TAMPA, Fla – (April 5, 2016) – Coach Bill Minahan was a living legend who began his football career at the University of Tampa and went on to become one of Tampa’s most memorable high school football coaches, with a twenty-eight-year career at Jesuit High School, leading the Tigers to championship titles as head football coach.
Coach Minahan was also the recipient of a lifesaving kidney transplant that lasted him 26 years, until his passing in 2013. This miracle influenced his life and the lives of many in the Tampa Bay Area during Bill’s lifetime and that legacy continues on today. The “Wild Bill” Memorial Luncheon is an open house style event to commemorate the life of Coach “Wild Bill” Minahan and his years of service promoting the DONATE LIFE message as a kidney transplant recipient and his contributions to the Tampa Bay community.
LifeLink Legacy Fund® will host its eighth annual “Wild Bill” Memorial Luncheon on Friday, April 8, 2016, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at The Columbia Restaurant in historic Ybor City.
Fabulous raffle prizes and great food from The Columbia Restaurant are the highlights of this event, and guests will be invited to make voluntary financial donations in support of pre- and post- transplant patients in need of financial assistance. In addition to Martha, Bill’s beloved wife of 28 years, a number of Tampa’s business community members, family and friends of the Minahan family and several others are expected to attend. There will also be several special guest speakers, including Plant High School Football Coach, Robert Weiner; Wharton High School Basketball Coach, Tommy Tonelli; Chairman of the LifeLink Legacy Fund Board and Executive Vice President for Tampa-based McNichols Company, Larry Jones, along with his wife and liver transplant recipient, Pam; and naturally, a touching tribute to Bill from Martha Minahan herself.
Both during Bill’s time as a kidney recipient and since his passing more than two years ago, Martha has remained active in advocating the lifesaving DONATE LIFE message of organ and tissue donation through her work on the LifeLink Legacy Fund’s Board of Directors. Additionally, she helps to keep Bill’s legacy alive through the annual “Bill Minahan Award”, implemented in 2015, which honors stand-out high school students for their efforts to inspire, lead and set positive examples to their fellow classmates for the long-term betterment of our community.
LifeLink Legacy Fund is a 501(c) 3 established in 1990 to support LifeLink Foundation’s efforts in organ and tissue donation and transplantation. Over the last twenty-six years, the Legacy Fund has emerged into a boundless support system for pre- and post- transplant patients in need of financial assistance. The Legacy Fund also provides funding for critical research and programs to improve organ and tissue donation and transplantation outcomes. To learn more about LifeLink Legacy Fund visit www.LifeLinkFoundation.org or call (800) 262-5775.