Saturday, 08/13/2011

     Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldog Club is constantly working hard behind closed doors. Bill Nash, Assistant Athletic Director and Director of the Athletic Foundation and the Bulldog Club, believes the Bulldog Club’s main priority “is funding for scholarships for our athletic teams, but we also have been given the opportunity and responsibility to raise funds for team operations – to help teams take trips, buy equipment, buy extra supplies and take the opportunities to do those little extra things.”

            “We have 500+ student-athletes,” Nash says. “We are committing nearly $2 million in athletic scholarships to support these teams. We believe our efforts are paying dividends. If you look at the excellent caliber of athletics at this school and the number of student-athletes who we have graduating…we have reasons to be proud. Wingate has student-athletes excelling academically and athletically – we have All-Americans on the field and 48 Academic All-America® honorees lifetime.”

Nash hopes the 2011-12 Bulldog Club appeal will interest new members and returning boosters. “There is every reason in the world to support this program,” Nash says. “The Bulldog Club is behind a pretty good thing – the institution, its progress and the great strides that have been made.”

            “Our 2011-12 goal for the Bulldog Club is to exceed 400 members,” Nash says. “This would be significant growth (for this organization). We have in excess of 200 members now. We have a good base of very loyal members. Our real focus is to continue to show our appreciation to those who are members…who have supported us over time and will continue to support us. Also, we want to entice new members, in addition to those loyal followers.”

            The main focus for recruiting Bulldog Club members are alumni student-athletes. Nash says alumni are essential to the club. “They had the opportunity to play and in many cases, they received scholarship aid,” Nash says. “They experienced the successes, the failures and every part of the athletic experience.” Nash also wants to extend membership opportunities to faculty, staff and other alumni.

            Nash believes the success of the Bulldog Club relates directly to the University’s Athletic Department. “There is a high quality of athletics played at Wingate,” Nash says. “Fans can come see them on-campus, on the road or via video streaming. There is also the opportunity to watch teams compete on television through our University’s television station (WUTV). We are asking perspective members to join the Bulldog Club. There are different levels - the Players Club level, the Coaches club, the Big Blue, the Golden W and the Hall of Fame.”

 

            The bonus for members is the cost of a membership can be distributed according to the applicant’s wishes.  “The money can go directly as they ask,” Nash says. “They can designate 100 percent to scholarships or 50 percent to the scholarship program with a designated team and 50 percent to the designated team’s operating funds. We believe this is a win-win deal.”

            The Bulldog Club program offers many benefits to its members, from free apparel and access to hospitality events. “In my mind, the most noble thing…Bulldog Club members are helping a student-athlete,” Nash says. “With the cost of school going up, this help is invaluable. There is a tremendous amount of commitment that goes into being a student-athlete. We believe it is our duty to do everything we can to assist our student-athletes.”

            The hospitality offered to Bulldog Club members is also a huge perk. “The hospitality event before football games is well attended,” Nash says. “Our Bulldog Club members utilize this time to gather with other members. The stadium band comes down with the cheerleaders. We invite the coaches to attend…not only to say thank you, but to tell them what’s going on – whether it’s today’s game or what’s happening in their season.” The Bulldog Club members also have a designated parking area at home football games.

“During basketball season, we have a very nice hospitality set-up for conference doubleheaders,” Nash says. “It’s a nice spread that we put out…that exceeds what other schools do…again, with the hopes we are showing our appreciation for the people’s membership. We will also be trying to do a better job with our newsletter, to keep people up-to-date on a regular basis.”

            The Bulldog Club sponsors events throughout the year. The Bill Connell Memorial Golf Tournament is held as a part of the University’s Homecoming festivities. The President’s Cup Golf Tournament is a spring event, held at the National Golf Club in Pinehurst, a Jack Nicklaus Signature course.

“In recent years, we started Champions’ Dinners,” Nash says. “Teams earn these dinners by winning a conference championship. We have a special meal for them and a celebration with some nice mementos to acknowledge their championship, as well as to give special thanks to the Bulldog Club. The Champions’ Dinners give Bulldog Club members the opportunity to be recognized, but also the chance to meet the student-athletes they are helping…and see the rewards reaped through their contributions.”

            “As an NCAA Division II school, there isn’t the opportunity for us to have 80,000 fans at every home football game,” Nash says. “The small school atmosphere allows the Bulldog Club to make it more personal…I’m not only a fan from a distance, I’m really connected to this program, these teams, this player or this coach. It’s the feeling of making this a personal involvement, a personal investment and personal attachment to each other and the athletic program.”

            “We believe everything adds together,” Nash says. “…from the window stickers, to the personal name plate in your parking spot, to the names made public at every home game (and kept current) to the Bulldog Club hospitality areas. I do hope there is always an element of pure enjoyment in (Bulldog Club) members.”

            The Bulldog Club will also be hosting the inaugural Clam Bake this year on Nov. 4 to add another social event to the member’s calendars and to celebrate the University’s Homecoming weekend. For more information on the Bulldog Club, one can reach the organization via E-mail at bulldogclub@wingate.edu. Interested parties can reach Bill Nash directly at bilnash@wingate.edu. There is also more information on the Bulldog Club tab on the left-hand navigation on the Wingate University athletic department website.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a comprehensive university with more than 2,300 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. The university offers 32 undergraduate majors, 36 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, physician assistant studies and sports administration and doctorates in pharmacy and education.

Wingate students gain the tools and support they need to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. The campus community offers in-class learning, out-of-class experiences, strong mentors, a competitive yet caring environment and rewarding community service opportunities for a complete educational experience.

           Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past five years.

           Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 39 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 48 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.

(Wingate University student intern Robert Cook wrote this article. A rising senior from Bradford, England, Cook is majoring in Sport Management with a Marketing minor.)