New Orleans to Host Back to Back Final Fours!

NCAA INDIANAPOLIS - A process that Division I Men's Basketball Committee Chair and Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive indicated was as grueling and competitive as selecting teams for the men's basketball championship concluded Wednesday with the announcement of the following host cities for the 2012-16 Men's Final Fours:

March 31/April 2, 2012, New Orleans, LA, Louisiana Superdome
April 6/8, 2013, Atlanta, GA, Georgia Dome
April 5/7, 2014, North Texas (Arlington/ Dallas/ Fort Worth), Cowboys Stadium
April 4/6, 2015, Indianapolis, IN, Lucas Oil Stadium
April 2/4, 2016, Houston, TX, Reliant Stadium

The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee has also chosen five future Women's Final Four sites for the years 2012-2016.

The Women's Final Four sites are:
            2012 - Denver. Mountain West Conference, host.
            2013 - New Orleans. University of New Orleans, host.
            2014 - Nashville. Ohio Valley Conference, host.
            2015 - Tampa Bay. University of South Florida, host.
            2016 - Indianapolis. Butler University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and Horizon League, hosts.

"The women's basketball committee invested a tremendous amount of time and effort in the Women's Final Four site selection process," said Jacki Silar, chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee and associate director of athletics at Duke University. "It was a very difficult and important decision and it was the committee's charge to determine which of the cities would best serve as future host sites for the pinnacle of women's basketball - the Women's Final Four."

IronMan 70.3

Ironman is pleased to announce that New Orleans will play host to one of nearly 30 Ironman 70.3 events in 2009. The event takes place on Sunday, April 5, 2009, where a course of 70.3 miles will take athletes on a scenic tour through the historic city of New Orleans. Registration for Ironman 70.3 New Orleans will open on November 13, 2007, at www.ironmanneworleans.com. A total of 50 qualifying slots to the Ironman World Championship 70.3 in Clearwater, FL will be up for grabs at this event.

BASS RETURNS TO THE BIG EASY

The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, present today at a media luncheon for the 2008 Bassmaster Classic in Greenville, South Carolina, announced the upcoming return of the championship event to New Orleans in 2011. Bayou Segnette will once again serve as the launch site for what many refer to as the Super Bowl of fishing. The New Orleans Arena will host ESPN's national broadcast of the weigh in ceremonies, with its increasingly popular fanfare and elaborate production elements. Simultaneously, Bass will open the doors to the adjacent Louisiana Superdome for the 150,000 plus square foot Outdoors Expo. All events will be free to the public, and the entire weekend is expected to bring an economic impact in excess of 20 million dollars, coupled with the significant national media exposure that BASS and ESPN bring to the event.