By Devin Aromashodu’s own admission, “I’m not much of a golfer.”
But, the former Auburn wide receiver had been involved with a golf event before and wanted to try it again.
“I was part of golf events in south Florida and through my foundation we held our own bowling event when I was with the (Chicago) Bears,” he said. “So, an opportunity to have a fund-raising event at Topgolf seemed like it would be fun, combining the game of golf with the format of bowling teams, all for such a worthwhile cause.”
The end result is the Lexus of Birmingham Devin Aromashodu Topgolf Charity Challenge which will take place on Thursday, Nov. 15, from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. at Topgolf, located at 1111 24th Street North in Birmingham. Proceeds will benefit Children’s of Alabama, one of nation’s leading pediatric medical and surgical facilities.
Topgolf is a sports entertainment complex that features inclusive, high-tech golf games. At the event, former Auburn and Alabama football players will compete on teams, or pods, made up of five attendees and one former player. Aromashodu will captain the Tiger players, while former defensive back Antonio Langham will captain the Tide players.
In addition to participating in the golf competition, attendees will be able to mix and mingle with some of their favorite former Iron Bowl players. There will be a silent auction and autograph signings.
“The first step was to find a place for the event,” Aromashodu said. “With Topgolf opening in Birmingham, that gave us a great location. So, we reached out to former players to let them know what was going on and most gave their support.”
Langham agrees that former players have been excited about the opportunity to participate.
“When Devin approached me about being captain on the Alabama side that was for sure no problem” he said. “Securing Alabama players has not been difficult. They all understand the cause.
“Children’s is the best thing going. People come from long distances to use the hospital because it’s one of the top ones in the world. This type event lets people at Children’s know that we care and that we are willing to do things like this to help keep Children’s here for years to come.”
Children’s of Alabama appreciates the event and is looking forward to it.
“Children’s of Alabama is proud to partner with Devin in this competition featuring Auburn and Alabama lettermen and legends,” said Doug Dean, community and development coordinator for the facility. “The support goes directly to helping children and families receive the most state-of-the-art care. Our Board of Trustees, senior leadership and medical staff are deeply grateful to Devin and his foundation, and so are the children and families that we serve day-in and day-out.”
Organizers hope that this will become an annual event to raise support for Children’s of Alabama.
“The goal is to have this event every year,” Aromashodu said. “I want to continue to grow it. Hopefully, in the future, we can have a full weekend of events planned that people will look forward to. It can be good for the beneficiary (Children’s of Alabama), the City of Birmingham, both colleges and the former players.”
Members of the Auburn team will include Ronnie Brown, Jason Campbell, Al Del Greco, Chris Gray, Kenny Irons, Carlos Rogers, Ben Tamburello, Willie Whitehead and others. Former Alabama players will include Mark Anderson, Simeon Castille, Rashad Johnson, Le’Ron McClain, Kindal Moorehead, Mike Pitts, Andrew Zow and others.
Event sponsors include Lexus of Birmingham (www.lexusofbirminghamcom), Titos Handmade Vodka (www.titosvodka.com) and Grandstand Sports and Memorabilia (www.grandstandsports.com).
To secure playing reservations or for more information, including regarding ticket purchases, call 561-859-7552 or contact [email protected].
