March 01, 2006

Football fan appreciation dinner set for March 24

by Greg Scott

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Saluki football coach Jerry Kill and his graduating senior players will be special guests at a fan appreciation dinner on March 24 at the Great Boars of Fire Lodge in Cobden.

Activities begin with a 6 p.m. social, followed by dinner at 6:45 p.m. A program follows dinner. Alumni, students, friends and all Saluki fans are invited. The Union County Chapter of the SIU Alumni Association is hosting the event.

Kill has guided Southern to three consecutive NCAA Division I-AA playoff appearances. The Salukis defeated Eastern Illinois in the first round of the tournament this year, earning its first playoff victory since the storied 1983 National Championship season. Kill's graduating seniors represent his first recruiting class at Southern.

Cost to attend the dinner is $18 per Association member; non-members pay $20. Students pay just $14 per person. To make reservations, call the SIU Alumni Association at 618/453-2408 or log on to siualumni.com.

Building relationships among the University, its students and graduates is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint the University is following as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2019.