FHU Sports Advisory Council Set to Host "Duck Dynasty" Star

The Freed-Hardeman University athletic department has a history of bringing in former college and professional athletes and coaches as the keynote speakers of the annual Sports Advisory Council Benefit Dinner.

That won't change for the 2013 dinner, but the reason the speaker has achieved national fame will be a little different.

Freed-Hardeman will welcome Phil Robertson, star of the highly popular television show "Duck Dynasty" on A&E, as the featured speaker of the dinner Saturday, May 4, 2013.
“We are excited to have Phil Robertson as our speaker for the 2013 SAC Benefit," said FHU Athletic Director Mike McCutchen. "While he has been well-known among duck hunters for a long time, A&E’s ‘Duck Dynasty’ has given us all a glimpse into what Phil, and his family, are all about. Millions of viewers are able to see faith and family values, in action. We are all in for a great evening when Phil Robertson comes to Freed-Hardeman University.”

The event begins at 4:30 p.m.in the Brewer Sports Center with a silent auction of sports memorabilia. Photo opportunities with Robertson begin at 5 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6 p.m. A live auction will take place at 7 p.m. followed by the keynote speech by Robertson at 7:30 p.m.

Robertson, who was born and reared in Vivian, La., was a standout high school athlete in football, baseball and track. He attended Louisiana Tech on a football scholarship and played first-string quarterback ahead of NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw. Robertson took a different career path than did Bradshaw, teaching for several years before turning his passion for hunting and fishing into a livelihood for a family that by then included his wife, Kay and their four sons Allan, Jase, Willie and Jeptha.

Never satisfied with the duck calls that were on the market, Robertson began to experiment with making a call that would produce the exact sound of a duck. And so, in 1972, the first Duck Commander call was born. Phil received a patent for this call and the Duck Commander Company was incorporated in 1973.

In the mid-70's, Robertson made another important call when he turned his life over to God and made dramatic changes in the way he was living. He is now not only known as the Duck Commander but is also building a reputation all over the country for his faith and belief in the Almighty.

Duck Commander is still a family business with all four sons and their wives working for the company at one time or another. Not long after the success of the calls, Phil began a series of videos that developed a worldwide fan base of fellow duck hunters.

Tickets and sponsorships are available through the Freed-Hardeman Athletics Office. General admission tickets begin at $15 for students and $25 for adults, and sponsorship packages begin at $300. For more information, contact Tresa Carter or Mike McCutchen at 731-989-6900.