Norvell and Meyer Repeat as Champions of
Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge
Twenty-four current and former coaches raise $310,000 for charity
Greensboro, Ga. (April 29, 2025) – Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and teammate Urban Meyer led wire-to-wire, finishing with 45 points to repeat as champions of the 2025 Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament. This marks Florida State’s third Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge title after previously winning the event in 2024 and 2010.
Norvell and Meyer started the tournament hot, carding two eagles and a birdie in their first five holes, and added another eagle and three more birdies to complete their start-to-finish victory. Urban Meyer sank a 15-foot putt on the final hole to seal the win, holding off the team of Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi and Rick Neuheisel by one point. Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and partner Steve Spurrier finished third with 43 points.
“Early in the round, we put the ball where it needed to be and were able to be aggressive going into the greens. We had some good opportunities and were able to capitalize on them,” said Norvell. “Urban was clutch in some big moments and we really played well together. When we had to have each other’s backs, we did. It was great partner golf.”
“This year Mike drove the train. He was phenomenal off the tee and long. His tee shots were unbelievable all day,” said Meyer. “On the final putt, Mike gave me a great read. It was one of those things where you think it’s going to go in and then it goes in. I knew it was going in.”
The nation’s premier collegiate coach golf event featured a field of 24 current and former college football coaches, playing in 12 two-man teams, competing for a share of a $310,000 charity purse. The tournament was held today at Reynolds Lake Oconee outside Atlanta and was played in a Two-Man Scramble format with Stableford scoring. Pairings were determined by balancing handicaps between teams.
“We had another down-to-the wire finish out here at Lake Oconee today as Mike and Urban were able to defend their title and claim back-to-back Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge tournaments,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan. “The real winners today are the charities though as we raised $310,000 this year to bring our all-time total to $10 million in our 18-year history.”
With this year’s $310,000 charity purse, the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge has now raised a total of $10 million in scholarship and charity since 2007, helping make Peach Bowl, Inc. college football’s most charitable bowl organization. Proceeds from the event benefit charitable foundations selected by the coaches.
The Keep Climbing Family Foundation and the Urban and Shelley Meyer Family Foundation will each receive $32,500 with the first-place finish by Norvell and Meyer. Norvell has now won a total of $75,000 in the event’s history, while Meyer has taken home $225,000 all-time for his charities.
Final results with Stableford scoring for all teams in the 2025 Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge:
| COACH | CURRENT OR FORMERFBS SCHOOL(S) | CHARITY | TOTAL WINNINGS | ||||
| First Place Team | |||||||
| Mike Norvell | Florida State | Keep Climbing Family Foundation | $32,500 | ||||
| Urban Meyer | Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State | Urban and Shelley Meyer Family Foundation | $32,500 | ||||
| Combined final score: 45 points | |||||||
| Second Place Team | |||||||
| Pat Narduzzi | Pitt | UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation | $22,500 | ||||
| Rick Neuheisel | Colorado, Washington, UCLA | Lord Wedgwood Charity | $22,500 | ||||
| Combined final score: 44 points | |||||||
| Third Place Team | |||||||
| Hugh Freeze | Auburn | Global Orphan Project | $17,500 | ||||
| Steve Spurrier | Duke, Florida, South Carolina | HBC Foundation | $17,500 | ||||
| Combined final score: 43 points | |||||||
| Fourth Place Team | |||||||
| Dan Mullen | UNLV | Mullen Family 36 Foundation | $15,000 | ||||
| Scott Satterfield | Cincinnati | Back2Back Cincinnati | $15,000 | ||||
| Combined final score: 42 points | |||||||
| Fifth Place Team | |||||||
| P.J. Fleck | Minnesota | Row the Boat – Fleck Family Fund | $12,500 | ||||
| Tom O’Brien | Boston College, NC State | National Medal of Honor Leadership & Education Center | $12,500 | ||||
| Combined final score: 41 points | |||||||
| Sixth Place Team | |||||||
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | Kirby Smart Family Foundation | $12,500 | ||||
| Gus Malzahn | Florida State (OC), Ark. State, Auburn, UCF | Fort Smith Boys & Girls Clubs | $12,500 | ||||
| Combined final score: 40 points | |||||||
| Seventh Place Team – Tie | |||||||
| Shane Beamer | South Carolina | Beamer Family Foundation | $7,500 | ||||
| Houston Nutt | Boise State, Arkansas, Ole Miss | Chickasaw Foundation | $7,500 | ||||
| Combined final score: 39 points | |||||||
| Seventh Place Team – Tie | |||||||
| Kyle Whittingham | Utah | Guadalupe Center | $7,500 | ||||
| Jim Grobe | Ohio, Wake Forest, Baylor | Fisher DeBerry Foundation | $7,500 | ||||
| Combined final score: 39 points | |||||||
| Seventh Place Team – Tie | |||||||
| Manny Diaz | Duke | Durham Public Schools Foundation | $7,500 | ||||
| Paul Johnson | Navy, Georgia Tech | Paul and Susan Johnson Family Foundation | $7,500 | ||||
| Combined final score: 39 points | |||||||
| 10th Place Team | |||||||
| Dan Lanning | Oregon | OHSU Foundation – Knight Cancer Institute | $5,000 | ||||
| Randy Edsall | Maryland, UConn | Edsall Family Foundation | $5,000 | ||||
| Combined final score: 38 points | |||||||
| 11th Place Team | |||||||
| Brent Key | Georgia Tech | Key Family Foundation | $5,000 | ||||
| Chan Gailey | Georgia Tech | Fellowship of Christian Athletes – Georgia Region | $5,000 | ||||
| Combined final score: 37 points | |||||||
| 12th Place Team | |||||||
| Jeff Monken | Army | Mission 22 | $5,000 | ||||
| Derek Dooley | Louisiana Tech, Tennessee | Champions Place | $5,000 | ||||
| Combined final score: 32 points | |||||||
An additional $10,000 was raised for various charities through several competitions held during the tournament to bring the purse total to $310,000.
@CFAPeachBowl
About Peach Bowl, Inc.:
Peach Bowl, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization that operates the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Aflac Kickoff Game, the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament, and manages and operates The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank national coach of the year award. It is the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country and is recognized as college football’s most charitable bowl organization, having donated more than $65.9 million to organizations in need since 2002.
Peach Bowl, Inc Events:
Our Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is one of the New Year’s Six bowls selected to host the College Football Playoff including the CFP Semifinal in 2026. Over its 57 years, the game has drawn 3.38 million fans in attendance, a total television audience of 257.1 million viewers on ESPN, and has created $934.2 million in direct economic impact and $55.18 million in tax revenue for Atlanta and Georgia.
Our Aflac Kickoff Game is the nation’s longest-running kickoff game and has reshaped the opening weekend in college football. With 21 games since 2008, the game has regularly hosted the nation’s top teams and has drawn nearly 1.4 million fans, 108.6 million television viewers, distributed $127.7 million in team payouts and created an additional $593.8 million in economic impact and $41.5 million in tax revenue for Atlanta and Georgia.
The Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge is the nation’s premier charity golf tournament featuring top current and former college football coaches. Hosted at the beautiful Reynolds Lake Oconee resort outside Atlanta each spring, the event has generated $9.7 million for the various foundations and charities supported by its coaches.
The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank is college football’s most coveted national coaching award. Named for legendary Georgia Tech coach Bobby Dodd, The Dodd Trophy annually honors the FBS football coach whose program represents three pillars of success: scholarship, leadership and integrity.
About Southern Company:
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million residential and commercial customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. Providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy with excellent service is our mission. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy distribution company with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, resilience and sustainability, we are taking action to meet customers’ and communities’ needs while advancing our goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success. We are transforming energy into economic, environmental and social progress for tomorrow. Our corporate culture and hiring practices have earned the company national awards and recognition from numerous organizations, including Forbes, The Military Times, DiversityInc, Black Enterprise, J.D. Power, Fortune, Human Rights Campaign and more. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.
