TCU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jeremiah Donati has announced the creation of the Dana Bellenger Endowed Athletics Scholarship for Men’s Golf.
Former TCU Men’s Golf standout Adam Rubinson and his wife, Tori, provided the lead gift for the scholarship to be awarded annually, beginning next academic year, to a member of the TCU Men’s Golf program.
The recipient will share the values carried by Bellenger, a longtime volunteer assistant coach for the Horned Frogs who passed away Nov. 11, TCU said in a news release.
“We are incredibly grateful to Adam and Tori Rubinson for their leadership in honoring Dana Bellenger in a most appropriate manner,” Donati said. “Dana was such an important part of our men’s golf program. His impact on our student-athletes went well beyond the course. He taught them life lessons.”
Bellenger was a nationally known golf instructor who served more than 30 years with the TCU Men’s Golf program. He was also a longtime fixture at Leonard Golf Links in Fort Worth.
Adam Rubinson was inducted into TCU’s Block T Association Hall of Fame in 2014.
One of the more decorated golfers in the program’s history, Rubinson was a two-time All-American and the 2003 Conference USA Player of the Year. He was also the first Horned Frog invited to the Walker Cup. As a senior in 2003, he was named TCU’s Co-Male Athlete of the Year.
Rubinson finished second, by just one stroke, at the 2002 NCAA Championships. He set the TCU record for single-round score with a 64 at the 2001 Ridges Intercollegiate. He competed in 51 tournaments as a Horned Frog with a career stroke average of 72.9.
“The reason my family chose to create a scholarship to honor and remember Dana Bellenger was due to the impact he has had on all our lives,” Adam Rubinson said. “The way he impacted me in college on and off the course will carry forward in my life and my family’s.
“Dana taught character and compassion simply by the way he lived his life, and he was willing to go much deeper with students who asked,” Rubinson said.
“Dana’s love for TCU Golf was immeasurable,” TCU Head Men’s Golf Coach Bill Montigel said. “This was a great man, a great friend, a great mentor, a great confidant and a great coach. He was loved by all who knew him and will forever be a part of TCU Golf.”
Contributions to the Dana Bellenger Endowed Athletics Scholarship for Men’s Golf can be made here: https://bit.ly/Bellenger