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Basketball legend John Wooden comes to WMU

July 12, 2005

KALAMAZOO--Legendary basketball coach and motivational speaker John Wooden will make a special appearance in Kalamazoo Monday, Aug. 22, sponsored by the Western Michigan University Bronco men's basketball program.

"An Evening With John Wooden" includes a reception at 5 p.m. and dinner at 5:30 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Kalamazoo, followed by Wooden's presentation at 8 p.m. in Miller Auditorium on WMU's campus.

Tickets for the entire evening--reception, dinner and program--are $200 per person. There are sponsorship packages and special rates for tables of 10 people. Tickets for the Miller presentation only range from $35 to $15.

Wooden, whose speaking engagements are very limited in number, is visiting Kalamazoo because of the relationship he has with Bronco men's head coach Steve Hawkins and the WMU program. Wooden has known Hawkins and assistant coach Jeff Dunlap for more than 25 years and spoke to the WMU team last December prior to the squad's contest at the University of Southern California.

"Coach Wooden is a national treasure," Hawkins said. "His basketball accomplishments speak for themselves and will never be matched. His message on leadership and view of success are a different approach and have led to proven and remarkable results."

Under the masterful guidance of Wooden, UCLA set all-time records with four perfect 30-0 seasons, 88 consecutive victories, 38-straight NCAA Tournament victories, 20 PAC 10 championships and 10 national championships, including seven in a row.

One of two men selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, Wooden earned All-America status at Purdue and helped the Boilermakers to the national title in 1932. He was an all-state prep performer at Martinsville High School in Indiana.

In 2003, Wooden was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House, the nation's highest civilian honor.

To order tickets for the entire "Evening With John Wooden," which includes the reception, dinner and prime seating for the Miller presentation, contact the Bronco Athletic Ticket Office at (888) 4-WMU-TIX or wmubroncos.com. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact the Bronco basketball office at (269) 387-3608.

To order tickets only for Wooden's Aug. 22 presentation at Miller Auditorium, contact Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at (800) 228-9858 or millerauditorium.com. There are discounts available for groups of 20 or more people. For group ticket sales at Miller, call (269) 387-2312.

Media contact: Scott Kuykendall, 269 387-4138, scott.kuykendall@wmich.edu

WMU News
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