Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University and men’s head basketball coach Dave Loos will join more than 4,000 basketball coaches from across the country as they lace up for the fight against cancer and step out of their loafers, oxfords, and wingtips and into sneakers during games as part of Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend, set for January 24th-26th.
“I’m honored to be a part of the NABC program,” said Austin Peay head coach Dave Loos. “I’ve been involved in that since its beginning and I think it’s a terrific program.
“Like many people, my family has been hit pretty hard by cancer. I lost a sister to cancer when she was 29 years old, and both my mother and father dealt with cancer during their lives, so it’s important to me personally. I think it’s a great thing and I’m honored to be part of it. Of all the community service I’m involved in, it’s the one I’m most proud of.
Loos and his staff will don sneakers during their game against Tennessee Tech at 7:00pm, January 25th at the Dunn Center.
Today, two out of three people diagnosed with cancer are surviving the disease for five years or longer and more than 400 people a day in the U.S. are celebrating birthdays that would have otherwise been lost to cancer.
For more information and to join coaches in the fight against cancer, visit www.cancer.org/suitsandsneakers.
About Coaches vs. Cancer
The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). The initiative leverages the personal experiences, community leadership and professional excellence of coaches nationwide to make a difference in the fight against cancer.
The program seeks to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living among students, faculty and staff, fans and the community at large. Since its inception in 1993, the American Cancer Society Coaches vs. Cancer initiative has raised more than $87 million to support the Society’s mission.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers saving lives and fighting for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community.
As the largest voluntary health organization, the Society’s efforts have contributed to a 20 percent decline in cancer death rates in the U.S. since 1991, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. Thanks in part to our progress nearly 14 million Americans who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will celebrate more birthdays this year.
While marking our 100th birthday in 2013, we’re determined to finish the fight against cancer. We’re finding cures as the nation’s largest private, not-for-profit investor in cancer research, ensuring people facing cancer have the help they need and continuing the fight for access to quality health care, lifesaving screenings, clean air, and more.
For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, call us anytime, day or night, at 1.800.227.2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
