The Mission of the Emerald Coast Gator Club® is to foster and enhance the relationship between the University of Florida, its alumni, students and friends; and to support the university's mission of teaching, research, and service.
Our members hail from Okaloosa and Walton counties which include the cities of Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Destin, Crestview, and the Beaches of 30-A.
The Emerald Coast Gator Club is an affiliated organization of the UF Alumni Association (UFAA).
The Emerald Coast Gator Club watches games at Harry T's on the Destin Harbor. This is also where we hold meetings, host guest speakers, and have fund-raising events.
Harry T's has quite possibly the most scenic view you will ever find. It also has a huge drink selection, TV's everywhere, and is located at the heart of Destin's HarborWalk.
For those further east of the Destin Harbor and looking for somewhere closer to home to gather, the Emerald Coast Gator Club now has a secondary game watch location! Come cheer the gators on at the Grayton Beer Brewpub
Come help cheer the Gators on to Victory! | |
When: | Saturday, November 30th at 6:30 PM CST |
Where: | Harry T's - 46 Harbor Blvd, Destin, FL 32541 OR Grayton Beer Brewpub - 170 E County Hwy 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32549 |
Our Opponent: | The Florida State Seminoles |
GO GATORS!!! |
We meet regularly to watch sporting events as a group and we also get together for community-service activities. From time to time we host special guests and receive information regarding the University of Florida. Coaches, sports writers, and famous alumni periodically visit our area and often will serve as speakers for ECGC events.
Last year we travelled together to watch a UF baseball game in Pensacola, and many members of our group volunteer time with "International Gator Day", and other activities.
During all of this we raise funds to provide scholarships to local students that attend UF. For the 2018/2019 academic year, we awarded $10,000 in scholarships for incoming freshman.
View our Calendar  to see upcoming events.
The Emerald Coast Gator Club watches games at Harry T's on the Destin Harbor. This is also where we hold meetings, host guest speakers, and have fund-raising events. The viewing parties are open to everyone, not only ECGC members. Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the games with us.
Harry T's has quite possibly the most scenic view you will ever find. It also has a huge drink selection, TV's everywhere, and is located at the heart of Destin's HarborWalk.
We often host guest speakers that come to town to update the public on the latest happenings at UF. Our most regular guest is Pat Dooley, head sportswriter for the Gainesville Sun. Pat visits each summer and always has great insight into Gator Athletics. Every couple of years or so we also are able to host coaches from UF as they travel across the state promoting the University. In addition to sports writers and coaches, we have also been known to be visited by Danny Wuerffel and a few other local celebrities.
In recent years the ECGC has had the priviledge of presenting scholarships at various high school awards ceremonies. Officers in our club have been able to award scholarships and recognize the recipients in a public setting. Its an honor to stand in front of several hundred students, parents, and school administrators and praise the young men and women that have earned acceptance into UF and have been selected as winners of the ECGC scholarship.
The Emerald Coast Gator Club and its supporters take pride knowing that their donations support local students attending the University of Florida. And the students that are awarded scholarships by the ECGC should also be proud of their academic and civic accomplishments in high school. To recognize both the students and their supporters, we host a scholarship awards ceremony each summer. We invite scholarship recipients and their families to be recognized for their hard work and acheivments.
We take pride in the natural beauty of the Emerald Coast, but we are also proud to be part of a community that knows how to 'give back'. The ECGC regularly takes part in activites that benefit our local area. We have supported Wounded Warriors, Toys-for-Tots, and International Gator Day. This year we plan to assist with the first annual Destin marathon and a variety of other activities that support our area.
This year The Emerald Coast Gator Club is teaming with the Destin Seminole Club on the first ever "House Divided, Goal United" Golf tournament to raise money for scholarships for our local area students attending their respective universities.
The Tournament will be held on November 23, 2019 at 8:00am at the Emerald Bay Golf Course and we are looking for 120 generous and supportive individuals to come out and spend a morning playing a round of golf to help our local kids attend college. By participating in this event you will have a direct and definable impact on the ability of both of these Alumni clubs to raise money for the support of college-bound students from our immediate community.
Stay up to date on information about this tournament by visiting our facebook page.
Registration/Sponsorship forms can be downloaded here
Be sure to enter all names of the players on your team and their handicaps using the additional Player Name(s)/HCP text box (e.g. Albert/7, Alberta/9)
If you run out of room in the Player name box, add a note on the checkout page, or contact us with the names of your players.
Our mailing address is 43 Harbor Blvd, Destin, FL 32541
The Emerald Coast Gator Club has an active email distribution. However we are not yet configured to accept automated subscription requests at this time. Until the automated system is in place, please contact one of the ECGC officers and request to be added to the list.
The Gator Club network has always served as the University of Florida's local representative as an affiliated organization of the UF Alumni Association.
Membership in the UF Alumni Association is your direct link to Gator Nation. Not only does it allow you to outwardly demonstrate your Gator pride, but there are exclusive benefits just for members. Additionally, your membership dues directly support student scholarships, alumni programming, and the University of Florida. Whether you are an alumnus, parent, or a friend, you can join the UF Alumni Association.
Membership in the UF Alumni Association and the Emerald Coast Gator Club is open to alumni, students and friends. All current members of the UF Alumni Association are automatically enrolled into the local Gator Club .
To find out more information on the Gator Club network go to http://connect.ufalumni.ufl.edu/network/gatorclubs. For additional information regarding the combined dues program please contact the UF Alumni Association at 888-352-5866 or ufalum@uff.ufl.edu.
The ECGC scholarships are awarded based on a wide variety of criteria. We take into account the student's GPA, the difficulty of their curriculum, their college entrance exam scores, and their place in their graduating class. In addition to course work, we also evaulate each student's work history, any community service performed, and extra-curricular activities. Finally we ask each applicant to write a brief paper that explains their goals for their future.
Each member of the scholarship committee evaulates each and every application individually, then the committee meets (sometimes more than once) to discuss applicants and decide on a ranking for each. Depending on how well the club performed financially, we determine how many scholarships we can afford and then award them to the top applicants.
For the 2018/2019 academic year the Emerald Coast Gator Club was again able to award 5 scholarships valued at $2,000 each to students from Okaloosa and Walton Counties. This is the second year in a row that the club awarded $10,000 in scholarships.
Hannah Calderazzo, South Walton High School
Brooks Horton, Niceville High School
Regan Giordano, Niceville High School
Esther Kim, Fort Walton Beach High School
Stephanie Kaufman, Niceville High School
Madeline Borcyk, Choctawhatchee High School
Abigail Mistretta, Niceville High School
Krysten Pazik, Paxton High School
Carly Ritterband, Niceville High School
Emma Rudman, Fort Walton Beach High School
Nicole Escoffier, Niceville High School
Sierra Lloyd, Choctawhatchee High School
Stella Kim, Niceville High School
Emily Nguyen, Niceville High School
Jacob Smith, Fort Walton Beach High School
Scholarship applications for 2020 can be downloaded in either MS Word or PDF Format.
MS Word Version
PDF Version
The officers of the Emerald Coast Gator Club volunteer their time and efforts to promoting the University of Florida and giving back to their communities.
Joe Reames joseph.reames@gmail.com
Brent Bartruff bigezgator@msn.com
Jay Patel: jpatel@asglegal.com
Tom Leechin: tommei@hotmail.com
Sherri Butler: she2@cox.net
Matt Butler: mbutler8@cox.net
Tom Manning & Mike Coupe: tkmgator@msn.com & mike.coupe@coxmedia.com
Tom Manning: tkmgator@msn.com
The members of the Emerald Coast Gator Club board of directors also volunteer their time and efforts to promoting the University of Florida.
These dues-paying members are not only avid fans of UF, but also understand how important it is to 'give something back' to their communities.
The current board is:
Tonya Johnson Pippin: Tonya.Pippin@gmail.com
Mike Coupe: mike.coupe@coxmedia.com
Sandy Triplett: sandytriplett@cox.net
Jeff Triplett: jstriplett@yahoo.com
Michael Locht: michael@florida-financial.com
Original, custom T-shirts are for sale. They are high-quality, all cotton shirts, with a one-of-a-kind image on both the front and back. We have both long- and short-sleeve shirts available. Harry T's in Destin is providing storage and handling for the club and is the most convenient way to purchase the shirts.
Certain club officers also have a supply of shirts for distribution in the Niceville and Fort Walton areas. Contact Mike Coupe or Steve Caldarelli to arrange to pick up your shirts in those areas.
T-shirt sales is the primary way that the Emerald Coast Gator Club funds scholarships, so once you've bought a few for yourself, pass the word to your friends and neighbors and help us to help local families send their kids to UF.
A Brief History of Challenge Coins
There are many examples of traditions that build camaraderie in the military, but few are as well-respected as the practice of carrying a challenge coin - a small medallion or token that signifies a person is a member of an organization.
It's nearly impossible to definitively know why and where the tradition of challenge coins began. Stories say that "The Challenge" began in Germany after World War II. Americans stationed there took up the local tradition of conducting "pfennig checks". The pfennig was the lowest denomination of coin in Germany, and if you didn't have one when a check was called, you were stuck buying the beers. If all the other members had their medallions, the challenger had to buy everyone drinks.
Challenge coins are now being used by many different organizations. In the federal government, everyone from Secret Service agents to White House staff to the President's personal valets have their own coins. Probably the coolest coins are those for White House Military Aides - the people who carry the atomic football - whose coins are, naturally, in the shape of a football. Today, it's not uncommon for police and fire departments to have coins, as do many civic organizations, such as the Lions Club and the Boy Scouts. Even Harley Davidson riders and Linux users have their own coins. Challenge coins have become a long-lasting, highly-collectible way to show your allegiance anytime, anyplace.
Each coin is uniquely numbered and the quantities are limited. They will be available for sale at a cost of $20 per coin during our Game Viewing events at Harry T's on the Destin Harbor.
Pat Dooley is coming back to Harry T's!
When:
Wednesday, August 19th at 6:00 PM CST.
Advance Register for the Event by clicking
HERE
or by visiting:
http://www.emeraldcoastgatorclub.org/dooleyvisit.html
GO GATORS!!!'