On Sunday the stars will be out at the brand new Lonnie Poole Golf Course on N.C. State’s Centennial Campus for the 16th annual Jimmy V Classic . In addition to the main event, several other events will comprise this special week such as tomorrow night’s Wine & Dine event at the convention center ( tix ), the cancer research symposium (Saturday, free), and the black tie Gala featuring Lyle Lovett and his Large Band on Saturday night ( tix ).

The Big Event

Sunday’s main event begins with a shotgun start at 9:30am. Tickets are only $5 thru Ticketmaster . Fans will need to park on Centennial Campus in the designated parking deck on Varsity Drive, and take a shore ride on the shuttle bus to the course. From the classic’s site:

There is no public parking at the golf course. Spectator parking is available in several lots on Centennial Campus. For those entering from Varsity Drive, take the 2nd right off Varsity to the parking deck adjacent to the Venture buildings. For those entering from Loop Rd. via Centennial Parkway, take Main Campus Drive to Varsity; then left on Varsity; then left onto Partners Way to the parking deck there. Satellite lots will be available if the main lots fill. Look for the signs to help guide you. For reference, the following lots are our primary spectator parking lots:

• Lot A : Venture parking deck, between Varsity Dr. and Research Drive
• Lot E1 : Monteith Research parking deck, at the corner of Main Campus Drive and Campus Shore Drive
• Lot V1 : Partners Way parking deck, on Partners Way off Varsity Drive

Celebrities

The classic this year has many familiar faces as well as some extremely interesting lesser-known celebs. Here is the current list:

• Bates Battaglia (Former NHL, Carolina Hurricanes)
• Tim Brando (CBS Sports Announcer)
• Rod Brind’Amour (NHL, Carolina Hurricanes)
• Kimberlin Brown (Shelia Carter, "The Young and The Restless")
• M.L. Carr (Retired NBA, Boston Celtics)
• Rick Cerone (Retired MLB, NY Yankees and Boston Red Sox)
• Erik Cole (NHL, Carolina Hurricanes)
• Joe Corvo (NHL, Carolina Hurricanes)
• Bobby Cremins (Head Coach, College of Charleston’s Men’s Basketball)
• Paul DiMeo (ABC’s "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition")
• Dakoda Dowd (16-year-old Golf Prodigy)
• Todd Eldredge (U.S. Figure Skater)
• Jack Ford (Co-anchor, "Banfield & Ford: Courtside"; on tru TV)
• John Forslund (TV Play-By-Play Announcer, Carolina Hurricanes)
• Terry Gannon (Commentator, ABC Sports and ESPN)
• Bill Goldberg (Retired WWE Wrestler, Host of Spike TV’s "Bullrun")
• Seth Greenberg (Head Coach, Virginia Tech Basketball )
• Chris Harrison (Host of ABC’s "The Bachelor")
• Gregory Harrison (Actor, Producer, Director)
• Dennis Haskins (Mr. Belding, "Saved by the Bell")
• Dennis Haysbert (Jonas Blane, ‘The Unit’)
• Gregory Itzin (Virgil Minelli, "The Mentalist")
• Chad LaRose (NHL, Carolina Hurricanes)
• Matthew Laurance (Former Duke Radio Analyst)
• Ewa Laurance (ESPN Billiards Analyst / Former World Champion)
• Mitch Laurance (Host, "On The Green Golf Video Magazine")
• Meat Loaf (Recording Artist)
• Sidney Lowe (Head Coach, NC State Men’s Basketball)
• David Mobley (Long Drive Champion)
• Tom Penders (Head Coach, University of Houston Basketball)
• Jeff Ruland (Former Head Coach, Iona College Basketball)
• Stefanie Schaeffer (Season Six Winner of The Apprentice)
• Stuart Scott (ESPN SportsCenter / Studio Host)
• Howard M. Stevens, Jr. (Retired NFL, Baltimore Colts)
• Bob Valvano (ESPN Radio Host/Former College Basketball Coach)
• Dennis Walters (Host, "The Dennis Walters Golf Show", The Golf Channel)
• Bucky Waters (Former Head Coach, Duke Men’s Basketball)
• Garo Yepremian (Retired NFL, Miami Dolphins)

Donate

Whether you can or cannot make the event, you still can make a difference. We still have a long way to go with cancer research, and more funding is needed. Anything you can do to help may save a loved-one’s life. The V Foundation’s site has more information on how you can help .

Don’t Give Up, Don’t Ever Give Up

When I held up the bumper sticker featuring this phrase from the second row behind the UNC bench at a game in 1993 and Phil Ford gave me a thumbs up, I knew it was the beginning of something big. Soon after, Jimmy V’s ESPY speech would become an important part of his legacy; a speech that time will never erode. It takes just over 11 minutes to watch, but it lives with you much longer (just be sure to have the tissues handy).