USA TODAY Sports Launches Ferris® Mowers Men's Basketball Coaches Poll
Ferris® Mowers becomes first entitlement sponsor of long-standing poll with National Association of Basketball Coaches
MCLEAN, Va. -- January 04, 2021 -- USA TODAY Sports today launched the 2021 Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll in conjunction with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). For over 25 years, USA TODAY Sports has partnered with the NABC to produce a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams. The 2021 poll will be sponsored during the season by Ferris Mowers, a leading commercial and industrial turf care equipment provider, and part of the Briggs & Stratton family of brands.
The Ferris Mowers Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the men’s college basketball regular season. A panel of NABC-member Division I head coaches representing each of the 32 Division I conferences votes on the poll each week. The rankings will be published by USA TODAY Sports online on Mondays and in print on Tuesdays, reaching an audience of more than 60 million sports fans.
Additionally, as part of its entitlement sponsorship, Ferris Mowers will also receive the naming rights of the Ferris Mowers NABC National Championship Trophy, which will be presented to the Division I men’s basketball team that finishes first in the final poll of the season in April.
“The Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll is the most authentic measure in college basketball, with the DI coaches themselves ranking the top teams in the nation, and USA TODAY Sports has proudly managed to support the poll for decades,” said Chris Pirrone, General Manager, USA TODAY Sports Media Group. “We are excited to have Ferris Mowers join as the entitlement sponsor of the Coaches Poll and the Coaches Trophy, and to create exciting events that bring the trophy to the best college basketball towns across America.”
“Each season, college basketball’s best teams are recognized through our weekly Coaches Poll and the presentation of the prestigious NABC National Championship Trophy,” said Craig Robinson, Executive Director, National Association of Basketball Coaches. “We are excited to partner with Ferris Mowers to amplify the poll and trophy, and in doing so, further celebrate the accomplishments of our game’s coaches and student-athletes.”
“College basketball has become such a phenomenon over the years and engages fans across the country of all ages and backgrounds and being a part of the Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll and NABC National Championship Trophy is an important opportunity for Ferris,” said Harold Redman, president of the Turf and Consumer Products Group at Briggs & Stratton. “Our distributors, dealers and customers can take pride knowing that the Ferris brand is associated with such a high-profile and exciting property.”
For more information on the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, click here.
Media Contact:
Stephanie Tackach
SR Director, Corporate Communications
stackach@gannett.com
About the National Association of Basketball Coaches
Located in Kansas City, Mo., the NABC was founded in 1927 by Forrest “Phog” Allen, the legendary basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Allen, a student of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, organized coaches into this collective group to serve as Guardians of the Game. The NABC currently has nearly 5,000 members consisting primarily of university and college men’s basketball coaches. All members of the NABC are expected to uphold the core values of being a Guardian of the Game by bringing attention to the positive aspects of the sport of basketball and the role coaches play in the academic and athletic lives of today’s student-athletes. The four core values of being a Guardian of the Game are advocacy, leadership, service and education. Additional information about the NABC and its programs and membership can be found at www.nabc.com.
About USA TODAY Sports Media Group
The USA TODAY Sports Media Group encompasses all sports initiatives across USA TODAY Sports and Gannett's more than 250 well-known local media brands. It includes the popular social news hub For The Win, and vertical sports sites Golfweek, MMAJunkie.com, NFL and NBA team wire sites, and leading high school sports destination USA TODAY High School Sports, among others. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc.
About Briggs & Stratton, LLC
Briggs & Stratton, LLC, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is focused on providing power to get work done and make people’s lives better. Briggs & Stratton is the world’s largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment, and is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of commercial lithium-ion batteries, power generation, pressure washer, lawn and garden, turf care and job site products through its Briggs & Stratton®, Simplicity®, Snapper®, Ferris®, Vanguard®, Allmand®, Billy Goat®, Murray®, Branco® and Victa® brands. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced in over 100 countries on six continents. For additional information, please visit www.basco.com and www.briggsandstratton.com.