The Chick-fil-A Bowl will donate $120,000 in scholarship funds to South Carolina after football coach Steve Spurrier and alumnus Sterling Sharpe won the third annual Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge golf tournament Tuesday. It was the second consecutive win for Spurrier and Sharpe.

The tournament, which offered a purse of $350,000 in scholarship funds, is just one of several bowl-sponsored events designed to give back to the community and promote Chick-fil-A Bowl year-round. The Challenge pairs football and basketball coaches at universities across the country with a celebrity alumnus from the school, often a former student-athlete, to compete on the Reynolds Plantation golf course for scholarship money for their schools – and bragging rights.

“Our events not only build the brand of the bowl, but we pride ourselves in being the bowl that does the most for scholarship and charity,” said Gary Stokan, bowl president and CEO. “The Challenge is also an opportunity to build relationships with the coaches and give them an opportunity to relax and get away from football for a little bit.”

The Chick-fil-A Bowl also sponsors a dodgeball tournament in the spring and a college football kickoff event in the fall, which both also raise money for charity. The bowl also sponsors the Play it Smart program for student-athletes in Atlanta-area schools. The Chick-fil-A Bowl will contribute about $1.3 million to organizations in need in 2009.

“The old Peach Bowl, which started in 1968, really struggled until the business community got involved and the citizens of Atlanta really started to support it through volunteering and buying tickets,” Stokan said.

The bowl’s title sponsor also has a reputation for its charitable contributions, hosting events nationwide to raise money for nonprofit groups and other organization in Chick-fil-A communities.

The 2009 Chick-fil-A Challenge came down to a playoff between the Spurrier/Sharpe team and the 2007 champion team, Frank Beamer and Dell Curry from Virginia Tech. Both teams were tied after regulation, and remained tied after repeating the 18th hole. A four-shot, closest-to-the-pin competition decided the championship. Sharpe won it for South Carolina with a shot that landed 18 feet from the cup.

“It was a fun day today. Sterling made a bunch of crucial putts down the stretch and I pitched in a little,” Spurrier said after the victory. “I think this was the first playoff I’ve ever won, and I’ve been in a few.”

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