Proceeds from the sales of these raffle tickets benefited Bixby White Football. TOM GILBERT / Tulsa World
A Bixby Youth Football program held a fundraiser that raffled tickets to win a Glock handgun with the proceeds going toward equipment and snacks for the elementary school-age football players.
Officials with the youth league said the raffle was for a gift certificate at a gun shop, and the winner had to go through the appropriate background checks to redeem the gift certificate and receive the weapon.
Dan Rice, the fourth-grade coach who held the raffle for his team, said the raffle was all in the name of making expensive football equipment easier on the parents' bank accounts.
The raffle sold 926 tickets and raised $3,875 for the program, he said.
The gun raffle was more successful than last year's fundraiser which gave the winner a new golf driver, Rice said.
"I've never heard complaints from parents, students - anything. ... I've had people upset with me because I didn't sell them a ticket," he said. "If I could go back and redo it, I probably would have had our team moms make sure that we had a better disclaimer on it."
Rice said the gun raffle was simply to raise more for his team, which is a big part of his life.
"I'm not doing it for anybody but these 20 young men that I coach, and I'm probably one of the only youth football coaches in this entire city that actually has an academic program for his kids, too," he said.
Rice's academic program requires the students to get a form signed by their parents and teacher each week. A report saying they're doing poorly in school cuts into their playing time, he said.
Rice said he got the idea for the gun raffle from other Bixby youth sports programs that in the past have raffled guns to raise money.
The drawing was held Aug. 19, and Rice said the winner went to a local gun shop, underwent a background check and later received the weapon.
The Bixby Youth Football program is not directly associated with Bixby Public Schools other than a working relationship. However, Bixby Public Schools Athletic Director Stephanie Blackwell said the district does not condone the association of student sports programs with guns.
"As a school district, we are trying to keep guns outside the school district," she said. "I'm shocked, but I didn't know anything about it."
Bixby Youth Football President Jason Clark said that once he was notified of the raffle, he contacted several law enforcement agencies to ensure that it was legal.
Clark received several notifications from parents about the raffle but only one complaint, he said.
He said the raffle was allowed to finish, but he does not approve of the concept.
"We can't attach that to youth football," he said. "This will not happen again."
Jarrel Wade 918-581-8367
jarrel.wade@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Team raffles pistol to pay expenses
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