DETROIT---Hundreds of people gathered at the General Motors Wintergarden at the 2009 Final Four Logo Marriott Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit this morning to get a first glimpse at the symbol identifying the city as the destination every NCAA Division I men’s basketball team hopes to reach throughout the 2008-09 season.
Lucius Vassar, the city’s chief administrative officer, and Rick Wagoner, chairman and CEO of General Motors, were joined by Tom O’Connor, the Director of Athletics at George Mason University and chair of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, and NCAA Executive Vice President Tom Jernstedt for the unveiling ceremony. Members of the Detroit Local Organizing Committee and members of the University of Detroit-Mercy, the host institution for the 2009 Final Four, were on hand, as were hundreds of GM employees and 110 selected students from Butzel elementary and middle schools.
Detroit will be hosting its first Final Four April 4 and 6, 2009 at Ford Field. The venue and city will also host the Midwest Regional for the 2008 championship, with games taking place March 28 and 30.
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