Dear CvC Friends, 

A sincere thank you to all those who once again made the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic so special this year. Led by Sanford Health , MGM Grand and coaches throughout the nation, the Classic team once again raised over $1 million to support the American Cancer Society

It’s critical the thank you’s and the dollar figures do not get stale. Together, we have created something unique in Las Vegas over the past 12 years. The real challenge is to not only sustain the event, but also keep finding ways to grow our support to fight cancer.
Below we showcase a few of the ways partners have been creative this past year to raise new funds and awareness for Coaches vs. Cancer .

Plans are already being made for Vegas 2020. We hope you are making your plans to join us as we keep battling this nasty disease. 

Lon Kruger
Oklahoma, Head Coach
Coaches vs. Cancer Council, Chair
Classic continues to deliver memories, results
Event surpasses $5 million donated to American Cancer Society
Three days. Over a million dollars raised. Countless laughs and smiles. And, most importantly, people from around the nation teaming together for one cause - to defeat cancer. 

The 12th Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic - presented by Sanford Health - will go down in the books as another success thanks to all involved. The donation total to the American Cancer Society during the event’s history surpassed the $5 million mark this year - including over $3 million net in the past three years alone.  
"The power of Coaches vs. Cancer was on full display in Las Vegas. Coaches, teaming together, using our platform to help others. It was a privilege to be a part of the event - not only with the other coaches, but also with all the sponsors, participants and volunteers."
Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska, Head Coach
"It was terrific to finally make it out to my first Las Vegas Golf Classic. Like many other coaches, I'd heard so much about the event and how well it represented the Coaches vs. Cancer effort. And it definitely delivered on those expectations. As great as the golf and venues were, the people were even better. There was just a special feeling of a team of people coming together to do something critical - fight cancer. I'm looking forward to being involved in the future."
Porter Moser, Loyola University Chicago, Head Coach
To all involved - thank you for the memories and for your generosity. See you next May. 
Big 12 representatives capture both gross crowns
Familiar names capture net titles
Two of the best-represented schools at the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic - Kansas State and Oklahoma - climbed to the top of the leaderboard as well. OU Sooner Stickmen ( Danny Heatly , Don Pettyjohn , Ron Clark , and Cobb Masters ) took home the Southern Highlands gross title while the Kansas State team of Bernie Haney , John Chandler , Nick Graham and Nolan Riley (pictured with Coach Kruger ) captured the Shadow Creek gross crown. 
Last year, the MGM group of Russ Cleveland , Alex Drake , Richard Walsh and Jud Kinne (Houston Baptist) captured a net title. Cleveland, Drake and Walsh were joined by Jermaine Thomas this year and defended their Shadow Creek net title. Meanwhile, Kinne teamed with Houston Baptist head coach Ron Cottrell , Reggie Theus and Michael McBride (pictured below) to win the net title in the Southern Highlands group. 
Additional winners from the Southern Highlands group: 

  • 2nd Place Net: Sun Life (Marc Warrington, Jerry Baker, Bud Hebert, Craig Mackin)

  • 2nd Place Gross: The UPS Store (Tom Englund, Jay Ship, Carl DiGennaro, JT The Brick)

  • 3rd Place Net: Xs & Os of Success (Dale Eeles, Dan Rush, Dan Lai, Mike Turner, Cody Castro - pictured below)
Additional winners from the Shadow Creek group: 

  • 2nd Place Net: McCormick (Chris McCormick, Matt McCormick, Greg Robertson, Rob Moore)

  • 2nd Place Gross: NextGen Cattle Co. (Matt Ewald, Shannon Kruger, Ron McHenry, Damon Thompson - pictured below)

  • 3rd Place Net: Hal Smith Restaurants (Alan Thrower, John Randolph, Mike Jones, Alex Brown)
Craig Seibert (playing in a group with Loyola’s Porter Moser and pictured below second from the left) claimed the event’s only hole-in-one (No. 12 on Southern Highlands).
NextGen Cattle's Thompson helps set tone for Classic
Additional Sunday night donation honored Terry (Kruger) O'Bryan
Derek Thompson has been a fixture with the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic. His NextGen Cattle Co. (and previously Advisors Excel ) is a top supporter of the event. He also played a leading part in helping to launch the first sponsorship program for the Classic six years ago.  
From left: Mel Kopf, Derek Thompson, Ed Thomas and then-Kansas State head coach Frank Martin in 2010.
So it came as no surprise when he told event organizers he wanted to do something special this year, under unique circumstances. This past February, Lon Kruger - founder of the Classic - lost his sister, Terry O’Bryan (both pictured with their brother Mike at the Classic in 2017), after she battled ALS. To honor Terry - and thank the Kruger family for all they do for Coaches vs. Cancer and others - Thompson and his wife, Christin , donated an additional $50K to the Classic. 

The announcement on Sunday night helped set a tone of giving for the event as additional donations were made throughout the Classic, including gifts of $20,000 from Patrick Kilkenny and $10,000 from Lisa Pierce .

A very special thank you to Derek Thompson for his commitment to making the Las Vegas Golf Classic what it is today.   
Growth of Classic coming from unique partner programs
Is there something you can add?
The Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic continues to grow as partners take ownership of being on the team throughout the year. From the Midwest to California, the team has been busy developing new programs this past year to fight cancer:
  • In early 2019, Hal Smith Restaurants collected donations at its restaurants in Oklahoma to support Coaches vs. Cancer and the building of an American Cancer Society HopeLodge facility in Oklahoma City. This year alone, they raised over $59,000 - and they are looking to build off that next year.

  • Comprehensive Cancer Centers teamed with Vegas Golden Knights center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare this past season on a promotional and public outreach partnership. But instead of collecting his marketing fee, Bellemare (pictured below with cancer survivors and patients of Comprehensive) said he wanted to donate the $20,000 to fight cancer and our teammates at Comprehensive Cancer Centers suggested the American Cancer Society, including the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic.
  • ESPN’s Sean Farnham (co-host of the Classic’s annual Party with a Purpose and pictured below with his son's club basketball team) - along with friends Russell White and Josh McGrath - hosted an inaugural youth/high school basketball tournament in California last year to support the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic. It raised over $13,000 in year one with plans for growth in year two and beyond.
If you have questions or ideas about a local program you or your company could launch to tie-in with the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic, please contact D.J. Allen at (702) 339-0991 or dj.allen@xsosofsuccess.com .
"Hole Hero" sponsors honor loved ones
  • Sanford Health

  • MGM Grand

  • Topgolf Las Vegas joining the fight against cancer
  • NextGen Cattle Co. in memory of Bryan Lindstrom

  • Nike Basketball Family in memory of Joy Lindquist

  • Top of the World in memory of Kathy Hill

  • The UPS Store in memory of Joe Yale and in honor of Barbara Frank

  • Comprehensive Cancer Centers in honor of our fighters, survivors and angels

  • Xs & Os of Success in memory of Keith Campbell and in honor of Larry Allen, Joanne Ship and Lee Kiamar
  • Dan Carvalho (Attorney at Law)

  • Dr. Anthony Cruse in memory of Lora Lee Cruse

  • Lon and Barb Kruger in memory of Don Kruger

  • The McGivern Family in honor of Sam Humphreys

  • Kyle and Kelly McGivern in honor of Sharon Lloyd

  • Ryan Papé in memory of Randy Papé - A Great Father (Go Ducks!)

  • Mark and Caroline Reaves in honor of Micki Amos

  • The McGraw Family in memory of Rick McGraw

  • The LaFontaine Family in memory of Jenny LaFontaine

  • CvC LV Golf Classic Family proud to honor Coach Clark and in memory of Peter Mindock and Ted Seagroves
  • Patrick Kilkenny

  • Lisa Pierce

  • Danny Heatly in honor of Dale Beckham and Charles Heatly

  • Crimson Energy in honor of Ruthie Turner

  • Empire Packing

  • James and Alice Worrall

  • Carl Gerlach

  • John Oldfield Jr.

  • Alexander Arato

  • Tyler and Nancy Anderson

  • Josh Francois
The Classic B2B Directory
Connect with your fellow Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic participants off the golf course and throughout the year. Click here to access The Classic B2B Directory.
A special thank you to our sponsors
Sponsorships for 2020 Classic available now
Interested in being involved in the 2020 Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic as a sponsor? Find out more by contacting D.J. Allen at  dj.allen@xsosofsuccess.com or (702) 339-0991.
Learn More
Have questions about the 13 th Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic? 
Contact Angela VanBrackle  with American Cancer Society at angela.vanbrackle@cancer.org or (702) 891-9021.
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You can always contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 1-800-227-2345 or at cancer.org/contactus .

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