Former U-M Football Star and Ann Arbor Police Officer Vada Murray to be Honored at Cancer Benefit

Proceeds from Sept. 11 event to be donated to Vada Murray Fund for Cancer Research at U-M

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A champion football player under Bo Schembechler, Vada Murray learned the value of teamwork early in his college career.  After leading his fellow players to a Rose Bowl victory, Murray went on to become a police officer with the city of Ann Arbor, where he worked hand in hand with his colleagues to protect his beloved city.

Murray's former teammates, including fellow players, officers and members of the community he served, will now join together to pay tribute to the hero, who passed away from lung cancer in April.

Vada Murray will be honored at a cancer research benefit from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at the U-M North Campus Research Complex, 2800 Plymouth Road. The event, which is open to the public, will include lunch and a silent auction, with all proceeds benefitting the Vada Murray Fund for Cancer Research at the University of Michigan.

Murray's wife, Sarah, inspired by her husband's aggressive fight against cancer, established the fund so that those touched by her husband's spirit may help her in supporting cancer research.  

"Vada was fierce about battling the cancer," Sarah Murray says. "I hope that gifts made in his honor will bring added fierceness to the fight to understand this disease better. What causes a 41-year-old man to get cancer in his lungs? We're not there yet – there's a lot more to learn."

Registration for the fund-raiser is $10 per person or $30 per family of four. Participants may register on the day of the event or by visiting www.vadamurray.com.

Former U-M players, including All-American Tripp Welborne, will sign autographs from noon to 3 p.m. John U. Bacon, New York Times sports writer and author of the recent Bo Schembechler biography Bo's Lasting Lesson's, will emcee the event.  

Douglas Arenberg, M.D., associate professor of internal medicine, and Gregory Kalemkerian, M.D., professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School, will provide brief remarks. They will be joined by Sarah Murray and the Murrays' three children.

A nod to the badge number he wore while serving as a police office, Vada's wife hopes to raise $155,000 at the event.  

Vada Murray Fund for Cancer Research Kick-off Fund-raising Event
Time: 11:00am-4:00pm, Sunday, September 11, 2011
Location: U-M North Campus Research Complex, 2800 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor
Registration: $10 per person or $30 per family of four
Information: www.vadamurray.com

SOURCE University of Michigan Health System