Andre Reed Golf Classic: 2 NFL Hall of Famers join Allentown star for first time at 12th annual fundraiser
1 year ago
Andre #Andre
Pace of play wasn’t an issue Monday at the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic at Woodstone Country Club and Lodge.
Reed warned the record 25 foursomes before they began to play that bad weather was coming and they should move along as briskly as possible.
The golfers got in about three hours in dry weather before Mother Nature made her presence felt at the Lehigh Township resort.
When the rain arrived, some scurried for cover but many others stayed out on the course.
Certainly, the much-needed rain didn’t dampen the spirits of those involved with the fundraiser for the Andre Reed Foundation, which supports the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown and several other charities.
“We looked at the radar and we can’t do anything about the weather,” said Reed, the former Dieruff High and Kutztown University standout who went on to star in the NFL and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. “All we can do something about is having everybody here and making a difference and having a good time.”
Many of the celebrities were returnees, including Penn Stater Scott Fitzkee and Parkland High and Boston College product Andre Williams.
But there were several new, but recognizable faces.
Tim Brown, the Heisman Trophy winner from Notre Dame who went on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NFL, was there for the first time along with Rod Woodson, one of the game’s greatest defensive backs most known for his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also making his tournament debut was Jim Jeffcoat, who was a standout defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys and on the opposite side of Reed in two Super Bowl victories over the Bills in the 1990s.
“I got to play with Jim for a year or two in Buffalo after he left the Cowboys and obviously Tim and Rod were not only great players and Hall of Famers, but they’re like my brothers,” Reed said. “Every year we go to the Hall of Fame and we love to see each other. I’m grateful to have these guys here supporting me. It’s what the NFL brotherhood is all about.”
Autographed memorabilia is on display for auction Monday, June 12, 2023, during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Autographed memorabilia is on display for auction Monday, June 12, 2023, during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Joyce Reed-Ebling, Andre Reed’s mom, waves to supporters Monday, June 12, 2023, during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Former NFL player Aaron Beasley poses with 1-year-old Georgette Muldowney of Danielsville during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Ty Reed, left, laughs with his brother, former Buffalo Bills wide receiver and Hall of Famer, Andre Reed as he jokes with the crowd during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone County Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Former NFL player Stephan Johnson, left, jokingly raises his hand signaling that he’s former NFL player Tim Brown as the real Tim Brown to his right laughs during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Former NFL player Tim Brown stands on the putting green during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver and Hall of Famer, Andre Reed, directs his future sister-in-law, Kala Durn as he points to where to putt the ball during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver and Hall of Famer, Andre Reed, raises his finger in the air as he comes close to sinking a long putt during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver and Hall of Famer Andre Reed, right, informs several golfers about where the ball will travel while on a putting green during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Pro Football Hall of Famer, Rod Woodson, tees-off during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call) (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Pro Football Hall of Famer, Rod Woodson, tees-off during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Pro Football Hall of Famers Rod Woodson, left, and Andre Reed talk near the start of the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Ty Reed, brother of former Buffalo Bills wide receiver and Hall of Famer, Andre Reed, addresses the crowd during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Pro Football Hall of Famer, Rod Woodson, acknowledges Andre Reed after being introduced during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Former Dallas Cowboys standout Jim Jeffcoat prepares to tee off during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Ty Reed, brother of former Buffalo Bills wide receiver and Hall of Famer, Andre Reed, left, fists bumps Mark Trudeau on the first tee during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Kala Durn laughs with her fiance Ty Reed, brother of former Buffalo Bills wide receiver and Hall of Famer, Andre Reed, as Mark Trudeau walks back to his cart during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
Former NFL player Ernie Mills rides to the next hole during the 12th annual Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Woodstone Country Club in Lehigh Township, Northampton County. The event raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call)
While waiting out the rain, Reed and Woodson had a long conversation under the pavilion near the clubhouse. No matter how much effort is put into planning a tournament, there are always variables you can’t control and one is the weather.
“Putting on a golf tournament is hard to do,” Reed said. “It’s not like you say ‘Let’s get a bunch of guys and get some food and drinks.’ It’s everybody coming together for the same cause and being on point. The success of a tournament is really about the people behind the tournament. I’ve known a lot of these people for a long time and it’s also good to see new faces every year. We’d like to get more of the Valley businesses involved in what we’re doing. It’s a perfect spot for any business to get out front and meet more people.”
Reed runs an even more successful tournament each year near his home on the West Coast, but said this one will always be the most special to him.
“This is home,” he said. “This is where the grass grew and where all of the flowers grew. This is where I started and I’ll never forget this place. There are a lot of people I have come in contact over the years who saw me in high school or saw me as a Pop Warner kid. That’s important to me. So, we keep doing it. Three years ago, COVID couldn’t even stop us.”
Dion Reed, Andre’s brother who is the president of the Lehigh Valley chapter of Andre Reed Foundation, said: “It’s a big task putting this together, but the volunteers, our board of directors worked hard and it came together nicely, yet again.”
He said he made a connection with Woodson about a week earlier and told him about Andre’s tournament.
“He texted me right back and said he thought he could make it,” Dion Reed said. “I called Andre and Andre sealed the deal and we got him here.”
Andre Reed and Woodson may have battled on the field, but there’s mutual respect and admiration.
“Dre’s a great person and anytime you can do something for one of your old brothers who is doing so much for the Boys and Girls Club in his community, you’ve got to be there for him,” Woodson said. “I’ve been to the Boys and Girls Club in Vegas where I live and have spoken to the kids and I have given them the space to speak freely and that’s an awesome experience.”
Asked about being around being around two Hall of Fame receivers, Woodson said smiling: “Those receivers like to stick together. Us defensive backs are more loners,”
But Woodson was one of the most popular guys involved in the event. Even though he was in Eagles country, Steelers fans are always nearby to remind folks of their six Super Bowl titles. Woodson never won a ring with Pittsburgh, though he did with with Baltimore in 2000.
“As long as people like football, I’m good with them,” he said of being in Eagles country. “Everybody has their own colors they like, but if you enjoy watching the game, that’s what it’s all about. I spent 17 years in the NFL and I spent a lot of years in the black and gold, but I played for the Raiders, too. So, I’m biracial in life and I’m biracial when it comes to football and I like all the teams I played for.”
Dion Reed said that every year everyone involved asks each other if they want to do it again.
“To a man and woman, everyone says they want to do it again,” he said. “You couldn’t ask for a better venue. They haven’t said no to us yet. Everything we want or need, they provide. They’re awesome.”
The tournament was dedicated to the memory of Karen Muldowney, the sister of Andre’s mother, Joyce Reed-Ebling. She died Feb. 5 at the age of 70 after a battle with cancer.
The celebrities signed a portrait of Muldowney that was presented to her husband Frank and her sons Jonathan, Kevin and Sean.
Andre Reed (second right) presents a portrait of his late aunt Karen Muldowney to her husband (Frank) and her three sons, Jonathan, Kevin and Sean at Monday’s Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic at the Woodstone Country Club. Each of the participating celebrities signed the portrait. (Keith Groller/The Morning Call).
Andre Reed (second right) presents a portrait of his late aunt Karen Muldowney to her husband (Frank) and her three sons, Jonathan, Kevin and Sean at Monday’s Andre Reed Celebrity Golf Classic at the Woodstone Country Club. Each of the participating celebrities signed the portrait. (Keith Groller/The Morning Call).