Burger Time golf tournament ending after 23 years of helping to fund local sports
After 23 years of fundraising for high school football and other high school sports and extra-curricular activities, organizers have announced the Burger Time High School Golf Tournament will not continue in 2017.
“When we lost my sister, Kathy Gonzales, last year we lost the tournament’s heart and soul as well as its central organizing figure,” said Burger Time Foundation President Kevin McGrath. “On top of that, the tournament’s volunteer base has diminished greatly in recent years. So in the spring when we looked at all the moving parts and what it would take to organize a 2017 tournament it became clear that now’s the time to wrap things up.”
The tournament began in 1994 as a football fundraiser specifically for Las Cruces’ three existing high schools at the time: Las Cruces High School, Mayfield High School and Onate High School. Centennial High School, which opened in 2012, was not part of the original three school arrangement but has been able to participate in fundraising by way of raffle ticket sales and other “all activities” fundraising opportunities provided to booster clubs by the tournament.
Over the last 23 years, according the New Mexico Activities Association website, a high school football team from Las Cruces has played in 21 state championship games and won 14 state championship titles.
“The generosity of the Las Cruces business community needs to be respected and recognized for the success of high school football in Las Cruces as well as the success of Burger Time Golf Tournament,” said McGrath. “As the next generation of high school football fundraising takes over this year, we wish the Las Cruces, Mayfield, Onate and Centennial booster clubs success with their own golf tournament. We’re proud to have laid a solid groundwork for them and their future success.”
Since its creation, the Burger Time Tournament has generated $2.5 million in total cash and gifts-in-kind and returned more than $800,000 to football booster clubs and other participating sports, activities and extra-curricular programs.
