A chance encounter on a golf course culminated in an ESPN personality making a generous donation to Coppin State’s fledgling golf program.
Scott Van Pelt, the popular anchor of SportsCenter and host of Monday Night Countdown, gifted 40 boxes of Titleist balls to the Eagles men’s and women’s teams after meeting coach Elam Ruff during a round last month at Burning Tree Club in Bethesda. The mix of Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls retails for $58 per dozen on the company’s website, which means Van Pelt’s contribution amounted to $2,320.
“It was just a great connection, and he and I have been following up a little bit here and there,” said Ruff, whose teams will make their college debuts on Sept. 7 (men) and Sept. 14 (women). “So I’m just very appreciative of meeting him and him being as kind as he was and open. I didn’t even ask. He just kind of offered, and so it was really cool.”
The partnership began when Ruff, a part-time caddie at Burning Tree, was randomly paired with Van Pelt, a Brookeville native who graduated from the University of Maryland in 1988. During the round, Ruff discussed the benefits and challenges of launching a college golf program, and Van Pelt then offered the balls to Ruff.
“I used to do some work for a golf club company, and they’ve sent me more golf balls than I could use in a lifetime,” Van Pelt said via text. “I now work for a different golf club company and have been thinking about what to do with all these golf balls. When I met E, I immediately thought: ‘This would be a great home,’ and I imagined they might be welcomed as the program gets going.”
Will they ever.
Ruff said the balls will be used for the teams’ indoor simulator inside the Physical Education Complex on campus, which could be completed as early as mid-September, and for their matches in upcoming tournaments.
“They’ll go a long way,” he said. “Kids aren’t losing those, you know what I mean? They’re going to last a little bit longer. So I’m really thankful for what he was able to do because we can do a lot of stuff with that.”
Ruff said he did not want to badger Van Pelt about his pledge, but he contacted Ruff on Aug. 19 and said he would deliver the balls to Burning Tree. Ruff collected the boxes and is currently storing them in his office on campus.
“I was just amazed,” he said. “I was just so thankful. He’s a busy man, and we only met one time. I really didn’t think of anything of it, but he gave me his information right away. … Everybody was so excited when I got back to the office. So it was pretty cool.”
Asked what convinced him to make the donation to Ruff and Coppin State, Van Pelt replied, “It was nothing specific other than being impressed by how E carried himself and the respect I have for someone pouring themselves into something that won’t be easy.”
Van Pelt is one of the Terps’ most public and vocal fans, attending athletic events when his schedule allows it. Ruff said he is grateful that Van Pelt’s generosity isn’t limited to College Park.
“His name and his brand are so recognizable across the sports globe,” Ruff said. “It just does a lot for us in terms of recognition and promoting our program the right way. It puts us on a platform where most people haven’t seen us yet, and it allows other people to reach out to see how they can help because we definitely need help. We’re doing a lot of good things. Our president and our athletic department are supporting us really well for us being in our first year, but every little thing helps.”
Van Pelt’s donation follows a pair of larger gifts. The Caves Valley Golf Club Foundation informed Ruff in April that it would send $10,000 to the Eagles, and Delta Airlines gave $10,000 to each golf program at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
“That $20,000 is going to help us a lot to travel around,” Ruff said. “We’re going to Florida twice, South Carolina multiple times, Ohio, Chicago. So we’ve got a lot of traveling we need to do, and obviously, that can add up.”
If Coppin State needs more balls, Van Pelt said he can provide them. “I should have whatever they need,” he said. “Double it up.” Van Pelt tried to downplay his contribution to the program.
“I saw a path that might help and was happy to do so,” Van Pelt said. “One caveat I explained to him: they all have SVP on the side and are all #34 for [late Terps basketball star] Leonard Bias. But they’re brand new, and I hope they play well with them.”
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