Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Stephen F. Austin State University’s annual Bob Sitton Classic is scheduled for April 12 at Woodland Hills Golf Club in Nacogdoches. Serving as a fundraiser for SFA golf and the Alumni Association, the event honors Sitton, who served as SFA Alumni Association director from 1972 to 1998 and helped endow hundreds of scholarships that generated millions of dollars.
A Cushing native, Sitton grew up on a farm and often had to return home to milk cows during college. After earning his degree in health and physical education, he coached high school football, with stints at Cushing High School, C.E. King High School in Houston, and Klein High School in Spring.
After retirement, Sitton remained a fixture on campus as a part-time employee, and later inducted into the SFA Alumni Hall of Fame in 2015. Sitton also was the first recipient of the SFA Lifetime Achievement Award, among numerous other accolades and achievements, including the namesake of the Bob Sitton Head Men’s Basketball Coach Office in Johnson Coliseum.
“It is our honor and privilege to continue hosting the Bob Sitton Classic golf tournament, which is aptly named for Bob Sitton, who truly embodies what it means to be a Lumberjack alumnus,” said Craig Turnage ’00 and ’05, the Alumni Association’s executive director. “We are excited that this year we have many new prizes, hole activities and fun planned. It truly is more than just another golf tournament — it will surely be memorable.”
The annual tournament, which began in 1973, was formerly named the SFA Alumni Homecoming Golf Tournament. Like the years prior, participants can compete as individuals, on a team or on a corporate team.
Along with a fun, yet competitive, day on the golf course, the Bob Sitton Classic will feature a silent auction, food trucks, complimentary beverages throughout the course and various activities. Additionally, participants will have a chance for prizes if they hit a hole-in-one in one of four designated holes. Prizes include a $500 prepaid debit card, Bushnell Tour V5 Rangefinder and speaker, a year’s supply of Omaha Steaks and a $25,000 cash grand prize courtesy of Rex Perry Autoplex, the official car company of the Alumni Association. Tee gifts for all golfers include a Desert Fox Golf phone caddy, soft-sided cooler, golf balls, golf tees and more.
First-place finishers based on gross scores and net teams will receive custom axes, and second- and third-place finishers will win axe handles.
More than 15 local companies help make the event possible. The deadline to become a sponsor is April 8.
Participants can register up to the day of the event at SFAAlumni.com/TheBob. For more information, contact the association at (936) 468-3407 or alumni@sfasu.edu.