Rutgers University. Dept. of University Relations. Office of Media Relations.

On April 3, 2007, the Rutgers Women?s Basketball Team lost 59-46 to Tennessee in the NCAA Women?s National Championship game ? ending a historic season that also included a Big East Tournament championship and an NCAA tournament win over then-No.1 ranked Duke. The next morning, national radio and television talk-show host Don Imus made a highly derogatory comment about the team over the national airwaves. Once members of the Rutgers administration became aware of this comment from representatives of the news media, they worked with Coach C. Vivian Stringer to craft a communications strategy that would express the university community?s outrage without taking away from the ongoing celebration of the team?s success. After Coach Stringer and the team left campus for the Easter weekend, the Imus controversy grew into an international news story. Members of the administration worked with community leaders, political leaders and media representatives to manage the story throughout the weekend. The result was unprecedented in the university?s history ? nearly 20,000 print, digital and broadcast stories about Rutgers, the vast majority of them positive. The successful management of this controversy also led to widespread praise for the university?s response as well as national coverage of Rutgers? heightened prestige.