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The star of a certain red-carpet event on Saturday was definitely the strong and silent type.
Standing 9 feet tall and capable of bearing 375 pounds, the ladder that the winning coach will ascend to snip the net when March Madness comes to an end was unveiled at a private party for past winning coaches and select invited guests.
“Only 47 men have climbed the ladder and cut down the nets,” said Rick Jones, CEO of FishBait Marketing, an agency that works with the NCAA, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and other sports organizations. “Twenty-three of them have passed away. A couple of them are a little busy today.”
Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim and Louisville’s Rick Pitino, whose teams came to town for the Final Four, couldn’t make it, but John Calipari, Jim Calhoun, Gary Williams, Tom Izzo, Tubby Smith, Bill Self, Denny Crum, Jim Harrick, Lute Olson, Rollie Massimino, Steve Fisher and Roy Williams stopped by. There was time for a few photos and some autographs, and then the coaches were hustled off to another, even more exclusive event.
The ladder similar to the one each of the champs has climbed in years past was a custom job that took four weeks to build, explained Chris Filardi, senior vice president of marketing for Werner Co., the Pennsylvania company tasked with creating the piece.
“We make 20,000 ladders a day,” Filardi said. “This is handmade.”
This ladder, made of fiberglass, travels by truck and got to town last week. Once the final game is over, Filardi will be watching closely to ensure it’s set up correctly and perfectly positioned under the net.
“We have a ladder handler,” he noted.
The reception was among the unique Final Four festivities at the Atlanta Hilton on Saturday. Earlier, Juli Boeheim, wife of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, and Cindy Fox, wife of UGA basketball coach Mark Fox, joined TLC star Lori Allen for the annual Coaches vs. Cancer charity luncheon and boutique shopping event. HLN’s Robin Meade emceed the fundraiser, which benefited the American Cancer Society.
“I am frazzled. I won’t lie about that,” Juli Boeheim said. Her chief responsibility this weekend: coordinating family members’ tickets. She seemed relieved to focus for a few moments on charity.
“The platform coaches have is unbelievable,” she said. “It’s a joy and a blessing.”
Allen, star of TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta” and “Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids,” is a cancer survivor.
“Next week marks my 1-year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis,” she said. “Sure, the crazy brides and their mamas who come into my store bring a lot of drama, but I can handle it. After cancer, I can face anything.”
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