Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Wade Barker Freshman Maryann Baker, sophomore Damitria Buchanan, sophomore Katrina Limbaha and freshman Sydney Colson model the 'Beat he Hell Outta Breast Cancer' shirts that will be sold at the women's basketball game on Sunday. The shirts will cost $5 each. [Click to enlarge]

Five dollars. It won't buy a combo meal at McDonalds or a large pizza from most pizza parlors around town, and it certainly won't be enough to make a girlfriend happy on Valentine's Day. For women's basketball Head Coach Gary Blair, however, his five dollars might help find a cure for breast cancer.

At the women's basketball game this Sunday against Texas Tech, Blair pledges to donate five dollars to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's cancer fund for every A&M student who attends the game.

"I'm gonna donate $5 for every student that attends the game, it's that simple," Blair said. "I hope it's the whole 4,200 [maximum student capacity in Reed.] I'll have to borrow a little money from my banker if that's the case. We need those students to come to show that we can beat the hell outta cancer. That's more important than Oklahoma State [against the Aggie men on Saturday] or Texas Tech, I promise you. Games are just games, but cancer is a real-life situation. We want to do our part to help out.

"It's a very special opportunity for students to make an impact by being a part of honoring a Hall of Fame coach and helping to promote breast cancer awareness," Blair said in a press release from the athletic department.

The donations will be in

concordance with the "Think Pink" initiative, a two-week campaign from Feb. 8-17, to raise breast cancer awareness in women's basketball, on campuses and in communities. Schools across the country have chosen games during the campaign to "Pink Out" and raise awareness.

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