Barry Alvarez Headlines Florida Tech’s Inside the Huddle Banquet May 15
Wisconsin Director of Athletics, College Football Legend Will Speak at 3rd Annual Event
MELBOURNE, FLA. — Wisconsin Director of Athletics and College Football Hall of Fame member Barry Alvarez will be the featured speaker at Florida Tech’s third annual Inside the Huddle banquet, hosted by President and CEO Anthony J. Catanese on Thursday, May 15, at the Panther Dining Hall adjacent to the Clemente Center and Panther Aquatic Center.
A cocktail reception will begin at 6 p.m. with the dinner and program following at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased online and by phone through Tuesday, May 13.
Alvarez is in his 10th year as athletics director at Wisconsin. The Badgers’ run to the NCAA Final Four this season is the latest in a series of long accomplishments Wisconsin’s teams have achieved in his tenure. His squads have won a combined 14 national championships and 44 conference regular season or tournament titles.
He is one of 13 members on the College Football Playoff selection committee, announced last October. The group replaces the Bowl Championship Series format and will be tasked with identifying the four schools that will play for the 2014 national championship.
Alvarez was at the helm of Wisconsin’s football program for 16 seasons from 1990-2005. He guided the Badgers to three Big Ten and Rose Bowl Championships and is the all-time winningest coach in school history at 118-74-4. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
He was named 1993 national coach of the year, 1993 and 1998 Big Ten Coach of the Year and was a finalist for ESPN’s Coach of the Decade honor for his coaching in the 1990s. He was also a recipient of the Victor Award’s 1999 National Coach of the Year and chosen 2004 American Football Coaches Association Region 3 Coach of the Year.
The former linebacker at Nebraska has coached nine first-round NFL draft choices and 59 draft choices in all.
Before landing at Wisconsin, he coached the linebackers at Iowa from 1979-86. He was also the linebackers coach for the 1987 season at Notre Dame before taking over the defensive coordinator position for the Fighting Irish from 1988-89.
FIT head football coach Steve Englehart will also speak at the event about the Panthers as they look forward to their second season.
Season ticket holders from the Panthers’ inaugural campaign will have a chance to renew their premium seats for the 2014 season at the event. The deadline for renewals is the following day, May 16. FIT will play five home games this fall, four are against Gulf South Conference opponents at Palm Bay High School’s Pirate Stadium. It will oppose Ave Maria (Sept. 13), Delta State (Oct. 2), North Alabama (Oct. 18), Mississippi College (Oct. 25) and Valdosta State (Nov. 15).
Season tickets remain $65 for adults and $40 for FIT employees, seniors ages 65 and above and children ages 5-16. To renew your season tickets, call 321-674-6228 or e-mail AthleticsTickets@fit.edu.
Reservations for the dinner can be made online at give.fit.edu/InsidetheHuddle and by contacting Gina Yates at gyates@fit.edu or calling 321-674-8428. The cost is $100 per person. Corporate tables of eight can be purchased for $750.
Business attire is required.
Reserve your seat now!: http://give.fit.edu/insidethehuddle
2014 FIT Football Schedule: http://www.floridatechsports.com/football/schedule/
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