KU's Bill Self Honored at Dick Vitale Gala
May 17, 2013
SARASOTA, Fla. – Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self was among the celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment crowded the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota on Friday for the Eighth Annual Dick Vitale Gala to raise money in the fight against pediatric cancer through The V Foundation for Cancer Research.
The event was hosted by ESPN’s Dan Shulman and honored three sports icons: Self, former Florida State University and Hall of Fame football coach Bobby Bowden and former University of Connecticut and Hall of Fame basketball coach Jim Calhoun.
The sold out Gala hosted more than 800 people and featured over 70 celebrities. Attendees included the this year’s ACC championship coach University of Miami’s Jim Larranaga, back-to-back national championship coach University of Florida’s Billy Donovan, and former Virginia Tech head men’s basketball coach and current ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg. Other NCAA men’s basketball coaches in attendance included Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, NC State’s Mark Gottfried and Villanova’s Jay Wright. Attendees enjoyed an after party with live music from The Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards.
“Dick Vitale is such an amazing man! He and Lorraine and their team raise funds for The V Foundation all year, tirelessly,” said Susan Braun, CEO of The V Foundation. “This event is the culmination of that giving spirit, a time for us to gather and recognize our mission to put an end to cancer and see its reason in the faces of children and their families. We are grateful beyond description for all of Dick’s work on behalf of The V Foundation.”
Since the event’s inception in 2006, the Vitale Gala has raised more than $10 million for cancer research. This year, net proceeds of the event will benefit pediatric cancer research.
For more information about the Dick Vitale Gala, please visit www.jimmyv.org/vitale.
About The V Foundation
The V Foundation for Cancer Research was founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, legendary North Carolina State basketball coach and ESPN commentator. Since 1993, The Foundation has awarded more than $100 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide. It awards 100 percent of all direct cash donations directly to cancer research and related programs. Administrative and fundraising expenses are paid by the Foundation’s endowment. The Foundation awards grants through a competitive awards process supervised by a Scientific Advisory Board. For more information on The V Foundation or to make a donation, please visit www.jimmyv.org.
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