March 2, 1999
LAS VEGAS - A star-studded field will join UNLV's new head football coach on the links this spring as part of the inaugural John Robinson Celebrity Invitational presented by Del Webb, the school announced Tuesday.
The three-day, 36-hole event is scheduled for April 29-May 1 and will include a chance to play golf with an exciting lineup of national sports and media personalities. All proceeds will directly benefit UNLV's football program.
Highlighting the field scheduled to appear are football legends such as John Madden, Marcus Allen, Hugh McElhenny as well as current NFL stars such as Keyshawn Johnson (New York Jets), Tony Boselli (Jacksonville Jaguars) Kevin Greene (Carolina Panthers) and Willie McGinest (New England Patriots).
Also expected to be on hand are former Rebel football greats Keenan McCardell of the Jaguars, former Cincinnati Bengal Ickey Woods and current ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne. More celebrity players will be announced in the coming weeks.
"This is the first of what will become an annual event," Robinson said. "We hope to turn it into one of the best celebrity tournaments around as well as one of the top events in Las Vegas every year."
The schedule of events kicks off with a pairing party hosted by Bally's Hotel on April 29. The following two days will offer 18 holes each in a tournament format at the unbelievable new courses at Del Webb's Anthem.
Each foursome will be teamed with a different celebrity entry both days and will experience one round at The Anthem Country Club, designed by Keith Foster and Hale Irwin (Friday), and then The Revere at Anthem, designed by Billy Casper and Greg Nash (Saturday). The centerpiece of the Anthem master-planned community in Henderson, both courses offer stunning views in dramatic desert canyon settings.
The five-player scramble will end both days with a social as well as live and silent auctions featuring many one-of-a-kind items and memorabilia such as tickets to the NCAA 2000 Final Four and Super Bowl XXXIV.
"The UNLV program is on the move and we want to make everything we do connected with football first class and that's what this tournament will be," Robinson said. "It's a new era for UNLV and we are looking at this as a way to establish a lot of friendships in the community."
The tournament is open to the public to attend. Information on foursomes can be obtained by calling Jim Bolla at 895-1508 while tee and green sponsorship information is available by calling Matt Muldoon at 895-1518.
