UIW Represents as a Proud Co-Host Institution for the NCAA Men’s Final Four
This past weekend, the city of San Antonio erupted into exuberant celebration as tens of thousands of people gathered for the much-anticipated 2025 NCAA Men’s Final Four. Throughout the city, a multitude of events were hosted for college basketball fans, leading to the final games.
The University of the Incarnate Word was proud to be part of this year’s Men’s Final Four as a co-host institution.
UIW’s involvement in the Men’s Final Four began well before April. The San Antonio Local Organizing Committee, San Antonio Sports and organizations throughout the city came together to showcase the best of San Antonio for the millions who watched the games and ensure an exceptional experience for the 150,000 who attended.
In October, Dr. Evans proudly represented UIW as the organizations hosted a luncheon with NCAA Sr. Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt, University of North Carolina Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham, Georgetown Athletic Director Lee Reed and members of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee.
The Final Four Fan Bus made its appearance on the Broadway campus in December 2024 at the 38th Annual Light the Way, allowing attendees to test their skills shooting free throws as the campus twinkled with thousands of lights.
Festivities continued after the new year. In early January, Dr. Evans represented our University at a “Read to the Final Four” event that championed literacy in local elementary school students. Inspired by the Men’s Final Four, elementary schools who reported the highest number of minutes read by their students advanced to the next bracket until a champion was named.
On Tuesday, Jan. 28, San Antonio revealed the 2025 NCAA Men’s Final Four fan experiences and community events, allowing locals and beyond to get a glimpse at what they could expect April 4-7. UIW’s cheer team and mascot Red the Cardinal joined the unveiling by excitedly welcoming guests, igniting a collective sense of enthusiasm to prepare them for the upcoming basketball spectacular.
On Friday, April 4, as a co-host institution for the Men’s Final Four, UIW received a $10,000 donation from LG Electronic USA that will help to bolster local NAMI on campus clubs and expand mental health support for UIW students. Dr. Kevin Milligan, director of Behavioral Health Services, accepted the donation from Chris Jung, CEO of LG Electronics North America, and Dan Gillison, Jr., CEO of NAMI.
“We're so grateful for LG's commitment to mental health,” said Dr. Kevin Milligan, Director of Behavioral Health Services at UIW. “This will help us create a more supportive campus community and bring greater awareness to mental health and the resources available to students.”
April 4 also marked the conclusion of the Read to the Final Four program, a tournament-style competition that allowed participating schools to read for the chance to win fun prizes, free books and a library makeover (finalfoursanantonio.com/read). According to the Final Four team, this year’s competition had more than 26,000 third grade students from 306 elementary schools who read more than 27 million minutes. Ultimately it was W.Z. "Doc" Burke Elementary School that was crowned the 2025 Reading Champion.
Saturday, April 5 marked both the first day of the Final Four’s games and an exciting opportunity for UIW’s student choir Cardinal Chorale. CBS Sports invited Cardinal Chorale to be featured in video coverage for the Final Four event. In the video, a montage of various participating Final Four athletes was played as UIW student singers performed their rendition of “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield in the background. Each member wore big smiles across their faces as their voices harmonized, proud to showcase their talents and to be a part of the city’s celebration.
“I am so proud of the UIW Cardinal Chorale students!” expressed William “Bill” Gokelman, director of Cardinal Chorale. “Through two and a half hours of fairly intense filming, they handled themselves perfectly – were cooperative with the CBS crew, professional, had tons of energy and a positive spirit, and showed UIW in a good light. It was really interesting to go through the process of filming for television and I think everyone had a great experience. Of course, it was an immense honor to be featured on the video. Definitely a feather in the cap of UIW Music!”
UIW was present at multiple related events including the Final Four River Rally where President Evans and UIW Athletics Director Richard Duran joined local dignitaries like Mayor Ron Nirenberg, Pat Frost, chair of the San Antonio Local Organizing Committee, Jenny Carnes, president and CEO of San Antonio Sports, as they floated along the Riverwalk with the Final Four trophy on display.
Red the Cardinal also made an appearance as he walked alongside young basketball-enthusiasts as they dribbled through downtown San Antonio. Red jubilantly flapped his wings as he cheered on local children who demonstrated their own athleticism before their community.
The Final Four festivities wouldn’t have been complete without the rest of the Incarnate Word family, though. The Office of Alumni Relations, Division of Development and University Relations and UIW Athletics invited alumni and friends to witness the Final Four games at the Alamodome by providing shuttle services to the games. Cardinals, Crusaders and friends represented UIW and their favorite participating Final Four basketball team, cheering at the opening and championship games.
"I am immensely proud of the role that UIW played as a co-host institution for the NCAA Men’s Final Four Championship. We helped create a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere for fans from across the nation, embodied the spirit of San Antonio and represented our University proudly," said Evans. "My deep gratitude goes out to the UIW Cardinals, alumni, faculty and staff who helped make this year's Men’s Final Four one to remember. Thank you for showcasing the very best of our institution and our city."
