Rose chasing $100,000 for American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer program

BYU baskeball coach Dave Rose is running in an election that has nothing to do with a debt ceiling, but everything to do with creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays. 

Coach Rose wants to win the fan vote in the 2013 ESPN/Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge so he can donate the $100,000 purse to American Cancer Society Coaches vs. Cancer program. Rose is competing against 47 other coaches from around the country to win the coveted prize for their respective charities. Fans are able to vote once per day now through Feb. 27, 2013, at www.espn.com/infiniti. The coaches receiving the most votes in each region will then advance to the Final Four. Rose advanced to the Final Four of the Charity Challenge last year and this year believes he can make it all the way to the top to claim the $100,000 for Coaches vs. Cancer. The fight against cancer is personal for Rose, as he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer in 2009 and came out a survivor.

 "Coaches vs. Cancer is actively working to support cancer research and help those that are suffering from this terrible disease,“ Rose said. “Join me in supporting this great organization by voting in the Coaches' Charity Challenge every day this month. I'm grateful for our wonderful fans that have been voting and hope many more will get involved."

Coaches vs. Cancer 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 basketball coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities and advocacy programs. Coaches vs. Cancer provides critical mission outreach, while raising funds in support of the Society’s mission to help people stay well, get well, find cures and fight back.

The American Cancer Society and the NABC adopted this concept in 1993, and transformed it into a nationwide effort to unite coaches across the country in the common mission to provide help and hope to all people facing cancer. Today, more than 2,000 NCAA Division I, II and III college coaches are involved in the program. Coaches vs. Cancer has raised nearly $85 million since its inception to support the American Cancer Society’s life-saving mission to eliminate cancer as a life-threatening disease. Additionally, more than 100 high school coaches also participate in the program.

“Coach Rose has taken on this $100,000 challenge, and we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him to claim it for American Cancer Society Coaches vs. Cancer,” says Pam Higginson, American Cancer Society Vice President, Hope Lodge Salt Lake City. “His enthusiastic spirit is contagious on and off the basketball court, and we are so proud to have him as a winning leader in our Coaches vs. Cancer program.”    

Voting Timeline

• Regional voting 1/14/13 through 2/27/13
• Final Four voting 2/27/13 through 3/10/13
• Winner announced 3/11/13

How Fans can Vote

• Visit espn.com/infiniti
• Login using your ESPN.com account and if you don’t have one register at www.espn.com
• Click on the West region, select Coach Rose and cast your vote
• Return to espn.com/infiniti and vote every day until Feb. 27

Coach Rose is included in the West Region and will be competing against the following coaches for a spot in the Final Four: Larry Brown (SMU), Mark Few (Gonzaga), Ben Howalnd (UCLA), Sean Miller (Arizona), Lorenzo Romar (Washington), Bill Self (Kansas), Johnny Dawkins (Stanford), Steve Fisher (San Diego State) Lon Kruger (Oklahoma), Dave Rice (UNLV) and Bruce Weber (Kansas State).