For the third year in a row, Bluefield College will join in one of the most time-honored local high school football traditions as the student-athlete scholarship sponsor for the Graham-Beaver portion of the Great American Rivalry Series, Friday, August 25.
Featuring some of the longest running rivalries in high school football, the Great American Rivalry Series showcases 100 of the most storied competitions in 100 cities and 40 states nationwide each fall. Among the exclusive collection of top 100 must-see matchups: the game between border rivals Bluefield High School of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Graham High School of Bluefield, Virginia.
“High school football has brought communities together to watch their teams compete in classic battles for more than a hundred years,” said Great American Rivalry Series founder Rick Ford. “Wrapped in tradition, these annual battles excite entire communities, while celebrating the schools, their teams, and their fans. All of these games come with great football, hard earned sweat, and a heavy dose of hometown pride.”
The G-Men and the Beavers will meet at Mitchell Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 25 as part of the 14th annual Great American Rivalry Series and for what is considered the area’s largest sporting event. The storied competition between the border rivals began in 1911, though the second meeting did not take place until 1928. Since then, the game has been played annually.
Adding to the Beaver-Graham football tradition, Bluefield College presented $1,000 scholarships beginning in the fall of 2015 to a player from both teams. BC will continue that custom again this year when they present two more $1,000 scholarships just prior to the start of the game to the student-athletes with their team’s highest grade point average.
“We’re fortunate to be a part of the legendary Bluefield-Graham football rivalry as the sponsor of the scholar athlete program,” said Bluefield College president Dr. David Olive, who will join Michael White, BC’s new vice president for enrollment, in presenting this year’s scholarships. “It’s a great opportunity for us to support the students from both schools and to share with them the value of the BC experience.”
Bluefield College is a private, Christian, liberal arts college developing transformational servant leaders, many of whom are graduates of Bluefield and Graham high schools. With added commitments to Virginia Baptists, academic excellence, lifelong inquiry, the liberal arts, professional studies, service, support and encouragement, Bluefield seeks to graduate servant leaders who understand their life calling and transform the world. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer baccalaureate and master’s degrees in the classroom and online, Bluefield College is touted for its affordability, personal attention to students, award-winning core curriculum, classroom technology, and learning settings on the mission field and in countries abroad.
In addition to the presentation of scholarships, the college will have an information booth at the game, staffed with admissions counselors. Prospective students and their families are invited to stop by the booth to learn more about the BC experience, the admissions process, financial aid, and the school’s half-price Pathways tuition plan for qualifying students from nearby counties.
The Beaver-Graham game will be broadcast live on www.GreatAmericanRivalry.com and will include a pre-game interview with Dr. Olive. After the game, fans can visit that same web site for event photos and game recaps or www.bluefield.edu to learn more about Bluefield College.