June 10, 2011

The American Cancer Society will host its 12th annual Coaches vs. Cancer® Golf Invitational, Presented by Under Armour®, Sunday and Monday, June 12-13, at the renowned The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island (S.C.) Golf Resort. NCAA Division I men’s college basketball and football coaches from across the nation will compete in this fundraising tournament to support the American Cancer Society and its fight for every birthday, threatened by cancer in every community.

Among head basketball coaches scheduled to play in this year’s Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Invitational on Kiawah Island will be Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Roy Williams (North Carolina), Phil Martelli (Saint Joseph’s), Fran Dunphy (Temple), Tubby Smith (Minnesota), Seth Greenberg (Virginia Tech), Fran McCaffery (Iowa), Bobby Cremins (College of Charleston), Mark Gottfried (NC State), Gary Williams (formerly of Maryland), Norm Stewart (Missouri, retired, and Coaches vs. Cancer founder), Jim Harrick (formerly of Rhode Island, Georgia and UCLA), and Doc Rivers (NBA Boston Celtics), as well as ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas. Head football coaches Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) and Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) are also slated to be playing.

Coaches vs. Cancer, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), empowers coaches, their teams and communities to join the fight against cancer. Since its founding in 1993, Coaches vs. Cancer has raised nearly $70 million to help the Society fund groundbreaking cancer research; provide up-to-date cancer information and education; advocate for public health policies that benefit communities; and deliver services that improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Additional information is available at coachesvscancer.org.

“The Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Invitational provides a tremendous opportunity for these outstanding coaches to enjoy the relaxing camaraderie rarely afforded them during the heat of the college basketball season. As well, they bring their individual commitments of time and passion for the American Cancer Society that speak boldly to our mission of helping people stay well and get well, find cures and fight back against the disease,” said Stephen L. Swanson, 2010-11 national volunteer chair, American Cancer Society Board of Directors. “These coaches do so much to promote healthy lifestyles and to elevate cancer awareness at their schools, in their communities and throughout the nation, and their efforts continue to send a message that the battle against cancer is winnable.”

Coaches vs. Cancer supports the American Cancer Society through its involvement with numerous programs and events, also including college and high school basketball fundraisers; basketball galas; the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic – a preseason, 12-school college basketball tournament which culminates in New York City’s Madison Square Garden in November; Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend in mid-season; and the Fight Cancer in Style endeavor for coaches’ wives during the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four weekend in New Orleans.

“I am honored to be part of the Coaches vs. Cancer program, because it unites us all in our battle against this disease. As coaches, we are always trying to find a way to better ourselves and find a way to win, and any small contribution we can make in this battle against cancer is valued and important,” said Virginia Tech’s Greenberg. “Despite the fact that we compete against each other all year long, there isn’t a coach who doesn’t agree that this is a battle in which we, as a group, can make a difference.”

In 2012, The Ocean Course will host the 94th PGA Championship, the year’s fourth and final major title event on the world golf stage. Twenty years ago, The Ocean Course hosted the Ryder Cup Matches, the world-renowned biennial golf competition between teams from the United States and Europe, jointly administered by the PGA of America and the European Tour.

The Ocean Course was recently rated 25th in Golf Digest magazine’s listing of the “100 Greatest U.S. Courses,” and fourth-best among U.S. public golf courses. Following its historic hosting of the 1991 Ryder Cup’s “War by the Shore” – won by the U.S. team on the final round’s final putt, The Ocean Course hosted the 2007 Senior PGA Championship. Located on Kiawah Island’s eastern-most end, the Pete Dye-designed, 7,356-yard, par-72 course boasts more seaside holes (10) than any other golf course in the Northern Hemisphere.

The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; by helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing more than $3.5 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.