Vote For Your Favorite NCAA Coach To Raise Money In The “INFINITI Coaches’ Charity Challenge”
48 NCAA® basketball coaches compete to raise $349,000 for local charities
Fan votes determine winners with winning coach receiving a $100,000 donation from INFINITI
Seventh year of the INFINITI Coaches’ Charity Challenge tips off on Jan. 2
Press Release – FRANKLIN, Tenn. (Jan. 5, 2017) – INFINITI will once again sponsor the “INFINITI Coaches’ Charity Challenge” as part of its partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the NCAA® and ESPN. Now in its seventh year, the program consists of 48 NCAA® Division I men’s basketball coaches competing for fan votes in a four-round contest that raises money for charities of the coaches’ choice.
INFINITI, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, will make donations throughout the competition totaling $349,000. The further the coaches advance in the competition, the more money is raised for their respective charities. The winning coach will receive $100,000 to benefit his charity of choice.
“INFINITI continuously looks forward to partnering with the NABC, NCAA® and ESPN to raise money for many deserving charities with the INFINITI Coaches’ Charity Challenge,” said Allyson Witherspoon, director of marketing communications and media, INFINITI USA. “Going into the seventh year of the competition, we’re eager to help facilitate this friendly competition as coaches raise money for their local charities of choice.”
Beginning Jan. 2, fans will decide the winner over a 10-week period by casting votes on a custom online microsite at www.espn.com/INFINITI. Voters can cast one vote per day for a coach’s charity.
The first round of voting takes place Jan. 2 and runs through Jan. 22, with half of the coaches advancing to a second round, held between Jan. 23 and Feb. 12. From Feb. 13 to 26, the 16 advancing coaches from round two will compete in a third round where only four coaches advance to the final, fourth round. From Feb. 27 to March 12, fans can vote for one coach per day, and the coach with the most votes, along with the chosen charity, will be announced on March 12, 2017.
“Since its inception, the Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and raised awareness for a wide variety of charitable organizations,” said Jim Haney, NABC executive director. “The competition that our outstanding college coaches and fans enjoy on the court has been carried over to the Challenge, where everyone wins.”
Among this year’s group of participating 48 coaches are:
University of Arizona coach Sean Miller, competing for Casa de los Niños
Arizona State University coach Bobby Hurley, competing for Pat Tillman Foundation
Auburn University coach Bruce Pearl, competing for Children’s Harbor, Inc.
Baylor University coach Scott Drew, competing for Coaches vs. Cancer
BYU coach Dave Rose, competing for BYU Simmons Center for Cancer Research
Clemson University coach Brad Brownell, competing for The Outdoor Dream Foundation
University of Colorado coach Tad Boyle, competing for Special Olympics Colorado
University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, competing for Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
Creighton University coach Greg McDermott, competing for Abide
University of Dayton coach Archie Miller, competing for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Dayton
Georgetown University coach John Thompson III, competing for SOME (So Others Might Eat)
Georgia State University coach Ron Hunter, competing for Samaritan’s Feet International
Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner, competing for WellStar Foundation
Gonzaga University coach Mark Few, competing for Community Cancer Fund
University of Indiana coach Tom Crean, competing for Tatum’s Bags of Fun
University of Iowa coach Fran McCaffery, competing for Coaches vs. Cancer
Iowa State University coach Steve Prohm, competing for Lupus Foundation of America, Iowa Chapter
Kansas State University coach Bruce Weber, competing for Coaches vs. Cancer
Marquette University coach Steve Wojciechowski, competing for Camp Hometown Heroes
University of Maryland coach Mark Turgeon, competing for Alzheimer’s Association
University of Memphis coach Tubby Smith, competing for Coaches vs. Cancer
University of Michigan coach John Beilein, competing for The ChadTough Foundation
Michigan State University coach Tom Izzo, competing for Volunteers of America Michigan
University of North Carolina coach Roy Williams, competing for UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
North Carolina State University coach Mark Gottfried, competing for Team Focus
University of Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, competing for Coaches vs. Cancer
Ohio State University coach Thad Matta, competing for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio
University of Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger, competing for Coaches vs. Cancer
Oklahoma State University coach Brad Underwood, competing for Stillwater Area United Way, Inc.
University of Oregon coach Dana Altman, competing for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN)
Purdue University coach Matt Painter, competing for Smith Family BReaK Thru Fund
San Diego State University coach Steve Fisher, competing for The ALS Association, Greater San Diego Chapter
St. John’s University coach Chris Mullin, competing for The Herren Project
St. Louis University coach Travis Ford, competing for Annie Malone Children & Family Services
Stanford University coach Jerod Haase, competing for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Stephen F. Austin State University coach Kyle Keller, competing for Nacogdoches Area United Way
Syracuse University coach Jim Boeheim, competing for Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation
Texas Christian University coach Jamie Dixon, competing for Maggie Dixon Foundation
Temple University coach Fran Dunphy, competing for Big Brothers Big Sister Independence
University of Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, competing for Emerald Youth Foundation
UCLA coach Steve Alford, competing for Special Olympics Southern California
Vanderbilt University coach Bryce Drew, competing for Coaches vs. Cancer
Villanova University coach Jay Wright, competing for Augustinian Fund
University of Virginia coach Tony Bennett, competing for Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Wake Forest University coach Danny Manning, competing for Brenner Children’s Hospital
University of West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, competing for Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment Fund
Wichita State University coach Gregg Marshall, competing for Wichita Children’s Home
University of Wisconsin coach Greg Gard, competing for Garding Against Cancer
While only one coach will win the grand prize, INFINITI has guaranteed each coach a donation of at least $1,000 to his chosen charitable organization.
“The INFINITI Coaches Charity Challenge is an excellent program that allows fans and coaches the opportunity to help charities and give back to deserving communities,” said Jeff Jarnecke, NCAA director of championships and alliances. “We’re proud to work with INFINITI and the NABC on this great program and look forward to seeing this fun competition that positively impacts so many individuals.”
ESPN will promote the INFINITI Coaches’ Charity Challenge across many different platforms including ESPN broadcast, ESPN.com and several social media platforms.
About INFINITI
INFINITI Motor Company Ltd. is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales operations in over 50 countries. The INFINITI brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan, the United States, United Kingdom and China. INFINITI plans to also expand manufacturing into Mexico by 2017. INFINITI design studios are located in Atsugi-Shi near Yokohama, London, San Diego and Beijing.
INFINITI is in the middle of a major product offensive. The brand has been widely acclaimed for its daring design and innovative driver-assistance technologies. From the 2016 season, INFINITI is a technical partner of the Renault Sport Formula 1® team, contributing its expertise in hybrid performance.
More information about INFINITI and its industry leading technologies can be found at http://www.INFINITI.com/. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.
About NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 450,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals, members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. [NCAA is a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.]
About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest “Phog” Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC, its programs and membership, can be found at www.nabc.org.
The post Vote For Your Favorite NCAA Coach To Raise Money In The “INFINITI Coaches’ Charity Challenge” appeared first on GoodCrowd.info.