On February 5, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, Kangaroo Express invites fans to meet Bob Harris and score a point for Duke in the Battle for Bean Street by purchasing a Blue Devil cup of Bean Street Coffee. The first 40 attendees [image-nocss] will receive a free autographed copy of Harris' most recent book, How Sweet It Is!, which takes an autobiographical look at the history of Duke sports for the last 35 years. Additional copies of his book will be available for purchase.
The book signing will take place at a Kangaroo Express store in Durham, N.C. Fans will have an opportunity to meet Harris on the red carpet, take photos and have their Duke coffee cups and any other memorabilia autographed.
The event coincides with the Duke men's basketball game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Cameron Indoor Stadium later that evening. Harris has been the primary sportscaster for Duke football and basketball for the past 35 seasons. His distinctive voice has become synonymous with monumental moments in Duke sports history and now, for this worthwhile cause, he is calling for the support of the Cameron Crazies.
"I want to see every Duke fan out at the Kangaroo Express drinking from Duke battle cups and helping to triumph over our arch rivals UNC and NC State to win the Battle for Bean Street!" said Harris.
If Duke wins the Battle for Bean Street, the $20,000 grand prize donation will go to the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI), one of only 40 centers in the country designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a "comprehensive cancer center" that combines cutting-edge research with compassionate care.
"Throughout my career, I have had the privileged opportunity to meet some of the biggest names in college and professional sports, each one being the experience of a lifetime," added Harris. "But I can honestly tell you that not one of those individuals is as strong or as inspirational as the patients that the Duke Cancer Institute treats every day."
Harris' career has included 11 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Fours, nine championship game appearances and four national titles. Harris has twice been honored as NSSA North Carolina's "Sportscaster of the Year" and has also received the Robert Marlowe and Ray Reeve awards for sports broadcasting. His greatest athletic accomplishment remains his 2006 induction into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
How Sweet It Is! recounts stories that give readers a glimpse into a world of working with some of the most talented individuals in college and professional sports. Included in each book is an 80-minute audio CD of Harris's favorite moments in sports including interviews with Muhammad Ali, coverage of national championships and the historic play-by-play of Christian Laettner's buzzer beater in Duke's victory over the University of Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional showdown of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
The Battle for Bean Street is a competition between rival "Triangle"-area ACC universities: the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University and Duke University. Fans can purchase special university-branded Bean Street Coffee cups at Triangle-area Kangaroo Express locations. For every branded cup bought, the respective university will receive a point towards its team's total. The university with the most branded cups tallied by April 1, 2011, will earn a donation of $20,000 toward the charity of its choice.
Headquartered in Cary, N.C., The Pantry is the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern United States and one of the largest independently operated convenience store chains in the country. As of December 6, 2010, the company operated 1,672 c-stores in 13 states under select banners, including Kangaroo Express, its primary operating banner. The Pantry's stores offer a broad selection of merchandise, as well as gasoline and other ancillary services.
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