Beau Signs with the Bears

Senior Beau Barger will become the seventh in the Barger family to attend Lenoir-Rhyne University, in Hickory, NC, and the third to play football for the school. Beau, who loves sports and kids, will major in either Secondary Education or Sports Management, and plans to pursue a career in teaching and coaching at the high school level. His parents, Kevin and Gayle, are proud of how hard their son worked to receive this opportunity, and are thankful for God’s blessings. “We are so proud of Beau’s attitude, his work ethic, and his accomplishments,” they said.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Backstory…

The Bears, who finished second in the nation after their Division 2 National Championship game, recently lost their football coach to the Citadel. Four weeks ago, Coach Ian Shields took the helm. Beau sent in his football highlights, and two days later, was contacted by Lenoir-Rhyne. He was invited to visit the university during the weekend of January 31, but Beau was already committed to the senior play at Wake Christian Academy.

Beau’s mom, Gayle, says, “The significance of this is that this was the weekend prior to National Signing Day, the day when athletes, especially football players, are recognized. My husband was concerned that putting off our visit until the following weekend may cost Beau scholarship money. However, we have always taught our kids that once you are committed to something, you don’t just bale out when you feel like it, so we waited.”

Out of all the visits the family had done, the Lenoir-Rhyne tour stood out. “It was obvious from the start that they were really interested in Beau as both a student and an athlete,” said Gayle. “God’s timing is perfect and He works everything out according to His plan. It was never more clear where Beau should attend college than it was that weekend. We were very pleased and excited at the end of our visit when Beau was offered a football scholarship to play for the Bears!”

Family at Lenoir-Rhyne…

There have been six Bargers who attended Lenoir-Rhyne: two great uncles, two great aunts, and two second cousins). Two of Beau’s great uncles, Frank and Burton Barger, played football for the university and are in the LR Hall of Fame. Frank Barger is also in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He coached football, track, girls’ basketball, baseball, and golf at Hickory High School for 30 years. Frank is considered a high school coaching legend at Hickory High School. His record for football was 237-108-5, from 1953 to 1984. His football teams won three western state titles and 10 district titles. Hickory High School also named their football stadium after Frank.

Congratulations, Beau! Your WCA family is incredibly proud of you! We can’t wait to see how the Lord directs your steps in the future!