Local Hero Returns Home

Thursday, February 03, 2005
By DONNA HARRIS

GAUTIER -- Shane Matthews is coming home to play golf and bringing a few of his friends.

Matthews, an accomplished NFL quarterback of 12 years who has thrown more than 4,700 yards with the Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills, will lend his name, connections and swing to the  Jolly McCarty Memorial Shane Matthews Celebrity Golf Classic.

Matthews, a 1988 graduate of Pascagoula High School, is the son of Bill Matthews of Pascagoula and the late Peggy Matthews.

The event, to be held Saturday, July 16, at Shell Landing in Gautier, will be the first such tournament for the Bacot/Jolly P. McCarty Foundation that formed in 2004.

Matthews, who is currently a free-agent, wanted to become involved in a Jackson County organization that would help others. "I always wanted to give back to the community," he told The Mississippi Press Wednesday from his home in Gainesville, Fla.

Matthews, 34, plans to play in the tournament, and hopes to bring in some big name celebrity athletes to complete a few foursomes.

He will also be able to gather a fair share of the autographed sports memorabilia that will be featured in a silent auction the night before at a reception at Grand Casino Biloxi.

Matthews, the father of two, said he's a golf fanatic in his off seasons. "I'd play even more if my wife would let me," he said.

He's played Shell Landing's award-winning course once, and looks forward to a return visit with his NFL buddies. "I know they'd love to come play a great golf course," he said.

Matthews would like to see his continued involvement with the Bacot/Jolly P. McCarty Foundation eventually lead to an annual scholarship awarded in his mother's name. Peggy Matthews, a teacher in the Pascagoula School District, died of breast cancer in 1992. "It's something I'd like to do in her honor, hopefully," he said.

The Bacot Foundation was established in 1978 by the late Ed Bacot to operate exclusively for charitable, literary and educational purposes, especially for the encouragement of the arts and furthering higher education. McCarty's family, after his death, decided to lend his name to the Bacot Foundation because he lived by the foundation's principals.

McCarty's widow, Evelyn McCarty, was present at the tournament announcement at Shell Landing Wednesday morning. "Through this organization and this golf tournament, we hope to raise money that will go back into this community that Jolly loved so much," she said.

The Grand Casino Biloxi has partnered with the organization to make the event a premiere tournament on the Gulf Coast.

"Any time we can get involved with the community, it's important to us at the Grand," said Mickey Parenton, senior vice president of casino operations. "Any time there's a good cause, we want to be involved."

Co-chairmen of the event are Carl Crawford of Shell Landing and Todd Trenchard, development consultant for the Bacot/Jolly P. McCarty Foundation and M&M Bank.

Reporter Donna Harris can be reached at dharris@themississippipress.com or (228) 934-1448.