The Story
Uncle Dino is a proud alumnus of the other Harvard of the South—North Carolina State University—where he earned his accounting degree and a lifetime supply of Wolfpack pride. Former NC State Head Coach Jim Valvano made those years unforgettable, capped by the legendary NC State Wolfpack victory over the University of Houston’s “Phi Slama Jamma” for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Uncle Dino is Tom Kelly, an AI and Cloud Computing enthusiast who believes office pools are fun—but turning that fun into real impact is even better. He has been running this pool since 1986, starting with stone tablets, then paper, then an IBM PC (a very dark period in Uncle Dino's life), then a Mac, and finally finding a permanent home in the Cloud with help from his friends at PickHoops. PickHoops was founded by a Virginia Tech graduate (a lapse in judgment Uncle Dino graciously overlooks), but as any wise founder knows, bring in NC State grads and your venture can really take off. In the early days, the pool was purely about prize money. Over time, Uncle Dino realized an NCAA Tournament pool could be more than paying out 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Known for his rugged good looks, vision, and brilliance (he is an NC State grad, after all), he decided in 2010 to run the pool entirely for the benefit of The V Foundation and its mission to fund research to find cures for and eradicate cancer. Now, everyone can be a winner. The V Foundation was founded by former NC State Head Coach Jim Valvano. His unforgettable ESPY speech has inspired millions to get involved and to never give up. After being diagnosed with cancer at 46, Coach V dreamed of finding cures for cancer and, like any great coach, recruited a team of family and friends to carry the fight forward. Each year, Uncle Dino will enthusiastically praise those who prove themselves worthy and mercilessly ridicule those who do not, after each full round. You can sample past glory and shame in Uncle Dino Dishes. Thanks for playing—and for your DONATION to The V Foundation. |
The Rules to Enter and Play
This year, Uncle Dino is asking that you make a minimum DONATION of $10 for each entry. Enter as many brackets as you like (but please DONATE $10 for each entry). Please remember to number multiple entries - for example, if your name is John Smith you could use the naming convention John Smith #1 for your first bracket, then John Smith #2 for your second bracket and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on, and so on.... All donations are made directly by you to benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research. Bracket entry starts Sunday, March 15th at 11:00pm EDT. Bracket entry closes Thursday, March 19th at 12:17pm EDT. Be sure to get your brackets in early. Points are awarded as follows:
STEP 1: Be a V Foundation teammate, click on Jimmy V to make your tax deductible DONATION to The V Foundation 
STEP 2: Click the Pick Hoops logo to Submit your Picks 
Doing Something vs. Doing Nothing... This pool is about doing something. Cancer touches the lives of far too many people, and while there are many worthy causes, this is Uncle Dino’s way of stepping up for those directly or indirectly affected by this disease. He is humbled and honored by your willingness to join this annual effort. THANK YOU. |
