Warhorse Classic still going strong in 35th year
Golf tournament brings generations of Owen football supporters together for the home team
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
July 12, 2023
Former Owen head coach Kenny Ford, who retired from his alma mater with 230 career wins in 2015, will host the 35th Annual Warhorse Classic at the Black Mountain Golf Course on July 28. The golf tournament brings generations of former players, coaches and supporters together to benefit the Owen football team. Photo by Fred McCormick
Kenny Ford was just taking over as the head football coach at Owen in 1986, when he partnered with the Black Mountain Men’s Golf Association to raise funds for the program he once played for at his alma mater.
“We raised around $1,000 that first year, and we really just made it up as we went along,” said Ford, who retired from the sidelines with 230 career victories and 14 conference championships in 2015. “It was really off and running from there.”
Thirty-five years later, as the Warhorse Classic prepares to return to the Black Mountain Golf Course, beginning at 12 p.m., Friday, July 28, the annual gathering feels like a family reunion for the Owen football faithful.
“It is a lot like that,” said Ford, who has organized the tournament with the support of the golf association, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. and a team of dedicated volunteers every summer, excluding a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This tournament has had so many dedicated supporters over the years, so people get really excited about getting together, playing golf and supporting a team that’s always been such an important part of this community.”
Former Owen football star and Super Bowl champion quarterback Brad Johnson will be among the competitors in the 35th Annual Warhorse Classic, which is returning to the Black Mountain Golf Course on July 28. Photo by Fred McCormick
Registration for the four-person captain’s choice tournament is $500 per team or $150 per person, but less than 10 team slots are currently available, according to Ford. Mulligans, red tees, meals and beverages are included in the fee.
“We’ll have side dishes from the Green Tee Grille, and (Black Mountain Mayor) Mike Sobol, Mike Raines and Alan Styles will have the grill set up near the 18th hole,” Ford said. "They do a fantastic job every year and the food is a big part of what makes this event so special.”
The slow-cooked cuisine is one of many traditions returning with the tournament, which will feature prizes for longest drive and closest to the pin, while participants will have an opportunity to win a car from Ken Wilson Ford with a hole-in-one. Additional prizes will be available through a raffle and subsequent auction.
Black Mountain Mayor Mike Sobol tends to the grill during the 2022 Warhorse Classic, which raises money for the Owen High School football program. Sobol, Mike Raines and Alan Styles will return to the Black Mountain Golf Course, July 28, as the tournament returns for its 35th year. Photo by Fred McCormick
“I think one of the things that makes this event so unique is that people know what to expect when they get there,” Ford said. “A lot of people come in straight from a half-day at work, and they just jump in the cart and take off to the first hole.”
Organizing the Warhorse Classic, which will host around 130 golfers, is a team effort, according to Ford.
“There are so many people who make this thing possible every year,” he said. “It’s really an entire community of people coming together to support their local team and student-athletes.”
The event also serves as a homecoming for many former Warhorses, including Owen alumnus and Super Bowl winning quarterback Brad Johnson.
“Brad’s been a big supporter of this tournament over the years, and he loves coming home to see everybody,” Ford said. “The year after he won the Super Bowl, he brought an autographed football for the auction. Brad Daugherty bought that ball for $1,000, threw it back to me, and told me to auction it again. It went to auction two more times and ended raising almost $3,000.”
The tournament typically raises $8,000 to $10,000 for the Owen team, according to the organizer.
“Football has so many extra things to pay for, like helmet decals, practice shorts and t-shirts, extra equipment and things like that,” Ford said. “We live in a small community, and Owen does a lot with very little. We don’t always have what other programs have, so this tournament is the community’s way of giving our kids a level playing field.”
To register for the 35th Annual Warhorse Classic Golf Tournament, call the Black Mountain Golf Course at 828-669-2710.