CLS Routs NYU For Dean's Cup
CLS ROUTS NYU FOR DEAN’S CUP
Both Law Students and Faculty Beat Teams From NYU Law School;
Games Raise Over $140,000 For Public Interest Law Programs
April 11, 2008 (NEW YORK) - One year after a nail-biting contest ended in defeat, the Columbia Law School basketball squad returned to the Coles Fitness Center determined to return the Deans’ Cup to an uptown location. In the end, it was a slam-dunk case, as the CLS squad soundly routed its rival 83-68, in the seventh annual Deans’ Cup.
The event raised more than $140,000 for public interest law programs for each school.
(Left to right): Dean Richard L. Revesz of NYU School of Law, Henry Ricardo '93 of lead sponsor Dewey & LeBoeuf, and Dean David M. Schizer of Columbia Law School pose with a check for a portion of the event's proceeds. The more than $140,000 raised will benefit public interest programs at each school.
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| Columbia Law School's Andrew Lyle tussles for the ball with Jason Smith of NYU School of Law. |
An enthusiastic crowd, armed with face paint and taunts that occasionally broached the legal definition of obscenity, offered full-throated support throughout the contest, while the courtside cheering squad reciprocated by regularly pelting the fans with packets containing light blue CLS headbands reading “Lawyer in Training.” C.J. Martin’s steady foul shooting in the face of egregious cheering to a ringing three-pointer by Pete Schwingler with nine minutes to go put the game out of reach.
With CLS leading by 11 points at half-time, the imposing CLS faculty squad (average height 6’ 3”) did battle with a team of NYU professors that lacked a single six-footer. The 10-minute game emphasized CLS domination. Once seven-time Deans’ Cup participant Professor Michael Dorf sunk an outside shot that won the game.
“It’s fitting that Mike hit the winner,” said Professor Conrad Johnson.
Good cheer and sportsmanship abounded in the game. Professors Tim Wu and John Witt offered up ESPN-worthy commentary, describing NYU as a “worthy opponent” and their effort as “110 percent.”
Underlying this clamorous contest between two heavyweights of legal education is an extraordinarily cooperative and successful endeavor that, since 2002, has raised more than a half-million dollars for various causes in public interest law. The Dean’s Cup is the largest student-organized law school event in the country, a high-profile fundraising effort that draws on the volunteer efforts of students, faculty, alumnae and staff.