The University of Utah baseball team will bring a touch of Bean Town to Salt Lake City when the program hosts "An Evening with Terry Francona" at the Sheraton City Centre Hotel on Jan. 29.
The evening will begin with a reception at 6 p.m., and a dinner will follow at 7 p.m. A live auction of sport memorabilia will commence after dinner.
"I think it's special to have Terry back as the keynote speaker at our preseason banquet," said Utah baseball coach Bill Kinneberg. "He led the Red Sox to another World Series, and I'm sure he has new stories and new experiences to share with everyone.
"Naturally, he's been a special friend to me, and he's been a tremendous help to our program here at Utah the last four years."
Francona has led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles (2004 and 2007), their first since the 1918 banner. He's been at the helm in Boston for four years, leading the team to a pair of division titles and to a 375-273 record.
"Bill has been one of my best friends my whole life," said Francona. "Anytime I can help out Bill, the sport, and college baseball - especially the University of Utah - I'm glad to do it.
"When I came to Salt Lake City four years ago, it was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to doing it again this year."
Tickets for the event are $100 per person or $1,000 per table. In addition, two members from parties that purchase an entire table will be able to attend a private reception with Francona from 6:30-7 p.m.
Please RSVP to Emily Walton at 801-581-6445.