Steve Owens / PhotoGreer Principal Marion Waters participated in the celebratory coin flip commemorating former President Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday. Waters’ son-in-law and daughter, David and Melanie Dixon, and grandchildren, David and Emily, attended. Grandson David called tails to win the toss.
The coin bearing Ronald Reagan’s image is part of a year-long tribute to honor the 100th birthday of America’s 40th President. It is sponsored by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
In honor of President Reagan’s 100th birthday, nearly 14,000 high schools and nearly all NFL teams, NCAA D1 football teams, and NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) teams, have been invited to flip the commemorative coin at the start of each game played the weekend of Sept. 23-26.
Since Greer High plays at Eastside next Friday, the coin toss was performed before Friday’s Greer and Greenville game at Dooley Field.
Waters brought his grandchildren onto the field where his grandson, David, made the call – tails. Greer won the coin toss, deferred, and crushed Greenville High, 59-14.
Reagan picked up the name Gipper after his signature performance as George Gipp in the 1940 film "Knute Rockne All American." According to the storyline, Gipp was the star player on Rockne's Notre Dame team in the 1920s. When Gipp falls ill and is dying, he asks Rockne to promise that when things go badly for the team to inspire the players by saying, "win one for The Gipper." Reagan later used the movie line when running for president.
Reagan was born on Feb. 6, 1911, and died on June 5, 2004 at age 93.