Published: April 25, 2008 03:02 pm         

Third Annual Ballard Cup Golf Scramble is this Saturday

The Eta-Eta chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha at Morehead State University remembers a brother who died when they host the third annual Ballard Cup Golf Scramble this weekend.

Matthew Kenneth Ballard passed away on July 12, 2005 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Ballard was pursuing a sports management degree, served as student assistant for the MSU football team, and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

In honor of Matthew, the Eta-Eta chapter created the Ballard cup, a philanthropic event that is held each year at Eagle Trace Golf Course near Morehead.

Matthew is the son of Brenda and Morehead State Football Coach Matt Ballard. He says Saturday is a very important day for not only him but for his son as well. “The thing that I think is so wonderful about it, is that it’s a day of celebration,” Ballard said. “We’ve always celebrated Matthew’s life and the thing that I’m so grateful and appreciative for is that you know where this thing came from.renda and Morehead State Football Coach Matt Ballard. The local coach sayid Saturday is a very important day for not only him but for his son as well. “The thing that I think is so wonderful about it, is that it’s a day of celebration,” Ballard said. “We’ve always celebrated Matthew’s life and the thing that I’m so grateful and appreciative for is that you know where this thing came from. The gentlemen of Pi Kappa Alpha wanted to honor Matthew’s life and to keep his legacy going and the difference he tried to make with people everyday.”

Members of the fraternity spend most of the school year asking businesses and local organizations for team and hole sponsorships, said Tre Sizemore, the chapter president at MSU.

Half of the proceeds from the Ballard Cup go toward the Matthew K. Ballard Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship will go to one young man and one young woman from Rowan County Senior High School who will be attending Morehead State University the following fall.

Helping people in the advancement of their education is something Mathew would have appreciated. “Like Mathew says, dad, you have stuff to do. Stay with it, and work with a smile on your face and joy in your heart and keep on keeping on,” Coach Ballard said. “That’s what the men of the fraternity have done and that’s what we’re trying to do to help as many young people as we possibly can with their education."

Matthew was a dedicated member of the Pikes. As an only child, Ballard said, Matthew felt a real bond with his fraternity brothers.

Noland Lees of Lexington is a member of the Eta-Eta chapter at MSU. Lees was a member of Ballard’s pledge class in the fall of 2004. He describes Matthew as a gentleman to whomever he encountered. “He was really down to earth. Whoever he was around he could always relate to them. And he was genuinely one of the best people I’ve ever met.”

Matthew’s life is celebrated on the last weekend of April each year. The Ballard cup is set to tee off at 9:30 Saturday morning.