NSU slates Legends Dinner and Golf Scramble March 25-26

With Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Jackie Smith and College Football Hall of Fame linebacker Gary Reasons headlining the lineup of Northwestern State football greats, the NSU Athletic Association will host its first Legends Dinner and Golf Scramble presented by Securitas USA March 25-26 at Bossier City's Horseshoe Casino and the Shreveport Country Club.

Proceeds from the event go to the Demon Victory Fund's initiatives to provide scholarship assistance and support to nearly 375 young men and women who represent Northwestern State in NCAA Division I athletics.

Activities will begin with a dinner at the Horseshoe Casino's Riverdome from 5:30-9:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 25. The Legends Dinner will feature an open question and answer panel discussion with several former and current NFL players, including Smith, who was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994, and Reasons, a College Football Hall of Fame inductee in 1996.

Other Legends panel participants already confirmed are current Buffalo Bills starting offensive tackle Demetrius Bell, 17-year head coach Sam Goodwin, 12-year NFL veteran offensive lineman Marcus Spears and 7-year NFL veteran quarterback Craig Nall.

Tickets for the Legends Dinner only are $50, while participants in the golf tournament will be admitted as part of their entry fee.

"This is the ultimate way to interact with legendary Demon athletes of the past and enjoy an entertaining dinner with close friends and fellow Demons," said Todd Garzarelli, associate athletics director for external affairs.

Registration for the four-man golf scramble will begin at 11 a.m. Monday with a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Lunches sponsored by Savoie's, owned by former Demon player Gerald Savoie, will be served on the patio at the Shreveport Country Club beginning at 11:30 a.m. with an awards presentation following play.

First, second and third place awards will be given for each of three flights. Sponsorship opportunities are available at several levels from a $5,000 title sponsor to $100 tee sign sponsors. The four-person team entry fee is $600.

The event replaces the Joe Delaney Memorial golf scramble, which began in 1989 in Shreveport. An award honoring an NSU alumnus in the name of Delaney, a two-sport All-American for NSU who heroically gave his life trying to save three drowning children in 1983, will be presented annually during the Legends event.

The permanent team captains at NSU receive Joe Delaney Leadership Awards each season, and the Demons' spring game, set for April 5 this year, is the Joe Delaney Bowl. A permanent shrine honoring Delaney, a Haughton native and a Pro Bowl running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, is under the west side grandstand at Turpin Stadium.

For more information on the event, sponsorships or to register, contact Garzarelli at (318) 357-4295, (318) 332-2613, or e-mail garzarellit@nsula.edu or log onto the nsudemons.com website.