Head coach Bobby Lutz will speak about former 49er Charles Hayward, Friday Night at the Leukemia and Lymphona Society's Man & Woman of the Year Celebration. |
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Lutz Honorary Chair of Friday's Leukemia and Lymphona Society Event
June 12, 2007
Halton Arena - Charlotte 49ers head men's basketball coach Bobby Lutz, who is the Honorary Chair of The Leukemia and Lymphona Society's Man & Woman of the Year Campaign will be speak at the 2007 Man & Woman of the Year Grand Finale celebration. The gala event will be Friday, June 15 at the Wachovia Atrium and will include dinner, dancing, a silent auction and the awards presentation.
Lutz will be speaking about the importance of blood cancer research as well as his personal relationship with former men's basketball player Charles Hayward, who passed away in 1999 after being diagnosed with Leukemia prior to his freshman season in 1997. Hayward fought his Leukemia into remission to realize his goal of playing collegiate basketball, participating in 10 games in the fall semester of 1998, before the disease returned later in December of that year. He passed away Sept. 12, 1999. His jersey was retired three days later.
Lutz, who recently finished second at the 8th Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Invitational at Pinehurst Resort and Golf Club, is also participating in the American Cancer Society's Swing Fore a Cure Golf Tournament at Longview, June 18.
"There are so many worthy causes and I am honored to play a small part in various events," Lutz said. "The fight against cancer is of particular interest to me because two of my high school mentors at Bandys (High School), Bill Bost and Mike Matheson, lost their lives to cancer. Obviously, I and many others were touched and moved by Charles Hayward's battle with leukemia here at Charlotte. If my presence can raise awareness and increase funding to assist in finding a cure for these diseases that impact so many, then I am thrilled to be involved."
Each of the last two summer's Lutz participated in The Defense Department's "Operation Hardwood - Hoops With the Troops" at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. In what Lutz himself described as "a life-changing experience", he participated in Operation Hardwood I (August, 2005) & II (May, 2006) and is one of 25 coaches among the Operation Hardwood alumni. He, Jay Bilas, Mark Gottfried, Tom Izzo, Dave Odom, Kelvin Sampson, Ed Conroy, Jim Crews and Reggie Minton have each participated in two of the four Operation Hardwood programs. In 2004, Lutz participated in NASCAR's Elliott Sadler's "Hoops for Hope" Charity Basketball Game.
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Did you know?: Lutz was named a Carolinas' Father of the Year by the National Father's Day Council in 2002. This past spring, he honored his eldest daughter, Natalie, at the 49ers' Senior Day. Natalie was completing her senior year at Central Cabarrus High School.
