No Hank Aaron, No Problem at Namesake Golf Tournament

By Tri-State Defender Newsroom | Published  08/27/2009 |   Bob Simpson, Lionel Hollins, Penny Hardaway and Roger Brown

by Dr. Jesse F. McClure Special to the Tri-State Defender   When more than 140 players teed off at the annual Hank Aaron Celebrity Sports Weekend Golf Tournament at Quail Ridge Golf Course last Friday (Aug. 21), one person was notably absent – baseball great and tournament namesake Hank Aaron. Aaron lent his name to the tournament more than fifteen years ago to help raise funds for LeMoyne-Owen College and the United Negro College Fund. “Hank has usually been present but recently he has restricted his travel as a result of his age and busy schedule,” said Bob Simpson, tournament chairman and a State Farm Insurance agent. Simpson said that while Aaron was missed, a number of celebrities stepped in to pinch-hit for the Hall of Fame slugger. David Porter, the Grammy winning musician and song writing partner of the late Isaac Hayes, stood in for Aaron as the tournament’s host. Porter, who has been inducted into the National Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, is also a passionate golfer. The tournament’s all-star lineup included Memphis’ own NBA greats, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and Elliott Perry. Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins and former NFL standout Stanley Morgan were on hand, as was former Los Angeles Dodger and two-time National League batting champion Tommy Davis. The Hank Aaron Tournament has its roots in the Ad In Tennis Association of Memphis and the association’s commitment to give back to the Memphis community. More than 25 years ago, the association first sponsored an annual tennis tournament to raise funds for a number of Memphis area charitable organizations that served African Americans. “After a few years, the tennis club realized that we could raise a lot more money from a golf tournament than a tennis outing,” said Simpson. “There a lot more golfers in Memphis than tennis players. There are also a lot more golf courses than tennis facilities.” The association also decided to focus its efforts on supporting LeMoyne-Owen College because it was “such a vital resource to the Memphis community.” This year’s tournament was sponsored by Comcast, with Otha Brannon, one of its executives, taking care of all the logistics of the tournament. NIKE provided commemorative shirts and hats to all the participants. A team from Harrah’s Casinos won the tournament’s first flight, while a team from AT&T finished first in the second flight. Simpson closed out the awards luncheon with this quip: “ I know that the Memphis Grizzlies are going to have a winning season because I saw Coach Hollins play golf today and it is clear that he must be concentrating on basketball because his golf game needs a lot of help.”