The United States Sports Academy will host an event introducing a one-of-a-kind book about legendary University of Alabama Coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant on 21 October 2008 at 5 p.m. The book's author, Dr. E. Gaylon McCollough of Gulf Shores, will be on hand to present "The Long Shadow of Coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant" and to personalize copies of the book for attendees. The event is open free to the public.

McCollough's book is a personal account of the patriarch of the Alabama football family, addressing Bryant's gut-wrenching decision to relinquish power, his prediction of a turbulent future for Alabama football, and his bridge-building plan to produce the Tide's next larger-than-life coach. Few people knew the man behind the coaching legend, and McCollough was one of them. He was an All-American center on the Bear's 1964 national championship team and later became a confidante-as well as a medical adviser and surgeon-of Bryant's.

As an added attraction to McCollough's book release and signing, leading Alabama sport artist Daniel A. Moore, of Birmingham, will unveil a portrait of the great Crimson Tide coach. Moore was the United States Sports Academy Sport Artist of the Year in 2005. Moore will join McCollough in the signing of books or other memorabilia.

"The Long Shadow ..." presents McCollough's extraordinary description of Bryant's determination that he should step aside, chronicling as no one else has-or could-the hiring process that secured Bryant's successors. At the coach's personal request, McCollough assisted the University of Alabama president in finding the right coach for the Bear's team.

For the first time, truths about the revolving door in the head coach's office and its negative impact on the football program are revealed by someone who was actually part of the process.

Other Bryant associates have praised the book. Coach Clem Gryska, director of Tuscaloosa's Paul W. Bryant Museum and a former assistant to the Bear, said, "In these pages, Gaylon McCollough gives an up close and personal look at Coach Bryant, the man who was loved, feared, and respected by those who played for him. Sometimes touching and sad, but always honest, Gaylon has painted a picture with words, portraying Coach Bryant in a way that only those closest to him knew."

Former University of Alabama president, Dr. Joab Thomas (who accepted Bryant's resignation) also praised McCollough's depiction of the events that surrounded the coach's retirement and the years that followed, saying "Dr. McCollough has provided unique an accurate insights into the final days of Coach Paul W. Bryant and the transition period following his death."

When asked why, after twenty-six years, he decided to go public with the events and circumstances disclosed in his book, McCollough said, "I believe that Alabama is on the verge of a new era and that it is time to set the record about Coach Bryant's final years straight and to unite the Alabama Family behind the next coach. That's how Coach Bryant would have wanted it." The doctor went on to say, "whether a reader is a football fan, player, or coach, this book offers a greater appreciation for the enduring impact that one man of vision can have on a society. The abysmal vacuum that is left by the sudden absence of such an individual can only be filled if-or when-another larger than life legend emerges from the shadows."

Whether Coach Nick Saban is that legend is a question posed to readers, for whom McCollough provides a list of things to watch for as Saban's career at Alabama progresses.

Copies of McCollough's book will be available for purchase at the event. For additional information or to order a prerelease copy of "The Long Shadow of Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant," contact McCollough at the McCollough Institute for Appearance and Health, (251) 967-7000 or via e-mail at drmccollough@mccolloughinstitute.com.

Artist Daniel A. Moore is widely known for his super-realistic oil paintings of sports and sports figures. His art training at the University of Alabama included training in the medium of watercolor under the former renowned watercolorist Richard Brough.

Recently, Moore was studying the 1962 Iron Bowl Gold painting from this series and became intrigued with a small area of the painting. It features Coach Paul W. Bryant standing on the sideline as he watches quarterback Joe Namath, in the foreground, complete a clutch pass to Cotton Clark. Bryant was not the main subject matter of the painting and because he was actually a "midground" figure, Moore's painting treatment of him was somewhere between the tightness of the foreground figures and the looseness of the wet-into-wet background treatment. Moore was inspired to capture this interplay from a tiny area of his watercolor, but blown up into a large oil painting. This resulted in the artist's work currently under progress, which features an extended bust portrait of Coach Bryant.

Dartfish Destination Training is being held at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida - October 27-29, 2008 and includes luxury hotel accommodations!

This training is appropriate for all users of Dartfish software! No prior Dartfish experience necessary.

Forum objectives included a review and critique the 2008 Beijing Olympics; a review of the cultural and educational work of the Olympic Movement; an evaluation on how recommendations from the fifth world forum have been implemented to date, charting the way forward in sport, culture and education during the next two years; solidifying existing relationships and building new partnerships linking the sport community and institutions and experts dedicated to culture and education; proposing cultural and educational contributions that can be made through sport to the 2009 Olympic Congress and Youth Olympic Games as well as to culture and education efforts of the international community generally; and a review of long-term plans for the IOC's Olympic Values Education Program designed to engage youth.

The training session will teach you how to import and categorize video, synchronize your clips, superimpose videos, plus the use of the advanced features of Dartfish, including In-The-Action, The Analyzer, SimulCam™, StroMotion™ and much more!

As an added bonus, the United States Sports Academy is offering 2 CEU credits, upon achieving Video Coach Certification!

Register before October 10th and you'll also receive 2 Disney® day passes!

Register now: http://www.buydartfish.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=139

United States Sports Academy President and CEO Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich participated in the sixth World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture organized in Busan, Korea, by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Rosandich attended the 25-27 September 2008 conference as a member of the IOC Commission on Culture and Olympic Education. The forum drew participants representing the Olympic family, governmental and nongovernmental institutions, the United Nations, universities and media groups around the world.

Forum objectives included a review and critique the 2008 Beijing Olympics; a review of the cultural and educational work of the Olympic Movement; an evaluation on how recommendations from the fifth world forum have been implemented to date, charting the way forward in sport, culture and education during the next two years; solidifying existing relationships and building new partnerships linking the sport community and institutions and experts dedicated to culture and education; proposing cultural and educational contributions that can be made through sport to the 2009 Olympic Congress and Youth Olympic Games as well as to culture and education efforts of the international community generally; and a review of long-term plans for the IOC's Olympic Values Education Program designed to engage youth.

Rosandich was first appointed to the IOC Commission on Culture and Olympic Education in 1999. He is the only American on the 32-member commission, one of the IOC's largest.

The commission was created in 2000 by the merger of the existing IOC Cultural Commission and IOC Commission for the International Olympic Academy and Olympic Education. The new body advises IOC's executive board on measures the IOC and the Olympic Movement should employ to promote cultural exchange and Olympic education. Members of the Commission for Culture and Olympic Education support the IOC's work in these areas.

Daphne Middle School sixth- and seventh-graders completed a course on Olympic values presented by Dr. Roch King, chair of sports coaching at the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama. King worked with more than 200 children in two courses.

The five Olympic values are

• respect for self and others
• fair play
• excellence
• joy in effort
• balance of body, mind, and will

These are universal values, which means students in a variety of contexts (not just sports contexts) can study them profitably. The International Olympic Committee calls the five the "educational values of Olympism" and has incorporated them in its fundamental principles, which all nations joining the Olympic Movement agree to support.

Twenty members of the Sports Authority of Thailand are completing a study tour of American sports facilities conducted for them by the United States Sports Academy. USSA staff is accompanying the group on visits to 10 cities. Los Angeles was the first stop September 14, where the visitors met Coach Pete Carroll at the University of Southern California and then traveled to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

Heading to Alabama at the conclusion of the West Coast portion of their tour, they toured the Daphne campus of the USSA, attended the football game between Daphne High School and McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, and observed physical education classes at Spanish Fort High School. The delegation left Baldwin County on the way to tour athletic facilities at Auburn University before wrapping up its U.S. visit in Washington, D.C.

The United States Sports Academy has a long-standing relationship with the Sports Authority of Thailand, regularly sending instructors to Thailand to teach courses leading to certification in sports management and coaching. The Sports Authority of Thailand is that country's primary sports institution and leads the development and promotion of sport. Leaders of the Sports Authority of Thailand are appointed by the prime minister's cabinet.

Jeremy Winkelman, a 29-year-old who has cerebral palsy, had a goal. The Indiana resident wanted to ride his bike from San Diego, Calif., to St. Augustine, Fla., to show other young people with special needs that they can accomplish difficult physical challenges.

When Jeremy initially voiced his goal, first in line to help was Stanley Bippus, his uncle and a member of the United States Sports Academy National Faculty. Jeremy and his 68-year-old uncle immediately began planning the ride that would take them on a 3,159 mile journey across the United States. Despite some bumps in the road, this month they will reach the other edge of the continent.

The two riders averaged nearly 90 miles a day, usually along secondary routes but with an occasional need to pedal down interstates. Jeremy reported on their progress regularly via the Internet, in his blog found at www.jeremysride.blogspot.com.

To prepare for the ride, Jeremy worked out daily at the Huntington, Ind., YMCA, riding a stationary bike the equivalent of 20 to 25 miles and lifting weights. He also kept playing basketball, his favorite pastime, three days each week (he is known for his remarkable three-point shot).

Just before reaching Louisiana, after 23 consecutive days of riding, Jeremy injured his shoulder in a fall from his bike. The April 14 injury took four months to heal, but in September-after waiting out hurricanes Faye and Gustav-Jeremy continued his coast-to-coast ride.

Every stretch he puts behind him means money raised for children with special needs. School kids, businesses, and interested individuals have pledged a penny per mile that Jeremy rides. Additional donations are appreciated at:

Jeremy's Ride
Huntington County Community Foundation
P. O. Box 5037
Huntington, IN 46750

Jeremy's cerebral palsy causes him some coordination and speech problems. He wears hearing aids and fairly strong glasses. When he was a child it was thought just walking would be a difficult achievement for Jeremy. His parents were told not to expect him to ride bicycles or play sports. But neither they nor Jeremy accepted this picture of the future.

Jeremy was always encouraged to try his best at various activities. He played baseball with little talent, he said, but lots of heart. Students at Huntington North High School elected Jeremy homecoming king in 1998, the year of his graduation.

Stanley Bippus is a longtime high school superintendent who taught courses for the Academy in numerous countries around the world. Like his nephew, Bippus set out to achieve difficult physical challenges and is nearing his own lifelong goal: to climb the highest peak in each of the 50 United States. He has climbed successfully in 48 states already and next year plans to climb the two peaks remaining, Mt. Rainier in Washington and Mt. McKinley in Alaska.

On 10 September, Kolë Gjeloshaj (right), the director of educational and development services for FISU, the International University Sports Federation, also known as the World University Games, met with United States Sports Academy President Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich (left) on the Academy campus in Daphne, Alabama. They discussed several topics including delivering educational programs to FISU's 149 member countries, the Academy's state-of-the-art online delivery technology and the development of a cultural piece for the World University Games.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker presents the Team of the Year award to Iraqi Minister of Youth and Sport Gassem Mohammed Jaafar.

Athletes and team sports in general got a boost in Iraq when the United States Sports Academy recently presented its Team of the Year award to the Iraqi national soccer team saluting its Asia Cup win.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker presented the award on behalf of the Academy to Iraq’s minister of youth and sport, Gassem Mohammed Jaafar, during a ceremony at the Rashid Hotel in Baghdad.

“It’s an honor and a pleasure to be here today to recognize the achievement of the Iraqi national team in its victory in the Asia Cup last year,” Crocker said, recalling the team’s 1-0 championship win over Saudi Arabia in the final match in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In the final minutes of the game, an Iraqi Kurd named Hawar Mohammed passed to Younis Mahmoud, an Iraqi Sunni, who knocked in the winning goal. The July 29 victory is well remembered; following the victory, thousands of Iraqis viewing the match on television rushed into the streets to celebrate.

Crocker added, “Iraq’s triumph in the Asia Cup was a great victory in sports. It was also a great victory for the new Iraq. The fact that 22 of Iraq’s finest young men could come together, practice and play--sometimes under very difficult conditions--demonstrates to Iraq, and indeed to the world, that Iraq after 2003 is coming together as a society and a nation and will be a force on the world stage.”

“The Academy judged that there was no finer team in any sport anywhere in the world,” Crocker said, speaking to the minister and his deputy, to members of Parliament, to Iraqi soccer star Ahmed Radhi, to other Iraqi officials and to the Iraqi and pan-Arabic press corps in the capital city.

Iraq’s minister of youth and sport, Gassem Mohammed Jaafar accepted the award on behalf of the Iraqi National Team to signify the progress that has been made in Iraq at all levels of sport competition. This holds to the belief that sports can serve as a means to promote peace.

Recently, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (3BCT) of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division built the Al Wahdah Soccer Stadium in Al Mada’in, a qada or district of Baghdad Province, using funds from the Commanders Emergency Response Program. The stadium features a grass field, concrete spectator stands and changing rooms for the players. Newly dug wells provide water for the field; a system securing efficient water use is included. The complex is Al Mada’in’s first stadium and its only grass soccer field.

On opening day, children filled the stadium proudly wearing their team uniforms and chanting favorite soccer cheers. The mayor of Al Mada’in officiated, saying, “Through sport and education, we will create a better future for our children, a future of peace and prosperity in Iraq.”

Michael Phelps

Rebecca Adlington

United States swimming star Michael Phelps won the United States Sports Academy's Male Athlete of the Month award based on his performance at the Olympic Games in August, while Britain's Rebecca Adlington was honored as Female Athlete of the Month.

Phelps won eight gold medals, an Olympic record, upping his career golds to 14, another Olympic record. While medaling, he set seven world records: in the 4x100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay, 200m individual medley, 200m butterfly, 4x100m medley relay, 200m freestyle and 400m individual medley. Phelps holds 16 Olympic medals in all.

Adlington won gold medals in the 400m and 800m freestyle at the 2008 Summer Olympics, swimming the 800m in a world-record time of 8:14.10. Adlington's world record beat Janet Evans' 19-year-old mark. Great Britain last saw an Olympic athlete take double gold a century ago, in 1908.

In an extremely close vote, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt finished second in the male ballot. Bolt made his mark as the fastest man in the world by winning the 100m and 200m with world-record times of 9.69 and 19.30 seconds at the 2008 Olympic Games. His time in the 200m bested Michael Johnson's seemingly unbeatable time of 19.32 from the 1996 Olympics. In Beijing, Bolt secured a third gold medal (and a world record) with Jamaica's 4x100 relay team, with a time of 37.10 seconds.

Taking second in the female ballot was Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba, who in Beijing won the 10,000m in an Olympic-record time of 29:54.66 and the 5,000m in 15:41.4. She is the first woman ever to win both events in a single Olympics.

Finishing in third place in the voting was Brian Clay, a 28-year-old from Hawaii, who became the first American since 1988 to win the gold medal in the men's decathlon, with a score of 8,791 in Beijing. His score reflected first-place finishes in the 100m, the long jump and the discus.

American gymnast Nastia Liukin finished third in the female ballot after winning gold in the all-around competition in Beijing.

Each Academy Athlete of the Month is selected by a national voting committee comprising former athletes and members of media organizations, sports organizations and sports governing bodies. At the end of each year, the Athlete of the Month contest culminates in the Athlete of the Year worldwide fan vote, hosted by USATODAY.com and MSNBC.com. Each month's winners are automatically added to the Athlete of the Year ballot.

Former Auburn University swimmer Kirsty Coventry was named the Alabama Athlete of the Month for August, based on her world-record performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Coventry has now won the monthly honor three times in 2008, and August marks the seventh consecutive month in which an Auburn athlete has claimed the honor.

Coventry, who is from Zimbabwe, won the Olympic gold medal in the 200m backstroke, setting a world record of 2:05.24 and becoming the first swimmer ever to break 2:06 in the event. Coventry won silver medals in the women's 100m backstroke, 200m medley and 400m medley.

Another former Auburn swimmer, Cesar Cielo of Brazil, finished a distant second in the voting. Cielo won a gold medal in Beijing as he posted an Olympic-record time of 21.30 in the 50m freestyle.

The only other athlete to receive a vote was Mobile, Alabama, native Zach Sucher, who shot a 68 to successfully defend his title at the Cardinal Amateur. The University of Alabama at Birmingham golfer moved up to No. 10 in the Golfweek/Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking. Prior to capturing the Cardinal Amateur, Sucher led the U.S. to a 37-23 win over Japan in the Fuji Xerox USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship, held at the Tokyo Golf Club.

The Academy's Alabama Athlete of the Month is selected by a voting committee comprising former Alabama athletes, members of the statewide media and representatives of Alabama sports organizations. Each winner is automatically added to the Alabama Athlete of the Year ballot at the end of the calendar year.

The Alabama Athlete of the Year Award is given to an athlete beyond the high school level who was either born in Alabama, is currently playing in the state, or has previously participated in sports at any level within Alabama.

Grand Valley State University received its fifth consecutive U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup for NCAA Division II, during halftime of the university’s season-opening win over the University of Indianapolis. Academy Vice President Dr. T. J. Rosandich (pictured with microphone) and NCAA President Myles Brand (pictured left of Rosandich) presented the cup to Thomas J. Haas, president of Grand Valley State.

The Directors’ Cup is presented annually by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the United States Sports Academy and USA Today to the nation’s best overall collegiate athletics programs. Programs in four categories are honored with the U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup: Division I, Division II, Division III, and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The 2007-08 winners were announced at NACDA's 42nd annual convention.

Grand Valley State claimed its fifth straight Directors' Cup in dominating fashion. The Lakers tallied a DII Directors' Cup record 1,028.75 points, becoming the first-ever DII school to go over the 1,000-point mark. In addition, the Lakers became the first-ever school to win five straight Directors' Cup titles. Abilene (Texas) Christian finished second with 808 points, followed by Minnesota State–Mankato in third (788.75). UC San Diego was fourth (752.00) and Tampa was fifth (650).

The Grand Valley State program saw its teams place in 17 postseason championships; it earned points in all seven men's sports and all seven women's sports that figured in the tally. The Lakers finished third in women's cross country, in women's soccer, in football, and in women's golf. They finished fourth in men's cross country as well as men's indoor track and field and fifth in women's volleyball and men's basketball.

Grand Valley State also placed sixth in men's outdoor track and field and sixth in women's indoor track and field. It women's outdoor track and field team placed eighth, its men's golf team placed 14th, its women’s swimming team placed 16th, and its men's tennis team finished 17th.

During the various 2007–08 athletic seasons, 11 Lakers teams placed in the top 10 nationally, including eight that finished in the top five. Average points scored for the seven men’s sports was 71.6, while for the women’s sports it was 75.3. All told, the Laker women scored 527.25 points, while the men scored 501.75 points.

"I am so excited for our dedicated coaches, support staff, and most importantly, the student-athletes whose performance led us to capture the U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup for Division II," said Tim Selgo, Grand Valley State’s director of athletics. "Our student-athletes competed at a championship level both on the playing field and in the classroom, evidenced by over 56 percent of our student-athletes achieving a 3.0 GPA or better this past year. We believe in the six attributes of Division II: passion, balance, resourcefulness, service, learning, and sportsmanship. I’m proud that our student-athletes live those attributes every day of their collegiate athletic experience, while also achieving competitive success in their sports," added Selgo.

Academy President Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich (left) met with Chuck Rohe (right), executive vice president and national clinic director of the NIKE Coach of the Year Clinics, about enhancing the clinics’ academic component with continuing education credit for participants. The two also discussed offering bachelor’s and master’s degree credit to clinic participants.

The NIKE Coach of the Year Clinics bring the nation’s top college football coaches to every corner of the nation, speaking to almost 13,000 high school coaches at numerous sites. They are state-of-the-art events featuring 73 Division-IA head coaches on the NIKE staff. The clinics were founded by legendary coaches Bud Wilkinson and Duffy Daugherty more than 30 years ago.

In 2008, 19 NIKE Coach of the Year Clinics were conducted, providing coaches an opportunity to share ideas with their coaching peers. Each NIKE clinic includes lectures aimed at youth league coaches plus demonstrations of the latest techniques and drills. One-on-one breakout sessions with the principal speakers follow the lectures.

A sculpted likeness of Olympic sensation Michael Phelps was presented to the athlete by its creator, Xikun Yuan, who is the Academy's Sport Artist of the Year 2008. The American swimmer attended the unveiling of the sculpture at the Jin Tai Museum in Beijing following his historic performance.

Phelps won eight gold medals at the Beijing Games, the most ever for one athlete at a single Olympics. He has more gold medals than any athlete in Olympic history.

Posters of Phelps' recent Sports Illustrated cover are on sale at the Academy and available on its shopping cart at www.ussa.edu. Showcasing a cover-featured athlete in such a poster is a first for the Sports Illustrated franchise.

Xikun is known as a "portrait diplomat," having depicted more than 200 international leaders whom he worked with face-to-face. He has completed portraits of such political and social figures as former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, former United States President Bill Clinton, Cuban President Fidel Castro, former South African President Nelson Mandela, and honorary life president of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Samaranch has praised Xikun's uniting of art and the Olympics, saying "It is significant for sports to promote the development of culture." As an example of Xikun's efforts, following the announcement of Beijing as the 2008 host city, the sculptor launched a project called the 2008 Olympic Landscape Sculpture Design Contest, intended, he said, "to make the Olympics more vivid and popularized in China."

Pictured in the Academy courtyard are (back row) Dr. Pete Mathieson, Dr. Douglas Goar, David Gargone, Jeff Chamberlin, Tim Foley; (third row) Dr. Donn Renwick, Dr. Fred Cromartie, Dr. Enrico Esposito, Dr. Brian Wallace, Dr. Glenn Snyder, Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich; (second row) Craig Bogar, Mike Spino, Dr. T. J. Rosandich, Dr. Roch King, Dr. Stan Drawdy, Dr. Lawrence Miller; (first row) Dr. Kelly Flanagan, Dr. Dale Reeves, Dr. Donna Nathlar, Dr. Rick LaRue, Dr. Marty Avant, Dr. Lawrence Bestman, Dr. Mike Culpepper, Dr. Arthur Ogden, and Betsy Smith.

The United States Sports Academy's National Faculty (along with resident faculty and administrators) began the new academic year with recent weekend training at the Daphne campus. Like the resident faculty, the National Faculty are leaders in their sports disciplines. They come from around the country and teach Academy students around the globe via Web-based distance learning and seminars abroad.

Renowned marine-life artist Wyland (right) was a special guest of U.S. President George Bush (left) to view the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games. Wyland had just completed his unprecedented two-mile-long mural at Beijing's Chaoyang Park, promoting the "Green Olympics" movement. Wyland is the recipient of the United States Sports Academy's 2008 environmental award.

In the spirit of the 2008 Olympics, student artists from around the world joined Wyland at the park 7-21 July, working with him to complete the mural celebrating the world's waters and the future of international cooperation. Wyland and the youth created some 205 canvases, each measuring 45 feet across and representing United Nations and Olympic member countries. The canvases portray endangered and threatened marine wildlife in those countries.

In 1981, more than a quarter century ago, Wyland undertook a mission to create 100 giant murals of marine life around the world; he dubbed the landmark project the "Whaling Wall." The 100th mural of the series was completed in the lead-up to the Beijing Games.