Greensboro, Ga. (April 18, 2023) – Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key and former Tech head coaches Chan Gailey and Paul Johnson will represent the Yellow Jackets in the 16th-annual Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament held April 30 – May 2 at Reynolds Lake Oconee outside of Atlanta. A field of 20 current and former college football coaches will compete for a share of a $300,000 charity purse.
The nation’s premier collegiate coach golf event will be played in two-man scramble format in an 18-hole tournament. The Stableford scoring system will be used to help balance handicaps and encourage aggressive play.
The current field of competitors for this year’s Peach Bowl Challenge is projected to include:
COACH | CURRENT OR FORMER FBS SCHOOL(S) | CHARITY |
Dino Babers | Syracuse | Dick Tomey Legacy Fund- Positive Coaching Alliance |
Shane Beamer | South Carolina | The Beamer Family Foundation |
Eliah Drinkwitz | Mizzou | CarePortal |
Randy Edsall | Maryland, UConn | Edsall Family Foundation |
Chan Gailey | Georgia Tech | Fellowship of Christian Athletes- Georgia Region |
Jim Grobe | Ohio, Wake Forest, Baylor | Fisher DeBerry Foundation |
Bobby Johnson | Vanderbilt | Sea Island Habitat for Humanity |
Paul Johnson | Navy, Georgia Tech | Paul and Susan Johnson Family Foundation |
Brent Key | Georgia Tech | TBD |
Urban Meyer | Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State | Urban And Shelley Meyer Family Foundation |
Jeff Monken | Army | Legacies Alive |
Dan Mullen | Mississippi State, Florida | Mullen Family 36 Foundation |
Pat Narduzzi | Pitt | UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh |
Rick Neuheisel | Colorado, Washington, UCLA | Wedgewood Charity |
Mike Norvell | Florida State | Keep Climbing Family Foundation |
Houston Nutt | Boise State, Arkansas, Ole Miss | Chickasaw Foundation |
Tom O’ Brien | Boston College, NC State | National Medal of Honor Leadership & Education Center |
Kirby Smart | Georgia | The Kirby Smart Family Foundation |
Steve Spurrier | Duke, Florida, South Carolina | HBC Foundation |
Dabo Swinney | Clemson | All In Team Foundation |
Proceeds from the competition benefit charitable foundations selected by the coaches. Since its creation in 2007, the event has contributed a total of $9 million in scholarship and charity, helping make the Peach Bowl college football’s most charitable bowl organization.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming both new and familiar faces to this year’s event as some of college football’s biggest names compete off the gridiron for a great cause,” Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan said. “While bragging rights are certainly on the line for the coaches, it’s the charities they’re playing for who will be the real winners.”
This year’s field includes an impressive roster of college football greats that features three former Dodd Trophy winners, and a collective group of coaches who have won eight national championships (including four of the last seven titles), 38 FBS conference championships and boast 1,999 career wins.
The 2023 field features 17 coaches who have previously competed in the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge. Key is among three coaches making their first-ever appearance in the event.
In addition to Key, Gailey and Johnson, Georgia Tech ties to this year’s Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge include former Maryland/UConn head coach Randy Edsall, current Army head coach Jeff Monken and former Duke/Florida/South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier, who all served as assistant coaches with the Yellow Jackets.
Pairings for the 2023 Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge will be announced prior to the event.
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About Peach Bowl, Inc.:
Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages The Dodd Trophy national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football’s most charitable bowl organization, having donated more than $61 million to organizations in need since 2002. Visit Chick-fil-APeachBowl.com for more information.
Peach Bowl, Inc Events:
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is one of the New Year’s Six bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff including a CFP Semifinal every third year and top-ranked teams from around the country in the other two years of each three-year cycle. Over its 54 years, the game has drawn 3.2 million fans in attendance, a total television audience of 232 million viewers on ESPN, delivered $233.1 million in team payouts, and has created $840 million in direct economic impact for Atlanta and Georgia.
Our Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is the nation’s longest-running kickoff game and has reshaped the opening weekend in college football. Over 19 games since 2008, the game has regularly hosted the nation’s top teams and has drawn 1.26 million fans, 98.8 million television viewers, distributed $114 million in team payouts and created an additional $549.3 million in economic impact.
The Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge is the nation’s premier charity golf tournament featuring top current and former college football coaches. Hosted at the beautiful Reynolds Lake Oconee resort outside Atlanta each spring, the event has generated $9 million for the various foundations and charities supported by its coaches.
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC is college football’s most coveted national coaching award. Named for legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, The Dodd Trophy annually honors the FBS football coach whose program represents three pillars of success: scholarship, leadership and integrity.
About Southern Company:
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million residential and commercial customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. Providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy with excellent service is our mission. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy distribution company with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, resilience and sustainability, we are taking action to meet customers’ and communities’ needs while advancing our goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success. We are transforming energy into economic, environmental and social progress for tomorrow. Our corporate culture and hiring practices have earned the company national awards and recognition from numerous organizations, including Forbes, The Military Times, DiversityInc, Black Enterprise, J.D. Power, Fortune, Human Rights Campaign and more. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.