ASHLAND — Special K is coming to Ashland.
Ohio basketball royalty, Clark Kellogg, will be the keynote speaker for the Ashland University men’s basketball fundraising event at Mount Vernon Estates on Oct. 15.
‘A Night with Clark Kellogg’ is presented by the 212 Club and will start with a VIP Cocktail Hour at 6 p.m., where special ticket holders can meet Kellogg and other special guests before the event officially kicks off at 7 p.m. with cocktails, silent raffles, tip boards, a dinner and a meet and greet with the Ashland University men’s basketball team.
Tickets are available and can be reserved through Oct. 10. VIP tables are on sale for $1,000 and include seven guests per table. $100 individual tickets are also available. Both can be purchased here.
“It is a great fundraiser for us because you have these people who are coming to talk and they are the best in their field,” Ashland University men’s basketball coach John Ellenwood said. “It helps out a great cause with our team and it is just an enjoyable evening. It isn’t just a fundraiser where you just collect money and that is it.
“It is something where people can take something from it what they want.”
Kellogg was born and raised in East Cleveland and attended Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School, where he was a star. He still owns the state championship game record with 51 points in a 74-65 loss to Columbus East in the 1979 title game. He also had 24 rebounds in that game and earned McDonald’s All-American honors.
Kellogg went on to play at Ohio State and in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers. He played five seasons after being drafted eighth overall in the 1982 draft.
“I respect Clark Kellogg as a person,” Ellenwood said. “His basketball career is one thing. He played at the highest level, went to Ohio State and played in the NBA, so his playing career alone would be something that he would be a great speaker for, but then you look at what he has done as a broadcaster and a great ambassador of the game. And you also look at what a great person he is as a Christian, his beliefs and his work ethic, what an outstanding person.
“He has a great message and he is someone I am excited for our players to get to know.”
After his playing days, Kellogg went on to be a fixture on CBS Sports’ college basketball coverage and is a go-to for anything March Madness-related. In 2025, he received the Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions during his broadcasting career.
“It is great he can come and give a great message to our community, but to my team, it will be invaluable,” Ellenwood said. “Those guys will remember that and whenever you see a person as giving and successful as Clark Kellogg, when they come and are gracious and give advice to your team, it is going to stick with those guys forever.”
Ellenwood hopes the message sticks with the Ashland community, too.
“He has a tremendous message, an inspirational one and one that in this day and age, needs to be heard,” Ellenwood said. “He is going to have some stories you can hear first hand and you can meet him. He will quickly become someone you root for when you see him on TV.”
The event is part of an annual series of keynote speaking events hosted by the 212 Club. Last year, Ohio basketball legend and coaching extraordinaire Bob Huggins was the main attraction. The event was sold out and raised money for the AU Men’s Basketball operations.
“Last year was outstanding because it is a great venue that the Uselton Family has built in Mount Vernon Estates,” Ellenwood said. “It is a premier place to host this event and we are very fortunate to have their support behind this event. Last year was a great night and we want to embody that again.”
More than raising funds, it brought the Ashland community together, which is another mission of AU men’s basketball’s community outreach consciousness.
“One of the things that stood out to us about last year was how many different sects of the community were there and how they all came together for one night,” Ellenwood said. “They came around out basketball team, but whenever you can get significant community leaders in one room, good things are going to happen. And it helps grow Ashland, which is something we are passionate about.”
It also allows those to be introduced to the 2025-26 Ashland University Eagles, a team with extremely high hopes for the upcoming season after going 15-13 last season.
“You can also come and get to know our team,” Ellenwood said. “I think we have a great team this year and it is kind of the opening of the season for us. Come and get to know the young men who play for us because they are wonderful people so you can root for them when you come to games.”
For any questions about the event, contact Brook Turson at bturson1@ashland.edu.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: A night with Special K: Clark Kellogg to speak at Ashland University basketball fundraiser
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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