Lettermen of the USA One Yard at a Time Gala

Lettermen of the USA will be hosting the 5th Annual “One Yard at a Time Gala” at The Club on February 23, 2024.  Guests will have the opportunity to meet and celebrate with military heroes, former college & professional football players, and coaches to help raise money for a great cause.  Proceeds from the Gala silent and live auction by Jack Granger, of Granger, Thagard & Associates, Inc. will benefit and serve discharged veterans, wounded veterans, and former college players in need.

Proving that rival teams and rival fan bases can work together to achieve a common goal, Lettermen of the USA (LotUSA) is a national 501 (c)(3) social impact organization that harnesses the incredible power of former college athletes, as well as active and former coaches nationwide to help members of local communities who are in need.

The mission of LotUSA is to impact those we serve by offering the motivation, guidance, and support necessary to pursue success in life, school, and work, One Yard at A Time. For more details visit www.LotUSA.org

This year’s Athletic Honoree at the One Yard at a Time Gala is Major Ogilvie who is the former University of Alabama Football Standout Running Back.  He was an All-SEC First Team performer in 1979 and Second Team All-SEC in 1980. He was an Academic All-American in 1979. He played on two national championship teams in 1978 and 1979. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.  He was selected as the Most Valuable Player in the 1980 Sugar Bowl. He was captain of the 1980 team and holds the distinction of being named to the All-Decade Team for both the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Military Honoree is United States Army SSG Kirk Stafford (Ret) who served 8 years with the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, 75th Ranger Regiment. Mr. Stafford is a Senior Associate on the Harbert Infrastructure team. Before joining HMC in 2019, he served as Lead Financial Analyst at Cigna, where he primarily focused on financial planning and analysis. Prior to Cigna, Mr. Stafford held a position as Director of Sales at Interconn Resources, LLC, marketing natural gas across the Southeastern United States.  Mr. Stafford has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Samford University and an MBA from Auburn University.

The Gala proceeds allow Lettermen of the USA to continue their essential programs:

“Autographs for Heroes”
“Homes for Heroes”
“Interiors for Heroes”
“Laptops for Heroes”
“Taking Care of Our Own”
“Utilities for Heroes”

Darryl Fuhrman, a former Alabama football player, is the Founder and President of the Lettermen of the USA. Proving that rival teams and rival fan bases can work together to achieve a common goal is what Lettermen of the USA (LotUSA) is all about. It all began after the 2011 tornado devastated Tuscaloosa.  Fuhrman helped organize a flag football Iron Bowl game between former Alabama and Auburn players that raised $150,000 for the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund. Fuhrman says “We have taken the many diverse skills of athletes and coaches and built a national platform. No organization is worth its salt that doesn’t help its own.”