Former NFL quarterback and former three-term U.S. Representative Heath Shuler will speak at Catawba College at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 2, 2014 in Tom Smith Auditorium on campus.
Shuler accepted an invitation from Catawba's new Chiefs Club President Joe Crapster '87 to speak to the membership of the college's athletic booster club at its June meeting. Members of the general public are also invited to attend and hear Shuler's remarks.
Shuler was a quarterback at the University of Tennessee and a 1993 runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, one of the most prestigious honors in collegiate sports. He was the third round draft pick of the Washington Redskins in 1994 and launched his NFL career. During that career, he not only played quarterback for Washington, but also for the Oakland Raiders and the New Orleans Saints.
A Blue Dog Democrat, Shuler was elected to represent North Carolina's 11th District as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007 and served three consecutive terms until his final term expired Jan. 3, 2013. Before being elected to Congress, Shuler founded a real estate company in Eastern Tennessee that grew into the one of the largest in the region. Since Jan. 4, 2013, Shuler, a native of Bryson City, N.C., has been employed by Duke Energy as senior vice president of federal affairs, working out of both Charlotte and Washington, D.C., offices.
Catawba's Chiefs Club had over 500 members last year and the group is hoping to grow its membership to a record 600 members in 2014-15, with the membership drive beginning June 1. The purpose of the Club is to provide financial support for athletic grants-in-aid for student athletes at Catawba College, to promote the welfare of Catawba College through her athletic programs, and to foster the ideals of good sportsmanship and good scholarship.
In addition to Chiefs Club President Joe Crapster, the Club's Board of Directors includes members in the following classes: Class of 2015 - Don Clement, IV, Bucky Cline, Chip Comadoll, Jackie Harris, Harrison Latimer, John Lewis '59, John Munday '78, Bob Setzer '73, and Stuart Smith '77. Class of 2016 - Trent Bradshaw, Rori Godsey '07, Bill Hall '66, Gordon Kirkland '70, Darrel Parks '69, Cheryl Peevy, and Dick Smith '56. Class of 2017 - Gary Blabon '91, Floyd Burton, Roy Campbell, Jim Duncan, Charlie Graeber '90, John Graham '62, John Hartpence '64, David Patterson '72, Holly Stump '98, and David VanAken '89.
For more details on the Chiefs Club, contact the Catawba College Development Office at (704) 637-4394.
