Jan. 22, 2014

Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend Fact Sheet

DAVIS, Calif. - Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Awareness Weekend, a collaborative initiative of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society, will take place Jan. 23-26, 2014. Throughout the upcoming weekend, more than 4,000 high school and college men's basketball coaches, including Coach Les and his staff, will swap their dress shoes for sneakers with their usual game attire during Thursday's Big West Conference game against the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors to demonstrate their support for the American Cancer Society's efforts to finish the fight against cancer.

Hawai'i head coach Gib Arnold and his colleagues will also sport sneakers to show their support for this important cause.

College and high school coaches and teams who participate in Suits And Sneakers Awareness Weekend help the American Cancer Society save lives and fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. 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. The Society is 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.

This year, fans can get involved by visiting cancer.org/suitsandsneakers and joining the Final Four Challenge. Between now and the Final Four, coaches and fans are on a mission to raise $400,000 in the fight against cancer. Together, we can help the American Cancer Society do the most to help people fight cancer today, and lead the search for cancer's causes and cures.