Mike Tomlin to Keynote NC Central Basketball Tip-Off Banquet in First Fall Away From the Sideline

Durham, North Carolina, Sept. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proceeds from the Sept. 30 fundraiser support a Durham program competing against schools
with many times its resources.

DURHAM, N.C. — For the first time in 19 years, Mike Tomlin will spend a fall Sunday in front of a camera instead of on an NFL sideline. He will spend the last Wednesday in September in
Durham. Tomlin will deliver the keynote address at the 2026 NC Central Men's Basketball Tip-Off Banquet on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Research Triangle Park. The banquet is the annual fundraiser for North Carolina Central University men's basketball.

Proceeds are routed through the NCCU Foundation and fund equipment, travel, facilities, and
the academic and leadership development of student-athletes. Individual tickets are $125.
Corporate tables range from $1,500 to $10,000.

Tomlin stepped down in January after 19 seasons as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers,
having never posted a losing record. He won Super Bowl XLIII at 36, the youngest head coach ever to do it, and left as one of the most quoted voices on leadership in American sport. This season he joins NBC's Football Night in America as a studio analyst. He has said his teams decided to live in their hopes rather than their fears and take the risk that comes with winning. Central is a program built the same way, in a market that funds the safe bet.

Tomlin is coming to shine a light on a program that has earned one. The Eagles fill
McDougald-McLendon Arena and chase the same NCAA Tournament berths as programs with
several times the money. What they do not have is the corporate base that lines up behind the
schools an hour in either direction. That gap is what one night in September pushes against.
Their head coach has built his career on what Tomlin is known for: developing people who last
long after the game. The City of Raleigh renamed a park for LeVelle Moton — not a court, not a gym, a park, in the city that raised him, while he was still coaching. Now the program's all-time wins leader at his alma mater, Moton has spent his career working to break cycles of
intergenerational poverty, connecting alumni, city leaders, business partners, players and
coaches to turn ideas into programs that change lives.

"I'm truly honored that someone so accomplished and a sure First Ballot Hall of Famer has
blessed us with his presence for the night. I'm grateful for our friendship and even more grateful that our university will benefit from his presence," said Moton. Individual tickets are $125 and are available now at https://www.nccutipoff.com/. Corporate tables and sponsorships range from $1,500 to $10,000 and are available by contacting
events@walkwest.com.

ABOUT THE EVENT
Event: 2026 NC Central Men's Basketball Tip-Off Banquet
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Research Triangle Park
Keynote Speaker: Mike Tomlin
Host: Coach LeVelle Moton, NCCU Men's Basketball
Benefiting: NCCU Men's Basketball, via the NCCU Foundation
Tickets: $125 — https://www.nccutipoff.com/
Corporate tables and sponsorships: $1,500–$10,000 — events@walkwest.com

ABOUT NCCU MEN'S BASKETBALL
North Carolina Central University has been building leaders since 1910. The Eagles compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and carry a national championship banner from the
program's Division II era. Under head coach LeVelle Moton, the program's all-time wins leader, NCCU has won four MEAC tournament titles, each carrying an NCAA Tournament berth, and is known nationally for toughness, discipline and pride. Its work extends past the court into academic support, leadership development and community engagement across Durham and the Triangle. Champions on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. Eagle Pride, Worldwide.

MEDIA CONTACT
Angella Perez
Walk West
aperez@walkwest.com

Contact Info

Angella Perez
aperez@walkwest.com