ROCHESTER, Mich. - Oakland men's basketball head coach Greg Kampe has been named Grand Marshal of the annual Rochester Area Hometown Christmas Parade, the Rochester Regional Chamber Foundation has announced.
 
The annual event kicks off the holiday season by honoring Kampe while everyone can enjoy an evening of merriment, networking, dinner, a cash bar and a special visit from Santa!
 
Greg Kampe, Oakland University's men's basketball coach, is in his 41st season with the program and has amassed 699 total wins with the Golden Grizzlies. The longest-tenured Division I coach in all of college basketball, Kampe led the Golden Grizzlies to a regular season and a tournament title last season and took down the University of Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament for one of the teams most historic wins of all time. He has coached six NBA players, has mentored 13 All-District players since 2009, and has been inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame and the Oakland University Athletics Hall of Honor.
 
Beyond his on-court success, Kampe is deeply committed to community work. He has raised over $500,000 for the American Cancer Society through events like his annual Coaches Beat Cancer initiative. His philanthropic efforts have earned him the prestigious Sparky Anderson Community Excellence Award, an award presented to an individual who has excelled in their professional field, while making a significant impact with charities throughout the community.
 
Over the years, he's visited the troops overseas, worked with the Boys and Girls Club of America, the Oakland County Shelter for Women in Need and Beyond Basics, stressing the importance of education to inner-city youth. A 2022 Detroit News Michiganian of the Year, Kampe is a chairman of Grace Centers of Hope in Pontiac and is working toward building a new shelter for those in need, as Kampe and his team cook and help feed those in need each season. Also, earlier this season, Kampe and the Golden Grizzlies teamed up with the University of Michigan and played in an exhibition game to benefit Forgotten Harvest, a non-profit food rescue organization that collects food that would otherwise go to waste and delivers it free of charge to organizations feeding the hungry in Metro Detroit.
 
Kampe's contributions to the community and his dedication to helping others extend well beyond basketball, solidifying his legacy not just as a coach, but as a leader committed to making a positive impact off the court.
 
For more information on the parade, click HERE.