University’s Military Resource Center & ROTC Eagle Battalion Benefit from Auctions
2/8/2013 5:00:00 AM | Football
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern Football Coach Jeff Monken and Director of Athletics Tom Kleinlein presented a $6,000 check to President Brooks Keel, Col. George Fredrick and Lt. Col. Gary Morea prior to Thursday's Men's Basketball Game and Military Appreciation Night. In partnership with the Georgia National Guard, the Georgia Southern Football team wore Nike custom camouflage jerseys last fall to honor the men and women who served and who are serving in the Armed Forces. Auctions for the jerseys generated thousands of dollars in proceeds for the Georgia Southern University's Military Resource Center and ROTC Eagle Battalion.
When the Eagles took the field, and then the win, over Wofford last October in dark blue digital camo with gray numerals, it marked the first time the Eagles had worn something other than their traditional home blue or road white jerseys. Bidders, including individuals and military personnel who had no previous connection to Georgia Southern, registered for the auction from across the country for the opportunity to purchase individual jersey numbers.
"It is with a tremendous amount of pride that we were able to make this contribution based on the success of our Military Appreciation game and the unique uniforms we wore this year," said Coach Jeff Monken. "We were excited that our camo jerseys were so highly sought after and the response to the auctions allowed us to provide support to the Military Resource Center and the Eagle Battalion, one of the best ROTC units in the nation."
Georgia Southern has been recognized as one of the nation's top military friendly universities and the creation of the Military Resource Center on campus is just one example of its support. Located in the Nessmith-Lane Conference Center on campus, the Military Resource center provides a central location for military students, veterans and their families with dedicated services and resources.
The ROTC Eagle Battalion was a back-to-back recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Award, ranking it in the top eight ROTC programs in the country. Recently, a team of nine cadets from the Battalion won the 2013 6th Brigade Ranger Challenge, a two-day event that tests physical endurance, mental agility, marksmanship and land navigation. The team advances to the International Sandhurst Competition to be held at the United States Military Academy at West Point in April.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics, and its new "Eagles GATA" mobile app for Android and iOS.
