Bud Asher

Asher practiced law in Atlanta until 1954, when he moved to Florida to accept a position as the assistant football coach for Stetson University.^[2] He would later become a hotelier and business owner in Daytona Beach. Asher owned and operated a string of nightclubs, businesses and hotels in the city, including the Safari Beach Motel.^[2]

During the early 1960s, the city of Fort Lauderdale, located more than 200 miles south of Daytona Beach, became a popular spring break destination with American college students. However, due to the large number of students, relations between the thousands of college students and Fort Lauderdale became strained.^[2] Asher, along with other Daytona Beach business and political leaders, began a campaign to attract some of Fort Lauderdale's spring breakers to Daytona.^[2] in 1962, Asher and other area businessmen began driving to colleges, where they distributed postcards, brochures and other materials promoting Daytona Beach as a Spring Break destination.^[2][4] They also hired airplanes, which dropped ping-pong balls advertising Daytona Beach onto college campuses, a tradition which is still practiced by spring breakers in the city today.^[2] Each of the ping-pong balls were inscribed with "Get on the Ball and Come to Daytona Beach."^[4]

The campaign succeeded in transforming Daytona Beach into a major spring break destination. Asher did have detractors and critics, who accused him of promoting Daytona Beach as a "beer-can mentality" destination for college students, rather than promoting the city as a place for family friendly vacationers.^[2] However, Asher's efforts earned him the nickname, "Father of Spring Break," within Daytona Beach.^[2]

Asher served as a district judge in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, for two years.^[3]

In 1983, he was elected a city commissioner representing District 2, an office he held for the next twelve years, from 1983 to 1995.^[1][3][4]

Asher was first elected mayor of Daytona Beach in 1995.^[5] Asher's predecessor, incumbent Paul Carpenella, who served as mayor from 1993 to 1995, failed to gain enough votes in the primary to advance to the mayoral general election.^[5] Asher raised more than $60,000 for his first mayoral campaign.^[6] Asher defeated his 1995 general election challenger, former city Public Works Director Tom McClelland, by approximately 600 votes in the municipal election.^[5] He was sworn into office on November 7, 1995.^[6] He was re-elected in 1997, 1999, and 2001, before retiring from office in 2003.^[7]

Asher continued to work in football for more than sixty years, while simultaneously remaining in business and politics.^[3] He coached football for high schools in Volusia County, including New Smyrna Beach High School, Spruce Creek High School and Father Lopez Catholic High School,^[6] as well as the Daytona Beach Bulldogs for the midget league.^[3] He was also involved with Bethune-Cookman University for more than 40 years as the university's football coach, as well as a consultant adviser to several of BCU's presidents.^[3] He also coached the Jacksonville Sharks of the defunct World Football League^[6] and the Daytona Beach ThunderBirds, a semi-pro team.^[4]

He scouted potential players for both the NFL and college football programs for more than 30 years.^[3] He specifically worked as an NFL talent scout for the San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and the Oakland Raiders.^[3]

He was inducted into the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2000.^[2] He called games as a commentator and sports announcer on WNDB 1150 for the last two years of his life.^[3]

Bud Asher died from prostate cancer at his home on the Halifax River in Daytona Beach at 9 PM on July 5, 2013, at the age of 88.^[3][4] He was survived by his wife of 27 years, Dawn Ioviero Asher; his children from his previous marriage, Marybeth Asher-Lawson and Baron "Ron" Asher; his stepdaughter, Wendy Fiore Bentley; and five grandchildren.^[2][4] His funeral was held at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with burial at Daytona Memorial Park, complete with full military honors and an honorific flyover during the ceremony.^[3]

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