MONTVILLE TWP. — The stars came out for the Jim Perry Legends Golf Classic at Fox Meadows Country Club.

An event presented by the Ohio Masonic Home Benevolent Endowment Foundation, all proceeds went to Alzheimer’s and dementia care.

Celebrities were there en masse Monday to help out.

Cy Young Award winners Vern Law and Jim Perry came out, as did former Tribe pitcher and announcer Jim “Mudcat” Grant, first NBA Rookie of the Year Don “Monk” Meineke and Pro Football Hall of Fame founder Chuck Such.

The list didn’t end there, as former Browns like Jim Houston, Milt Plum, Ross Fichtner and Aaron Shea took their hacks alongside former Indians Vince Colbert, Hal Naragon and Rich Rollins. Medina County Sports Hall of Famers Greg Kosc and Ron Pruitt rounded out the impressive list.

Former Cleveland Browns tight end Aaron Shea, right, prepares to hit a drive. (COURTESY PHOTO)

“It’s a lot of fun because at a lot of these celebrity events, you see the guys up close, but here the people are actually participating with them,” said Brett Turner, manager of marketing and communications for the Masonic Home. “You interact with them.”

The Legends Classic matched golfers with a celebrity in a tournament-style format.

More than 100 people hit Fox Meadows for the third year in a row – the event is in its eighth year in the Springfield/Dayton area — with the winning team being Perry and his foursome of Bob Lovell, Jeff Hasting and Steve Howard. They shot a 16-under 56 — the lowest round ever at Fox Meadows — and won on a tiebreaker over Bob Berteau, Rob Berteau, David Boyd and Fichtner.

It was the third year in a row the founder of the Legends Classic has taken the top prize at Fox Meadows, but the outing was so much more than that.

All told, the Ohio Masonic Home raised more than $1,000. There was a dinner following the event with a memorabilia auction held to further supplement the donation.

“It’s just a nice way to be around these guys,” Turner said. “There are no egos. Jim (Perry) gets people that are interactive. They have a great time. There are a lot of players who like to tell old stories.

“People are always excited for it. It’s always a good feeling. Everyone looks forward to it. The thing about the tournament is, it’s not a blood tournament. But at the same time, they want to try hard. They’re retired athletes. They still have that fire in them.”
The Ohio Masonic Home has retirement campuses in Springfield, Waterville and Medina dedicated to helping seniors through a wide range of options.

For more information, or to make a donation, visit ohiomasonichome.org or call (888) 248-2665.

The Classic will come back to Fox Meadows next year on July 25.

“The event is building,” said Tim Strawn, president of the Ohio Masonic Home Foundation. “We’re doing a lot of friend-raising. It’s growing and Fox Meadows is such a wonderful course. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. When the word gets out about this year’s success, it should be flooded next year.”

Contact Brad Bournival at sports@medina-gazette.com.

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