The athletics department will host the annual Sports Spectacular to raise money, honor sports contributors and recognize student athletes from OCU’s 21 athletic teams.
The fundraiser will be at 6 p.m. April 5 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, 1700 N.E. 63 St.
“This event is important for us for multiple reasons,” Athletic Director Jim Abbott said. “We need the money to support our teams, and it gives us great visibility because of the amount of people in attendance. We get a chance to tell our success stories.”
A ticket to the Sports Spectacular includes dinner and access to live and silent auctions. The auctions offer a variety of prizes, from front row tickets to a Thunder game to a weeklong stay in Hawaii.
Money from the auction and ticket sales goes to the athletic department. Part of the funds go directly to the sports teams, and the other part goes toward the Paul Hansen Memorial Scholarship and the Abe Lemons Endowed Athletic Scholarship, which fund eligible OCU athletes within one year of graduation.
Every year, someone who contributes to the growth of sports in Oklahoma receives the Abe Lemons/Paul Hansen Award for Sports Excellence. This year’s recipient is Tim McLaughlin, who founded Fields & Futures, a foundation dedicated to giving students of public schools in Oklahoma City more chances to benefit from team experiences by increasing student participation in sports. McLaughlin and his wife started the foundation in 2012 with a mission to rebuild 44 athletic fields in the area and provide improved resources for the professional development of coaches.
Janae Haag, senior forward on the women’s basketball team, said the Sports Spectacular is a great chance to fundraise for OCU athletics and allow athletes to meet with coaches, staff, players, and other individuals who support the teams.
“With the help of the community, our varsity sports teams strive to be the best they can be,” Haag said. “Being a student athlete at OCU has been a rewarding experience, and it’s great to know that we have a large amount of love and support surrounding us.”
Individual tickets cost $125, and a table for eight people costs $750. RSVP by March 27 via okcu.edu/onlinegiving/sportsspectacular or call 405-208-5660 or 405-208-5309.
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