(L to R) Gary Reedy President, American Cancer Society; Jeff Zucker, Chairman of WarnerMedia and Sports and President of CNN Worldwide; Dicker Ebersol, NBC Universal and Val Ackerman, Commissioner, BIG EAST Conference
BIG EAST, Jeff Zucker Headline 10th Annual Coaches vs. Cancer NYC Benefit Dinner
NEW YORK - The BIG EAST Conference along with Jeff Zucker, Chairman of Warner Media and Sports and President of CNN Worldwide, was honored at the 2019 Coaches vs. Cancer New York City Benefit Dinner on Monday evening at Chelsea Piers.
In addition to BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman and Zucker, special guests in attendance included Dick Ebersol of NBC Universal; Dan Gavitt, Senior Vice President of Basketball for the NCAA and Bill Raftery, FOX and CBS Sports college basketball analyst.
Ebersol and Gavitt acted as the presenters for the honorees. CNN's Jake Tapper served as the evening's master of ceremonies. Opening remarks were given by Gary Reedy, the American Cancer Society's Chief Executive Officer.
The Coaches vs. Cancer Dinner Benefit brings the sports media, digital and entertainment industries together for dinner and dialogue. The evening is highlighted by a distinguished panel of coaches and former athletes who give their perspective of leadership on and off the court. Now in its tenth year, the dinner is hosted annually by the Coaches vs. Cancer benefit committee and has raised over $2.1 million to support the American Cancer Society's mission and goal of eliminating cancer as a major health problem and continuing to lead in the fight against cancer.
This year's dinner raised $401,000, with more than $60,000 going directly to benefit pediatric cancer research.
BIG EAST Senior Associate Commissioner of Men's Basketball Stu Jackson was on the featured panel which also included Gavitt, Raftery and John Wallace, a two-time All-BIG EAST player from Syracuse. The panel focused on community leadership with ties to basketball.
Past honorees include Hall of Fame Coach Jim Calhoun of Connecticut; John Bogusz, CBS Sports; Jake Piasecki, FOX Networks Group; Lynn Whitney, Warner Bros. Pictures; Jo Ann Ross, CBS Television Network; Michelle Wazlawek, Enterprise Holdings, Inc., and Craig Sager and Ari Bloom posthumously.
The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches. This initiative leverages the personal experiences and community leadership of coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.
Cancer has touched many in the coaching ranks. The Coaches vs. Cancer program provides coaches with an opportunity to do something about the disease. Since 1993, coaches have raised more than $115 million for the American Cancer Society's cancer research and patient programs.
The Coaches vs. Cancer Executive Committee consists of John Bogusz, Executive Vice President, Sports Sales, CBS Television Network; Jon Diament, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of Tuner Sport; Tom McGovern, President and Managing Director of Optimum Sports and Tim Spengler, President of M1 US Dentsu Aegis Network.
BIG EAST coaches participate in Coaches vs. Cancer's mission through various events throughout the year, including the Suits vs. Sneakers campaign.
For more information on the New York City Benefit Dinner, Coaches vs. Cancer and their fundraising efforts, visit
www.coachesvscancernyc.org.