Bulls host charity golf tourney in Miami Lakes
By Derek Joy
Stephen Field hit the ground running when he was hired as head football coach at Miami Northwestern High School last year. And he’s still running.
He ran through relocating to Miami, running his first spring practice and steamrolled into a 9-3 record (8-2 regular season) during his first campaign.
Then Field pulled off a first of its kind trip for 54 of his players. That was a 13-day bus tour to Atlanta, New Orleans and a number of colleges and universities, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
So, between spring practice, which yielded a 17-11 win over Cocoa High School last week in Cocoa, and the grind of regular school days, Field is busy with the task of raising money to take his players on another tour this summer.
“With the help of the coaches and the community, especially the Booster Club, we were able to get it done,” said Field, who noted such stops as Bourbon Street in New Orleans and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Atlanta.
“These kids had never experienced something like that. It’s never been at any school here. Now, we’re trying raise the money to take our players on tour this summer.”
The fundraising efforts build to a crescendo with a June 1, charity golf tournament at the Country Club of Miami in Miami Lakes. An 8:00 a.m. starting time is scheduled.
The hope is that this event, coupled with the efforts of what Field calls “One of the best high school Booster Clubs in the country, will ensure that Bulls football players experience this summer what the 54 players enjoyed last summer.
“I think that’s exceptionally good,” said Mack Finnie, a retired educator and former JV football coach for the Bulls. “He’s trying to do something positive that’s never been done before.
“He’s doing something for these kids, not just for him as a coach. When I was teaching we took about 60 kids go to Mexico, Santo Domingo and Costa Rica. We went for five days because that’s all they would allow. But that kind of trip has never been done for a football team. It’s a good experience.”
