Auction brings in more than $780,000 for Tulane athletics
The 2012 Helluva Hullabaloo Auction raised more than $780,000 to support Green Wave student-athletes, the biggest success in the 11-year history of the event that is centered around Homecoming festivities.
On stage at the Helluva Hullabaloo Auction on Nov. 2 are Rick Dickson, left, Tulane athletics director, and alumnus Bryan Batt, celebrity auctioneer. (Photo by Sally Asher)
While the live auction and party took place on Nov. 2, on-line bidding with more entertainment, sporting and travel items went up beforehand and continued to draw bids afterward.
The funds raised support student-athletes and their teams year-round, helping the programs “to grow and succeed,” Jones said.
“I am extremely proud of the volunteers and donors who make this event such a success, and I especially want to thank Jill Glazer, who has chaired this event for several years, for all she has done to make it such a winner for Tulane,” Jones said.
“Jill Glazer is the visionary behind this auction,” Tulane President Scott Cowen said at the event as he joined in. “I'll be bidding right along with you on some of these live auction items.” He avidly bid (and won) on a dinner/theater package in New York City with actress Blythe Danner.
“Think of the cost of Broadway tickets alone!” exclaimed celebrity auctioneer and Tulane alumnus Bryan Batt, a Broadway veteran who also played on the HBO series “Mad Men.” “She also gave us Gwyneth Paltrow. Think of the stuff she would talk about over dinner!”
As the successful night wound down, Batt thanked all the bidders and said, “It's all for Tulane University, for my alma mater, your alma matter, where your kids go to school ⦠It's the best place on earth!”
