University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Football Receives Beneficial Donation
3/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Southern Miss Football Receives Beneficial Donation
Pictured above from left are Southern Miss Head Coach Jeff Bower, RSC sales representative Ernest Bethea, RSC General Manager Cory Simmons and Southern Miss Director of Athletics Richard Giannini. |
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ?
Over the past few seasons, Southern Miss has perennially provided a strong football program that the people of South Mississippi can call their own.The Southern Miss football team, the defending Conference USA champions and one of 10 schools in the country to boast 10-straight winning seasons, has benefited from a large and varied group of supporters over the past few seasons.
Now, another of those supporters has found a unique way to give back to the program.
Rental Service Corporation, a national company that rents construction and industrial equipment and has offices throughout the South Mississippi area, recently donated a gift that will be especially beneficial to the Golden Eagle football program.
Southern Miss received a 41-foot scissor lift from RSC, and the piece of equipment that will help the program continue its success.
"This is a big benefit," Southern Miss Head Coach Jeff Bower said. "In the past, we have had to rent and pay a monthly rate to use a scissor lift. This helps our program because it allows us to video our practices, at no cost, and that video helps us be better teachers."
Cory Simmons, general manager of the Hattiesburg RSC on Highway 49 South, and sales representative Ernest Bethea ? who double as Southern Miss fans ? wanted to find a way to support the university and the athletic department.
"We wanted to do something for the university because it does so much for the community," Simmons said. "We had rented this piece of equipment to the football program over the years, and we figured it would save the school money."
The 41-foot lift has been painted in the Southern Miss gold and black colors. The lift, if purchased new, would come with a price tag between $40,000-45,000.
For RSC, the donation was just another way to support a football program that continues to be a source of pride for everyone in South Mississippi.
"That?s why we did it," Bethea said. "It was important to us to give back to the university. We only do so much a year as far as giving back, and this is certainly the first time we have done anything like this."
In addition to working with the athletic department, RSC has been a loyal supporter of the university community, renting equipment for a number of areas and departments at Southern Miss.
