National Collegiate Athletic Association

Latest News

« back to 2011 | Back to NCAA News Archive Index

Celebrity HORSE event gives legs
to DonorsChoose.org partnership

By Kat Krtnick
NCAA.org

The NCAA and DonorsChoose.org partnership took center stage at Bracket Town’s opening event during the Men’s Final Four.

A celebrity HORSE competition featured former Houston basketball player Clyde Drexler; Michigan Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard; former Kent State basketball star Antonio Gates (a current tight end for the San Diego Chargers) and former Texas quarterback Vince Young. Together, they gave DonorsChoose.org its inaugural presence at an NCAA championship venue.

Fans from Bracket Town and from the community filled the bleachers of Buick Center Court inside the George R. Brown Convention Center on Thursday to cheer for their favorite celebrity and to celebrate the impact of DonorsChoose.org on Houston schools.

Before the competition began, a check for $6,792.12 was presented to Carolina Martin, DonorsChoose.org vice president, to benefit schools that participated in the Middle School Madness and Ticket to Read programs during the Men’s Final Four.

Kimberly Johnson, a former Alcorn State basketball student-athlete and now teacher at Blanche K. Bruce Elementary in Houston, spoke about a few projects that DonorsChoose.org has funded for her classroom.

After the presentation, the celebrity players entered the floor in style, donning their college jerseys and acquiring a “coach.” Through a drawing, four kids from the audience were selected to “coach” the celebrities, having the ability to dictate which shot the celebrity should take. The runners-up were honored with the opportunity to watch the contest from the team bench.;

After a few easy lay-ups, the competition heated up with an assortment of long bombs and flashy moves. Although Clyde “The Glide” Drexler was the favorite to win, professional football players Vince Young and Antonio Gates fought their way to the final, going shot-for-shot until Gates hit a three from the top of the key to secure win.

Representatives from a handful of local schools received a Men’s Final Four basketball autographed by the celebrities and to had their DonorsChoose.org project requests fulfilled with the donation: Edison Middle School; Jackson Middle School; Deady Middle School; Fonville Middle School; Hamilton Middle School; Fondren Middle School; Chancellor Elementary School; Collins Elementary School; Hogg Middle School; Sharpstown Middle School; and Blanche K. Bruce Elementary.

Subsequent activation efforts will target the Association’s 88 championships (89 next year) and the hundreds of Student-Athlete Advisory Committees at NCAA member institutions and conferences.

The NCAA and DonorsChoose.org partnership will continue to address student educational needs at the K-12 level. The campaign is known as “Fund the Future.”