It truly was a "Volunteer" experience at the Orangeburg Touchdown Club Thursday when John Currie from the University of Tennessee spoke about the state of college athletics.

Currie, who is the Senior Associate Athletic Director of External Operations, gave back his speaking fee to the Touchdown Club, which got a round of applause from everyone in attendance.

"The only reason I did that was because you get what you pay for," Currie joked.

Currie said there are pros and cons with collegiate athletics and he shared them with the group.

"There are three things that I worry about with our athletes and coaches at Tennessee, and the first one is the media’s scrutiny," Currie said.

He also talked about outside influences on student athletes and the sportsmanship of fans.

"One of our biggest concerns is when our athletes, who have been stars in high school, start hearing it from their so-called friends about how they’re not being used properly by the coaches," Currie said. "That’s when we can start to lose the kids and they make wrong decisions. As far as sportsmanship, I don’t want venues to become so vile that families are afraid to take their children to games."

It’s not all bad according to Currie, who mentioned some pros of collegiate athletics for student athletes.

"Our players, along with others all over the country, have more opportunities to get the right nutrition and sports medicine they need," Currie said. "They can also get the help they need with learning and mentoring programs."

The biggest pro that Currie mentioned was the awareness for higher education that collegiate athletics brings to younger students.

"I got to know South Carolina State University because of football cards," Currie said. "I would turn over my Harry Carson card and see South Carolina State University on the back and that made me aware of higher education. That’s what our collegiate athletes are doing for elementary and junior high students."

South Carolina State head football coach Oliver "Buddy" Pough spoke about his important game Saturday against the University of South Carolina and the big road win over Bethune-Cookman last Saturday.

"This week we are in our best frame of mind," Pough said. "We had a great effort against Bethune-Cookman last week, and that’s carried over into this week."

Pough said he’s excited to see what his players can do against South Carolina.

"We think our defense can play well against their offense, and if we can hang close with them early, we can make it a ballgame," Pough said.

Bamberg-Ehrhardt standout Daquan Bowers was named the Coca-Cola High School Player of the Week after the Red Raiders’ win over Barnwell last week. Bowers rushed for 122 yards on offense and contributed 11 tackles, seven for loss, and three sacks on defense. He also blocked an extra point.

Next week the Orangeburg Touchdown Club will welcome former Byrnes High and current Presbyterian first-year head coach Bobby Bentley.

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