To tournament volunteer coordinator Adam Miller, young Craig "Monster" Bowers was "one of these all-American kids - a high school athlete whom everyone loved."
A Greenville, Texas native, Bowers grew up to attend East Texas State University and become an educator in the region. He was an assistant principal at Royse City High School at the time of his death.
According to Miller, Bowers' nickname of "Monster" came from a newspaper article written by the Greenville Herald Banner's sportswriter, David Clayborne, when Bowers was in high school. A pivotal jump shot by Bowers during a varsity basketball game was described by Clayborne as "a monster shot." From that point forward, say friends, every basketball or golf (and later, every personal and professional) accomplishment made by Bowers was "monster."
In March of 2012, Bowers suffered a fatal snow skiing accident while on vacation with his family in Crested Butte, Colorado, leaving behind two small children and a wife, Kim, who was pregnant at the time.
In an effort to memorialize Bowers after his death, and to help provide fiscal help for his children's future educational costs, close friends and family members organized a golf tournament to be held in Greenville, TX. The weekend-long event uses the facilities at both the Oak Creek Country Club and the Wright Park Municipal Course in Greenville.
Monsterball, as the tournament is called, is now an annual event in its fourth year. It takes place Friday, June 26 through Sunday, June 28, 2015. Proceeds are split to benefit both the Bowers children and a charitable community recipient each year. Previous charities who have benefited from Monsterball include the local Women in Need, the Raffa Clinic, the YMCA, Hunt County Clothe-a-Child, Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Texas, and others.
