The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Rick Barnes Golf Classic benefitting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
08.12.2009 | Men's Basketball
Aug. 12, 2009
AUSTIN, Texas -- During any conversation with Texas Basketball coach Rick Barnes, it's not uncommon for him to supply both the questions and the answers.
"You know Rick. He's always got a million ideas running around in there," said Dan Ahearn, former Assistant AD/Basketball Operations at Texas whose relationship with the Texas coach goes back to Barnes' stint at Providence in the early 1990s.
Ahearn is now the tournament director for the Rick Barnes Golf Classic benefitting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and he's tapped into Barnes' constant curiosity as a resource. The tournament will feature a double-shotgun start on Monday, Sept. 21 at the University of Texas Golf Club. New for this year, the Pre-Tournament Celebration, featuring Cory Morrow and his band, will be on Friday, Sept. 18 at the UT Golf Club in conjunction with the Texas-Texas Tech Football Tailgate Party.
"You have to credit that to Rick. He started asking last year how we could make that happen," Ahearn said. "It's really all about bringing the message to a whole new group of people."
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation ranks among the most efficient health organizations in the country. More than 90 cents of every dollar donated goes to research and care centers, including the Dell Children's Hospital of Austin and the Scott & White Hospital.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited, life-threatening disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. The patient population in Texas is estimated at more than 1,300.
And while there is no cure for CF, there have been huge strides made in treatment for the disease. In 1955, people born with CF were not expected to live long enough to attend elementary school. Today, the predicted median age of survival is 37 years.
According to Amie Holland, special events manager with the Austin-area Cystic Fibrosis Foundation chapter, the Rick Barnes Golf Classic is one of the most successful fundraising events in the nation. Ahearn says the tournament has raised more than $100,000 in each of the past three years.
That's a huge stride from the $10,000 the event raised nine years ago, when Barnes first started his association with the event.
"We have great local community support for the tournament and are grateful for Coach Barnes' continuous involvement," Holland said.
For more information about CF or the tournament, please contact Lindsey Cox at lcox@cff.org or 512-338-1744, or simply click here.
