Auburn women’s basketball fans, athletes wear pink for a good cause

Fans and athletes - even Aubie - attended the Auburn University women’s basketball game against South Carolina on Sunday wearing pink from head to toe.

Throughout Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, fans could be seen wearing pink shirts, shoes, caps, jackets and sweaters. Some fans were waving pink shakers and holding pink balloon dogs.

On the court, players on both teams wore pink T-shirts during their pregame warmups. During the game, Auburn players wore pink socks and headbands, and the AU coaches, including head coach Nell Fortner, sported pairs of pink high-top sneakers.

Their choice of what to wear wasn’t by accident. They were wearing pink to support the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association “Think Pink” 2008 weeklong campaign to raise global awareness of breast cancer.

Men were also proudly wearing shades of pink at the game.

Mike Knox and his 7-year-old son, Dakota, were in town visiting relatives. They decided to swing by the coliseum to catch the Auburn University women’s basketball game before heading home to Fairburn, Ga.

Mike Knox, an AU alumni, made sure he wore his pink oxford shirt to attend the game - his first women’s basketball game. “Because it’s a great cause,” he said. “I think it’s great.”

Wendy May wore a pink sweater and her 5-year-old son, Hunter, had on a pink button-down shirt. “It’s just an important cause that everybody needs to be aware about,” she said.

Auburn University band members and mascot Aubie wore pink Auburn women’s basketball T-shirts. Aubie’s shirt also had a large pink ribbon - the universal symbol of breast cancer awareness.

The starting lineup for the Auburn team tossed out more pink T-shirts to the crowd as they took the court.

Auburn resident and AU fan, Sarah McMillian, attended the basketball game decked out from head to toe in pink earrings, lipstick, shirt, socks, shoes and a hat. Her mother, Mabel Staggers, daughter,
Rebecca, 17, and niece, Harmony, 9, were also wearing pink.

For many people, including McMillian and several of the Auburn players, more than just a pastel color was on their minds during the Think Pink campaign.

“It’s a good cause to show our support for the people who have cancer,” said McMillian, who has lost two friends to breast cancer in the past two years.

ALFA Insurance donated $1 for each of the 3,206 fans who attended Sunday’s game. The donations will go toward the Susan G. Koman for the Cure, an organization dedicated to raising awareness and
finding a cure for breast cancer.

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