College Basketball: Lyon College Receives Donation from Bad Boy

BATESVILLE — Lyon College and Bad Boy Mowers have always shared a special community connection in Batesville, and a new gift-in-kind from Bad Boy is set to reinforce that strong local bond.

Bad Boy Mowers has agreed to sponsor an annual scholarship worth the cost of room, board, tuition and fees to a student athlete who plays for Lyon's basketball program. The local company has in turn furnished the College with five brand new Bad Boy Mowers for the maintenance department, at no cost to Lyon.

Bad Boy Mowers Chief Financial Officer David Brogdon was quick to state why the company decided to make the generous contribution.

"We've always been community-oriented here at Bad Boy," said Brogdon, "and we wanted to begin a scholarship program right here in Batesville. And where better to begin than at Lyon?"

"We believe in Lyon out here at Bad Boy," he continued. "Lyon College is a great place to get an education and that's why we hire Lyon College graduates. We feel that they are more well rounded than your average college graduate and have a better education than what your average school will give."

Lyon Vice President of Institutional Advancement Tim Bruner said Lyon College feels fortunate to have such a community partner like Bad Boy Mowers.

"Bad Boy Mowers has gone above and beyond in this unique gift-in-kind to Lyon College," said Bruner. "We are so grateful to the Bad Boy management team, and take great delight that so many Lyon College alumni have beenpart of the growth and success of this local entrepreneurial success story. We are proud to partner with Bad Boy in this new arrangement, and we are excited at the prospect of seeing our campus covered in the Bad Boy orange when the mowing season begins."

Lyon Athletic Director Kirk Kelley echoed the sentiment and the gratitude.

"The generosity of Bad Boy Mowers will benefit our program tremendously," said Kelley. "The impact that Bad Boy Mowers has on our community is phenomenal. They lend a hand with so many functions, groups and organizations and we are very lucky to be blessed with their generosity. There is absolutely no way we can thank them enough."

Brogdon '93 and Bad Boy officers Ryland Kieffer '98, Kevin Johnson '85 and Jeff Mynatt '86 are all Lyon graduates. Brogdon, Kieffer and Johnson played basketball at Lyon and Mynatt was a member of the program's student support staff.

"Lyon College means a lot to me personally," said Brogdon. "I'm where I'm at professionally because of the things I was taught at Lyon and the relationships I made there. Coach (Terry) Garner (Brogdon's head coach at Lyon) and Coach Jenkins have always been good to me. And a lot of the players who signed with Lyon have been on AAU teams that I've coached. So I guess you could say that Lyon is like my extended family."

The first family member to receive that scholarship is Jacob Worlow, a freshman from Mountain Home who is currently a forward on the Lyon College Scots basketball team.

Lyon Head Men's Basketball Coach Kevin Jenkins said he feels Lyon is lucky to have a friend in Bad Boy Mowers.

"We're elated to have Bad Boy Mowers heavily involved in our program," said Jenkins, "and we're very grateful for their continued support of our program. We're excited for the opportunities that this scholarship will provide our student athletes, who participate in our basketball program."