Red Smith Banquet tomorrow

The Red Smith Banquet is a a big event in Appleton. It is tomorrow night and there is plenty happening.

A little background is at this Post-Crescent story

Local talent procures Red Smith talent

APPLETON - When Mike Reese first joined the Red Smith Banquet committee in 1985, one of the first questions late chairman Danny Ornstein asked was "Who do you know?"

Not to buy tickets, mind you, but someone of significance in the sporting world that would be willing to come to Wisconsin in the dead of winter and speak before a crowd of 1,600 people.

Not an easy task.

Well it just so happened Reese’s son, Bret, had attended a couple of former legendary DePaul basketball coach Ray Meyer’s camps in Three Lakes. Reese had gotten to know Meyer a little bit and decided what the heck. He asked, Meyer accepted and appropriately enough was given the Nice Guy Award in ’85.

Granted procuring talent for the Red Smith Banquet is normally not that happenstance, but it’s a formidable task for Reese, who in his role as banquet chairman is charged with the task of identifying, selecting and recruiting three award winners and speakers every year.

"It’s the most difficult job and it’s the most pressure-filled," said committee member Joe Ornstein, son of Danny, who has a first-hand knowledge of the experience.

"Without the big three, you don’t have much of a banquet. It’s trying."

What is the banquet for?

Acquiring high-profile talent is just part of the banquet’s duty, as it goes hand-in-hand with its original mission of raising money to help support local youth sports organizations and has raised nearly $600,000. In addition, $9,000 in scholarships is awarded annually to area student-athletes.

"Our limits are predicated on the commitments we’ve made to these youth organizations and that money comes out of the proceeds from the banquet," said Reese. "So we have to cover the largest cost, which is the (1,585) meals. The next largest cost is the speakers and then miscellaneous costs.

Who are the big three this year?

Former UW-Stevens Point basketball coach Jack Bennett
Former Green Bay Packer Gilbert Brown
College Baseketball Analyst Bill Raferty
Former UW-Stevens Point head basketball coach Jack Bennett, former Packer Gilbert Brown, and current ESPN/CBS basketball analyst Bill Rafferty will be