Men's Basketball National Championship Teams to be Honored

St. Louis, Mo., Sept. 15, 2009 – The 2008 and 2009 Washington University in St. Louis NCAA Division III National Championship men’s basketball team will be honored at “The First Class” enshrinement celebration presented by The St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, held Wednesday, Nov. 18, at the Millennium Hotel in downtown St. Louis. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., with the induction ceremony set to begin at 8 p.m.

Head coach Mark Edwards, the 2008 and 2009 Division III National Coach of the Year, will accept The Hall of Fame Award of Champions honor on behalf of the team.

Edwards and the Bears joined an illustrious group of teams who have won back-to-back NCAA Division III National Championships: North Park University (1978-80), University of Wisconsin-Platteville (1998-99) and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (2004-05).

Edwards guided Washington U. to a school-record 29-2 overall mark and the 2009 National Championship with a 61-52 victory over Richard Stockton College on March 21, in Salem, Va. In 2007-08, Edwards led WU to its first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship with a 90-68 win over defending national championship Amherst College.

The Charter Members of the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Class include: Stan Musial, Jackie Joyner Kersee, Larry Wilson, Bernie Federko, Bob Goalby, Harry Keough, Jack Buck, Jimmy Connors, Yogi Berra, Whitey Herzog, Dick Weber, Red Schoendienst, Lou Brock, Ed Macauley, Bob Gibson, Dan Dierdorf, Bob Petit, Ozzie Smith, Jackie Smith and Roger Wehrli.

For ticket information, call (314) 650-1202, or visit the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Web site: http://www.busyeventxp.com/slshof. Tickets are $125 for an individual, or $1000 for a table of 10.