Oklahoma State University Athletics
Vote for Coach Ford in Infiniti Challenge!
January 16, 2014 | Cowboy Basketball
Feb. 7, 2014
Stillwater, Okla. – Oklahoma State fans are encouraged to continue voting for Coach Travis Ford an Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Oklahoma as his charity of choice in a national ESPN competition, sponsored by Infiniti.
Working alongside the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the NCAA and ESPN, the "Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge" is down to the round of 24, and voting for Coach Ford gives him and his charity an chance to move into the top 16.
If Coach Ford receives the most online votes at www.ESPN.com/infiniti, a donation of $100,000 will be given to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma. When the cost to support a match between a Big and a Little is $1,500 a year, a donation of $100,000 can go a long way!
“Knowing that we are in the running for round 2 with Coach Ford's ranking is really exciting, said BBBSOK Stillwater Area Director, Stephanie Fry, “We are honored that Coach Ford chose Big Brothers Big Sisters and have been communicating to everyone we know to get online and vote every day. Whether you are a BBBSOK supporter, or an OSU fan, voting for Coach Ford and Oklahoma State Basketball supports Big Brothers Big Sisters and Oklahoma State, so it's a win for both.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters mission of helping children reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one mentoring has a long history of support from Coach Ford and OSU Men's Basketball.
“Changing children's lives for the better is what our one-to-one mentoring program is all about,” said Fry, “Many of our Bigs are OSU students who are giving of their time one hour a week to be a mentor; and we have a wonderful legacy of support from OSU Athletics over the years with our annual auction, so we couldn't be prouder to share this opportunity with OSU and Coach Ford by promoting this challenge and seeing how far we can go.”
As coaches advance throughout the competition, donations totaling $249,000 will be awarded to each of their charities of choice by official corporate partner of the NCAA, Infiniti; the further they advance, the more money the coaches raise. The final winning coach will receive a total of $100,000 to benefit his charity of choice.
Fan participation determines the ultimate winner over a 10-week period that began January 6th. For the first six weeks, four brackets of 12 coaches will be paired against each other, with the winners from each group moving onto the next round. Fans can vote DAILY. The winning coach will be announced March 16th, 2014.
The first round of voting takes place January 6 and runs through January 26, with half of the coaches advancing to a second round, held between January 27 and February 16. From February 17 to March 2, the 16 advancing coaches from round two will compete in a third round where only four coaches advance to the fourth, and final, round. From March 3 to March 16, fans can vote for one coach, per region, per day, with the top vote-getting coach and charity announced on March 16, 2014.
Follow these steps to help:
- Go to www.ESPN.com/infiniti to register (it just takes a minute) and vote for Coach Travis Ford. (one vote per day per email address)
- If you already have an ESPN account, submit your username and password. If you do not, you will need to register. It's a very simple process.
- Share this and VOTE DAILY!
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma is a donor-supported volunteer organization that provides children facing adversity with a caring adult mentor and friend who, through a professionally supported relationship, stand in the gap to change their lives. In 2012, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma served more than 1,800 children. Independent research shows that the positive relationships between youth in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and their Big Brothers and Big Sisters have a direct, measurable and lasting impact on children's lives. The program is proven to improve children's odds for succeeding in school, behaving nonviolently, avoiding drugs and alcohol and breaking negative cycles. To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters and how you can change how our children grow up in Oklahoma, visit www.bbbsok.org.
About Infiniti
Infiniti Motor Company LTD. is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales operations in approximately 50 countries. The Infiniti brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan and the United States. Production in China and Europe will start soon along with the expansion of the brand's portfolio. More information about Infiniti, its Total Ownership Experience® and its industry leading technologies can be found at www.infinitiusa.com. For the latest news on Infiniti, visit www.infinitinews.com, "like" Infiniti on Facebook, and follow the brand on Twitter @InfinitiUSA.
