“The voting was quick, the tension high, at one point a re-vote had to occur,” Trevor Smith, a junior Secondary Social Studies Education and Bible major said about the first round of voting in the 2012 March History Madness Tournament to determine the Most Influential American. Over 30 students, faculty, staff, and alumni gathered for the voting in the round of 64 that took place on March 21, 2012.
That re-vote was perhaps the most controversial match-up of the evening. In the first round of voting in the Philanthropists and Businessmen category, John D. Rockefeller and Mark Zuckerberg came out in a dead tie. There was some discussion and further deliberation allowed, and a re-vote taken. “I was shaken by Mark Zuckerberg’s win over John D. Rockefeller, but I’ve learned to expect the unexpected at tournament time,” says Mr. Jonathan Master, Associate Professor in the School of Bible and Ministry and Director of PBU’s Center for University Studies. “This is shaping up to be an exciting competition and the first round did not disappoint.”
There were other close matches in the round, with Robert E. Lee falling to Ulysses S. Grant and Edgar Allen Poe falling to Walt Whitman by one point each. On the other end of the spectrum, blow-out wins of more than 20 points came for Dwight D. Eisenhower over Earl Warren, Franklin D. Roosevelt over Richard Nixon, Abraham Lincoln over Harry Truman, George Washington over Woodrow Wilson, Walt Disney over George Lucas, Thomas Edison over Cyrus McCormick, Benjamin Franklin over W.E.B. DuBois, Thomas Jefferson over Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Jr. over Jacob Riis, and Susan B. Anthony over William Lloyd Garrison.
The student organizers changed the line up at the last minute when they realized that Charlie Chaplin, the beloved entertainer, had sneaked his way into the competition despite being a British citizen. He was exchanged for Muhammed Ali, who could not stand against Oprah Winfrey.
“The most talked about duo of the night was definitely Gates vs. Jobs,” Liz Burns, a sophomore Secondary Social Studies Education and Bible major said. “Debates were going on about these two WAY before we even reached their bracket.” Keeping the players entire lives in mind, Gates pulled the win, 19-17.
Trevor Smith has been lobbying for Theodore Roosevelt to win the entire tournament: “When the end of the night came there were many upsets to my bracket, but one thing rang true,” he said, only somewhat joking, “Theodore Roosevelt stood victorious over Andrew Jackson, and he will stand victorious over the other Americans as well.”
It was an exciting evening for all those involved, exploding with excitement and energy. Next week, on March 28, the fast voting rounds will continue, narrowing the field from 32 to eight players. Online voting will take place starting on March 29, 2012, and concluding the day of the final rounds of student voting, April 4. The ultimate winner of both contests will be announced after that.
Check out the match-ups for the round of 32 below.
Round 2
Military/Political Leaders
James Madison vs. John Marshall
Dwight D Eisenhower vs. Ulysses S. Grant
Presidents
Franklin D. Roosevelt vs. Abraham Lincoln
George Washington vs. Theodore Roosevelt
Theologians/Philosophers
Benjamin Franklin vs. Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Paine vs. Horace Mann
Fine Arts
Mark Twain vs. Walt Whitman
George Gershwin vs. Louis Sullivan
Entertainers
Jackie Robinson vs. Elvis Presley
Walt Disney vs. Oprah Winfrey
Inventors/ Explorers
Thomas Edison vs. Eli Whitney
Samuel Morse vs. The Wright Brothers
Philanthropists/Businessmen
Mark Zuckerberg vs. Andrew Carnegie
Sam Walton vs. Bill Gates
Activists
Martin Luther King Jr. vs. Susan B. Anthony
Betty Friedan vs. Margaret Sanger
That re-vote was perhaps the most controversial match-up of the evening. In the first round of voting in the Philanthropists and Businessmen category, John D. Rockefeller and Mark Zuckerberg came out in a dead tie. There was some discussion and further deliberation allowed, and a re-vote taken. “I was shaken by Mark Zuckerberg’s win over John D. Rockefeller, but I’ve learned to expect the unexpected at tournament time,” says Mr. Jonathan Master, Associate Professor in the School of Bible and Ministry and Director of PBU’s Center for University Studies. “This is shaping up to be an exciting competition and the first round did not disappoint.”
There were other close matches in the round, with Robert E. Lee falling to Ulysses S. Grant and Edgar Allen Poe falling to Walt Whitman by one point each. On the other end of the spectrum, blow-out wins of more than 20 points came for Dwight D. Eisenhower over Earl Warren, Franklin D. Roosevelt over Richard Nixon, Abraham Lincoln over Harry Truman, George Washington over Woodrow Wilson, Walt Disney over George Lucas, Thomas Edison over Cyrus McCormick, Benjamin Franklin over W.E.B. DuBois, Thomas Jefferson over Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Jr. over Jacob Riis, and Susan B. Anthony over William Lloyd Garrison.
The student organizers changed the line up at the last minute when they realized that Charlie Chaplin, the beloved entertainer, had sneaked his way into the competition despite being a British citizen. He was exchanged for Muhammed Ali, who could not stand against Oprah Winfrey.
“The most talked about duo of the night was definitely Gates vs. Jobs,” Liz Burns, a sophomore Secondary Social Studies Education and Bible major said. “Debates were going on about these two WAY before we even reached their bracket.” Keeping the players entire lives in mind, Gates pulled the win, 19-17.
Trevor Smith has been lobbying for Theodore Roosevelt to win the entire tournament: “When the end of the night came there were many upsets to my bracket, but one thing rang true,” he said, only somewhat joking, “Theodore Roosevelt stood victorious over Andrew Jackson, and he will stand victorious over the other Americans as well.”
It was an exciting evening for all those involved, exploding with excitement and energy. Next week, on March 28, the fast voting rounds will continue, narrowing the field from 32 to eight players. Online voting will take place starting on March 29, 2012, and concluding the day of the final rounds of student voting, April 4. The ultimate winner of both contests will be announced after that.
Check out the match-ups for the round of 32 below.
Round 2
Military/Political Leaders
James Madison vs. John Marshall
Dwight D Eisenhower vs. Ulysses S. Grant
Presidents
Franklin D. Roosevelt vs. Abraham Lincoln
George Washington vs. Theodore Roosevelt
Theologians/Philosophers
Benjamin Franklin vs. Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Paine vs. Horace Mann
Fine Arts
Mark Twain vs. Walt Whitman
George Gershwin vs. Louis Sullivan
Entertainers
Jackie Robinson vs. Elvis Presley
Walt Disney vs. Oprah Winfrey
Inventors/ Explorers
Thomas Edison vs. Eli Whitney
Samuel Morse vs. The Wright Brothers
Philanthropists/Businessmen
Mark Zuckerberg vs. Andrew Carnegie
Sam Walton vs. Bill Gates
Activists
Martin Luther King Jr. vs. Susan B. Anthony
Betty Friedan vs. Margaret Sanger
