FARGO – Kevin Maris was a couple of holes from finishing his morning round when he decided to add some spice to the group. He pulled out a vastly oversized tee that was at least six inches high.
His drive was a little higher than usual but it worked. There’s never any shortage of yuckin’ it up at the 28th annual Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament.
The number of significance this year is 50, as in 50 years since Maris overtook Babe Ruth for the single season record and hit 61 home runs in 1961.
“It’s been a big part of our life,” said Susan Maris, Roger’s daughter.
The Maris kids are hands-on with the event. Kevin, for instance, designed the 50th anniversary logo.
“He always has his mind going,” Susan said. “He enjoys doing the logos and spends many hours trying to make it just perfect.”
The original 61 in ’61 logo was designed by a friend of Roger Maris in Gainesville, Fla. Kevin said he’s tweaked it over the years, mainly to bring it up to modern embroidery standards.
The 50th logo is larger than the others and has the words “golden years” inscribed in it. It’s a reference to gold being the symbol for a 50th anniversary.
“Fifty years is a long time,” Kevin Maris said. “I turned 51 in August and it’s unbelievable that it was 50 years ago.”
The Maris kids said they continue to be impressed with the longevity of the tournament, saying as long as the committee and the community support it, they will continue to come back. They took a tour of the Roger Maris Cancer Center improvements over the weekend.
“They’re growing and doing great things there,” said Roger Maris Jr.
The banquet Sunday night was full with 670 people and the tournament reached its maximum capacity for golfers.
Next year, the old logo may return. Or maybe Kevin Maris will come up with something new.
“I enjoy it, coming up with logos over the years has been a lot of fun,” he said. “I love to toy around with it a little bit. If I had some high-tech software, there’s no telling what I could come up with.”
Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack can be reached at (701) 241-5546. Kolpack’s NDSU media blog can be found
at www.areavoices.com/bisonmedia
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