Rece Davis, who joined ESPN in 1995, was named the host for ESPN College GameDay Built by The Home Depot, the network’s flagship college football program in February 2015 when his six-year contract extension was announced. In addition, he is the prime host of the network’s on-site coverage for both the College Football Playoff and the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

In his first three seasons with college football’s longest-running and most-celebrated pregame show, College GameDay earned a Sports Emmy for best weekly studio show (2018, 2017 & 2016), adding to the previous five trophies (2015, 2014, 2011, 2010 & 2008).

He remains the host of ESPN’s College GameDay basketball road show and calls a Thursday night basketball game following the completion of the football season. A regular contributor to SportsCenter and ESPN Radio, Davis serves as the host on the NBA Draft on ESPN.

Previously, he was the host of ESPN’s Saturday college football pregame, halftime and postgame studio coverage and College Football Final with analysts Lou Holtz and Mark May. Davis also called the ESPN College Football Primetime game on Thursday nights with Jesse Palmer, David Pollack and Samantha Ponder until 2014.

Davis hosted ESPN2’s weekend RPM 2Night and Sunday morning RPM 2Day programs (1997-1999), and ESPN2’s NBA 2Night, the network’s daily NBA highlights/news program (1996-97). He has also worked on ESPN and ABC’s Triple Crown horse racing and NFL Draft coverage.

Before joining ESPN, Davis worked at WJRT-TV in Flint, Mich., as a sports anchor/reporter (1993-95). From 1988 to 1993, he was a sports anchor and sports director at WRBL-TV in Columbus, Ga., and, while he was still as student at the University of Alabama in 1987, a general assignment reporter for WCFT-TV in Tuscaloosa. He also worked as a freelance television play-by-play announcer, studio host and radio announcer in select media outlets in Alabama (1983-93).

In 2008, Davis won the Best Sports Host award given by Cable Fax.

Davis, a native of Muscle Shoals, Ala., graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degrees from the School of Communications in news and public affairs. Davis was named the University of Alabama School of Communication Broadcast Department’s outstanding alumnus for 2001.

Meetings of the Hickory Sportsman’s Club are exclusive to members of the Club and their guests.

The Hickory Sportsman’s Club is please to welcome the University of Tennessee’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Barnes back to Hickory.  Tennessee’s fortunes on the hardwood have never looked brighter, as Rick Barnes, the most decorated and accomplished head coach in school history, has led the Volunteers to new heights in his four seasons on Rocky Top. The 2019-20 campaign will be his fifth at Tennessee and his 33rd as a head coach.

Barnes is the reigning Naismith College Coach of the Year after guiding Tennessee to a school-record-tying 31 wins and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2018-19. The Vols also authored a program-record 19-game win streak, logged three wins over top-five opponents and spent a month ranked atop both major Top 25 polls.

Tennessee spent the entire 2018-19 season ranked in the top 10 and earned a year-end ranking of No. 5 in the coaches’ poll. That team set single-season school records for assists and blocks and was the first UT team to score more than 3,000 points.

Over the past two seasons, Barnes—who is under contract through 2023-24—has directed the Big Orange to a 57-15 record.

“Rick Barnes is one the game’s elite coaches and a program-changer,” Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer said. “His incredible work here at Tennessee over the past four years illustrates that. Additionally, the impact that he and his wife, Candy, have made throughout this community has been immensely inspiring as well.

“The University of Tennessee and East Tennessee as a whole have developed an enhanced love and appreciation for our men’s basketball program and its culture under Rick’s leadership. Our commitment to basketball has never been stronger, and we’re all excited for the future as we move forward.”

The Vols enter the 2019-20 season riding a school-record streak of 35 straight appearances in the AP Top 25.

The marriage of Barnes’ Hall of Fame-worthy résumé—highlighted by more than 690 career Division I head coaching wins, the seventh-most among active coaches—and Tennessee’s world-class facilities, fervent fan base and outstanding athletic and academic resources, clearly has the Vols poised to consistently compete for championships.

Tennessee was picked to finish 13th in the 14-team SEC prior to the 2017-18 campaign, but Barnes and his staff not only guided the Big Orange to the 2018 regular-season SEC Championship, but also to the title game of the SEC Tournament, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a 26-9 record.

Barnes was named the 2018 SEC Coach of the Year and was runner-up for Naismith National Coach of the Year after Tennessee became one of only eight “Power Five” teams to increase its overall wins total by 10 or more games from 2016-17. The Vols also were one of only eight “Power Five” programs to win at least 13 games away from home in 2017-18, leading to a year-end RPI of No. 10 while playing the 11th-toughest schedule in the country.

Several of Barnes’ players have collected hardware over the last two years. First-round NBA Draft Pick Grant Williams earned unanimous consensus first-team All-America status in 2019 and became the first player since 1995 to be named SEC Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.

Admiral Schofield claimed All-SEC honors each of his last two seasons, including first-team acclaim in 2019. Point guard Jordan Bone dished out 215 assists on his way to second-team All-SEC honors in 2019, and fellow guard Lamonte Turner was named the SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year in 2018. Schofield and Bone joined Williams as 2019 NBA Draft picks.

The 2018 Volunteers spent 14 straight weeks in national top-25 polls and finished the season ranked 13th in the Associated Press poll and 16th in the coaches’ poll. The team finished the season rated sixth nationally in defensive efficiency while leading the SEC in scoring defense (65.7 ppg) and assists per game (15.7).

In 2016-17, Barnes took an undersized roster that featured only three upperclassmen and exceeded preseason expectations, as well as the previous year’s overall and SEC win totals. Williams’ stellar play highlighted the collective contributions of the highest-scoring freshman class in program history (1,040 points). Freshmen led the 2016-17 team in nine different statistical categories and were responsible for 44 percent of the squad’s scoring.

In 2015-16, Barnes’ first Tennessee squad was undersized—with an average roster height of 6-4—but he guided those Volunteers to multiple wins over ranked teams and victories over traditional rivals Florida, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

That season, Barnes personally worked with guard Kevin Punter Jr. on a complete mechanical overhaul of his jump shot, and that endeavor paid huge dividends for the senior, as Punter more than doubled his scoring average from his junior year and finished the season as the nation’s 13th-leading scorer with 22.2 points per game. Punter’s field-goal percentage also rose from .419 to .460 as he earned 2016 All-SEC honors.

In fitting with UT’s mantra of “comprehensive excellence,” Barnes’ commitment to his players’ academic achievement cannot be overstated. His teams have posted a perfect 1,000 score in five of the last six multi-year APR reports as well as perfect single-year APR scores every year from 2005-06 through 2014-15.

Immediately prior to Barnes’ arrival on Rocky Top, he oversaw a prolific, 17-year run at Texas that included 16 trips to the NCAA Tournament.

In 32 overall seasons as a Division I head coach, Barnes has led his teams to 24 total NCAA Tournament berths, seven Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights and one Final Four in 2003.

In 2019, he became just the third head coach ever to lead three different Division I programs to the Sweet Sixteen (Clemson, Texas and Tennessee).

He boasts coaching experience in Southeastern Conference (Alabama assistant, 1985-86), Big 10 (Ohio State assistant, 1986-87), Colonial Athletic Association (George Mason head coach, 1987-88), Big East (Providence head coach, 1988-1994), Atlantic Coast Conference (Clemson head coach, 1994-98) and Big 12 (Texas head coach, 1998-2015).

His success on the sidelines is simply staggering. He coached Providence to three NCAA Tournament berths in six seasons. He then guided Clemson to the Big Dance three times in four years. And his 17-season stint at Texas featured 16 NCAA appearances.

Not only do his players find themselves perennially positioned to play for national championships, but they also carry themselves with a top-25 swagger. Barnes’ teams have spent 251 total weeks in the Associated Press Top 25, including 118 weeks in the Top 10. Tennessee spent four weeks at No. 1 in 2019—the longest stint atop the polls in program history. His Texas squad earned the program’s first-ever No. 1 national ranking on Jan. 11, 2010. And he had previously coached Clemson to a No. 2 national ranking—the highest in that school’s history—during the 1996-97 campaign.

On the flipside, Barnes has collected 102 career wins over Top-25 opponents. And his squads have toppled Top-10 teams a total of 37 times.

In his four years at Tennessee, the Vols are 6-4 against rival Kentucky and 4-0 vs. the Wildcats in Knoxville.

Nationally respected in player development, Barnes is one of only two coaches in the nation that can claim two different National Players of the Year in the last 17 seasons (T.J. Ford in 2003 and Kevin Durant in 2007). Barnes also has produced five consensus first-team All-Americans and three National Freshman of the Year honorees.

Barnes has coached 27 total NBA Draft picks, including 15 first-round selections. And he has coached eight players who have combined to win a dozen NBA Championships.

Durant—who refers to Barnes as “more than a coach,” but also a “father figure”—was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Durant has won an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and NBA Finals MVP.

“I think Rick is one of the elite coaches in the game,” ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said. “There is not a better person in the game. He is a man of great character; both his athletic character and his overall character are championship level.

“Rick brings immediate credibility and immediate stability. Rick has always been a rock in his level of his competitiveness, but at the same time being a players-first coach. He’s built programs everywhere he’s been. He’s an amazing guy.”

Barnes was handed the reins to the Tennessee program on March 31, 2015.

A native of Hickory, N.C., Barnes was born on July 17, 1954. He was a standout player at Hickory High, from which he graduated in 1973. Barnes moved on to Lenoir-Rhyne College (Hickory, N.C.), where he lettered for three seasons and won the Captain’s Award for Leadership as both a junior and senior.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Lenoir-Rhyne in 1977 and was named the college’s Distinguished Alumnus in 1997. Barnes was inducted into the Lenoir-Rhyne College Hall of Fame on Oct. 5, 2002, and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lenoir-Rhyne on May 7, 2005.

Barnes has a history of generous charitable giving and service not only in his hometown, but also in every community in which he’s resided as a collegiate head coach. In East Tennessee, he plays an active role in supporting the Emerald Youth Foundation and sits on the Board of Trustees.

He and his wife, Candy—who is also a Hickory native—have a son, Nick, and a daughter, Carley. Carley and her husband, Josh Lickteig, have four children: Avery, Caleb, Emma and Isla.

We are proud to announce our Fall Meeting – Widely regarded as the Greatest Professional Wrestler of All Time and the Best American Performer of the 1980’s! Recognized officially as the 16-Time World Champion!! – “The Nature Boy”!!!

Ric Flair is considered by many to be the best professional wrestler of all time. His wrestling career spanned for over 40 years and he has worked with the NWA, WCW, TNA and most notably the WWE. A 16-time heavyweight champion, who earned the moniker “Nature Boy” early in his career has been an influential icon to so many generations of people. Regarded as the “dirtiest player in the game,” he is known for his incredible athletic ability and his larger than life persona. His trademark Wooooo! and his signature promos continue to live on in the wrestling world and beyond.

In 2012, Flair became the first ever two-time inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame: the first in 2008 and the second in 2012 with the Four Horsemen.

Along with Flair’s action-figure strength and unparalleled athletic ability, Flair’s in-ring persona and stylin’ and profilin’ promos added to this icons popularity among fans. And his almost superhuman resilience gives him an added edge. Working in the ring, seven days a week for over 40 years would take a toll on any one’s body, but not even a broken back from a plane crash or being struck by lighting could ever keep limousine riding, kiss-stealing, Rolex-wearing legend down.

Now, retired from the ring, and currently under the Legends contract with the WWE, Ric Flair continues to work, doing public appearances and signings. Working with his daughter Charlotte, a WWE wrestler herself, the two collaborated on a joint autobiography “Second Nature” released in September 2017 by St. Martin’s Press. Flair is also the subject of ESPN’s 30 for 30, one of the most anticipated documentaries of 2017 which airs in November 2017.

We are proud to announce our spring meeting and what a treat we will have for you. Coming off a great season, one of the Carolina Panthers all time Fan Favorites, All-Pro, 2013 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, 2014 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a terrific team player!!!!

Luke Kuechly is an American football Linebacker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He was recognized twice as a consensus All-American while in college.

Luke Kuechly was born on April 20, 1991, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He grew up in Evendale, Ohio. He played college football at Boston College and was recognized twice as a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the Panthers ninth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round: the first linebacker selected and the 9th overall pick. On May 10, 2012. He signed a 4-year, $12.58 million contracts. On September 10, 2015, Kuechly signed a 5-year, $62 million extensions with the Panthers, becoming the NFL’s highest-paid middle linebacker by annual average salary.

Luke Kuechly became the youngest recipient of the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in its history in 2013.

Meetings of the Hickory Sportsman’s Club are closed to only members and their guests.

Source:  https://short-biography.com/luke-kuechly.htm

Four-time NASCAR CUP SERIES champion Jeff Gordon, one of the most iconic names in racing and pop culture, returns to FOX NASCAR in 2017 as a race analyst for the second consecutive year.  Gordon, who sits third on NASCAR’s all-time wins list with 93 victories, calls MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES races for FOX NASCAR alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Joy and analyst and Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip.

The California native, one of the most versatile drivers of his era, is credited with helping take NASCAR mainstream in the 1990s. Gordon changed the face of NASCAR, shattering stereotypes and drawing legions of new fans with his talent, poise and polished appearance that also made the sport attractive to Madison Avenue. In his 23 years of full-time Cup Series competition, Gordon served as one of NASCAR’s most effective and committed ambassadors.

Gordon drove for Hendrick Motorsports for his entire Cup Series tenure, from November 1992 through November 2015, winning four Cup Series championships (1995, 1997, 1998 and 2001), 93 races and 81 pole positions, and scoring 325 top-five and 475 top-10 finishes.  With his first title in 1995, Gordon became the youngest champion (24) in NASCAR’s modern era in only his third full season.  After retiring from full-time competition in November 2015 as one of only a few athletes to step away at the pinnacle of their respective sports, Gordon returned in late 2016 for eight Cup Series events as a substitute driver for former teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was recovering from a concussion.

Gordon ranks third behind only NASCAR Hall of Fame drivers Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105) in all-time victories, is a three-time DAYTONA 500 champion and record five-time BRICKYARD 400 winner.  Gordon holds the record for most consecutive seasons with a pole (23), among numerous other accolades.  Furthermore, he is NASCAR’s winningest road-course driver with nine wins and is the all-time leader with 12 restrictor-plate track victories.  In September 2015, Gordon set a record for most consecutive starts with his 789^th race, breaking Ricky Rudd’s mark of 788 and joining the “iron man” company of legends such as Cal Ripken Jr. and Brett Favre.  Gordon, who was named one of “NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998, tallied 797 consecutive starts, a journey that began with the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway as Petty brought his racing career to a close.

In preparation for his role as FOX NASCAR analyst, Gordon served as a race analyst for FOX Sports’ coverage of three NASCAR XFINITY SERIES in 2015. His move to the FOX booth furthered a career in which his affability and crossover appeal provided him numerous high-profile television and movie opportunities that include:  becoming the only auto racing driver ever to host Saturday Night Live; co-hosting Live! With Regis and Kelly more than 10 times; appearances as himself on The Simpsons, Spin City and The Drew Carey Show; movie appearances in Taxi, Herbie:  Fully Loaded and Looney Tunes: Back in Action; TV appearances on Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Sesame Street; and participation on television’s Celebrity Poker Showdown and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Sports Edition, among others. Gordon also voiced the character “Jeff Gorvette” in the animated film Cars 2.

In January 2017, Gordon became the first NASCAR Cup Series champion to win overall at the 24 Hours of Daytona and only the fourth driver in history to win the Rolex 24 and the Daytona 500, joining the elite company of A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and Jamie McMurray. In his second appearance in the Rolex 24, Gordon co-drove the No. 10 Cadillac for Wayne Taylor Racing in the debut race for the brand-new Cadillac DPi-V.R. The endurance classic marked Gordon’s return to sports cars for the first time since 2007, when he also competed for Wayne Taylor Racing, notching a third-place finish.

Off the track, Gordon established the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation in 1999, which supports pediatric cancer research, treatment and patient support programs and has granted more than $16.5 million to support children battling cancer. Additionally, Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation provides support to the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital in Concord, N.C., which serves children in the community by providing a high level of primary and specialty pediatric care to all of their patients, regardless of their ability to pay.

Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation provided $1.75 million to establish the Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence (BCCE).  Working in collaboration with Partners in Health, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Ministry of Health of Rwanda, BCCE opened its doors in July 2012 and has treated more than 5,000 patients who otherwise would have no access to care. The country now boasts one of the highest-achieving cancer programs on the continent and is the only rural cancer center in East Africa. In 2011, Gordon was invited by President Bill Clinton to join the Clinton Global Initiative.  The Clinton Global Initiative convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.

Gordon was honored with the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Myers Brothers Award in 2012, recognizing those who have made outstanding contributions to the sport of stock-car racing.  That same year, he received the Heisman Humanitarian Award, established to recognize those in sports who give significantly to communities and improve the lives of others.

At the industry’s December 2015 NASCAR Cup Series Awards in Las Vegas, Gordon’s final as a full-time driver, actor and friend Tom Cruise surprised Gordon and introduced him on-stage preceding Gordon’s receipt of the illustrious Bill France Award of Excellence and his final speech as a driver.

PERSONAL:

Born Aug. 4, 1971, in Vallejo, Calif., Gordon grew up in Pittsboro, Ind.  He currently resides in Charlotte, N.C., with his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, daughter Ella and son Leo. For more information on Gordon, please visit http://jeffgordon.com/ or follow him on Twitter at @JeffGordonWeb.

Known around the league as a teacher with an innate ability to build his team around the strengths of his players, two-time NFL Coach of the Year Ron Rivera inherited a 2-14 Carolina team as a rookie head coach in 2011 and has quickly guided it back to relevance in just five seasons.

RON RIVERA
“RIVER BOAT RON”

In 2015, the Panthers captured their third consecutive NFC South title, claimed the top seed in the NFC, won the second NFC Championship in franchise history and appeared in Super Bowl 50, and Rivera was named NFL Coach of the Year for the second time in three years. Carolina finished the season with a franchise-best 17-2 record, including postseason victories over Seattle in the NFC Divisional Playoff and Arizona in the NFC Championship, and became just the seventh team in the Super Bowl era to post a 15-1 or better record in the regular season. The Panthers are one of four teams to reach the divisional round of the playoffs each of the last three seasons.

All current members should receive your letter formally announcing Coach Ron Rivera in early April. Guests spots will be limited to the first 40 received..

The Hickory Sportsman’s Club is pleased to announce that ESPN College Football Analyst Lee Corso will be our featured guest for our Fall 2016 meeting.

One of college football’s most knowledgeable, opinionated and entertaining analysts, Corso is a key member of ESPN’s college football team, serving as an analyst on the six-time Emmy-Award winning College GameDay, the network’s signature Saturday morning show originating from the site of one of the day’s best games. Corso, who joined ESPN in 1987 and is the only original College GameDay on-air personality (he was a contributor in 1987-88 and joined as an analyst in 1989). He joined ESPN after 28 years as a coach at the college and professional levels, including 17 seasons as a head coach.

Corso was head coach of the Louisville Cardinals for four seasons (1969-72), and in that short span took the Cardinals to the 1970 Pasadena Bowl. It was the first Louisville football bowl appearance since 1958. During his time at Louisville, Corso compiled a 28-11-3 mark and captured two Missouri Valley Conference Championships (1970 & ’71). He then moved to Indiana in 1973 where spent 10 seasons as the head coach of the Hoosiers, leading the school to their first bowl victory in 75 years, a 38-37 decision over previously unbeaten Brigham Young in the 1979 Holiday Bowl. Corso coached Northern Illinois in 1984 before taking over the reins of the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League (USFL) in 1985 for one season. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach for 11 seasons (1958-68) at Florida State, Maryland and Navy. In addition, from January-July 1991, Corso served as General Manager of the World League’s Orlando Thunder.

Corso has been honored with two prestigious awards: the US Sports Academy Ronald Reagan Media Award given to those who have made outstanding contributions to sport through broadcasting, print, photography or acting and the National College Football Awards Association Contributions to College Football Award recognizing exceptional contributions to college football and a lifetime of achievement and integrity. He also received the 2011 Jake Wade Award presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in the media to the field of intercollegiate athletics. In 2012, Corso received many additional honors: the Over the Mountain Touchdown Club Lifetime Achievement Award; earned an Honorary Doctorate and was the commencement speaker at Florida State; and was named the Liberty Bowl Distinguished Citizen Award.

As College GameDay’s national appeal has grown, Corso’s opinions, analysis and daring predictions have become one of the most anticipated in sports television. In 2001, Sporting News magazine selected Corso as the 17th most influential person in college football. The magazine in January 2004 ranked Corso and fellow GameDay hosts – Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit – as 2003’s “Most Powerful Media Personalities in Sports.” GameDay has won a Sports Emmy in 2007, 2009 and 2010, and received nominations for Sports Emmys in 2000 and 2003 and for CableACE Awards in 1994, ’95 and ’97. In 2006, College GameDay received the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame’s Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award.

Corso received four varsity letters in both football and baseball at Florida State and Louisville. He is a member of the Hall of Fame at Florida State and the University of Louisville. Corso was also inducted into the state of Florida Sports Hall of Fame in St. Petersburg and most recently into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2006, he received the Florida State Alumni Association’s Gold Medal, the highest alumni honor.

A graduate of Florida State, Corso earned a bachelor of arts degree in physical education and a master’s degree in administration and supervision. Corso is director of business development for Dixon Ticonderoga, Heathrow, Fla., an international diversified manufacturer and marketer of writing and arts products.

Source:  http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/corso_lee/

Monday, November 7th – Rock Barn Golf and Spa. Meetings of the Hickory Sportsman’s Club are only open to members of the Hickory Sportsman’s Club and a limited number of members’ guests.

(image from panthers.com)

The Hickory Sportsman’s Club is pleased to welcome Carolina Panthers Tight End Greg Olsen as our featured speaker for the Spring 2016 meeting.

Gregory Walter Olsen is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Miami, and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

On July 28, 2011, Olsen was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a 2012 third round draft pick. During his first year with Carolina, Olsen was targeted by Cam Newton on 45 receptions for 540 yards. He also recorded 5 touchdowns.

2014 season
In the 2014 NFL season, Olsen had 14 receptions on 19 targets without a drop this season.  Olsen has not allowed a pressure in his 35 pass-blocking snaps. Through the first six weeks of the season, PFF has rated Olsen as the best tight end in pass block efficiency and receiving.   Through the first 7 weeks of the season, Olsen led all tight ends in receiving yards with 493, and had recorded at least five catches and 60 yards receiving in all but one game throughout the year.  Olsen finished the regular season with a career-high 84 catches, 1,008 receiving yards, as well as 6 touchdowns en route to the Panthers second consecutive NFC South division title. Olsen finished third in the NFL for receptions by a tight end and second for both yards on the season and yards per game. It was Olsen’s first 1,000 yard receiving season. For his efforts during the 2014–15 season he was voted to the 2015 Pro Bowl. Playing for Team Carter, Olsen had three receptions for 53 yards and two touchdowns.

2015 season
On March 5, 2015, The Carolina Panthers signed Olsen to a three-year extension worth $22.5 million. The extension includes a $12 million signing bonus with an average annual salary of $7.5 million, according to Olsen’s agent Drew Rosenhaus.

During the Panthers week three matchup against the New Orleans Saints, Olsen caught 8 passes including two touchdowns and a career high 134 receiving yards. He also tied a career long reception of 52 yards. Through the first four weeks of the season Olsen had 17 receptions for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns. Olsen continued his high level of play during a week 6 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Olsen caught 7 catches for 131 yards along with a game winning touchdown with under a minute to play. The touchdown helped keep the Panthers undefeated season alive as they improved to 5–0 on the season. Olsen played well against the New Orleans Saints again later in the season. Olsen recorded 9 reception, including one on 4th down during the Panthers final drive, and 129 yards. Through the first 13 games of the year Olsen recorded 65 receptions for 969 yards and 6 touchdowns.

During the 2015 season Olsen set Panthers records for career receiving yards and receptions for a tight end, both were held by former Panther Wesley Walls. During the Panthers’ 41-38 victory over the New Orleans Saints to improve them to 12–0, Olsen caught nine passes for 129 yards and, during the game, passed Wesley Walls for most career receptions by a TE in Panthers’ history.

Olsen finished the 2015 regular season with 77 receptions with 1,104 yards and 7 touchdowns. Olsen was selected for his second consecutive Pro Bowl. He was also selected to the AP All-Pro second team.[23] According to PFF, Olsen ranked as the 2nd-best receiving tight-end in the NFL, behind only Rob Gronkowski.

In the NFC Divisional Round, Olsen hauled in six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown to help the Panthers to a 31-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks and an NFC Championship game matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. He caught six passes for 113 yards against the Cardinals to help the Panthers to a 49–15 win and a Super Bowl 50 berth against the Denver Broncos. In the Super Bowl, Olsen had 4 catches for 41 yards, but the Panthers lost 24-10.

source:  Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Olsen_(American_football)

Tuesday, May 17th – Rock Barn Golf and Spa. Meeting is only open to members of the Hickory Sportsman’s Club and a limited number of members’ guests.

Rob O’Neill is one of the most highly decorated combat veterans of our time.  He was a team leader with the Naval Special Warfare Development Group.  He has deployed more than a dozen times, and he held combat leadership roles in more than 400 combat missions in four different theaters of war.  A highly trained Navy Seal, he led the military’s most elite and was involved in our nation’s most important campaigns.  He was one of the quiet professionals performing the most difficult tasks in the most difficult circumstances, servicing his remarkable career in the shadows and keeping America safe in the process!  A True American!!!

Monday, October 26th – Rock Barn Golf and Spa.  Meeting is only open to members of the Hickory Sportsman’s Club and a limited number of members’ guests.

“College Football Hall of famer, former NFL MVP quarterback and father of two of the most accomplished quarterbacks in the NFL today”

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 – Rock Barn Golf & Spa


You asked and we have delivered again!!!  We are very fortunate to be bring to the HSC the Collegiate Football Hall of Famer, NFL MVP Quarterback, Father of two premier Quarterbacks in the NFL today and two Super Bowl MVP’s.