Central Michigan University
recreation, parks and leisure services administration faculty members Tim Otteman and Lori Irwin are 2018 inductees into the
Gus Macker Hall of Fame.
Irwin and Otteman created the undergraduate Gus Macker class,å RPL 333: Production of Festivals and Events. The course’s students learn the details of festival planning, and the “final exam” is producing the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament on CMU's campus.
Gus Macker founder and owner Scott McNeal is a 1979 CMU alum.
April 2018 marked the 10th year CMU has hosted the Gus Macker tournament and the ninth year for the course, which nearly 300 students have taken.
“Lori and I are extremely thrilled and humbled to be included in the Gus Macker Hall of Fame Class of 2018,” Otteman said. “To be recognized by a national organization that has not only had 45 years of success, but also one that is so rooted in community partnership and charity, is very fulfilling on every level.
“But the people who should get the credit are the 292 students who have planned, organized and executed the Gus Macker tournaments on CMU’s campus."