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News Release

Last modified: Monday, September 27, 2010

Dick Enberg's 'COACH: The Untold Story of College Basketball Legend Al McGuire' coming to IU

Editors: Media availability for Dick Enberg and actor Cotter Smith is limited. To arrange interviews, please contact Cindy Miller, School of HPER, at 812-855-1354 or cynmmill@indiana.edu. A trailer for the play can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUwM3Odw1UY.

WHAT: COACH: The Untold Story of College Basketball Legend Al McGuire, presented by the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.
WHEN: Oct. 23, 3 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Ruth N. Halls Theater, 275 N. Jordan Ave., Bloomington.
TICKETS: Tickets cost $35 each or $15 with an IU student ID. They can be purchased at the IU Auditorium Box office, www.IUauditorium.com or by calling 812-855-1103.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 27, 2010

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- COACH, sportscaster Dick Enberg's one-man play about legendary Marquette basketball coach Al McGuire, will be presented Oct. 23 at Indiana University Bloomington, where Enberg, an IU alum, will host the two performances and engage with the audience after each show.

The play, Enberg's first, will be performed at 3 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in the Ruth N. Halls Theater, 275 N. Jordan Ave.

While most-recognized as a television sportscaster, McGuire also led the Marquette Warriors basketball team to a national championship in 1977. His outgoing personality and quick wit made him a colorful character to sports fans and people who knew him.

Enberg, renowned sportscaster and full-time play-by-play voice of the San Diego Padres, has won several Emmys for his work in television. In this personal and deeply moving tribute to a sports legend, Enberg's play shares his memories of his long-time colleague and close friend.

"Coach was the most unforgettable character I've ever met," he said. "There's no one in second place."

The play revisits McGuire's inimitable wit and wisdom, as he reminisces about his life from the streets of Queens to his days at Marquette and his travels as a sportscaster. Enberg's script depicts why the philosophy of this uncommonly funny and profound man had such an important and lasting impact on so many. McGuire was a leader on and off the court, and made a lasting impression on those who knew him best.

McGuire's final game was March 28, 1977, the NCAA championship game in Atlanta in which Marquette beat North Carolina, 67-59. After a second career as a sportscaster for NBC and CBS, he died Jan. 26, 2001, of a blood disorder at the age of 72.

Distinguished actor Cotter Smith will reprise his role as McGuire. Smith most recently starred in Broadway's Next Fall, which was nominated for two Tony Awards, won the Outer Critic's Circle Award for Best New American Play on Broadway, and also played a major role in HBO Films' You Don't Know Jack with Al Pacino, John Goodman, Oliver Platt and Susan Sarandon.

Smith's New York theater credits include the Broadway production of Wendy Wasserstein's An American Daughter, Lanford Wilson's Burn This and Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive, as well as 10 years as a member of the Circle Repertory Company. His numerous television and film credits range from his debut 25 years ago as Robert Kennedy in the mini-series Blood Feud to his more recent role as the president of the United States in the Twentieth Century Fox film X2: X-Men United.

Tickets are on sale through the IU Auditorium Box office (www.IUauditorium.com or by calling 855-1103). This show is presented by the IU School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. Tickets are $35 each or $15 with IU Student ID.

To speak with Enberg, please contact Cindy Miller, School of HPER, at 812-855-1354 or cynmmill@indiana.edu. Pre-event satellite interviews with Dick Enberg are based on availability. There is limited interview availability for Enberg and Smith following select performances.

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