COLUMBIA, SC-– South Carolina State football coach Buddy Pough and South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier along with Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney will highlight an annual gathering of the top college football coaches in the state during the Fifth Annual South Carolina Coaches for Charity, Wednesday, July 30 at the Marriott in downtown Columbia.

An estimated over 300 guests from throughout the state will be in attendance for this year's charitable event.

Fisher DeBerry, South Carolina native and Hall of Fame former head football coach of the U.S. Air Force Academy, hosts the event through the Fisher DeBerry Foundation, which assists children of single-parent families.

 Football coaches from around the state come together for the event, all in the name of charity. In addition to Pough, Spurrier and Swinney, active head coaches attending are Mike Ayers (Wofford), Bruce Fowler (Furman), and joining the group for the first time is new Citadel head coach Mike Houston.

"This is something I'm proud to be part of," said Houston, who took the reins at The Citadel following a successful stint as head coach at Lenoir-Rhyne in North Carolina. "I have heard great things about this event, and I'm excited to join the other coaches in something so meaningful."

Each coach chooses a charity that benefit from his participation. In the first four years of the event, over $200,000 has been raised for these organizations across South Carolina. Additionally, the evening raises funds to help send children from single-parent families to FCA summer camps.

Guests will be treated to a cocktail reception, a dinner program emceed by WIS News 10's Rick Henry and former coach Art Baker, entertainment, football highlight videos and for the first time a "Coaches Roundtable," with all of the coaches on stage together. The event also features live and silent auctions.

Additionally, each coach chooses their "Community MVP" that they honor during the evening. The 2014 Jerry Richardson Community MVP Award recipients are:


-          Joe Lesesne (chosen by Coach Mike Ayers)

-          Dr. Carl Kohrt (chosen by Coach Bruce Fowler)

-          John Carlisle (chosen by Coach Mike Houston)

-         Lew Berry (chosen by Coach Buddy Pough)

-          Dylan Thompson (chosen by Coach Steve Spurrier)

-          Bill D'Andrea (chosen by Coach Dabo Swinney)

Tables and individual tickets are still available for the event, which is nearly sold out. The more tickets and tables purchased by fans of each school, the more money that will go towards that particular coach's charity.
 
For information, visit www.SouthCarolinaCoaches.com or contact Fisher DeBerry Foundation representative Burt Trembly at (702) 622-2275 or Burt@CoachingCharities.com.