COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Hall of Fame Maryland broadcaster Johnny Holliday celebrated the Youth Leadership Foundation's 21st anniversary by golfing alongside celebrity guests from the world of sports and broadcasting at the 2018 Scholarship Classic at the University of Maryland Golf Course Monday.
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.
“More children receiving quality education has been a goal of Mary and myself for over a decade," said Holliday. "And I'm happy to say that expanding the impact of the JHSC is doing even more to open doors and lower those barriers for the children that YLF serves!”
Head men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon was in attendance for the great cause on a warm, sunny day on the links.
“It has been a pleasure working with Johnny these past seven years at Maryland,” said Turgeon. “He continues to be a source of great pride and inspiration for our University Community and we're excited to celebrate Johnny's 40th season as the voice of Maryland Athletics this upcoming year. I'm always happy to be a part of this event and help raise 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 $1.5 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 and celebrity guests who participated included: Brooks Robinson, Walt Williams and Chick Hernandez. Maryland basketball radio analyst Chris Knoche, who 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 tournament will honored Revere Bank as recipient of the 2018 JHSC Community Champion Award. Revere Bank Co-Presidents and CEOs Ken Cook and Drew Flott will accepted the award at the 19th Hole Reception immediately following the tournament.
Past recipients include Gary Williams (2011), The Lerner Family (2012), Chief J. Thomas Manger (2013), Leon Harris (2014), Kevin Plank (2015), Morgan Wooten (2016) and Ryan Zimmerman (2017).
Prior to the start of this year's events, Holliday and the attendees observed a moment of silence for those close to the Maryland family who had passed in recent weeks in Maryland basketball alumnus Cliff Tucker, Maryland football sophomore Jordan McNair and a young Maryland fan Willie Hughes.
Holliday is set to begin his 40th season as the voice of the Terrapins in 2018-19. He originally joined the Maryland 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.helpingkids.org.
-Terps-
