Week of Champions kicks off with exciting events on campus

The campus community will show its spirit during the annual Week of Champions at Oakland University.

This five-day extravaganza will kick off on Monday, Oct. 10, with a countdown to “The Madnezz” featuring the Detroit Pistons Drumline, along with OU founder Matilda Wilson’s 128th birthday bash from noon-1 p.m. in the Oakland Center Pioneer Food Court.

Festivities will continue with a WOCOU showcase, “Out to Lunch,” with Steve Blackwood, CAS ’78. Blackwood, a recipient of the Matilda Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theatre, is featured in the new movie "Machine Gun Preacher" and has starred in other movies and television shows, including long-running NBC staple “Days of Our Lives.” The event will take place at noon on Oct. 11 in the Oakland Center Fireside Lounge.

Later that evening, a special edition of “OU’s Got Talent” will begin at 7 p.m. in Meadow Brook Theatre, located in Wilson Hall. An encore performance will take place from noon- 1 p.m. on Thursday Oct. 13 in the Oakland Center Fireside Lounge.

The OU Athletics Department will bring energy and excitement on Wednesday, Oct. 12, with “Shoot Hoops” with the women’s and men’s basketball teams from noon-1 p.m. in the Oakland Center Fireside Lounge.

The evening will feature more action when the OU men’s soccer team plays host to the University of Michigan starting at 7 p.m. at the OU soccer field. The night will conclude with another round of Countdown to “The Madnezz” with basketball coaches Greg Kampe and Beckie Francis.

The OU community is encouraged to show support by donning OU colors on Friday, Oct. 14, a day that promises plenty of food, fun and laughs. Grizzly faithfuls are welcomed to join friends and colleagues for Sweetest Day treats at noon in the Oakland Center, as the campus prepares for an action-packed night that begins with a Friday Night Live performance featuring comedians Dave and Ethan, starting at 7 p.m. in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms.

“The Madnezz” begins with the 17th annual Sigma Pi Pig Roast, a tailgate party and Grizz Madnezz. The pig roast will be held outdoors between the Oakland Center and O’Dowd Hall, with the tail gate party taking place in lot P-16, from 7-10 p.m. The night will round out with Grizz Madnezz from 10-11 p.m. in the O’rena.

The P-16 parking lot will be closed from midnight on Thursday, October 13, through midnight on Friday, October 14 to make room for "The Madnezz" and other WOCOU events scheduled that day. There will be no overnight parking for the residents of Fitzgerald House. Recommended alternative parking is in the P-11 parking lot. Parking for the physically challenged will be available in P-18, and the Bear Bus will be in operation from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide shuttle service from P-11 to O'Dowd Hall. For more parking information, view the campus map.

Oakland’s Week of Champions is co-sponsored by the Student Alumni Association, Athletics Department, Student Program Board, Residence Hall Programming, the Grizz Gang, Center for Student Activities, Division of Student Affairs, OU Alumni Association, OU Student Congress and Office of the President.

For additional information, view the flyer.