More than 450 people attended the event. Attendees also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Eagle Club.
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA - A record $150,000 was raised for student-athlete scholarships at the 26th annual Eagle Club Scholarship Auction on April 8, according to figures announced by Winthrop Athletic Director Ken Halpin.
In addition to the dollars raised, the event, which was attended by more than 450
people, also honored the charter members of the Eagle Club as it celebrates its 40th
anniversary. The club was founded in 1977.
"The auction was an incredible success," Halpin said. "It was truly a special evening,
as we were able to not only honor our 40-Year Charter Members of the Eagle Club, but
also allow our current student-athletes to get to know the wonderful Eagle Club members
who help support their education."
"I want to thank our Eagle Club Board & Auction Committee, led by our auction co-chairs
Lisa Trunk and Watts Huckabee, who worked tirelessly to help make this such a fantastic event. We look forward
to continuing to make the Eagle Club Scholarship Auction one of the premier athletic
events of the entire year and cannot wait to see everyone here at the Coliseum next
year."
The auction had traditionally been held in May after the end of the school year, but
was moved to April this year to allow student-athletes to attend and interact with
Eagle fans and supporters.
A special moment at this year's event occurred as artist Jared Emerson entertained
the audience for the second consecutive year by painting the memorable image of the
late men's basketball player De'Andre Adams jumping for joy on the sideline during
the final seconds of Winthrop's NCAA Tournament win over Notre Dame in 2007.
But rather than auction off the one-of-a-kind painting, donations in the amount of
$7,200 for student-athlete scholarships were solicited from the audience at the suggestion
of several Eagle Club members. The painting will be given to the Adams family.
Anyone who wasn't able to donate to student-athlete scholarships last Saturday can
still do so by visiting the following link: https://www.501auctions.com/eagleclubauction/item/246229
A highlight video from the evening can also be viewed by visiting this link: https://youtu.be/EPdBfA1uxv0
