Bill Dicky More Than Just a Fairway Friend to College-Bound Youth
Thanks to megastar Tiger Woods, golf has started to shed some of its longtime image as an elitist sport.
There’s no question that now that Tiger is on the scene, the game
will be a lot more accessible to minorities. But few folk realize that
long before there was such a thing as Tigermania, Bill Dickey’s
National Minority Junior Golf Scholarship Association (NMJGSA) had
already done a lot of behind-the-scenes legwork to help pave the way
for more minorities to get involved in the sport.
In the early eighties, Dickey got the ball rolling by creating
NMJGSA. The prime purpose of the association is to generate funds to
help minority students continue their education while playing college
golf. During its fifteen-year history, NMJGA has awarded over $573,000
to more than 470 student-athletes. Scholarship amounts range from $500
to $2,500.
In addition to providing scholarship dollars, the organization also
gives financial support to Black college golf programs. To help ensure
that funds will always be available for future scholarships, the
association has also established an endowment fund of over $600,000.
Last year, eighty-four students received scholarship awards totaling
$137,410. The year prior to that, $102,000 was awarded to seventy
students.
Over the years, Dickey has seen his share of young minority talent.
None have made the PGA Tour yet, but more importantly, many of those
who have benefited from the association’s efforts have completed their
college educations and are now enjoying productive professional careers.
“Seeing those youngsters graduate and develop has been very
satisfying for me,” says Dickey, founder and president of NMJGSA. “Some
are doctors, lawyers and CPAs. We’ve been able to provide youngsters
with some financial help for school. It’s a good feeling to have when
you’ve been able to help people out in that manner.”
