News Release
College Hoops Icon Dick Vitale Encourages University of Detroit Mercy Student-Athletes To Make Financially Savvy Plays With The Hartford’s Playbook For Life
Broadcaster to appear at University of Detroit Mercy on Thursday, April 2
Hartford, Conn., --- March 20, 2009 – Veteran sports broadcaster and former University of Detroit Basketball Coach, Dick Vitale, will return to the University of Detroit Mercy on Thursday, April 2 from 4:30-5:30 p.m., sharing lessons from The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.’s Playbook for Life program at the NCAA Men’s Final Four® host institution. Bill Zimmerman, a former offensive lineman for Columbia University and a retirement solutions consultant with The Hartford, will join Vitale with practical tips and insights. The event is open to UDM student-athletes, only.
“I’m proud to bring the lessons of The Hartford’s Playbook for Life to students across the country,” said Vitale. “Students today need to be prepared with the knowledge to meet the financial challenges ahead of them and achieve their goals successfully.”
“I’ve worked with college students across the country as part of The Hartford’s Playbook for Life program,” said Zimmerman. “It’s important for college students to start preparing a solid foundation to their financial futures as soon as they can.”
The Hartford’s Playbook for Life travels from coast to coast to help college students get a jump start on planning for financial independence and security. Since the program’s inception in March 2005, The Hartford has brought the Playbook message to students at more than 30 colleges and universities. On March 25, the Playbook will also be presented to students at Towson University.
“The Hartford’s Playbook for Life is a great tool to help student-athletes create a game plan and achieve financial security after graduation,” said NCAA President Myles Brand. “We applaud The Hartford for embarking on this very important initiative and encouraging college students to start planning for tomorrow, today.”
With less than one percent of student-athletes moving on to compete at the professional level, the vast majority move on to work in the "real world.” Most of them are largely unprepared for the financial challenges ahead. The Hartford’s Playbook for Life helps student-athletes meet those challenges by introducing them to practical topics such as evaluating job offers, budgeting, responsibly managing credit cards and debt, and understanding the fundamentals of savings and investing. The program features visits to college campuses, a free guidebook with practical, easy-to-use information, and a Web site with a video webinar version of the Playbook for Life on-campus presentation, along with additional resources, at www.playbook.thehartford.com.
Vitale coached the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, Rutgers University and the University of Detroit basketball teams before broadcasting ESPN’s first college basketball game in December 1979, and creating a legacy as an enthusiastic analyst and color commentator. In addition to his many contributions to the ESPN network, ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, Vitale has been a college basketball analyst for ABC Sports since 1988, also covering the NBA Finals and the 1992 Summer Olympics for ABC Radio, and as a columnist for Basketball Times. He has been selected for seven halls of fame and has authored seven books.
Vitale adds his involvement with the Playbook for Life to a roster of philanthropic efforts, such as his devotion to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota and his role on the Board of Directors for The V Foundation, a non-profit organization, founded by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, dedicated to finding a cure for cancer.
While media are invited to attend the event, it is not open to the public.
About The NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 380,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaasports.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.
About The Hartford
The Hartford is one of the nation's largest financial services companies and a leading provider of investment products, life insurance and group benefits; automobile and homeowners products; and business property and casualty insurance. International operations are located in Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil and Ireland. The Hartford's Internet address is
www.thehartford.com.
Release date: March 20, 2009
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