2020 Fred Barakat Sports Dinner Presented by The Carroll Companies Featuring Two-Time National Championship Football Coach Dabo Swinney Postponed Until 2021

2020 FRED BARAKAT SPORTS DINNER PRESENTED BY THE CARROLL COMPANIES FEATURING TWO-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL COACH DABO SWINNEY POSTPONED UNTIL 2021

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic currently gripping the United States, the 2020 Fred Barakat Sports Dinner presented by the Carroll Companies, originally scheduled for May 13, 2020, is postponed until 2021, the Greensboro Sports Council announced today.

Clemson University Football and two-time National Championship coach Dabo Swinney graciously postponed his appearance and will speak at the 2021 Fred Barakat Sports Dinner presented by the Carroll Companies benefitting the Matt Brown Learn-to-Swim Endowment. The event is now set for Monday, May 17, 2021 on the Greensboro Coliseum arena floor. Founded in 2008, The Fred Barakat Sports Dinner was renamed in 2011 in memory of the late associate commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Swinney led the Clemson Tigers to two of the last four College Football Playoff national championships taking the title in 2017 and ’19. The Tigers played in the National Championship game in four of the last five years. Swinney took over as the Clemson head coach during the 2008 season and never looked back winning 130 of his 161 games including 15 wins this past season for a .807 winning percentage.

Swinney’s appearance at the Fred Barakat Sports Dinner will raise funds for the Matt Brown Learn-to-Swim program which aims to teach every second-grade student in the Guilford County School System water-safety skills. Sixty-one percent of all children and 64 percent of African American children do not know how to swim; drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States.

“I’m looking forward to speaking in Greensboro next spring to help raise money for a great cause and remember the life of Fred Barakat who did so much for ACC Basketball,” Swinney said last fall. “I’ve heard a little about the Learn-to-Swim program this dinner benefits, and if my speaking at this event can help keep kids safe when they’re swimming, that’s a win for all of us!”

Swinney played on the University of Alabama’s 1992 national championship team. He became a graduate assistant coach before being promoted to the Crimson Tide receiver’s coach; he maintained that role from 1996-2001. He moved to Clemson as the receiver’s coach under Terry Bowden in 2003 before being named interim head coach during the 2008 season and head coach in 2009 when he led the team to an Orange Bowl victory and a top-10 final ranking.

“Dabo Swinney will be an outstanding keynote speaker at the Fred Barakat Sports Dinner,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford last fall. “This annual event continues to be one of great significance as it brings together the Greensboro community to celebrate Fred’s life and raise money for the Greensboro Aquatic Center’s Learn-to-Swim Program – a very worthy cause that benefits our entire city.”

During this event in 2017, the Greensboro Sports Council introduced the Matt Brown Learn-to-Swim Endowment which was created to help fund the Greensboro Aquatic Center’s Learn-to-Swim program. This vital effort aims to teach every second-grade student attending the Guilford County Schools how to swim at no expense to the family; the Learn-to-Swim program is privately funded.

Barakat joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1981 as the supervisor of men’s basketball officials. He was later named assistant commissioner and was then promoted to associate commissioner, director of men’s basketball. For 16 years he served as the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament director along with his other basketball responsibilities that included scheduling, managing the league’s television partners and officiating. He passed away in 2010.

The Fred Barakat Sports Dinner is open to the general public; corporate partnerships offering access to the VIP reception with Coach Swinney are currently being sold by the Greensboro Sports Council. Individual tickets are $125, tables of 10 are $1,000; for additional information, please visit: www.greensborosportscouncil.com or email the Greensboro Sports Council, greensborosportscouncil@greensborosportscouncil.com. For additional information on the Learn-to-Swim program, please visit www.greensboroaquaticcenter.com/learn-to-swim.

The Fred Barakat Sports Dinner highlights significant figures in or related to the Atlantic Coast Conference or one of its sports. Previous featured guests at the event are Duke University Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Syracuse University Men’s Basketball coach Jim Boeheim, former ACC commissioner Gene Corrigan, best-selling author John Feinstein, ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale, ESPN college basketball analyst and Duke alumnus Jay Bilas, CBS Sports college basketball analyst Clark Kellogg and former CBS Sports golf analyst Gary McCord.

The dinner occasionally features roundtable discussions such as “Legends of the ACC” with Duke’s Mike Gminski, North Carolina’s Phil Ford, NC State’s Derrick Whittenburg and Wake Forest’s Randolph Childress, “Coaches of the ACC” featuring Wake Forest’s Dave Odom, Maryland’s Gary Williams, Georgia Tech’s Bobby Cremins and NC State’s Les Robinson and a reunion of the 1974 NC State University NCAA National Championship team with David Thompson, Monte Towe, Tommy Burleson and assistant coach Eddie Biedenbach.

Founded in 1959, the Greensboro Sports Council is the official host organization for the Greensboro Coliseum Complex providing hospitality, resources and community interaction for events held at the Coliseum Complex.

The Sports Council supports sports events in Greensboro and Guilford County such as the ACC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, Wyndham Championship PGA TOUR event, U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the ACC Women’s and Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, various NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, the ACC Women’s Golf Tournament at Sedgefield Country Club, the United States Olympic Committee Table Tennis Olympic Trials, the ACC Baseball Tournament when applicable as well as any NCAA Championships hosted in the area.

In addition, the Council hosts the HAECO Invitational high school basketball tournament each December. Founded in 1976, this annual event donates its proceeds to charity and the participating schools each year.

Courtesy of Rob Goodman, 3-G Sports, LLC