GREENSBORO, N.C. – Duke University men’s basketball and USA Olympic basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will be the honored guest and keynote speaker at the fifth annual Fred Barakat Sports Dinner, it was announced today. The annual Greensboro Sports Dinner, presented by the Greensboro Sports Council, was renamed in 2010 in memory of Fred Barakat, the late associate commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

This year’s event is set for Tuesday, April 17 on the Greensboro Coliseum arena floor.

The winningest coach in college basketball history, Krzyzewski has led the Duke University men’s basketball team for more than three decades. In addition to his four National Championships (1991, ’92, 2001 and ’10), Krzyzewski has 12 National Coach of the Year Honors, 11 Final Four appearances among 27 NCAA Tournament bids, 12 ACC regular-season championships and 13 ACC Tournament championships. He has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference coach of the year five times. After winning his third National Championship in 2001, Krzyzewski was named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

“It is a privilege to have been chosen as the keynote speaker for this event named after a dear friend of mine, the late Fred Barakat,” said Krzyzewski. “Even after his passing, Fred’s impact on the ACC and the sport of college basketball is still felt today. The Greensboro Sports Council always runs a first-class event, and April 17 will be no different. The city of Greensboro has been the site of so many outstanding moments for Duke Basketball, which will make the night even more special.”

Krzyzewski is also the coach of the United States National Basketball Team. In his first term as the Team USA Coach, Krzyzewski guided the team to the Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Coach K also led the United States to a gold medal in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship. Krzyzewski will coach Team USA again this summer when the Olympic Games are contested in London.

“Fred Barakat was instrumental in starting this annual sports dinner featuring prominent sports figures,” Fred Barakat Sports Dinner chairman Richard Beard said. “We are so fortunate to have Fred’s close friend, Coach K, join us for this year’s event despite his extremely busy schedule. Fred loved Greensboro and the Greensboro Coliseum; he was active in the Greensboro Sports Council so it was only fitting to continue his legacy in our community by naming this event in his memory. That someone such as Mike Krzyzewski would take time out of his schedule to join us for this event is a testament to what Fred Barakat meant to college basketball.”

Barakat joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1981 as the supervisor of men’s basketball officials. He was later named assistant commissioner and was then promoted to associate commissioner, director of men’s basketball. For 16 years he served as the ACC tournament director along with his other basketball responsibilities that included scheduling, managing the league’s television partners and officiating. He passed away in 2010.

The Fred Barakat Sports Dinner highlights significant figures in or related to the Atlantic Coast Conference or one of its sports. Former ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan was the event’s inaugural guest in 2008. ESPN college basketball analyst and Duke Alumnus Jay Bilas followed in 2009 while CBS Sports college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg was the 2010 guest. ESPN College basketball analyst Dick Vitale was last year’s guest.
Founded in 1959, the Greensboro Sports Council is a support group for the Greensboro Coliseum Complex providing hospitality, resources and community interaction for events held in the Coliseum Complex. In recent years, the Sports Council has expanded its traditional role to support sports events in Greensboro and Guilford County such as the Wyndham Championship PGA TOUR event, US Figure Skating Championships, the ACC Women’s Golf Tournament at Sedgefield Country Club, the ACC Baseball Tournament when applicable and any NCAA Championships hosted in the area. The Greensboro Sports Council is also involved with the national swimming and diving championship events scheduled in the Greensboro Aquatics Center later this year.

In addition, the Council hosts the Pizza Hut Invitational presented by NewBridge Bank high school basketball tournament. This annual event donates its proceeds to charity and the participating schools each year.

The Fred Barakat Sports Dinner is the Sports Council’s only major fundraising event; proceeds from the dinner help offset expenses associated with hosting the many events supported by the Sports Council each year. The Greensboro Sports Council thanks event sponsors the Wyndham Championship, Premier Commercial Bank, Senn Dunn Insurance and Auto Owners Insurance for underwriting the 2012 event as well as in-kind sponsor, the Greensboro News & Record. The Fred Barakat Sports Dinner is open to the general public; individual tickets, $75, and tables of 10, $750, are available for purchase through the Greensboro Sports Commission at (336) 378-4499.

Contact: Rob Goodman, 3-G Sports, LLC
Office: (336) 299-4321
E-mail: rob@3-gsports.com