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From the beginning, the University of Dayton has been the driving force in making the NCAA First Four a premier event in the Dayton region.
UD — which holds the record for hosting the most tournament games of any site — has built massive support for the First Four event by creating a strong Local Organizing Committee and offering support at every level.
Those efforts have helped keep the event, which pumps $4.5 million into the local economy and provides valuable national exposure, in Dayton through at least 2018.
“The University of Dayton has a tradition of providing sound community leadership and during the past 10 years, university leaders stepped up to lead when this region needed it most,” said JP Nauseef, chair of the LOC. “In that same tradition, UD President Dr. Dan Curran and Athletic Director, Tim Wabler, embraced the committee’s vision from the start and were personally involved, adding the weight of the long standing “Flyer Tradition” behind the effort. And, they provided this support while quietly sponsoring many key initiatives required to get the Big Hoopla off the ground.”
Nauseef also said that, “Without the University’s long standing basketball tradition and the willingness of their leaders to embrace a bold vision, Dayton would not be in the position to capitalize on this opportunity.”
Tim Wabler, vice president and director of athletics for UD, spoke with the Dayton Business Journal about why it’s so important for the school to throw its muscle behind the First Four.
Q: What are some of the positive impacts on the region that you have seen from the First Four being in Dayton?
A: The First Four serves as a major showcase for the Dayton region, the business community and our University. It’s combination of civic pride, economic development opportunities and producing value for the entire region by capitalizing on the media attention for the region and the state of Ohio. The alignment of our community to the NCAA tournament provides tremendous value…
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