PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University men's basketball head coach, Ernie Kent, is one of 48 coaches trying to raise $100,000 for his charity of choice in this year's “Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge,” sponsored by Infiniti alongside the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the NCAA and ESPN.
Kent is representing Team Gleason which seeks to help patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) lead a purposeful and productive life through technology, equipment and extraordinary adventures while seeking to raise awareness of ALS and the efforts to cure it. Team Gleason was started by Steve Gleason and his friends and family. Gleason was a four-year letterwinner in both football and baseball during his time at Washington State (1995-99). He was diagnosed with ALS in 2011 and since that time he, along with his foundation, Team Gleason, has been a global leader in raising awareness and improving the lives of those affected by the disease.
The “Infinit Coaches' Charity Challenge” is in its fifth year and consists of 48 NCAA Division I men's basketball coaches representing charities and competing for fan votes in a four-round online bracket. Beginning Jan. 4, fans decide who the winner is over a four-round, 10-week period, casting votes at www.espn.com/infiniti.
The first round of voting takes place now through Jan. 24, with half (24) of the coaches advancing to the second round held between Jan. 25-Feb. 14. From Feb. 15-Feb. 28, the 16 advancing coaches from round two will compete in a third round where only four coaches advance to the fourth and final round. Feb. 29-March 13, fans can vote for one coach per day, with the top-voting coach and charity announced on March 13, 2016.
As an official corporate partner of the NCAA, Infiniti will make total donations throughout the competition of over $345,000. As coaches advance throughout the competition, donations will be awarded to each of their charities of choice; the farther they advance, the more money the coaches raise. The final winning coach will receive a total of $100,000 to benefit his charity of choice.
On the football field Gleason was a two-time team captain, garnered All-Pacific-10 Conference honors three times and finished his career with 282 tackles, ninth-most in school history. As a member of the baseball team Gleason served as team captain his senior year and his 12 career triples were tied for third when he left.
Academically Gleason was a four-time Pacific-10 All-Academic selection for football, including first-team honors his junior and senior seasons. As a senior he was also a GTE Academic All-District VIII First Team selection and received WSU's Beulah M. Blankenship Outstanding Student-Athlete award and the Student-Athlete Advisory Board Outstanding Senior Award.
Gleason went on to play in the NFL for seven seasons (2000-07), all with the New Orleans Saints. As a player he may be best remembered for blocking a punt that resulted in a touchdown in the Saints first game in New Orleans' in nearly 21 months following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.