A message from Indiana Statr University President Daniel Bradley to all Indiana State alumni and boosters: Dear Bird Watcher, Before the Dream Team.... Before 13 seasons and three NBA championships with the Boston Celtics... And before becoming the only person to have won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year awards, Larry Bird and the 1979 Sycamores took the collegiate basketball world by storm in the Year that March Went Mad. In Indiana and across the basketball world, Larry Bird is synonymous with the game. This fall Indiana State University will pay tribute to Larry’s legacy on the collegiate, professional and world courts with two special events, Honoring a Legend - Larry Bird Scholarship Dinner and Statue Dedication, in conjunction with college basketball’s opening weekend on November 8-9, 2013. I would like to extend a special invitation for you to be a part of this historic weekend as an event sponsor. Contact Phil Ness of the Sycamore Athletic Foundation for a sheet that includes all sponsorship opportunities that have been designed for you to show your support for Larry and his contributions to collegiate and professional basketball. The honoring of Larry is an initiative of Brad Fenton and dozens of Indiana State students who started the Larry Legend Foundation in 2005. The students wanted to pay tribute to Larry by having a statue on our campus which, in the spirit of competition, would be taller than the statue of Magic Johnson outside Breslin Arena at Michigan State. The students also wanted to start a scholarship in Larry’s honor, and began raising money with t-shirt sales on campus and at ISU basketball games. Their motivation and dedication inspired an ISU alumnus to fund the statue in its entirety. On Friday, November 8, 2013, the LARRY BIRD SCHOLARSHIP DINNER will kick off the weekend festivities with a VIP cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. for MVP and All-American evening sponsors, followed by a reception and dinner on Larry’s home court – the Nellie and John Wooden Court at the Hulman Center. The highlight of the evening will be a moderated discussion with Larry in which he will reminisce about the 1979 season and his years with the Celtics and Pacers organizations. We anticipate this event will be the largest and most successful of its kind in University history resulting in a significant endowment for the Larry Legend Scholarship Fund. The LARRY BIRD STATUE DEDICATION will take place on Saturday, November 9, 2013 at 11:30 a.m., on the south side of the Hulman Center prior to the 1:00 p.m. basketball game against Ball State University. The sponsorship packages for the weekend include special parking for the dedication and basketball game. As the planning for the weekend is already underway, all sponsorship packages will be arranged on a first- come, first-served basis. Additional event and sponsorship details are available online at indstate.edu/LarryBird. Phil Ness, the Associate Vice President of Development for Athletics, will be contacting you for your involvement preferences. For additional information or questions, Phil can be reached at 812-514-8504 or [email protected]. All sponsorship confirmations must be received by Tuesday, October 8, 2013. Thank you again for your consideration. We look forward to hosting you on the Indiana State University campus on November 8-9 for this once-in-a-lifetime event. Respectfully, Daniel J. Bradley President
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 13:51:28 +0000