INDIANAPOLIS -- Quinn Buckner, long-time analyst for Indiana Pacers' television games and one of only three men to win state high school, NCAA, NBA and Olympic basketball championships, will be the honoree at the 15th annual Masquerade on Friday, Oct. 21, at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.
The Masquerade is one of Indianapolis's signature fund-raising events. In its first 14 years, more than $10 million has been donated to the Simon Youth Foundation and the Pacers Foundation in support of education and mentoring programs for at-risk youth.
Perhaps best known in Indiana for his role as captain of the undefeated, 1976 Indiana University national champion Hoosiers, Buckner serves as Vice President of Communications for Pacers Sports & Entertainment in addition to serving alongside Chris Denari on Pacers' Fox Sports Indiana telecasts. Buckner also oversees all youth and high school basketball activities on behalf of PS&E.
He was inducted into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame last November.
Buckner is a former head coach of the Dallas Mavericks and played 10 seasons in the NBA, including 1983-84, when he was a member of Boston's NBA Championship team.
An IU graduate with a business degree, Buckner won four Big Ten Basketball championships and captained the '76 Hoosiers, voted the greatest team in the 75 years of the NCAA tournament. Buckner then captained the 1976 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic Basketball team. While in high school, he also captained two Illinois state championships teams.
Buckner's many civic and community activities have included serving on the boards of various charities, including the Indiana University Foundation, Big Ten Advisors Council, Center for Leadership Development, Pacers Foundation, YMCA, Community Health Network Foundation, USA Basketball, National Basketball Players Association, First Tee of Indianapolis, Indiana Youth Institute, Special Olympics of Indiana, Indianapolis Zoological Society, as well as being a member of Old National Bank Advisory Board.
Last year's Masquerade honoree was Indianapolis civic leader Jim Morris. Other past honorees include Larry Bird, Deborah J. Simon, Cindy Simon Skjodt, Tamika Catchings, Rick Fuson, Steve Stitle, Frank Hancock, Jeff Smulyan, the Hulman-George Family, Melvin Simon, Herbert Simon, Reggie Miller, Bobby "Slick" Leonard, Clark Kellogg and Donnie Walsh.
The Masquerade evening will begin with a reception, followed by the dinner, tribute and live music. Special guests will include the entire Indiana Pacers team and basketball staff as well as many of the past Masquerade honorees.
The Masquerade is made possible through the generous support of many local and national sponsors. PNC Bank will return as the event's title sponsor for the 15th year.
For ticket and sponsorship information, please contact Brandi Young at (317) 263-7694 or byoung@simon.com.
About Simon Youth Foundation:
Simon Youth Foundation, a 4-star rated Charity Navigator national nonprofit, exists to help at-risk students who are on the verge of dropping out of high school stay in school. Through 26 Simon Youth Academies in 12 states and Simon Youth Scholarships, SYF advocates, creates and initiates educational opportunities for students so they can start here and go anywhere. In partnership with local public schools, SYF has maintained a 90% graduation rate at its Academies since inception, graduated more than 13,000 students, and awarded more than $15 million in scholarships. Learn more at syf.org.
About Pacers Foundation:
Pacers Foundation encourages Indiana's youth to make winning life choices through contributions and community partnerships. Since its inception in 1994, the Pacers Foundation has provided more than $7 million to youth-serving Indiana agencies and has enabled thousands of youth to attend Pacers and Indiana Fever games through ticket donations. For more information, visit www.pacersfoundation.org.