Unsung Hero No Longer

One of Founder Clark Haley's original rules for the Coach Groves Golf Tournament was the random draw of foursomes on the Friday night before the tourney.

This ensures that most of us will meet new members of our community every year.  It also ensures that we will then realize the things we all have in common as well as learn the wonderful differences we all have.  There's nothing like golfing with a member of a 1950s National title team one year and a graduate from last year the next!

And our best-ball format means that literally anyone can participate AND contribute to the foursome. No one knows this better than 2-time winners like Brian Boyer and now ME!

Nearly every year we talk a non-golfer to play with us.  This year we persuaded Dick Geiger to jump into the tourney.  Well, maybe it took a few drinks Friday night in addition!

It turns out that Dick has some interesting credentials to solidify him as solid Officer of our group.

• Dick related a story from 1960-something detailing a running shoe and jocks only distance run forced upon the Freshman.  (Greg Fredericks denies all knowledge of this.)  The Yanomamo from the late 70-something years must admit reverence for their elders on this point! We know that this story is true, as it was one of the first times the fledgling new Coach, Harry Groves got in trouble with the higher-ups.  This signaled the first of many Wednesday morning chewing-outs for Coach Groves during his 38 year tenure.
• Dick was a State Champion team member of York County's Spring Grove Cross Country team which also included a friend of mine David Mosebrook, an avid track/cross country fan who ran for Coach Dolan at Lock Haven following the State Championship.  And that is the very same Coach Dolan that headed up the Freshman team of Greg Fredericks before heading to Lock Haven!  It is no wonder that Lock Haven and Penn State have a close team friendship reflected in the Dolan Duels every year.
• It turns out that Dick was the very first of hundreds of  Coach Groves walk-ons, a group that includes me and many of my readers.  Coach Groves may be the finest coach of walk-ons to ever coach in the college ranks.  I thank him every day for the opportunity he granted me all those years ago.
• We should also thank Dick for the generous donation to our efforts to fund the Coach Groves Scholarship.  His substantial bequeath was the one that put us over-the-top to actually fully fund the tuition scholarship in Coach's name.  Donations will continue to fully fund the scholarship to include tuition and room and board awards.

Thus, Dick has been awarded the Officer Status of Walk-On Progenitor Excelsior. 

Dick Geiger accepting the Rob Whiteside Brotherhood Award from Founder Clark Haley.

Dick Geiger, second from right, with his foursome and Clark Haley.