a member of the Ohio State Hall of Fame. Former Buckeye All-American Tom Matte, one of the more renowned members of the Baltimore Colts, was a member of the Bielskis' foursome.
Assistant basketball coach Luke Murray, a two-time champion at the legendary Bushwood Country Club, also displayed his prowess on the golf course.
While the golfers travelled the course, they were greeted at each hole by Towson Coaches Rob Ambrose, Michelle Webber, Shawn Nadelen, Doug Neagle, Roger Erricker, Edy Pratt, Brian Yaniger and Kate Stepanek. Director of Athletics Mike Waddell also set up shot on the 18th green.
When the golf was finished, Drew Forrester of WNST hosted the post-tournament event.
Waddell announced that Section 213 in Unitas Stadium would now be known as the Gaburick Family Section in recognition of all the support that the Gaburick family had shown. A member of the Towson Hall of Fame, John Gaburick Jr., and his father John Gaburick Sr., were also presented with Towson football championship rings.
Before the awards portion of the program, the newest class of Hall of Famers was introduced and two of the four inductees were on hand. Todd Hicks, '97 and Tina Steck, '01 were introduced. Tina had actually played in the golf tournament. The other two members of the HOF Class of 2012 were also revealed as Andrew Hollingsworth, '01 and Lisa Pollock, '01 were saluted.
The winners of the longest drive contests were Teri Hall and Brian Cathall while Bo White and Joe Hammerstron were the winners of the putting contest. Randy Bielski Jr. and Al Lardo were the winners of the Closest to the Pin competition.
Always referred to as a "near-member" of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Matte teamed up with Gary Kimmel, Rick and Randy Bielski to finish third with a 107 score.
The foursome of Don Fry, Wayne Carter, Greg Goode and Dick May finished as runner-up with a score of 106.
Kurt Vacovsky captained the winning team. He was joined on the first place foursome by Kirk Sheehan, Allan Riorda and Al Lardo. The winning team had a score of 102.
The silent auction also enabled golfers to win some excellent keepsakes.
