Former Duck, ‘Father of the Final Four’ Tom Jernstedt dies at 75

OregonLive: Tom Jernstedt, an Oregon native and a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame for his contributions to college basketball and the NCAA Tournament, has died. He was 75.

The NCAA said Sunday Jernstedt died this weekend.

Nicknamed “Father of the Final Four,” Jernstedt has widely been credited with transforming the NCAA Tournament into the billion-dollar March Madness it has become today.

Tom Jernstedt dies at 75: Oregon native is known as the ‘Father of the Final Four’

A former backup quarterback with the Oregon Ducks, Jernstedt helped push the growth of the NCAA Tournament from 25 teams to the 68-team, anything-can-happen bonanza held every spring.

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