BELTON, Texas—On Friday, October 17, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) celebrated the dedication of the Jane and Mac Hickerson Crusader Golf Club with a special ceremony and ribbon cuttings. Hundreds of guests—including two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw—attended the event, which was held at the site of the new facility off of University Drive on the Â鶹ÊÓƵ campus.
"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it," said Â鶹ÊÓƵ President Dr. Randy O'Rear as he opened today's ceremony. "This is the new home for Cru golf. When you tour these facilities, you will see that they are way under par. And in golf, that's a really, really good thing!" He later said about the facility, "If you have championship goals like we do at Â鶹ÊÓƵ, best-in-class facilities are important, and now we have them for our golf program!"
During his remarks, O'Rear thanked everyone who made the facility possible, especially the leadership donors and the design and construction teams which included Earl Santee, one of the most widely-acclaimed sports venue designers in the world and Â鶹ÊÓƵ's campus master planner; Ben Crenshaw, legendary golfer and world-renowned golf course architect; and Delton Stuckly, local builder and general contractor, for their incredible collaboration and contributions to the project. All three were presented with Distinguished Service Awards. This award was established to recognize individuals whose work, service, and accomplishments have benefited and supported the Christ-centered mission of Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
"Earl continues to come to Mary Hardin-Baylor and continues to be our friend and our partner. We are very grateful. Thank you," O'Rear said to Santee. He then spoke about Crenshaw's contributions to the project. "Ben has been very passionate and really involved. That's the way he is. If he's going to put his name on it, it's going to be really special." He continued by saying, "If you think about the credibility it adds when you have someone with 19 wins on the PGA tour, two Masters championships, and a World Golf Hall of Famer, I'd say that adds instant credibility when you are talking to recruits about your program and who designed your facility."
Finally, he mentioned Stuckly's role in the project. "He's done several projects for us, including the president's home. This wouldn't have been possible without Delton. Thank you for saying yes and making this happen for Â鶹ÊÓƵ. I hope you are as proud of this as we are."
He also explained that the facility's name honors Mac Hickerson, former Â鶹ÊÓƵ men's golf coach, and his late wife Jane. In addition, the practice course, which includes four greens and 22 different tee boxes, is called The Mac. The facility also includes a lighted short-game practice area. Hickerson, who attended the dedication, led the Â鶹ÊÓƵ men's golf team from 1980 to 1999, making him the longest tenured golf coach in Â鶹ÊÓƵ history. He made a significant impression on his players and left a meaningful legacy at Mary Hardin-Baylor. Additionally, the university dedicated the clubhouse and locker room facility, which is named the Conner Golf Performance Center, in honor of university friends Mary Kay and Jerry Conner of Sugarland.
"Mac, we could not be more thrilled to honor your service to Mary Hardin-Baylor and the golf program, along with Jane's, by naming this the Jane and Mac Hickerson Crusader Golf Club. We love you, we're so honored, and thanks for letting us put your name on it," O'Rear said to Hickerson during his remarks.
He continued by saying, "The Conners are humble people, and it took a lot of convincing to name this facility the Conner Golf Performance Center. They deserve to have their name on this facility, and it's life-changing in many ways for these players. We are grateful."
The ceremony included two ribbon cuttings – one at the Conner Golf Performance Center and one at The Mac. After both ribbon cuttings, Crenshaw and others hit ceremonial tee shots. All visitors had the opportunity to tour the new facility at the end of the ceremony.
The men's golf program began in the early 1970s and has won 12 conference championships. The women's golf program was founded in 1996 and won the NAIA National Championship in 2000. The program has won the American Southwest Conference championship 14 times and was the first Â鶹ÊÓƵ athletic program to win an NCAA Division III National Championship in 2013. To learn more about this facility and Cru Athletics, visit .
