Neither the FedEx St. Jude Championship nor the St. Jude Memphis Marathon would be the flagship events and civic jewels they have become in the Bluff City without Don “Dwight” Drinkard.

So say some of those who knew him best.

Drinkard, who became the first full-time director of Memphis’ annual PGA Tour event in 1986, instrumental in transforming the marathon into the largest single-day fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and helped revive the Overton Park Junior Open, died Monday of kidney failure. He was 76.

Jack Sammons became general chairman of the FedEx St. Jude Championship in 2010, long after Drinkard stepped down as director in 1999 to become director of sports marketing for ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. Sammons, who admits he had never even played golf before becoming general chairman, credits Drinkard for helping him understand the landscape better than anyone else could and for showing him what is possible.

“Anything Dwight touched was successful,” said Sammons, who has seen the tournament’s total purse go from $4 million to $20 million under his watch. “His impact on whatever he was involved with is immeasurable. This gentleman was a true asset in our city. Part of the recipe that makes Memphis a great place to live.

“He touched a lot of souls while he was here. We think about it like, ‘Hey, did you leave the world a little better than you found it?’ If asked that question by St. Peter, I think Dwight can nod his head.”

Drinkard was born in Kansas City in 1948. His family moved to Memphis in 1953, and Drinkard attended Memphis University School before earning his bachelor’s from Vanderbilt and his master’s from Georgia State.

Upon being named tournament director for the golf tournament that had only recently undergone a significant name change (from St. Jude Memphis Classic to Federal Express St. Jude Classic), Drinkard’s managerial and organizational skills were instrumental in raising the bar year after year.

Mitzi Bledsoe, who worked for the tournament from 1990-2019, was hired as Drinkard’s receptionist.

“He set the stage for excellence,” said Bledsoe. “We called him ‘Binder Boy.’ He was not a computer guy. He wouldn’t touch a computer. But he had a binder for every single task and he made sure everything was done and done properly.

“He wanted to make sure we stood out. That we could all be proud of what we put on those weeks. And we were. He was very passionate about that and about keeping the tournament in Memphis and raising funds for St. Jude.”

When Drinkard was hired by ALSAC in 2000, participation in the Memphis Express Marathon (which began in 1977) was waning. Only 800 runners took part Drinkard’s first year at ALSAC. St. Jude became the race’s title sponsor in 2002. When he retired in 2016, more than 16,000 participated. Last year, more than 20,000 came to Memphis for the race.

In 2022, Drinkard was called upon again. He was named co-chairman of the Overton Park Junior Open executive committee following a $2 million renovation of the course. The tournament – which began in 1947 and is one of the country’s longest-running youth golf tournaments – was near and dear to his heart, having played in it himself as a youngster.

Drinkard enlisted the help of Vince Alfonso (director of golf for Memphis Athletic Ministries) and Darrell Smith, a former FedEx St. Jude Championship tournament director himself.

GOLF: Overton Park golf course renovation puts Junior Open back in the swing

Smith, now the OPJO tournament director, saw how being back in that arena impacted Drinkard.

“There was a lot of fire in him for that event,” said Smith. “He energized the Overton Park Junior Open. You could tell when he was working on that event, it kind of relit his fire. Some of the most fun I’ve ever had was walking alongside him and helping any way I could.”

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in the sanctuary of Second Presbyterian Church, with visitation prior to the service at 10 a.m. Drinkard is survived by a son, Donald D. Drinkard Jr., and a daughter, Kathryn D. Howell, both of Memphis.

Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or follow him @munzly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Dwight Drinkard was FedEx St. Jude Championship's first tournament director