MORE STARS JOIN THE 2016 TRAVELERS CELEBRITY PRO-AM
HARTFORD, Conn., July 29, 2016 – The Travelers Championship today announced former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie; current and former UConn coaches Jim Calhoun, Kevin Ollie, Chris Dailey and Mike Cavanaugh; Dropkick Murphys lead singer Ken Casey; “The Voice” winner Javier Colon and renowned chef Ming Tsai have committed to play in the 2016 Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am on Wednesday, August 3, at TPC River Highlands.
Winner of the 1984 Heisman Trophy while at Boston College, Doug Flutie retired from the NFL in 2006 after 12 seasons. Over the course of his career, Flutie threw for 14,715 yards and 86 touchdowns while playing for the Bears, Patriots, Bills and Chargers. Flutie also played in the Canadian Football League for eight seasons and the USFL for one. He is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame and Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Flutie has appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” and is an analyst for NBC during Notre Dame football broadcasts.
Basketball Hall of Fame member Jim Calhoun won three NCAA titles and 625 games in 26 seasons as the UConn men’s basketball coach. Calhoun’s UConn teams played in the NCAA Tournament 18 times, winning national championships in 1999, 2004 and 2011. Calhoun spent 14 seasons as the head coach at Northeastern before joining UConn in 1986. He retired in 2012 with an overall record of 873-380.
Taking over at his alma mater in the 2012-13 season, UConn men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie led the Huskies to the 2014 NCAA Tournament title in just his second year as head coach. Ollie played for Jim Calhoun at UConn from 1991-95, then enjoyed a successful 13-year career in the NBA.
Chris Dailey is the associate head coach of the record-setting UConn women’s basketball team. She has helped the Huskies win 11 NCAA Tournament titles in her 31 seasons, six of which have come in the past eight years. Dailey has been an assistant coach at UConn under Geno Auriemma since 1985. Prior to that she played at Rutgers from 1978-82, and coached at Cornell and Rutgers.
UConn men’s hockey coach Mike Cavanaugh just completed his third season with the Huskies. In UConn’s inaugural 2014-15 season in Hockey East, Cavanaugh successfully led the program’s transition into arguably the toughest college hockey conference in the country, which included a 1-0 home win over No. 3 Boston College. The Huskies have advanced to the Hockey East playoffs the past two seasons.
Ken Casey, one of the founding members of the Dropkick Murphys, has played bass and been a lead vocalist for the Boston-area punk rock band since its inception in 1996. Casey, a Massachusetts native, can be heard on the group’s two most famous songs: “Tessie” and “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” both of which have become popular anthems for Boston sports fans. The Dropkick Murphys are working on their ninth studio album and are in the middle of a 20-year anniversary tour.
Connecticut native Javier Colon won the inaugural season of NBC’s “The Voice” in 2011, has released four albums, and frequently appears on the show as a guest judge. Colon’s first album, “Javier,” was released in 2003 and peaked at No. 18 on the U.S. R&B chart. His most recent album, released earlier this year, is called “Gravity,” which Soul Track called “More pop than soul, but what makes it consistently work in both realms is Javier Colon’s voice, still marvelously bright a dozen years after we first heard it.”
Celebrity chef Ming Tsai is the owner of two Boston-area restaurants — Blue Ginger and Blue Dragon. Emmy Award winner and author, Tsai hosts the PBS show “Simply Ming” and has written five cookbooks, including his latest, “Simply Ming in Your Kitchen.” Born in California, Tsai graduated from Yale University, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering and was an All-American squash player. Tsai will also be participating in the Travelers Championship Women’s Day on Thursday, August 4, where he will lead a cooking demonstration.
This group joins celebrities who have already committed to participate in the Travelers Celebrity Pro-Am, including actor Luke Wilson, actor and comedian Kevin Nealon, ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman, 10-time NBA All-Star Ray Allen, former Red Sox pitcher and World Series champion Tim Wakefield, actor Dane DeHaan and Pittsburgh Penguins center and Stanley Cup champion Nick Bonino.
The Travelers Championship will take place August 1–7 at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. Tickets are on sale at www.TravelersChampionship.com. This year’s field includes defending champion Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk, Branden Grace, Zach Johnson, Ernie Els, Louis Oosthuizen, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and others.
About the Travelers Championship
The Travelers Championship, held in Cromwell, Connecticut, is one of the premier events on the PGA TOUR and part of the FedExCup series. The tournament proudly supports the PGA TOUR’s Tradition of Giving Back by donating 100 percent of net proceeds to charities. Travelers, a leading provider of property and casualty insurance for home, auto and business, is the Official Property Casualty Insurance Provider of the PGA TOUR. The company became the tournament’s title sponsor in 2007. Travelers has been doing business in the community for more than 160 years and has been a corporate sponsor of this event each year since its inception in 1952. Complete details are available at www.TravelersChampionship.com.
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