The NCAA® Men’s Final Four® doesn’t happen without its host institution, UDM

See the UDM feature page on the 2009 NCAA® Final Four®.

The largest collegiate basketball event in the world, the NCAA® Men’s Final Four® is emerging on the city of Detroit, and University of Detroit Mercy is a big part of making it happen.

"As host NCAA institution for the 2009 NCAA® Men’s Final Four®, the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) has been working closely with the committee and the local business and civic community for more than 18 months to make this the best Final Four® in NCAA® history and to provide an exciting array of fun for locals and visitors and to also leave a positive Final Four legacy for Detroit," said Gaither.

Every NCAA championship has a member institution or conference hosting the event. This approach helps keep the focus on the student athletes, who are the main reason for the championship in the first place. As the host institution representative, Keri Gaither is also the chair of the Detroit Local Organization Committee (DLOC). Her role as chair is to provide strong leadership and direction for the local operation of the Final Four®.

Events include:

• Hoop City®, a four-day indoor interactive featuring trivia contests, autograph sessions with basketball coaches, live basketball-related entertainment, and a traveling version of the NCAA Hall of Champions. Hundreds of UDM faculty, staff, students and alumni volunteered their time for the event to coordinate the large-scale event. Detroit Titan student-athletes will volunteer their time and expertise at the NCAA Campus Sports Zones inside Hoop City®. Tennis, golf, soccer and softball players from UDM will be active participants. Several University of Detroit Mercy student athletes are volunteering their time at the NCAA Campus Sports Zones inside Hoop City. Tennis, golf, soccer and softball athletes from UDM will be actively instructing the participants.
• The Final Four Dribble® allows 4,000 youngsters, ages 10 through 16, to bounce basketballs from Hoop City to Ford Field on game day of the semifinals. Helping coordinate the event will be many UDM students to make the event run smoothly. The Detroit Titan strength and conditioning staff will warm up the 4,000 expected participants with stretching exercises and aerobics. Members of both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at UDM, along with Tommy Titan, the UDM cheer team and pep band will also welcome the dribblers at the finish line outside of Hoop City®,
• The “Game of Change” documentary and a panel discussion on race relations and sports was one of the 2009 NCAA® Men’s Final Four® pre-events on UDM’s McNichols Campus in Calihan Hall. Panelists included University’s faculty, alumni and students, including Coach Ray McCallum. Calihan Hall also hosted 1,800 volunteers that are working at the event throughout the week.
• The Detroit Local Organizing Committee (DLOC) for the 2009 NCAA® Men’s Final Four® will be donating a legacy gift of $250,000 from the NCAA to help children in Southeastern Michigan enter school ready to learn by improving the quality of early care and education for pre-school age children throughout the region. University of Detroit Mercy’s College of Liberal Arts & Education and UDM’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will work with United Way for Southeastern Michigan for the next five years on the legacy initiative. Recently, several UDM student athletes and Tommy Titan helped open the first center by reading to the kids in attendance.
• As part of the NCAA® Men’s Final Four®, UDM is helping coordinate the 2nd annual Sports Career & College Expo during the week, in conjunction with other schools and universities. UDM’s Keri Gaither will be the keynote speaker at the event. UDM student athletes will also be participating as speakers, sharing their experience of being a student athlete and how it impacts their life and future career goals.
• The NCAA® Youth Education through Sports (YES®) Clinics hydrated by vitamin water® will also draw fans and educate boys and girls (ages 10-16). Many national and local college coaches will present free instructional skill sessions in basketball while NCAA life skill coordinators conduct sessions in personal enrichment. Parents will also be participating by attending their own information session. UDM basketball coaches Ray McCallum, Autumn Rademacher, UDM assistant coaches, their staff and over 25 student athletes will also help coordinate the events. UDM strength & conditioning, sports medicine and compliance staff will also serve on panels and conduct group activities.
• The 2009 NCAA Final Four, the United States Basketball Writers Association and University of Detroit Mercy are hosting a free sports writing seminar for college and high school journalists on UDM’s McNichols Campus. Participating in the event will be John Feinstein of The Washington Post, The Sporting News and NPR; Dick Jerardi of The Philadelphia Daily News; John Akers of The Basketball Times; Steve Carp of The Las Vegas Review-Journal; Dana O'Neil of espn.com; Dick Weiss of The New York Daily News; Shannon Shelton of The Detroit Free Press; and Malcolm Moran, formerly of USA Today and The New York Times.
• The 13th annual “Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast” now stands as one of the premier events during the NCAA® Final Four® weekend and will be held at Cobo Hall. The University will be participating as one of the event’s Tip-Off Sponsors and Detroit Titan mascot, Tommy Titan will be a part of the festivities.
• 2009 Men's Final Four® Salute Presentation will be held at the Fox Theatre. The event will feature the Final Four® teams, inspiring video highlights of the Road to the Final Four® and conversations with the Final Four® coaches conducted by Jim Nantz of CBS. The UDM Pep Band will entertain guests and support the final four teams by playing their respective school fight songs.
• Several Detroit Titan men's and women's basketball players recently participated in the Middle School Madness awards program, presenting awards to middle school students who entered an essay and poster on the topic of sportsmanship in daily life. Prizes included tickets to the NCAA® Final Four® at Ford Field.
• Final Four® Friday is an event that all fans can watch each of the four participating teams at an open practice at Ford Field, free of charge. Practices begin at 12 p.m. and the University of Detroit Mercy pep band and cheer team will perform for thousands of participants with Tommy Titan shaking hands throughout the crowd.
• Basketball icon and former U of D University coach, Dick Vitale will return home to discuss his coaching experience and motivational skills to encourage students to prepare now for the realities of life after graduation. The event will be held on UDM’s McNichols Campus for all UDM students.

The Final Four® tournament not only generates millions of dollars for the NCAA's member schools, but also has a tremendous economic impact on the host city. According to Gaither, last year's Final Four tournament in San Antonio brought in more than $47 million. The DLOC estimates more than 60,000 basketball fans will bounce into Detroit this year, creating more than $30-$50 million in revenue for the metropolitan area. "It's an opportunity to show them what the city of Detroit, and the state are all about,” she added.

See the UDM feature page on the 2009 NCAA® Final Four®.

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The University of Detroit Mercy is Michigan's largest private Catholic University, offering approximately 100 majors and programs in 60 academic fields. Sponsored by the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, the University has three campuses located in downtown and northwest Detroit.

For the 11th consecutive year, UDM was ranked among the top tier of Midwestern master's universities in U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" – 2012 edition.

Publish date: April 03, 2009