OU Athletics to host inaugural Legacy Dinner

While there are many terrific events scheduled all around campus during Alumni weekend in early October, one highlighted event prior will be the OU Athletic Department's first "Legacy Dinner" on Saturday, September 27.

This will be a memory-making opportunity for all former varsity athletes to meet and mingle from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Oakland Center Ballrooms with a happy hour, silent auction and dinner. All proceeds from the event will directly support OU Swimming and Diving.

Those interested in attending can register for the event online or contact Callie Simpson at [email protected] or by calling (248) 370-3118.

This year's Legacy Dinner also marks the homestretch in a fundraising effort to rename the OU Aquatic Center in honor of legendary OU coach Pete Hovland. The effort launched after Coach Hovland's retirement in May 2023 with a $1 million goal. Reaching this goal will allow the athletic department to honor his incredible impact and contribution to the university, celebrate his much-loved sport of swimming and diving, and ensure the program's successful continuation in shaping future championship athletes.

Those interested in helping OU reach the finish line may contribute to the endowment effort by contacting Samantha Nelson, director of Philanthropy for Oakland University Athletics, at [email protected] or calling (248) 370-3305.

Athletic Director Steve Waterfield said of Coach Hovland, "Pete had unprecedented coaching success spanning more than four decades and our renaming effort is a testament to a man who gave more than half his life to our university, the athletic department and the swimming and diving programs at Oakland."

Waterfield also invites the entire community to come out this year and cheer on the Golden Grizzlies as they strive for Horizon League success. The fall sports calendar for all Oakland University teams is posted online.