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HONOLULU – December 21, 2008 – Chaminade University announced its first ever intercollegiate athletics gala will be held on Friday, February 6, 2009. As the first inductee into the Silversword Hall of Fame, legendary basketball Coach Merv Lopes will be honored at the event. Lopes led Chaminade to its historic 1982 victory over the University of Virginia.
The gala will also feature NFL Hall of Fame awardee and former Cincinnati Bengal, Anthony Muñoz, as key note speaker. Athletes from Chaminade will also be on hand.
This new event, to be held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village at 6:30 p.m. that evening, will support Chaminade’s Athletic Department and student-athletes through funding for athletic programs, scholarships, equipment and travel opportunities.
“We are delighted that our student athletes will benefit from this event, as will the ten individual Division II programs in which we compete,” stated Acting President Bro. Bernard Ploeger. “Through the gala, the Maui Invitational and other events, Chaminade’s visibility has increased and we believe that athletics is also a key recruitment tool for the university.”
Earlier this year, Chaminade announced the hiring of its first full time Athletics Director, Bill Villa. At last month’s Maui Invitational, the Silverswords came within two points of beating the Indiana Hoosiers. This year’s Invitational marked the 25th anniversary of the premier pre-season tournament.
For information regarding the Intercollegiate Athletics gala, or Chaminade’s booster club, see www.goswords.com.
Celebrating more than 50 years of educating students for life, service and successful careers, Chaminade University offers programs of study grounded in the liberal arts with day, evening, online and accelerated courses. The main campus is located in Kaimuki with ten satellite locations around Oahu military bases and Catholic schools. Chaminade is a federally recognized Native Hawaiian serving institution. For more information, visit the Chaminade web site at www.chaminade.edu or call (808) 735-4711.
