The Ball is Now Really Rolling

Feb. 10, 2008

For Immediate Release, Contact: Tom Whitestone (704/687-6310)
Prominent Community Leaders to Quarterback

Charlotte 49ers Football Fundraising Capital Campaign
Fundraising Team Also Includes a Trio of Distinguished UNC Charlotte Alumni

Charlotte, N.C. -- Influential community leaders Mac Everett, Johnny Harris and Gene Johnson will lead the Charlotte 49ers Football Fundraising Capital Campaign, the university announced at a press conference, Tuesday afternoon. The powerful team also includes a trio of UNC Charlotte alumni who are chief financial officers at three major corporations.

Everett, who is general chairman of the Wachovia Championship and chaired the 49ers Football Feasibility Committee, and Harris, president of Lincoln Harris, will serve as honorary chairs. Johnson, chairman and CEO of FairPoint Communications and a 1973 graduate of UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business, was named chairman.
In addition, the 49ers introduced three other UNC Charlotte alumni as executive chairs: David Hauser, chief financial officer for Duke Energy Corporation, Bob Hull, chief financial officer for Lowe’s Companies, Inc., and Joe Price, chief financial officer for Bank of America Corporation.

Former Carolina Panthers standouts Mike Minter and Mike Rucker have signed on as campaign ambassadors.
“We have a great opportunity to make history,” said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Dr. Phil Dubois. “We have an opportunity to bring our campus and our community together like never before. We have assembled a leadership team that combines an array of community and business leaders and influential alumni.”

Everett and Harris have played major roles in Charlotte’s sports landscape for many years. Everett has been involved with the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission and the Charlotte Bobcats as well as the Wachovia Championship. Harris, a member of the Carolina Panthers ownership group and president of Quail Hollow Club, played a key role in founding the Wachovia Championship and landing the ACC football championship and 1994 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four in Charlotte.

Johnson, secretary of the university’s Board of Trustees, has been a staunch supporter of the 49ers athletic department for over 30 years. A tireless advocate for UNC Charlotte, Johnson has served on the Belk College of Business Advisory Council, the Alumni Board of Governors and the Board of Directors of the 49ers Athletic Foundation. He was inducted into the UNC Charlotte Alumni Hall of Fame in 1997 and was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2000.

“Everybody’s in the game,” said 49ers Director of Athletics Judy Rose. “We understand that adding football will impact more than the 49ers athletic department and more than UNC Charlotte. This is about Charlotte -- and it will take the vision and support of departmental, university and community leaders to insure success. This is just the beginning, but history is in the air.”

After nearly two years of study and research, Dubois made his recommendation to add football to the university Board of Trustees on Sept. 18, 2008 and the Board of Trustees passed the recommendation without opposition in its vote, Nov. 13, 2008. The Charlotte 49ers expect to field a football team in 2013.

Charlotte 49ers Football Fundraising Committee

Leadership Bios

Mac Everett – Honorary Co-Chair
A native of Macon, Ga., Everett graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Georgia. In 1969, he went to work at the Trust Company of Georgia, now known as SunTrust. In 1978, he began a long and prosperous career with First Union National Bank, which is now Wachovia. He also became a vital member of the Charlotte community. Along with UNC Charlotte, some of the organizations that benefitted from Everett’s leadership include the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Schools Foundation, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, the Arts and Science Council, the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission, the Charlotte Chamber and the Charlotte Bobcats. Mac was also the Chair of the Charlotte 49ers Football Feasibility Committee. Mac is currently serving as the Interim CEO of the United Way of Central Carolinas and the General Chairman of the Wachovia Championship.

Johnny Harris – Honorary Co-Chair
Johnny Harris, president of Lincoln Harris, is best known for his substantial portfolio of real estate developments in SouthPark and Ballantyne. Formerly, he was president of The Harris Group before forming Lincoln Harris in 1999, a major national commercial real estate firm and affiliate company of Lincoln Property Company. He has played a major role in Charlotte’s sports landscape for many years. He’s a member of the Carolina Panthers ownership group and serves as president at Quail Hollow Club. Harris played key roles as the Chair of the 1994 NCAA Men’s Final Four, in founding the Wachovia Championship and landing the 2010/2011 ACC Football Championships to be held in Charlotte.

Gene Johnson (UNC Charlotte, ’73) – Chairman

Gene Johnson, chairman and CEO of FairPoint Communications and a 1973 graduate of UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business, co-founded the company and has been chief executive officer since January 2002, adding the chairman’s position in January 2003. A former captain in the U.S. Army, he started his career as a certified public accountant. He owned a cable television construction company and later became head of the mergers & acquisitions group of Cable Investments, Inc. He serves as secretary on the board of trustees for UNC Charlotte and is a regular supporter of local civic activities.


David Hauser (UNC Charlotte, ’77) – Executive Chair
David Hauser is group vice president and chief financial officer for Duke Energy Corporation. He leads the financial function, which includes the controller’s office, treasury, tax, risk management and insurance. Hauser joined Duke Power in 1973. For the first 20 years of his career at Duke Power, he held various accounting positions, including controller. He later served as vice president, procurement services and materials and then as senior vice president of Global Asset Development. He is a trustee of the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center and a member of the Business Advisory Council for UNC Charlotte. David is a 1977 graduate of UNC Charlotte’s Belk College MBA program.



Bob Hull (UNC Charlotte, ’85 and ‘88) – Executive Chair
Bob Hull has served as the Lowe’s Companies, Inc. chief financial officer since March 2003. He joined Lowe’s in 1999 as vice president of financial planning and analysis. Hull is responsible for accounting, tax, treasury, investor relations, procurement and financial planning and analysis. He has more than 20 years of retail and financial management experience and is a certified public accountant. Hull earned bachelor’s degrees in business administration and accounting from UNC Charlotte in 1985 and 1988 and currently serves on their board of trustees.

Joe Price (UNC Charlotte, ’83) – Executive Chair
oe Price, chief financial officer for Bank of America Corporation and a member of the bank’s senior management team, is a 1983 graduate of UNC Charlotte. As CFO, he has responsibility for Finance, Corporate Treasury, Corporate Investments, Legal and Investor Relations. Price joined Bank of America in 1993 after serving on the bank’s engagement team at PriceWaterhouse. While at PriceWaterhouse, he was a member of the Financial Institutions National Industry Group specializing in banking and acquisitions and derivatives. Price serves on the Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte Board of Directors. In addition, Price serves on the UNC Charlotte board of trustees and their Belk College of Business Advisory Council.

Mike Minter – Ambassador
Former Panthers safety Mike Minter retired in August 2007 after earning the respect of his teammates and opponents during a career that spanned a full decade. The second-round draft pick out of Nebraska set a number of Carolina franchise records on the field while being awarded the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2005 for his community service work off the field. He is now the head of football operations at First Assembly Christian School in Concord, N.C. and the Head Coach of their High School football team. Mike also is the principal/partner of several successful business ventures via Minter Enterprises and spent time on the air as a college football analyst with ESPNU in 2008.

Mike Rucker – Ambassador

A native of St. Joseph, Missouri, Mike Rucker played nine seasons in the National Football League, all with the Carolina Panthers. Before appearing in a Super Bowl with the Panthers in 2003, Rucker was a part of three national championship teams at Nebraska in 1994, 1995 and 1997. By the time his career ended at Nebraska, Rucker ranked among the top 10 players in Husker history in both sacks and tackles for loss. Rucker, along with teammates Stephen Davis and Mike Minter, and former teammate Muhsin Muhammad, are co-founders of Ruckus House, a child development and learning facility. One of Rucker’s long-term goals for Ruckus House is to get one in every city which has an NFL team. Mike retired from the Carolina Panthers after the 2007 season and got back into college football as a broadcast analyst for ESPNU this past season. Stephen Davis, born March 1, 1974, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is a running back for the Carolina Panthers.

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Interested in 49er Football Seat Licenses (FSL's)? Go to www.charlotte49erfootball.com!

 

Looks like a good group. We'll see what comes of it.

 

Hell of a time to start bankrolling a new football program. I wish them the best of luck though.

 

It's never a good time to start. Last time was around 9/11. Sometimes you just got to say fuck it and give it a try. At least we get the chance this time.