Student-Athlete Graduation Celebration to Feature Berenson as Keynote Speaker
4/27/2018 9:00:00 AM | General, Academic Success Program
• Watch: Live Stream (Friday, 8 p.m.)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Former University of Michigan ice hockey head coach Red Berenson will be the keynote speaker for the U-M Athletic Department's Student-Athlete Graduation Celebration on Friday, April 27 (8 p.m.) inside Crisler Center. Though the event is closed to the public, it will be live streamed for free on MGoBlue.com. Nearly 100 graduating student-athletes are expected to attend.
Berenson retired after the 2017 season following 33 seasons at the helm of the ice hockey program. He compiled an 848-426-92 (.654) record and won two NCAA national championships. Berenson started his coaching career following 17 years in the NHL as a member of the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues. Berenson is a Michigan alum, holding a bachelor's degree from the School of Business Administration (1962) and a master's of business administration (1966). He was a three-year letterwinner on the U-M hockey team, earning All-America and team MVP honors as a junior and senior.
Former football player Jon Jansen will be the emcee for Friday's ceremony. Jansen, a two-time captain at Michigan and member of the 1997 NCAA Championship team, was the 2013 University of Michigan commencement speaker for the School of Kinesiology. He has been a broadcaster for the Inside Michigan Football Coach's Show with Jim Harbaugh, the IMG Michigan Tailgate, pregame, halftime and postgame show, the Big Ten Network, CBS, ESPN, NFL Network and ABC. The 1998 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient, Jansen played 11 years in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions.
Student-athletes Rubina Veerakone (women's soccer) and Austin Hatch (men's basketball) also will address their fellow graduating seniors. Veerakone, a biopsychology, cognition and neuroscience major, played in 51 career games with one goal and three assists. She started 22 career games and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Hatch, an organizational studies major, scored just one point as a member of the basketball team but will leave a lasting legacy as he survived two plane crashes.
