'Go celebrate. I'll figure it out.' Duquesne professor cancels class to allow students to celebrate March Madness win
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A professor from Duquesne University is going viral after he canceled class for his students following the school's big win in the NCAA tournament!
Professor Robert Healy III shared his message to his students on social media with a subject line of "Class Canceled Due to March Madness" and saying "Go celebrate. I'll figure it out."
#MarchMadness #ShooShooRahRah pic.twitter.com/ctfq73QszG
— Robert Edward Healy, III (@blufftalk) March 21, 2024
Dick's Sporting Goods referenced Professor Healy with a goat emoji in response to the news about the cancelled class.
Healy's post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has been viewed more than 643,000 times.
According to his biography on Duquesne University's website, Professor Healy teachers a number of classes including media literacy, sportswriting, and public relations.
Duquesne's Cinderella story
The Atlantic 10 champs stayed alive with a 71-67 win over BYU on Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska and are now will face Illinois and are one win away from the Sweet 16.
It was Duquesne's first NCAA tournament win since 1969 and around 800 students, staff, and supporters showed up in droves for a campus watch party.
Even LeBron James is cheering for Duquesne, writing on social media, "AYYYYYYYEEEEE!!! First tournament win in 55 years!"
"This is a proud moment for Duquesne," university president Ken Gormley told KDKA-TV on Thursday. "It is one for the history books, and I am just so happy and proud to be part of it."
Gormley said he could hardly contain his excitement as he sat courtside in Omaha, Nebraska.
"The place was packed," he said. "It was crawling with Duquesne fans all over the place. We took over Omaha."
Gormley and other Duquesne fans are ready for Saturday.
"'It's truly a Cinderella story," Duquesne student Victoria Mobley said.