Avery football head coach Darrell Brewer was recognized during a pregame ceremony at MacDonald Stadium on Friday, Aug. 29, prior to Avery’s football game with McDowell.
Accompanying Brewer on the field for the special presentation was Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas Secretary Emeritus John S. Davidson Jr. and Shrine Bowl administrator French Harvey, in addition to AHS athletic director Jay Smith, AHS principal Todd Griffin, Superintendent of Avery County Schools David Burleson, Superintendent of McDowell County Schools and former AHS principal Mark Garrett and wife of one of Brewer’s mentors, the late Charles “Babe” Howell, Peggy.
“It’s a very humbling experience. There are a lot better coaches than I am out there who never get this kind of an opportunity,” Brewer said. “I think it brings a little respect home to Avery County from across the state. I appreciate the Shrine Bowl representatives coming for this ceremony and the folks who were able to share this recognition on the field. It’s a great honor and I’m looking forward to the experience.”
The Shrine Bowl is played each December to raise funds for Shriners Hospitals for Children, including the hospital located in Greenville, S.C., as well as for state pride. Shriners Hospitals for Children is a healthcare system of 32 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and teaching programs. Children up to 18 years of age with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal-cord injuries and cleft lip and palate are eligible for admission and receive all care in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. Shriners has treated more than one million children, including many children in Avery County alone.
This year’s 78th Shrine Bowl football game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 20, at Wofford College’s Gibbs Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Tickets for the game will be available beginning in mid-October at select locations or by clicking to the Shrine Bowl website at www.shrine-bowl.com.
