Holliday Hosts 12th Annual Golf Classic Thursday
6/22/2017 12:00:00 AM | Terrapin Athletics
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Hall of Fame Maryland broadcaster Johnny Holliday celebrated the Youth Leadership Foundation's 20th anniversary by golfing alongside celebrity guests from the world of sports and broadcasting at the 2017 Scholarship Classic at the University of Maryland Golf Course Thursday.
The event began with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. at the University of Maryland Golf Course followed by an awards presentation and dinner.
In order to provide academic opportunities for underserved youth in Washington, D.C., Holliday, in partnership with the Youth Leadership Foundation (YLF), founded the Johnny Holliday Scholarship Classic in 2005. The two-fold goal of the Scholarship Classic is to raise funds for the Johnny Holliday Scholarship Fund at the University of Maryland, and to support YLF's ongoing work of boosting academic performance while developing character in promising local youth.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Youth Leadership Foundation with this fantastic event today at the University of Maryland Golf Course,” Holliday said. “The money we raise from this event will help with the tuition for many students from the area to go to the school of their choice. Once again, we had a terrific turnout and I am so appreciative to everyone who came out to support this worthy cause.”
Head football coach DJ Durkin, head men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon and director of athletics Kevin Anderson were in attendance for the great cause on a picturesque day on the links.
"What a tremendous day for all of us to come together and support a great cause," Durkin said. "Johnny and everyone involved do a terrific job in putting this event on and I know the money that his foundation has raised has really made a significant impact in the community."
“I have had the great pleasure of working with Johnny for the past six years and he is a wonderful ambassador to both our University and community," Turgeon said. "You can see by the outpouring of support that Johnny continues to make a significant impact and we are all very happy to play a part in raising awareness for the Youth Leadership Foundation.”
The Scholarship Fund provides academic scholarships for high-performing YLF students to attend the University of Maryland. Since its inception, Johnny's tournament has raised over $1 million for YLF and its students. Founded in 1997, YLF has seen 97% of its students graduate from high school and go on to college.
Distinguished Maryland alumni who participated included: Hall of Fame head coach Gary Williams, Walt Williams, Sam Hollenbach, and Chick Hernandez. Maryland basketball radio analyst Chris Knoche, who also is a board member for the foundation, was also in attendance.
In 2011, the Community Champion Award was inaugurated, to be presented annually at Holliday's event in recognition of a local community leader who exemplifies a spirit of service and commitment to the betterment of the local community. This year's award winner is Ryan Zimmerman, whose All-Star career with the Nationals is bested only by the size of his heart. His ziMS Foundation works tirelessly to find a treatment and cure for those suffering from multiple sclerosis. Zimmerman personifies commitment to the community and devotion to the betterment of society.
Past recipients include Gary Williams (2011), The Lerner Family (2012), Chief J. Thomas Manger (2013), Leon Harris (2014), Kevin Plank (2015) and Morgan Wooten (2016).
Holliday has been the Voice of the Terrapins for 37 seasons and originally joined the Terrapin Sports Radio Network in 1978. In addition to his work with Maryland, Holliday is currently the host of Nats Xtra on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN).
For more information on the Johnny Holliday Scholarship Classic and the Youth Leadership Foundation, visit www.ylfdc.org.
