If the past four months are any indication, support for the Hillsdale College football program has rarely been higher than it is right now.
In February, the football program had its most successful Lift-A-Thon in the 40-year history of the event, raising nearly $50,000 and beating the previous record of funds raised by nearly $15,000 thanks to generous support from alumni and friends of Charger football.
This past Monday, Hillsdale College alumni and graduates helped another critical football fundraiser, the annual Jack Barker Memorial Golf Outing, have one of its most successful turnouts ever.
The 34 groups of Charger supporters who traveled to the Arbor Hills Golf Course in Jackson, Michigan on Monday to play in the outing matched the largest number of groups to ever participate in the more-than-30-year history of the event.
Along with several friends of the program and avid supporters of Hillsdale College, the golf outing also brought together 60 former and current Hillsdale College football players spanning eight decades of the history of the tradition-rich program, from David Trippett Sr. ('58), an All-American and Hillsdale College Athletic Department Hall of Famer, to incoming freshman Isaac TeSlaa, who will join the program this fall.
Taking first in the four-man scramble format was the team headed by former Charger Steve Harding ('14), who partnered with life-long friends Adam Smith, Jacob Gudeman and Nate Sergison to shoot the lowest score in the 18-hole round.
Finishing runner-up was a team of recent Charger legends, including All-American quarterback Troy Weatherhead ('11) and standouts Aaron Waldie ('09), Matt Patillo ('10) and Mark Petro ('10).
As well as bringing former teammates and friends together, the Jack Barker Golf Outing also was a successful fundraiser for the program, helping to defray equipment costs and making it easier for the Chargers to remain a competitive program in a challening Division II football landscape.
Hillsdale College kicks off its 128th season in the fall at home against Northwood University at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5, celebrating Business and Industry night.
Photo: Charger football alumni from the 1990s pose together for a photo at the end of the 2020 Jack Barker Memorial Golf Outing on Monday (Credit/Gwen Buchhop)