Giving back
The Bulldog men’s basketball team’s championship run also shone a light on the program’s community and charitable efforts.
Social media applauded the squad’s visit to Sonia Sotomayor Elementary School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota during its Elite Eight appearance, as a part of the NCAA’s community engagement effort. Team members spent time with the students to share their insights about sports participation and character-building.
View images from the team’s visit to the school via Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/FerrisState/posts/10151008400859996/.
The championship run also put a spotlight on head coach Andy Bronkema’s beard, which became the subject of considerable social media attention (#fearthebeard) as well as stories in local and national media, including 9&10 News, the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, Fox17, MLive, the Pioneer, Sporting News, USA Today, WOOD TV and WZZM.
Men’s basketball head coach Andy Bronkema (left) had help from Dan Decator (right) to shave his beard in support of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy at the team’s championship rally on April 14.
Bronkema lets his beard grow at the start of each new season and shaves after a post-season loss. With its growing season extended through to the final round of play in 2018, Bronkema’s prodigious facial hair gained a national audience, and commenters speculated as to what the beard’s post-championship fate would be.
Bronkema had a very specific ending in mind for it—to shave it to raise $1,000 on GoFundMe for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, in honor of Rockford, Michigan native Mitchell Peterson, honorary team member and brother of current redshirt freshman wing Michael Peterson.
(Left to right) Michael Peterson and Mitchell Peterson, both of the Ferris State men’s basketball team, show the team’s championship trophy to Gov. Rick Snyder after Snyder’s Marshall Plan presentation at Ferris State on April 6.
Mitchell, who was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 1999, was signed to the Ferris State men’s basketball team in August 2017, after the 20th annual Mitchell’s Run, a PPMD fundraiser coordinated by Rockford-area group Team Mitchell. Despite the challenges of his fight with DMD, Mitchell has joined the team on the bench and been an inspiration to the entire program throughout the championship season.
Watch Ferris State men’s basketball sign Mitchell Peterson:
http://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/videos/20170820-hj8t7wiw.
Bronkema announced his intention to shave his beard at an April 20 championship celebration rally at Wink Arena. Almost immediately, the GoFundMe page exceeded its $1,000 goal. Michael enlisted some of his team members to join him in agreeing to shave their beards or heads if the effort raised $10,000 by deadline.
Read more about Bronkema’s fundraising effort at
http://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/releases/20180412e7t52f.
“I knew the original goal was $1,000,” Michael said. “When it started going up and up and up, I was like, ‘Coach Bronks, I mean, if you want to put a number on me and these guys shaving our heads, we’ll go for it.’”
“It was a no-brainer, for a cause like this, for Mitchell Peterson and the Peterson family,” said senior wing Noah King, who gave his beard to the cause.
In all, the effort raised more than its $10,000 target, and Bronkema, along with six members of the championship team, were shorn at the rally.
Watch video coverage of the rally at
http://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/videos/20180421-pf4ijvk9.
The following week, Bulldog men’s and women’s basketball teamed up with local Special Olympians for the 13th annual Heart-to-Heart, Hand-in-Hand Special Olympics Benefit game at Wink Arena, raising more than $3,000 for the Area 5 Special Olympics program.
Read more about the Special Olympics game at
http://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/releases/20180412fd9bjc.