March 31, 2006

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Dayton, Ohio - The Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is pleased to announce the honorees for its inaugural Dayton area Dinner of Champions, Thursday, April 27 at the Mandalay Banquet Center. Mike Kelly, University of Dayton Flyers Head Football Coach, will be presented with the Silver Hope Award for his outstanding leadership and service to the community. Bob Reed will receive the MS Award of Courage for his example in facing the day-to-day challenges of living with MS. Three former Flyer football players who played for Kelly will join the proceedings. Jon Husted, Ohio Speaker of the House, Colerain High School Head Football Coach Kerry Coombs and Springboro High School Head Football Coach Rodney Roberts will join together for a light-hearted roast of Coach Kelly. The event will be emceed by the "Voice of the Flyers," Larry Hansgen, morning host of News Talk 1290 WHIO.

Mike Kelly celebrates the very significant milestone this year of 25 years as head football coach of the UD Flyers. Among his other accomplishments, those 25 years have yielded him four appearances and one win (1989) in the national championship game. Kelly's career winning percentage of .827 is the best of any active coach who has been in the profession 20 years or more, and is the fifth-best-all-time (20 years or more experience). Kelly cemented his place among college coaching's giants during the 2002 season when he became the second-fastest coach in NCAA history to reach 200 wins. He made it in just 242 games--faster than Joe Paterno, faster than Bo Schembechler, faster than Woody Hayes and faster than Bear Bryant.

Nearly as impressive as his on-field accomplishments are accolades received for his skills as a teacher and embodiment of university principles. The University's past president, Brother Raymond L. Fitz, once said "I regard Mike Kelly as one of the best teachers the University of Dayton has." In February 2002, Kelly was awarded one of the annual Lackner Awards. The award is named for Brother Elmer Lackner, S.M., who served the University for 45 years. The recipients are chosen based on behavior congruent with the Catholic and Marianist identity of the University.

After spending fourteen years with a large, multi-disciplined architectural firm (two as Vice President of Design), Bob Reed co-founded Reed Doran Associates in 1988. His design philosophies and planning processes have led to numerous state and national project awards and recognition by several professional publications throughout his career.

In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Bob has served his community in a variety of roles, including as the member of the City of Dayton Landmarks Commission since 1981 and its chairperson since 1988. He was appointed by the National Park Program to serve as a representative to the National Park Committees and also serves as the architectural advisor to the City of Bellbrook's Old Village Review Board and on the Wright-Dunbar Village Review Team.

Reed has served the Ohio Valley of the National MS Society in a variety of capacities, including serving on its Board of Trustees since 1998 and as chairperson of the Government Relations Committee.

The Dinner of Champions is the premiere gala event of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. To honor many of America's most prestigious corporate leaders and companies, Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford founded the Dinner of Champions in 1972. Today, this fundraiser is one of the country's most celebrated and popular testimonial events in over 70 of the nation's largest communities.

The Dinner of Champions has honored many of America's foremost corporate leaders, such as Steve Hilton of the Hilton Corporation; Jerry Colangelo, owner of the Phoenix Suns; Jerry McMorris, owner of the Colorado Rockies and many others.

The Dayton Dinner of Champions is being co-chaired by Hansgen with Marty Grunder, President of Grunder Landscaping.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Most often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, its unpredictable symptoms can range from numbness and tingling in your extremities to paralysis and loss of vision. Nearly 400,000 Americans are currently living with the disease, and a new case is diagnosed every hour. Neither the cause or cure is known, but progress is being made in research to both beat the disease and improve treatments.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society supports more MS research, offers more services for people with MS, provides more professional education programs and furthers more MS advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. Locally, the Ohio Valley Chapter provides services and programs for nearly 5,000 people in our 27-county service area living with MS.

The Dayton Dinner of Champions will begin with a reception from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m., with dinner beginning at 7 p.m. Individual tickets are available for $125 and there are corporate table sponsorships available at various levels. For more information about the Dinner of Champions or to purchase a table or ticket, please contact the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at (513) 769-4400, 1-800-FIGHT-MS or visit our Web site at www.fightmstoday.org.