NCAA Coaches Join Advocates on Capitol Hill

Today, five current and former NCAA Division I basketball coaches cheered on hundreds of volunteers as they prepared to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill. As part of a sendoff rally during the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s (ACS CAN) Leadership Summit and Lobby Day, the coaches shared their personal stories to motivate and energize nearly 700 cancer advocates.

Leading the rally were NCAA coaches John Gallagher of the University of Hartford, Jeff Jones of Old Dominion University, Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State University, Steve Donahue of the University of Pennsylvania and former NCAA and NBA coach and national sports commentator P.J. Carlesimo. The coaches are members of Coaches vs. Cancer®, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

During the rally, the coaches shared their personal connections to cancer and talked why they support ACS CAN advocates in making an impact in the fight against the disease in their communities. 

“People thank the coaches for coming here, but it’s really you guys, the volunteers, that deserve the round of applause for what you’re about to do today.” – Coach Carlesimo

"We need to have a sense of purpose, and that purpose should be that we need to fight this disease.”
– Coach Gallagher 

“My message today is that we’re all in this together. We’re fighting cancer with persistence, positive thinking and love.” – Coach Jones

“I’m just in awe of all of you and what you do for the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. What you do – the energy, the enthusiasm and everything that you accomplish – is amazing.” – Coach Donahue

“I want to echo what all the other coaches have said and just thank you all. Federal research for cancer is so important, and we can’t wait to talk to our representatives about it today on Capitol Hill.” – Coach Holtmann

Afterwards, the coaches joined volunteers from their states in legislative meetings on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to make the fight against cancer a top national priority. 

On behalf of all of us at ACS CAN, I want to thank Coach Gallagher, Coach Jones, Coach Donahue, Coach Holtmann and Coach Carlesimo for taking time out of their busy schedules to join our volunteers as cancer advocates here in Washington, D.C. We’re so glad to have them as partners in this fight.

Best of luck in this upcoming season!