March 16, 2011

2011 Coaches vs. cancer Golf Tournament Brochure

Bronx, N.Y. - Fordham University men's basketball coach Tom Pecora will serve as the chairman for the tenth annual Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Tournament on Monday, May 9th, at the Sands Point Golf Club in Sands Point, New York. All proceeds will benefit the American Cancer Society.

Registration and brunch begins at 11 a.m. followed by a 1 p.m. shotgun start. After the golf concludes, there will be a cocktail hour and dinner starting at 6 p.m.

This year's Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Tournament will honor Pete Gillen, legendary New York City Basketball Hall of Famer, and Anthony Bonomo, CEO of Administrators for The Professions, Inc.

A native of Brooklyn, Gillen, who currently serves as an analyst for the CBS College Sports Network, was a high school standout in basketball and baseball at Brooklyn Prep, and later attended and played basketball, and baseball at Fairfield University.

After graduating from college, Gillen accepted a teaching position at Holy Name grade school in Brooklyn and later returned to his alma mater, Brooklyn Prep, before taking over as head coach at Nazareth High School in 1973. Gillen's 30-year coaching career included stops as an assistant at Hawaii, Vermont, VMI, Villanova, and Notre Dame before Gillen received his first head coaching position at Xavier in 1985. He led the Musketeers for nine years, making the NCAA Tournament in eight of those years, while winning 202 games, the most for any Xavier head coach, before moving on to direct Providence College in 1995. He guided the Friars to the NIT in each of his first two years and then brought the team to the NCAA Elite 8 in 1997.

In 1998, Gillen was named head coach at Virginia and the Cavaliers appeared in one NCAA Tournament and four NITs under his tutelage.

In all, Gillen-led teams appeared in nine NCAA Tournaments and seven NITs in his 20 years as a head coach. While at Xavier, he was named Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year five times and he was one of 20 Division I men's basketball coaches who were finalists for the 2001 Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Award. Gillen was also named the 2001 Men's Basketball Coach of the Year in Virginia by the Richmond Times-Dispatch and was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Bonomo serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Administrators for the Professions, Inc., the insurance company management organization that operates, among others, Physicians' Reciprocal Insurers, the medical professional liability insurer for 10,000 New York doctors and more than 100 medical institutions, i.e., 30% of the New York market. He acquired AFP in 2006, having served as its President since 1995. He joined the company in 1986 as Assistant General Counsel, then Vice President for Legal and Legislative Affairs. Under Bonomo's direction, the companies have grown dramatically while creating and implementing national award-winning risk management programs for medical practices. A frequent featured speaker on medical malpractice issues and legislation, Anthony leads a staff of 300+ in Roslyn, Long Island, New York.

Bonomo holds B.A. and J.D. degrees from St. John's University, and has served as a Trustee of Hofstra University; former Commissioner, Long Island Power Authority; former Commissioner, New York State Parks Bureau, (L.I. Regions), and on the Boards of The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), the Association for the Help of Retarded Children and the Dante Foundation. He also founded the GAELS Foundation, which is dedicated to the development of youth through sports.

Previous honorees at the Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Tournament have included Lou Carnesecca (St. John's), Bobby Cremins (College of Charleston, Georgia Tech), Rollie Massimino (Stony Brook, Villanova), Bill Raftery (Seton Hall, ESPN), Nick Macarchuk (Fordham, Stony Brook), Jack Curran (Archbishop Molloy High School), Jack Powers (Manhattan, NIT), Eddie Corbett (NCAA official) and Ray Nash (Bishop Ford High School).

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. The proceeds from the Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Outing will be donated to the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge located on 32nd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in New York City. Hope Lodge offers free, temporary housing for cancer patients and their families who are undergoing treatment. More than a place to stay, Hope Lodge is a home away from home, offering a comfortable and supportive environment for encouragement and healing.

Fighting Cancer is hard. Finding help should not be.

For more information, contact Marie Cimaglia at the American Cancer Society at 631-300-3460 or marie.cimaglia@cancer.org.