Schaefer Delivers On Promise Of $10,000 For 110,000

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) — Back in January, Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer had big plans for women’s basketball in Starkville.

Schaefer declared he would write a $10,000 check to the Boys and Girls Club in Starkville if attendance inside The Hump topped 110,000 for the season.

On Thursday night’s game against Auburn, on Senior Night, the previous record of more than 92,000 was not only broken, but smashed. The total for the season reaching 113,814.

Schaefer delivered on his promise, pulling out the check book after the final buzzer, giving back to the town that’s embraced him and his team

“It was a win win for me,” Schaefer explained, “our seniors, this team, so special. Getting those fans to come shatter the record, quite frankly, a record that at 113,000 now that will be hard pressed to break.”

“I almost lost it,” CEO of the Golden Triangle Boys and Girls Club Nadia Colom said, “I said to [Schaefer] in that moment, I said, ‘Coach, you have no idea just how awesome this is for our organization’ and he said, ‘oh, you haven’t seen anything yet’ as he’s signing the check so I’m thinking ok?”

Colom had a feeling the donation from Schaefer would be happening with the rate of sellouts inside happening for Hail State Hoops games, but she didn’t imagine what the rest of the Mississippi State community would bring.

An additional $41,000 dollars was donated to help serve kids around the Golden Triangle, a total of $51,000.

“Just to learn that there’s such love and support in this community for our organization…it’s just overwhelming,” Colom said.

“The $10,000 from me was no problem, but to see what the rest of the Bulldogs did to supplement that. It just, again, shouts to the world this is a special place. this is who we are. this is what we’re about.

“It would be so easy for those people who gave that money to give it to their grandkids, their own children, their wives, take a trip, whatever. That’s the way of the world today, quite frankly. But for them to do that, for this organization, and to say, hey, we’re going to do this and we’re going to honor our seniors in this manner, I think it makes it really special.”

The year before Vic Schaefer became head coach of the Bulldogs, attendance inside the hump totaled 23,073 for the season.

Six years later, with the bar now set to 113,000, Schaefer said he owes it to his players for helping his vision become reality.

“To be honest, that first year, I probably didn’t want that many people in there, we weren’t very good, but you give your kids all the credit in the world because those people are in there to see them. To see how they play the game, how they honor the game, how hard they play.

“To sit there next to their own son, their own daughter and say, ‘Hey, I want you to play like Dominique Dillingham. I want you to play like Victoria Vivians.’ So that’s the piece that’s very rewarding.”

Colom said the donation will help existing clubs in the area, as well as the start-up club in West Point starting this June.

Schaefer and the Bulldogs go for a perfect regular season on the road against Kentucky at 11 A.M.