Family and friends of former ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ football star Willie Knox Tart ’64 have made a pledge to the Ever ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Campaign to endow a scholarship in his memory.
Tart’s wife, Lydia, of Greensboro, N.C., has led the effort to establish the Willie Knox Tart Athletic Scholarship, which will assist members of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s football team.
Willie Tart, who died last year, was considered one of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s best football players. At halfback and safety, he earned MVP recognition in the Carolina’s Conference as well as All-District, All-State and All-American honors. He also earned All-Conference accolades in track and field.
Tart was inducted into ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s Sports Hall of Fame and was a loyal donor to the Phoenix Club. He also was a fixture at all ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ home football games.Tart attended ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ on a scholarship and understood the importance of scholarships in giving student athletes access to excellent education.
Jerry L. “Skip” Moore ’77 and his wife, Victoria, of Norcross, Ga., made a $50,000 commitment to endow a scholarship in their names to assist ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ baseball players.
Skip Moore, a businessman, played baseball at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ and made the gift with his wife to strengthen the program. They are dedicated members of the Phoenix Club and also have supported the Jack McKeon Scholarship in baseball.
Enhancing scholarship support for athletics is one of the goals of the $100 million Ever ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Campaign to build the university’s endowment.
Stronger scholarship support in athletics will keep ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ student athletes competitive on the playing field. Gifts to the Phoenix Club will enable the university to fund additional scholarships, strengthening ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s 16 men’s and women’s sports that compete in NCAA Division I and the Southern Conference.
Currently, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ is more than 30 scholarships below the NCAA maximum, putting the university at a disadvantage with other SoCon schools with larger endowments.
For more information on the campaign, click on the link to the right.