Football | 12/19/2014 10:09:00 AM

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University Athletic Foundation Director Bill Nash and Ginger Gardner Pope announce the establishment of the Mike Pope "Hawg Tuff" Athletic Scholarship. The scholarship honors the legacy of Mike Pope ('72), who spent five-plus seasons as an assistant offensive line coach and director of high school relations on the Wingate University football coaching staff.
 
Mike Pope was the director of the Hawg Tuff Camps and Challenges for 25 years. Pope had over 37,000 young men and women attend these camps and challenges. Coach Pope's website www.hawgtuff.net is considered one of the top football websites in the world. The scholarship will benefit a Wingate University football student-athlete who plays offensive line.
 
On Saturday, April 25, 2015, the Hawg Tuff All-Position Camp will be held at Wingate University's Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field. All profits from the April 25 camp will benefit the Mike Pope "Hawg Tuff" Athletic Scholarship fund.
 
In conjunction with the scholarship's establishment, the Wingate Sports Information Department compiled reflections from eight of Coach Pope's Hawg Tuff Camps associates (please find them listed below).
 
Mark Dempsey
Assistant football coach (defensive line)
Dorman High School (Roebuck, S.C.)
Hawg Tuff Camps instructor
 
I first met Coach Pope in the mid-1990's when I took some offensive linemen from Woodruff High School to one of the Hawg Tuff camps. From the very beginning, I knew Coach Pope TRULY cared about kids. He didn't care if there were 10 kids or 100 kids at his camps, they were all going to be conducted the same way with basics and fundamentals being stressed from the beginning to the end. 
 
It wasn't long afterwards that Coach Pope asked me to start working his camps (I think his respect for Coach Willie Varner helped land me the job). I worked for Coach Pope all over the state of South Carolina and even into Georgia. Many miles were traveled, many hours were worked, but we had so much fun! 
 
I used to love listening to Coach Pope tell all the stories about the kids he had coached in all the different places he had worked. He always had a smile and his positive energy and attitude were contagious. His courage in the latter years was a true inspiration to me and I oftentimes spoke to my players about how we should all have attitudes like Coach Pope.
 
I loved Coach Pope and miss him terribly. I'm thankful to God that I had the opportunity to not only work for him, but to call him friend!
 
Tripp Fogle
Assistant football coach (offensive line)
Chesnee High School (Chesnee, S.C.)
Hawg Tuff Camps instructor
 
I had the pleasure of getting to know Coach Pope through his Hawg Tuff Camps. We spent many Saturdays together teaching fundamentals to kids of all ages and skill sets. One thing was always clear with Coach Pope...hard work and quality repetition was the key to success. Coach Pope insisted that the players at camp receive quality instruction throughout. He was genuinely concerned about each player getting better! He would instruct with patience and intensity that is only present in the greatest of educators. 
 
Coach Pope loved these camps. In the weeks leading up to each camp, you could sense Coach Pope 'light up' as he spoke about getting coaches to bring their kids! His excitement for each camp could be easily compared to a child at Christmas time. His dedication to teaching the fundamentals of football could never be questioned.
 
These camps proved that football was obviously very important to Coach Pope and his family, but there was one specific station that received his most intense focus. Each camp would conclude with a coach, usually Boss Hawg himself, explaining how important education was to their success in life. The message would usually be very simple, yet very relevant! He wanted to make sure that this was the most important instruction of the day! 
 
Coach Pope is missed by the people whose lives he touched! He wanted athletes to understand what it meant to be a true student-athlete. 
 
Raymond Grant ('13)
Football letter winner, Wingate University
Hawg Tuff Camps intern
 
I spent the summer of 2012 as an intern with the Hawg Tuff Camps. During the spring of 2012, I was trying to find an internship…it was getting down to crunch time. I talked with Coach Pope…and he was very encouraging. Ginger (Pope) calls me…and I think she was more excited about me doing the internship than Coach Pope was. I think she was a little tired…and needed a break from the traveling.
 
We did camps in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and the first-ever Hawg Tuff camp in Florida. We went everywhere…14 camps total…mostly in the Carolinas.
 
I remember very well our first 2012 camp in Newberry. I was taking money and selling the coaches' books. I kept wondering…'how is this going to work?' I remember Coach Pope taking charge…he always told me we do camps for 100 kids the same way we do camps for two kids…we give them everything we have. All the coaches knew him…and more importantly, they respected him.
 
Coach Pope coached everyone the same…elementary kids, high school kids…he coached them the same. He always told me…we need to teach these kids the proper language. They need to hear the language, hear the talk…they need to know these things.
 
He could have charged much more money…but he always told me he wanted to give the kids and the coaches' value for their money. Coach Pope loved the game and loved to teach the game to others…he simply loved to coach football. I was very lucky to have this experience with him.

I won't soon forget the Hawg Tuff camp in Florida. We were expecting 100-120 kids…and I remember us worrying about how many kids would actually show. As it turns out, we only had 25 kids. I can hear Coach Pope now…'We are going to give these kids everything we've got.' It was 100 degrees…and Coach Pope was giving each of these campers a life-time experience.
 
Every camp, Coach Pope would express to the campers the importance of getting an education. He would gather the kids up…and talk to them about education. Many times, he would allow me to share with the campers. I had been in the military prior to attending Wingate…so I had a unique perspective. I would tell the kids how important it is to keep up their grades.
 
Only a select few athletes will make the professional ranks. Education is a way to achieve your goals. I made sure to tell the kids to utilize teachers and faculty. They are there for a reason…to teach you…and help you. I stressed the importance of going to class…finding an accountability partner, putting in your time…if you put in your time, you will graduate.
 
Coach Pope always stayed after it. He was the first person up and the last person to bed. The opportunity to see him teach…was very impactful for me. He could get people to do things no one else could get them to do. The kids weren't afraid to approach him…and ask questions…and Coach Pope was not shy about (telling people) what was on his mind.
 
Mike Pope taught me so many important lessons. I learned about character and trust during my time with the Hawg Tuff camps. Coach Pope and Ginger trusted me so much. We developed a great relationship outside of our Wingate (University) student-athlete/coach relationship. I am so grateful for him.
 
Cody Haffly ('12)
Football letter winner, Wingate University
Hawg Tuff Camps instructor
 
Coach Pope loved football and his players. Never have I known a man who was so well respected and known throughout a large area other than Coach Pope. He was a career educator in everything from football, to academics, to life in general. In the course of time I was blessed enough to know Coach Pope, he taught me so much about being a better football player and man. This scholarship is a great memorial to a man who understood the importance of education and learning. It will be an honor for anyone to receive this scholarship. 
 
Nick Reddy ('15)
Football letter winner, Wingate University
Hawg Tuff Camps intern
 
Coach Pope and I first met on my arrival to Wingate University (as a transfer student-athlete). As I walked upstairs to go see Coach Reich in the Plyler-Griffin Field House, I open the door and see him and hear 'come on in Bo, who ya looking for?'

Coach Pope was all about helping others…a true man of character and resilience, a fighter to the end. I had the honor of growing a bond with Coach Pope over my time at Wingate and more so in the time I worked the Hawg Tuff football camps as my internship over the summer of 2014. It was so bitter sweet that I got this opportunity prior to seeing him go.
 
Although I take it as a blessing, I got to see and find out who Mike Pope really was. As the summer went on and the football camps went on, I watched him change the day for kids and possibly their lives. I remember one specific camp, we had a young man who wasn't performing that well and appeared to be very upset.
 
Coach Pope realized this and got him to the side and talked to him. It was unreal to see the change in attitude this kid had. I asked him what he said to the kid and he simply said 'I told him to have fun.' I'm sure he said more, but this was the kind of man Coach was…he loved the game and wanted his passion to rub off on others. He always made it clear that he wanted his campers to have fun with what they were doing because that's what it was all about.
 
I will never forget my times with Coach Pope over the course of this particular summer. He expanded my knowledge of the game from a coaching stand point by so much. I honestly believe he knew everything there was to know about football. I will forever remember Coach Pope for being such a positive influence in so many people's lives. No matter how bad he had it, he would never complain and would always strive to help others. He gave all the glory to the Lord and lived a prosperous life. Coach Mike Pope was a man anyone would be proud to say they knew.
 
Jerome Singleton
Commissioner
South Carolina High School League
 
Coach Mike Pope was the offensive line guru in the state of South Carolina. As I started my time with the S.C. High School League, I had many direct dealings with Coach Pope. He was a great resource. Coach Pope was a master at teaching the fundamentals…he had very creative teaching methods.
 
Coach Pope created many great opportunities to help offensive linemen…achieve their dreams. He was a pioneer with his teaching methods. The campers were not allowed to have contact, but he could make them better players by teaching them the fundamentals. I was very impressed with his skills, bringing football camp to thousands of kids. Coach Pope had his creative hand on the pulse of what worked…for teaching kids about football.
 
Mike Snyder (MASM, '14)
Assistant football coach, Wingate University
Hawg Tuff Camps guest coach
 
I arrived at Wingate in the fall of 2012. I worked Hawg Tuff All-Position Camps as a guest coach during the springs and summers of 2013 and 2014. Coach Pope loved coaching. He had a passion for coaching football. He treated every student-athlete the same…from the best offensive lineman to the weakest link…he coached them the same.
 
At Hawg Tuff Camps, we would always have 'Coach Pope Time' at lunch. During these talks, he made sure the campers understood the big picture. If you aspire to play in college, you must have goals. Football is a very integral part of the academic experience. He stressed to the campers they must rely on their teammates both on the field and in the classroom.
 
At Wingate, he would go to great lengths to make sure his offensive linemen were doing what they needed to do in the classroom. He would speak to our student-athletes as a father figure…and the student-athletes respected him so much. 
 
From a teaching standpoint, Coach Pope had a unique way approaching players. He was very helpful to me as I was preparing to speak at the NIKE Coach of the Year camp in February 2014…in the snow!
 
Coach Pope gave me so many great opportunities. He introduced me to people…at the big clinics and the little clinics…helping me get my name out there. Coaching is about building relationships…and he was one of the best at building relationships. I am very grateful for everything he did to help me.
 
Bucky Tillotson
Assistant football coach
Dutch Fork High School (Irmo, S.C.)
Hawg Tuff Camps guest coach
 
Mike Pope was a caring individual with a true heart for kids, especially for offensive linemen. Mike and I go back a while to around 1994. I met Mike in Blackville, S.C. at his Hawg Tuff O-Line camp. I thought the camp was great and started taking my linemen the next year.
 
Mike and I became great friends after this. I worked many, many camps with Mike. Coach Pope was a big on technique and could get this across to kids. He was always organized. Mike didn't just teach football at camp, he also taught life lessons. He always congratulated the campers for being there, because they could have chosen to be somewhere else. He would tell them that this showed their commitment to becoming better offensive linemen and in the process helping their team to be better. He would also tell the kids they were skilled athletes, because they were willing to develop skills that most weren't willing to do.
 
Mike always talked to the kids about having good manners and being the best students in class. He would tell them to sit at the front of class and always be prepared. Mike would remind the kids to thank the people that prepared lunch for camp and tell them they enjoyed it.
 
Mike was always full of life and had one of the biggest laughs you ever heard. He was always upbeat and positive. Even when Mike was going through health problems, he never complained and felt sorry for himself. Mike was an inspiration to everybody with whom he came in contact. I knew I could never complain about anything when I was around Mike. In my opinion, the world needs more people like Mike, because he made it better. Mike will be truly missed…I know that I will miss him. He was one of the 'good guys.'
 
MIKE POPE "HAWG TUFF" ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP
 
Tax-deductible donations to the Mike Pope "Hawg Tuff" Athletic Scholarship can be made via U.S. Mail or through the Wingate University Alumni web site.
 
1) Checks made payable to Wingate University (please write Mike Pope "Hawg Tuff" Athletic Scholarship in memo line) can be mailed to:  
 
Bill Nash
Wingate University Athletic Foundation
PO Box 159
Wingate, NC 28174-0159
 
2) To make a donation on-line, please visit the Wingate University Alumni web site at this link. Click contribute on page one and check the Athletics radio button on page two. Please write Mike Pope "Hawg Tuff" Athletic Scholarship in the comments line when given the opportunity.
 
For more information about the Mike Pope "Hawg Tuff" Athletic Scholarship, contact Bill Nash at 704-233-8121 or via E-mail at bilnash@wingate.edu.
 
MIKE POPE

Mike Pope ('72) spent five-plus seasons on the Wingate University football staff as assistant offensive line coach and director of high school relations. He assisted Coach Long and Coach Reich with Wingate's highly-successful summer camps as well. On Tuesday, Sept. 23, Pope passed away. Appropriately, Pope and his family brought his grandson to his first Wingate football game Saturday, Sept. 20.

In May of 2010, author Wilt Browning released Pope's biography, entitled Do They Play Football in Heaven? Before coming to Wingate, Pope coached football at nine different high schools. He was an assistant in the North-South All-Star Football Game in 1991 and the Shrine Bowl in 1996. 

Pope was named Region Coach of the Year in football and track on numerous occasions during his high school coaching career. In 1988, he garnered the South Carolina Football Coach of the Year Award. He was director of the Hawg Tuff Camps and Challenges for 25 years. Pope has had over 37,000 young men and women attend these camps and challenges. Coach Pope's website www.hawgtuff.net is considered one of the top football websites in the world.

In February of 2008, Coach Pope received an award from the South Carolina Coaches Association for Distinguished Service to South Carolina high school football. This honor has been given to only eight other S.C. coaches in the last 30-plus years. Pope coached football, basketball, track, soccer and wrestling and was an athletic director at nine different South Carolina high schools. He was also a leader in the South Carolina High School League and the South Carolina High School Football Coaches Association for most of his career.

Pope graduated from Wingate University in 1972 with an A.A. degree in Secondary Education. While at Wingate, he was a member of the soccer and the wrestling reams. Pope graduated from Gardner-Webb University in 1974 with a B.S. degree in Physical Education. While at GWU, he played offensive guard. After graduating from Gardner-Webb in 1974, Pope played semi-pro football with the Stanley Patriots for two years while coaching at Piedmont High. He played offensive guard and tackle for the Patriots; the team was 24-3 during this time.

The Monroe, N.C. native graduated from nearby Piedmont High School. While at Piedmont, Pope was All-Union County and All-Rocky River Conference honorable mention in football while also playing basketball and track. After 35 years in the classroom, he retired from teaching. Pope was a long-time member of Lakeview Baptist Church. Pope and his wife Ginger have three daughters: Taylor, Elizabeth and Sarah.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, ranked as the 10th "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,000 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past eight years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 72 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 72 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 81 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.