The TCU men¹s basketball program will celebrate the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign with a tip-off banquet on October 12th at the Dee J. Kelly Alumni Center with special guest former TCU standout and current University of Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon.
The TCU men¹s basketball tip-off banquet will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m. in the Dee J. Kelly Alumni Center followed by speaking arrangements by Dixon as well as head coach Jim Christian. The cost for the tip-off banquet
will be $35 per person or $240 for a table ofeight attendees.
A 2007 inductee into the TCU Lettermen¹s Association Hall of Fame Dixon was a standout for the Frogs from 1984-87 where he helped guide the Purple and White to a pair of Southwest Conference Championships under legendary head coach Jim Killingsworth. In his final two seasons at TCU Dixon led the Frogs to a 46-16 overall record with a 26-6 mark in Southwest Conference action and an appearance in the 1987 NCAA Tournament.
Known for his memorable shots Dixon connected on a 30-foot shot as time
expired to give TCU a 55-54 victory over the University of Texas at the
Daniel-Meyer Coliseum allowing the Purple and White to claim a share of the
1986 Southwest Conference Championship. The former standout is also
remembered for TCU¹s 95-82 victory over sixth-ranked University of Oklahoma
in the Championship Game of the All-College Classic where he posted a
game-high 28 points on 8-of-9 shooting including 4-of-5 from behind the
three-point line on December 27th, 1986.
Two decades removed from the TCU program Dixon is entering his fifth
season as head coach over the nationally-ranked University of Pittsburgh
men¹s basketball team. During his tenure with the Panthers Dixon has
recorded a 132-40 overall record and became the first coach in Pitt history
to record four consecutive 20-win campaigns. Dixon has guided the Panthers
to a pair of Sweet Sixteen appearances and is only one of nine coaches to
win over 100 games during the first four seasons of their careers.
After six stellar seasons at Kent State Christian begins his first season
as the leader of the Frogs¹ men¹s basketball program. A two-time
Mid-American Coach of the Year Christian led the Golden Flashes to six
consecutive 20-win seasons and five NCAA post-season appearances. During his
tenure with the Golden Flashes Christian recorded a 138-58 overall record
while finishing with the highest winning percentage (.704) in Mid-American
Conference history.
This season Christian will take over a program that finished with a 14-16
overall record during the 2007-08 campaign that includes four returning
lettermen to go along with eight newcomers to the Purple and White. The
Frogs are slated to open the 2008-09 campaign at the Charleston Classic
against Western Michigan on November 14th.
For more information on the TCU men¹s basketball tip-off banquet please
contact (817) 257-7968 or (817) 257-6783.