Kenny Ford and friends tee it up for their hometown team
Big names, friendly faces come to town for 34th Annual Warhorse Classic
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
July 19, 2022
Kenny Ford, who coached the Owen Warhorse football team from 1985 - 2014, will host the 34th Annual Warhorse Classic at the Black Mountain Golf Course on July 29. The event, which raises money for the high school football team, is returning after a two-year hiatus. Photo by Fred McCormick
It’s been almost eight years since Kenny Ford buzzed energetically around the football field at Owen High School, but the Swannanoa Valley native’s passion for maroon and white remains as strong as ever.
He’ll celebrate that appreciation for his alma mater, where he was the head coach for 29 years, with some of his best-known and oldest friends, at 12 p.m., Friday, July 29, when they tee off in the Warhorse Classic.
The annual golf tournament, which is sponsored by the Black Mountain Men’s Golf Association and Pepsi, will return for its 34th year, following a two-year hiatus. Held at the Black Mountain Golf Course, this year’s Warhorse Classic will honor former Black Mountain High School football star and longtime Owen football head coach Jim LeVine, who passed away at the age of 87 in January of 2021. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Owen Warhorse football team.
“This is exactly what Coach LeVine would want, because there will be so many people from the Valley there together,” Ford said of his high school coach and mentor. “We’re going to pay tribute to him at the start, and I know he would be thrilled to see everybody having a good time. This is the kind of thing he’d be right in the middle of.”
LeVine’s legacy at Owen was cemented when he turned a struggling Warhorse football program into a Buncombe County Conference Championship team after three years on the sideline in the 1970s.
“He was the kind of coach you wanted to play for,” Ford said of LeVine. “I know when I played I just wanted to go out there and make him proud. One slap on the helmet from coach was worth all the hard work, because he was someone we all admired.”
In his role as athletic director, LeVine hired Marion native and eventual three-time NCAA Division I National Champion Coach Roy Williams.
The retired UNC Tar Heels basketball coach, who was a young coach on LeVine’s football staff, is expected to play in the Warhorse Classic for the first time this year.
Another celebrated Owen athlete will be making a return to the tournament this year, as Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson will reunite with his former coach and teammates. Johnson was an All-American quarterback under Kenny Ford and an All-State player for the Warhorse basketball team.
“Brad played in this tournament in the past, but it’s been a while,” Ford said. “So, we’re definitely looking forward to him coming home and being out there this year.”
The four-person captain’s choice tournament will begin with a “high noon shotgun start,” and registration will remain open through Wednesday, July 27. Teams are required to pay an entry fee of $500, while individuals can sign up for $125. Red tees and mulligans, lunch, dinner and beverages are included in the registration fee.
Teams will compete in three divisions — offense, defense and special teams — based on skill level.
“Our goal is to have 10 teams in each division,” Ford said. “That puts us at 120 golfers, which has always been a good number in the past.”
Golfers will have the opportunity to compete for prizes from Black Mountain Savings Bank and the Black Mountain Men’s Golf Association in categories, such as closest to the pin and the longest drive. A combination of luck and skill will be needed to claim the prize offered by Ken Wilson Ford.
“We’ll have a car on hole 3, and we plan to move the tee box to give people a shot at it,” Ford said. “We’ve done that for a long time, and nobody’s ever won one. But, that doesn’t stop everybody from getting out there and trying to hit that hole-in-one every year.”
Slow-cooked meat will be provided by Mike Sobol and Mike Raines, who will operate a smoker near the 10th hole, and the Green Tee Grille. A raffle drawing after the tournament will feature a wide range of prizes from local businesses.
“We’re still looking for sponsors for the raffle, and we encourage anyone who wants to donate something to reach out to the golf course,” Ford said. “I plan on having a bunch of good stuff, so if you have something we could use, even if it’s your grandma’s old dining room table, let us know.”
The fundraiser is as much a reunion as it is a golf tournament, he added.
“Warhorse football is something this valley has rallied around for a long time, and the Warhorse Classic is a chance for generations of people who played, or have been involved with the program to get together,” Ford said. “You always hear a lot of stories and laughs.”
As Ford organizes the Warhorse Classic for the 34th time, he’s excited to bring it back from hiatus.
“I started this thing all those years ago because it’s not cheap to give those kids everything they need to play football,” he said. “The money we raise goes a long way, and it will help put a dent in expenses like jerseys and helmet decals and things like that. Everyone who plays in this tournament wants to make these kids feel good about going out and representing the Swannanoa Valley.”
For more information or to register for the 34th Annual Warhorse Classic, call the Black Mountain Golf Course at 828-669-2710.