Beamer to Compete in Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer will represent the Gamecocks in the 18th annual Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament held April 27 – 29 at Reynolds Lake Oconee outside of Atlanta. This represents coach Beamer’s fifth appearance in the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge as he looks to add to the $72,500 in charitable winnings he’s already won in previous events.
The nation’s premier collegiate coach golf event will feature a field of 25 current and former college football coaches competing for a share of a $300,000 charity purse. This year’s tournament will be played using a two-man scramble format in an 18-hole tournament with the Stableford scoring system to help balance handicaps and encourage aggressive play.
The current field of competitors for this year’s Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge is projected to include:
| COACH | CURRENT OR FORMER FBS SCHOOL(S) | CHARITY |
| Active Head Coaches | ||
| Shane Beamer | South Carolina | Beamer Family Foundation |
| Manny Diaz | Duke | Durham Public Schools Foundation |
| P.J. Fleck | Minnesota | Row the Boat – Fleck Family Fund |
| Hugh Freeze | Auburn | Global Orphan Project |
| Brent Key | Georgia Tech | Key Family Foundation |
| Dan Lanning | Oregon | OHSU Foundation- Knight Cancer Institute |
| Jeff Monken | Army | Mission 22 |
| Dan Mullen | UNLV | Mullen Family 36 Foundation |
| Pat Narduzzi | Pitt | UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation |
| Mike Norvell | Florida State | Keep Climbing Family Foundation |
| Scott Satterfield | Cincinnati | Back2Back Cincinnati |
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | Kirby Smart Family Foundation |
| Kyle Whittingham | Utah | Guadalupe Center |
| Legends | ||
| Derek Dooley | Louisiana Tech, Tennessee | Champions Place |
| Randy Edsall | Maryland, UConn | Edsall Family Foundation |
| Chan Gailey | Georgia Tech | Fellowship of Christian Athletes – Georgia Region |
| Fred Goldsmith | Rice, Duke | Operation Resolute |
| Jim Grobe | Ohio, Wake Forest, Baylor | Fisher DeBerry Foundation |
| Paul Johnson | Navy, Georgia Tech | Paul and Susan Johnson Family Foundation |
| Gus Malzahn | Florida State (OC), Ark. State, Auburn, UCF | Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs |
| Urban Meyer | Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, OhioState | Urban And Shelley Meyer Family Foundation |
| Rick Neuheisel | Colorado, Washington, UCLA | Lord Wedgwood Charity |
| Houston Nutt | Boise State, Arkansas, Ole Miss | Chickasaw Foundation |
| Tom O’Brien | Boston College, NC State | National Medal of Honor Leadership & Education Center |
| Steve Spurrier | Duke, Florida, South Carolina | HBC Foundation |
This year’s field includes an impressive roster of college football greats that features five former Dodd Trophy winners, and a collective group of coaches who have won six FBS national championships, 48 conference championships and boast 2,454 collegiate career wins.
The 2025 field also features 23 coaches who have previously competed in the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge, while Fred Goldsmith and Kyle Whittingham are set to make their first-ever appearances in the event.
Proceeds from the competition benefit charitable foundations selected by the coaches. Coach Beamer’s winnings will go to the Beamer Family Foundation, which supports education, law enforcement and other great causes, with an emphasis in the greater Columbia, South Carolina area.
To date, 59 head coaches have participated in the tournament during its 18-year history, raising a total of $3.2 million for 71 different charities and foundations. Since its creation in 2007, the event has contributed a total of $9.7 million in scholarship and charity, helping make Peach Bowl, Inc. college football’s most charitable bowl organization.
ALL-TIME WINNINGS LEADERBOARD
1 Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech) $897,500
2 Steve Spurrier (S. Carolina / Florida) $644,500
3 Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) $435,000
4 Dave Doeren (NC State) $380,800
5 Nick Saban (Alabama) $363,333
6 Kirby Smart (Georgia) $341,250
7 Dan Mullen (UNLV) $339,967
8 Hugh Freeze (Auburn) $322,917
9 Dabo Swinney (Clemson) $310,000
10 Jim Grobe (Wake Forest / Baylor) $239,500
11 Gus Malzahn (FSU) $239,167
12 Randy Edsall (Maryland / UConn) $223,300
13 Matt Luke (Ole Miss) $215,000
14 Tommy Tuberville (Auburn / Cin.) $206,250
15 Urban Meyer (Ohio State) $192,500
16 Jimbo Fisher (FSU / Texas A&M) $175,000
17 Al Golden (Miami) $170,000
18 Larry Fedora (North Carolina) $152,500
19 Pat Narduzzi (Pitt) $147,500
20 Houston Nutt (Ole Miss / Houston) $135,000
“We’re fortunate to have so many of college football’s biggest names return yet again this year as they shift from the gridiron to the green, competing for their selected charities,” Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan said. “This annual tradition is now set to surpass $10 million in all-time charitable funds raised, which shows just how much of a positive impact we’ve been able to make for so many.”
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and partner Urban Meyer defeated Beamer and his teammate Houston Nutt in a tournament-record, four-hole playoff to win last year’s Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge. Paul Johnson leads all other coaches with four wins in the event, followed by Hugh Freeze, Randy Edsall, Matt Luke and Steve Spurrier, who each have two tournament victories to date.
PAST WINNERS
2024 Mike Norvell / Urban Meyer
2023 Pat Narduzzi / Chan Gailey
2022 Randy Edsall / Houston Nutt
2021 Randy Edsall / Tom O’Brien
2020 [ Not played — COVID ]
2019 Matt Luke / Wesley Walls
2018 Matt Luke / Wesley Walls
2017 Hugh Freeze / Wesley Walls
2016 Hugh Freeze / Wesley Walls
2015 Paul Johnson / Jon Barry
2014 Paul Johnson / Jon Barry
2013 Al Golden / Gino Torretta
2012 Paul Johnson / Jon Barry
2011 Paul Johnson / Jon Barry
2010 Jimbo Fisher / Terrell Buckley
2009 Steve Spurrier / Sterling Sharpe
2008 Steve Spurrier / Sterling Sharpe
2007 Frank Beamer / Dell Curry
Pairings for the 2025 Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge will be announced prior to the tournament.
