River Bandits Accepting Applications for Keith Lucier Scholarship
Applications for the 2012 Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship are available at www.riverbandits.com. Applications will be accepted until March 31 at Modern Woodmen Park and are open to all incoming first-year students at the University of Iowa who reside in the Quad Cities area. The scholarship winner will be announced and honored at a River Bandits home game at Modern Woodmen Park.
The scholarship is named in honor of the late Keith Lucier, River Bandits Assistant General Manager in 2008 and former employee of the Quad-City Times, who passed away in 2009. The scholarship is funded by fan donations and fund-raising efforts by the River Bandits along with the team ownership. Fans can donate to the scholarship fund at www.riverbandits.com. One hundred percent of every donation goes to fund the scholarship.
The scholarship selection committee this year added Steve Grubbs, President and CEO of Victory Enterprises Inc., based in Davenport. Grubbs is a former Iowa state representative and former Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. He graduated from the University of Iowa's business and law schools. The scholarship selection committee also includes River Bandits owners Dave Heller and Bob Herrfeldt and General Manager Stefanie Brown, Jennifer Lucier, who is the committee's chair, Tonie Lucier, John and Mary Beth Kelser, Keely Byars of the Quad-City Times, and Shannon Mandsager of Valley Bank.
Keith Lucier, who suddenly passed away at the age of 35 after suffering from a brain aneurysm in April of 2009, was a graduate of Bettendorf High School and the University of Iowa. His first job out of high school was an internship with the River Bandits in 1997, and he eventually earned a promotion to Director of Group Sales. A decade later, he returned to the River Bandits as Assistant General Manager for the 2008 season, helping the club increase per-game attendance by 56 percent as the new River Bandits returned to the Quad Cities.
Lucier was known for being an avid sports fan who fondly recalled his days as an offensive lineman for the Bettendorf Bulldogs when they won the state title in 1991. His two favorite teams were the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Chicago Cubs. In addition to working with the River Bandits, his experience in sports management also included stints with the River City Rascals, an independent Frontier League team in suburban St. Louis, and the Quad City Flames. At the time of his passing, he was working for Lee Enterprises at the Quad-City Times.
Click here for more information on the Keith Lucier Memorial Scholarship.
UP NEXT: Opening Day is April 5 at Modern Woodmen Park. Get your tickets now to watch the River Bandits defend their Midwest League Championship. Choose from a wide range of season ticket and mini-plan packages for the 2012 season. Mini-plans start at just seven games and begin at less than $50. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages. Single-game tickets go on sale Friday, March 9.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: After four years of ballpark improvements, the River Bandits and the City of Davenport last summer unveiled some of the most impressive enhancements to Modern Woodmen Park yet. A brand new, state of the art, high definition 20' x 35' video board went live on June 7, and the newly enclosed glass Sky Deck on the suite level of Modern Woodmen Park was completed last August. Those improvements, in addition to new flood protection, a new front plaza, and a new parking lot directly across the street from the ballpark, are quickly making Modern Woodmen Park one of the premier facilities in all of Minor League Baseball. More improvements are scheduled for this coming season!