WVU coach Huggins competes in Infiniti Coaches Charity Challenge to benefit cancer research

West Virginia University men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins is looking to Mountaineer fans for their support to help him win $100,000 for the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment at the WVU Cancer Institute.

Huggins is one of 48 top college basketball coaches in the nation participating in the Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge. The program, sponsored by luxury automobile manufacturer Infiniti, in partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the NCAA, and ESPN, benefits the coaches’ favorite charities.

Infiniti will donate at least $1,000 to each participating coach and will award $100,000 to the coach who receives the most fan votes over a 10-week period that ends on March 10.

Fans can vote three times a day for their favorite coach. Fans can vote at www.espn.com/infiniti and can also vote across social media. For social media voting, fans can post images of themselves making a timeout gesture with the hashtags #Timeout2Vote and #CoachBobHuggins on Twitter and Instagram. All votes on social media will be collected and sent to ESPN for round totals. Following four rounds of voting, the coach who wins the grand prize will be announced on March 11 after voting ends.

This year’s Infiniti Challenge also includes a charity boost in which each charity has a chance to win additional money. During Round 1, Week 3 (from Jan. 15 to Jan. 22), any charity that is able to get 500 votes through social media will win an additional $500. During Round 2, Week 6 (from Feb. 5 to Feb. 12), any charity that is able to get 1,000 votes through social media will win an additional $1,000.

If Huggins wins the Infiniti Challenge, the prize money will go to the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment Fund he established at the Cancer Institute in memory of his mother who died in 2003 following a long battle with colon cancer. In keeping with Coach Huggins’ wishes, this fund supports clinical research, specifically providing access to cancer clinical trials at WVU Medicine affiliates for all West Virginians.

“Mountaineer fans are the greatest,” Huggins said. “But I want them to realize that this event isn’t a popularity contest. When they vote for me, they’ll be voting to find new and better treatments for cancer and bringing hope to those afflicted with the disease. Let’s show how supportive people in this great state are, and let’s win $100,000 for this great cause.”