Breakfast at the ballpark

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For all those UVU students or faculty who may only attend one sporting event during their time as a Wolverine, this Saturday’s should be that event.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and UVU Athletics will be hosting Breakfast at the Ballpark on April 23 from 10:30-11:45 a.m. at Brent Brown Ballpark.

Adults can purchase breakfast for five dollars per person and four dollars for children under 12. All proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association in Clay Anderson’s name, who passed away due to heart complications earlier this year.

On Thursday, Jan. 20, Anderson was playing basketball at an LDS stake center when he collapsed with a massive heart attack. For those who knew Anderson, this was shocking since he was a very healthy and active 55 year-old. In fact, Anderson had been the fitness for life professor at UVU for several years and had also coached UVSC, Southern Utah University and Timpanogos High School basketball teams during his career.

Anderson was taken by ambulance to Timpanogos Hospital, where doctors administered an angiogram in order to diagnose the problem. They found that his heart was not only missing an artery, but also that he had three blocked arteries.

“When Clay Anderson passed earlier this year, it really affected a lot of people on campus,” said Cory Judd of UVU’s Athletics Compliance and Academic Advising. “Our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee wanted to do something in remembrance of him and to honor him. This is truly a wonderful chance to come out and remember Clay, support our Wolverines, and donate to a great cause.”

Breakfast will include pancakes, sausage, eggs, hash-browns, drinks and an opportunity to reflect on the legacy Anderson left at our campus. Most current Wolverine athletes will be there to help and assist during the breakfast as well as stay and support the men’s baseball and women’s softball teams, who will play after the breakfast.

Attendees can also stick around to watch the double header, with the baseball team playing Chicago State at 12 p.m., and the softball team playing Northern Colorado at 2 p.m. Fans and supporters can bring two cans of food for the food drive that will also be going on, with all proceeds being donated to the Utah Food bank. Fans who do so will get into the sporting events for free.

This is a great opportunity to support UVU Athletics, but more importantly, it’s an opportunity to pay tribute to Anderson, who promoted health and fitness as a coach, professor and friend.