Some 130 golfers from nine states helped raise funds for the Jim and Floy Hershberger Football Endowment in the Hershberger Gridiron Golf Classic held on July 10 at BVU Lake Creek.  

One hundred thirty golfers from nine states across seven decades of Beaver football converged on BVU Lake Creek on July 10 for the Annual Hershberger Gridiron Golf Classic. The event, which began in the late 1990s under then-Head Football Coach Joe Hadachek, raised funds for the Jim and Floy Hershberger Football Fund, an endowment that supports the needs of the Beaver football program.

“It is great to be back in Storm Lake and seeing Coach (Austin) Dickinson ’10 and his coaches, along with so many guys who helped build and sustain Beaver football,” said Hadachek, who was joined by former Coach Larry Anderson in greeting alumni throughout the day. “We are proud to play a role in such a great BVU tradition.”

Participants came from throughout Iowa as well as Texas (four players), Wyoming, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, and Arizona.

An online auction complemented a silent auction and a live auction conducted by Keith Kerkhoff ’77. Bobby Brown ’15 donated four tickets to a Notre Dame home football game which were purchased by Bob Larson ’85. Trent Burley ’08 could not attend due to the birth of daughter Frannie, so he donated bottles of spirits used in a putting contest on the practice green.

Zach Mathers ’00 joined his teammates in honoring the late Mike Peddicord ’01 by giving $95 in cash to the golfer who struck their tee shot closest to the pin on No. 15, which played at 95 yards on this day. Mike “Mac” McCartan ’80 put his drive to within three feet for the prize. McCartan was one of the Texans who came back for “The Hershberger” this summer.

All told, the efforts from the Beavers and friends helped raise more than $58,000.

The field also included a pair of 2026 BVU Athletics Hall of Fame inductees in Michael Irvin ’05, who starred in football and wrestling for the Beavers, and Jeff Opheim ’80, a member of the 1979 and 1980 men’s golf teams that went undefeated, won the Iowa Conference, and finished as high as eighth nationally.

BVU President Brian Lenzmeier spent the day on the course hitting drives on the No. 6 hole while Coach Dickinson joined each group on the No. 11 hole. Dickinson thanked participants for the role they play in keeping Beaver football top-of-mind. He and Director of Athletics Amy Maier conducted tours of the new Coach Jim Hershberger Football Locker Room as part of the festivities. The new locker room, a portion of BVU’s Building Champions capital campaign, was officially unveiled to the current Beaver football team on August 12. The Beavers begin their season by hosting Benedictine University on Peterson Field at 1 p.m. on Sept. 5.

“We are incredibly grateful for the strong connections, friendships, and support that are seen throughout the Beaver football family,” Coach Dickinson said. “It is pretty powerful to see guys who played as far back as the 1960s joining 2026 graduates in spending a day with their fellow alumni, sharing stories and building on their support for our football program.”