Michigan State University Athletics
Izzo To Be Honored By National Italian American Foundation
10/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 23, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports from the National Italian American Foundation. The award will be presented at NIAF's 35th Anniversary Awards Gala in Washington, D.C., on Saturday (Oct. 23).
Honorees joining Izzo include Dott. Fulvio Conti, CEO of ENEL S.p.A.; Aurelio De Laurentiis, Italian film producer and president of the Naples Soccer Club; Christopher J. Nassetta, president & CEO of Hilton Worldwide; Dr. Thomas Scalea, physician-in-chief at the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center; and Joe Uva, president and CEO of Univision Communications, Inc.
Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor Danny DeVito and CNN Worldwide President Jim Walton will present awards during the gala. Giuliana DePandi Rancic, anchor and managing editor of E! News and star of the Style Network show "Giuliana & Bill," will serve as the evening's emcee.
Sports greats Yogi Berra, Tommy Lasorda, Mike Piazza and Daryle Lamonica will attend the gala. NIAF's convention will include a sports roundtable featuring ESPN's Sal Paolantonio and Tony Reali as well as Univision's Fernando Fiore.
Entering his 16th season, Izzo is a four-time National Coach of the Year. He's led MSU to the 2000 NCAA National Championship, six regular-season Big Ten Championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, six Final Fours and 13 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. With a career record of 364-146, he's the winningest coach in Michigan State history.
The NIAF gala is one of the premier annual events in the nation's capital, attracting more than 3,000 guests from the United States and Italy. NIAF is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage and culture of Americans of Italian descent.
