Wingate, N.C.----Each year since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, the Wingate University athletic department holds its annual Patriots' Day celebration in conjunction with the home football game closest to Sept. 11. This year's 14th annual event is Saturday, Sept. 20, as the Bulldog football team will host Lenoir-Rhyne University at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field. Game time is 1:30 p.m.
 
The game has special meaning for this year's football team, as 21 student-athletes and one assistant coach have family members who have served or are currently serving in the military. "It is very important for us to honor our veterans and our community heroes," Wingate head football coach Joe Reich says. "Freedom isn't free…and it is gratifying to know so many of our current players have family....who are serving our country."
 
The Wingate University Patriots' Day also honors law enforcement, fire and emergency professionals. "We have many former players who have served in the military," Reich says. "We also have numerous alumni who are police officers, firefighters and first responders. I am glad we are taking the time to recognize these individuals."
 
Wingate wide receivers coach Ross Jenkins' brother (Robert Max) is a graduate of West Point. The Army Ranger is a first lieutenant. Twenty-one Bulldog football student-athletes have 26 relatives who have military connections. The Army leads the way with 12 Wingate football connections, followed by the Air Force (nine), the Navy (three) and the Marines (two).
 
Bulldog redshirt senior wide receiver Patrick Derenda's (Manassas, Va.) father (Joe) served 24 years in the Navy, retiring as a Master Chief. "I feel like my sister and I had a better understanding of responsibility and organization at a much younger age than most kids growing up," Derenda says. "We also understood that when my dad was deployed, we had to help my mom out doing basic chores. I had to grow up and become a man at a young age."
 
Derenda realizes his family made sacrifices as a result of his dad's service. "There were days where most kids had the opportunity to get their dad's advice or just talk to them, but I didn't because he wasn't there," Derenda says. "I understood that my dad had a responsibility and was making sure we were all safe."
 
"September 11th and the more recent Naval Yard shooting were both big scares for my family," Derenda says. "On September 11, my dad had a scheduled morning meeting in the Pentagon. Also, he works in the Naval Yard throughout most of his days at work."
 
"It's truly an honor to know my dad has played a part in protecting our freedom," Derenda says. "(Thanks to his service), people can live their lives not in fear, but with pride that they live in such a great country."
 
Wingate's military connections are listed below, in the order they appear in the photograph.
 
Front row (L-R):
 
Cody Cothren
Sister-Rachel Cothren (Air Force)
 
Devon Billingsley
Brother-in-law-Lewis Blackstock (Air Force reserves)
 
Bryan Mitchell
Father-Ricky Mitchell (Air Force, retired)
Mother-Christine Mitchell (Air Force)
 
Daivon Harris
Father-Darryl Harris (Master Sgt., Air Force, retired)
 
Adam Riley II
Mother-Faye Riley (Army, retired)                
Cousin-Terrence Wilson (Air Force, active duty)
 
Bryndon Jiles
Brother-Brandon Moultrie (Private First Class, Army)
 
Second row (L-R):
 
J.D. Kenion
Father-Patrick Kenion (Petty Officer, Navy, retired; 20 years, five months, eight days)
 
Joe Wallace
Father-Joseph Wallace, Sr. (Army, retired)   
 
LeJacque Martin
Brother-Thomas Pattman (Sgt., Army)
 
Seth Peele
Father-Martin Peele (LTC, Army/NG, retired)
 
Hunter Haffly
Father-Robert Haffly (Air Force)
Brother-Cody Haffly (Air Force, special forces)
 
Third row (L-R):
 
Joe Kelly
Father-Albert Joseph Kelly (E8 Master Sergeant, Army, 22 years)
 
Nick Anta
Father-Israel Anta (Sgt. Major, Army, retired)
Brother-Zach Anta (PFC, Army)
 
Jiwan Funderburk
Step-father-Chris Letsinger (Army, retired)
Uncle-Harold Burnell (Army, retired)

Fourth row (L-R):
 
Nick Aube
Father-Jim Aube (US Marine Corps, retired)
 
Patrick Derenda
Father-Joe Derenda (Navy Master Chief, retired; 24 years)
 
Assistant coach Ross Jenkins
Brother-Robert Max Jenkins (First Lt., Army Ranger, West Point grad.)
 
Cody Hatley
Father-Michael Hatley (First Sgt., Army, retired; 23 years)
 
Fifth row (L-R):
 
Sterling Brooks
Father-Lonnie Brooks (Air Force, 21 years)
 
Ian Bergmann
Father-Craig Bergmann (Sgt., US Marine Corps, retired)
 
Sixth row (L-R):
 
Jake Jensen
Father-Gerald L. Jensen (Lt. Col., Army, retired)
 
Auntrell Mack
Mother-Cynthia Mack (Navy)
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, ranked as the 8th "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 67 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 67 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 76 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.