Atlanta Sports Legends Tee It Up for Cumberland Academy at The Cumberland Classic

On March 23rd, some of Atlanta’s most recognizable sports figures traded in their jerseys for golf clubs at St. Ives Country Club in Johns Creek, all in support of a cause that hits close to home for a lot of families across the metro area.

The Cumberland Classic, Cumberland Academy of Georgia’s annual charity golf tournament, brought out a lineup that would make any Atlanta sports fan do a double take. Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers showed up with the hardware in tow. Former Falcons legend Mike Kenn was there. So were Kevin Butler, Terrence Mathis, former Brave Pete Smith, and more. It was that kind of day.

The event was organized by John Varnell and drew praise from 680 The Fan’s Buck Belue, who played in the tournament and gave Cumberland a shoutout on The Buck Belue Show that evening. Belue’s team finished third overall at 16 under, and he called it the best putting round of his life.

But the real story wasn’t the scorecards. It was what the day was raising money for.

Cumberland Academy of Georgia is an Atlanta-based private school founded in 2007 by Debbi Scarborough, a mother who couldn’t find the right educational environment for her own son with autism spectrum disorder and decided to build it herself. Nearly two decades later, the school serves students in grades 3 through 12, plus a post-graduate College at Cumberland program, all designed around the needs of neurodiverse learners with ASD, ADHD, and other learning differences.

What makes Cumberland different isn’t just the mission. It’s the model. Small class sizes, low student-teacher ratios, a college prep curriculum paired with social and life skills instruction, 17 sports and clubs, and a 100% college acceptance rate for graduates. The school is fully accredited and has been recognized as a Top 50 School for Students with Special Needs.

For families who have spent years trying to navigate systems that weren’t built for their kids, Cumberland tends to show up as the answer they’d been looking for.

Events like the Cumberland Classic make the school’s work possible. If you’d like to learn more or support the mission, visit cumberlandacademy.org.

Source: The Buck Belue Show 3-23-26 Hour 2