Bahrain Alumni Association Meets in Manama

Academy Vice President Dr. T.J. Rosandich meets with members of the Academy’s Kingdom of Bahrain Alumni Association during a recent visit to Bahrain.

Alumni Network Series - Dallas Fort Worth Chapter

The United States Sports Academy would like to announce the inaugural Alumni Network Series - Dallas Fort Worth Chapter. Maggie Grayson, 2005 Master of Sports Science Graduate, will be hosting the first Alumni Network Series at 7:00 OM, January 30, 2008 at Pappadeaux's Restaurant off of I-30 in Arlington. For more information, please contact Ms. Grayson at maggiegrayson143@yahoo.com. The Academy encourages all Alumni memers to establish an Alumni Network Series in their community. Participating with local alumni will allow members to interact with others who have chosen "America's Sports University." Those interested should contact the Alumni Affairs office at 251-626-3303 or nring@ussa.edu.

Academy Student Is Philadelphia Flyers Strength & Conditioning Coach

Jim McCrossin has reached the professional ranks; he is a Certified Athletic Trainer, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association, a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a member of the American Academy of Sports Medicine. Yet the Philadelphia Flyer’s Strength and Conditioning Coach and Athletic Trainer is not content with what he has accomplished. McCrossin is currently four courses shy of earning his MSS in Sports Medicine at the Academy; he wants to earn his Ed.D once that is finished. He would like to give back to the field of sport when he has finished his professional career. In his ninth season with the Flyers, his professional life revolves around training NHL hockey players. Even in the off-season, he has to rehab injuries and assist players who have had surgery to prepare for the upcoming season. This time constraint has made the Academy’s online delivery option the best choice for this veteran strength and conditioning coach and trainer. McCrossin credits the Academy with broadening his knowledge of sport, confirming the principles of training and administration that he currently practices and helping to strengthen “weak links.” He is a true student of sport and enjoys interaction with students and professors. He believes that everyone, whether they have reached the zenith of their profession or are just starting out, will benefit from the feedback that is provided in the Academy’s programs.

Geist Named Is Associate Athletic Director at Cedarville University

Dr. Alan Geist became the Associate Athletic Director at Cedarville University in December of 2006. As the Associate Athletic Director, he serves as the Eligibility Chairman, deals with minor budget and financial aid management and participates in other administrative tasks assigned by the Athletic Director. Dr. Geist also serves as Program Coordinator and as Assistant Professor for the Cedarville University Sport Management Program. He earned his B.A. in English Education from Cedarville College (1983), his Master of Sports Science in Sport Management from the United States Sports Academy (1989), and his Ph.D. in Sport Management from The Ohio State University (2001). He has been a faculty member in Cedarville's Sport Management Program since its inception. Before returning to Cedarville, Dr. Geist served as a teacher and administrator at both the high school and college level, including a number of years in athletic administration at each level. He is a member of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), and the Sport Marketing Association (SMA). He enjoys watching sporting events, biking and lifting weights. He and his wife Lynn have two sons, William and Ryan.

Johnston Appointed Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine at ETSU

Brian Johnston is entering his first year as Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine after serving three years as Director of Athletic Medicine and three years as the Assistant Athletic Trainer for ETSU. As a former graduate of the NATA approved Athletic Training Curriculum, he has been associated with East Tennessee State University for over 10 years.

After graduating from ETSU in 1998, Johnston worked with Southeastern Sports Medicine in Asheville, NC and at Greenwood High School, where he taught Anatomy and Physiology and oversaw the schools athletic training needs. Johnston rejoined the ETSU Athletic Training Staff in 2001 as the Assistant Athletic Trainer for Football. He oversaw the Buccaneer Football team for three years. In 2003, Brian became the interim head athletic trainer and interim Clinic Director for the Jerry Robertson BucSports Athletic Medicine Center.

Johnston serves as the primary athletic trainer for baseball while overseeing the entire sport medicine program. He also has responsibilities for men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s golf and women’s golf.

The Knoxville, TN native received his Masters in Sport Science degree from the United States Sports Academy in 2002. He is a certified instructor for CPR/AED. He is a member of the National Athletic Trainer’s Association, the Southeastern Athletic Trainer’s Association, and the Tennessee Athletic Trainer’s Society. Brian currently resides in Johnson City and is married to the former Sherri Saltys. He has two children, Derek and Isaac.

World Champion Archery Coach Continues Education at the Academy

Individual accomplishments in archery as a 1999 World team champion, National Champion (1997), World record holder, National record holder, and International Champion (1993) have led Mark Penaz to a successful teaching and coaching career. By Penaz’s own admission, he had no formal program to assist him with training, and much of his success came through trial and error. Penaz, a National Coach IV certified through the Olympic Training Center (OTC), a southwest regional coach and a World team coach and a 2003 Member of the United States Archery Team (USAT), has turned to the United States Sports Academy’s Continuing Education program to broaden his knowledge of coaching and sport administration. Penaz credits the Academy with providing him the opportunity to broaden his general knowledge of sport that can be applied to archery. “As a coach, one of your greatest assets is to save your athlete’s time, guiding them to the top through proper training and advanced coaching techniques. Now that I have completed my Coaching certificate, I have the knowledge to create a complete training program including periodization training, shooting routines, practice schedules, nutrition, etc.” Penaz has especially enjoyed studying psychology from a true sports perspective, and feels this has given him the knowledge to better prepare his team for competition.

Jude Appointed Athletic Director for Cheyney University

Following a national search, United States Sports Academy Alum China Leigh Jude has been named Athletic Director at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.

“We are very excited to have China Leigh Jude on staff at Cheyney University,” said Cheyney President Dr. Michelle Howard-Vital. “She brings a great energy to the athletic department and will help to restore faith in the program.” Cheyney University is the nation’s oldest historically Black institution of higher education, and the only Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

A native of Waukegan, Illinois, Jude has served as assistant athletic director and senior woman administrator at the University of the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. She was also the Head Women's Volleyball Coach, ending her UDC career record at 19-11. Jude had a brief stint at the University of West Florida as the Assistant Women's Volleyball Coach, and she assisted the Argos to a 23-7 record and a number of All-Conference Players.

From 2001-2005, Jude was promoted from Head Volleyball Coach to Assistant Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator to Director of Compliance at Coppin State.

Among her goals for Cheyney University’s athletic program, Jude plans to recruit for Olympic sports and to adopt a holistic approach for the student-athletes. “I focus on the three Cs – compliance, competitiveness and championships,” Jude said.

At 16, Jude competed as a four year starter. She earned All-Conference honors and a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from Alabama State University. Jude has a Master’s in Sports Science (M.S.S.) degree from the Academy. She is currently working on her doctoral degree in Business Administration.

SJude is also a member of the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Administrators (NACWAA/HERS graduate 2007).

Norman Wins Erma Bombeck Contest

Kathleen Leland Norman of Wilmington has been awarded first place out of 1,300 entries in the global human interest category in the 2007 Erma Bombeck writing competition.

The contest is co-sponsored annually by the Washington-Centerville Library and the Dayton Daily News.

Leland's entry, "Gravity," recounts a poignant personal moment during her husband's 15-month deployment with the National Guard in Kosovo and Bosnia as she struggled to work full-time, care for a toddler and manage their 10-acre property, as well as two horses, two dogs and two cats.

Norman's winning essay is posted online at http://www.wclibrary.info/erma/2007globalhi.asp.

A graduate of Centerville High School, Kathleen Norman received a bachelor's of arts degree from Marietta College with a major in public relations and journalism and a master's of science degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Ala.

She has worked at Xerox Inc. for 12 years as a technical writer and editor, quality engineer and project manager.

She is also a free-lance writer and editor, and was previously published in the Christian Science Monitor. She currently resides in Chester Township with her husband and daughter.

Phaiah Named Vice Chancellor at Minnesota-Crookston

Peter G. Phaiah, Ph.D. is the newly appointed associate vice chancellor of student affairs and enrollment management at the University of Minnesota, Crookston.

Phaiah’s service at the Academy as an Admissions Counselor in the mid 1980’s while working on his master’s degree helped him prepare for his new responsibilities at the university, which include coordinating traditional student affairs services with academic programs and academic support services to enhance and support student learning. He will assist in the establishment, articulation and assessment of institutional goals, objectives and outcomes regarding the student experience.

Previously, Phaiah served as the dean of students at North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount. He also served as dean of students and director of student life at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth from 1999 to 2003. From 1989-96, Phaiah held several positions at Phillips University in Enid, Okla., including associate professor of exercise and sports science, director of sports medicine, corporate wellness coordinator and summer coordinator for the Transitional Academic Program, for which he developed orientation programs for international students.

Phaiah received a doctorate in higher education administration from Capella University in 2006. He earned a Master of Sports Science degree in sports medicine from the Unites States Sports Academy and a bachelor's in sports medicine from Marietta College in Ohio.

Former Olympian and Academy Alum Wrestles with Success

United States Sports Academy alum and two-time Olympic wrestler James Hazewinkel has been an inspiration to many as an athlete, coach and teacher. He recently agreed to lead Marion Military Institute’s Wrestling Program alongside his brother David, also a two-time Olympic wrestler. Instituted in 1842, Marion Military Institute is the nation’s oldest two-year military college.

Hazewinkel, who has been a wrestling coach for over 34 years, earned his master’s degree in sports coaching from the Academy in 1992. From Pillsbury Baptist Bible College in Owatonna, Minnesota, to Pensacola Christian College, he recorded 304 wins to 184 losses and 10 ties.

Hazewinkel created and led Pensacola Christian College's first wrestling team, which was initially the only collegiate wrestling team in Florida. He won National Christian College Association titles in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1998 and National Collegiate Wrestling titles in 1999 and 2000. He has coached 37 National Champions, and has been voted National Coach of the Year five times.

Hazewinkel competed in wrestling at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. He was a four time NAIA National Champion at St. Cloud State and a six time National Greco-Roman Champion. Ranked in the top 10 in the World on three different occasions, Hazewinkel also captured the 2003 National AAU Title (Masters Division). He has served as the assistant coach for the U.S. World Team in Poland in 1974 and was an assistant coach at the U.S. Military Academy.

Hazewinkel has been inducted into several halls of fame, including the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for “Lifetime Service to Wrestling” in 2005, the St. Cloud State University “Team” Hall of Fame in 2004, the Minnesota State Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1997, the St. Cloud State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984 and the NAIA Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1975.

Alum Buys Cleveland Fusion Football Team

Over a year ago, United States Sports Academy graduate Jason Lehrer purchased the Cleveland Fusion, a five-year-old franchise of the National Women’s Football Association (NWFA).

“The Academy helped me learn how to network, and taught me the management side and where to focus marketing for the sports industry,” says Lehrer. In the Fusion, he saw an opportunity to enhance the marketing efforts of a team already enjoying above average attendance among the WNFA’s 37 teams.

Lehrer has brought in additional athletic talent by signing Vonda Ward, a former University of Tennessee basketball player and professional boxer. Most of the fans of the Fusion live in Cleveland, in the Bedford suburb where the team plays its home games. Lehrer hopes that signing Ward will attract new fans.

Another marketing move that Lehrer has made involved changing the team colors to the Cleveland Browns’ orange and brown from the purple and yellow uniforms that resemble those of the Baltimore Ravens. This should appeal to the Cleveland fans, since the city was abandoned by the franchise now known as the Baltimore Ravens 10 years ago.

Ownership of the Fusion is the first sports management and football project for Lehrer, a former high school cross country and basketball coach. “I knew they had a good product. They have had a winning record all but one season,” Lehrer said. The Fusion advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2006 before a one-point loss to Oklahoma City.

For more information on the Cleveland Fusion, please visit them online at www.clevelandfusion.homestead.com.

McMurry Hires Academy Alum to Lead Women's Basketball

McMurry University Athletic Director Bill Libby has named former assistant coach and assistant athletic director Veronica Snow as the sixth head women's basketball coach in the history of the school.

Snow spent five seasons as an assistant to former head coach Sam Nichols, who retired April 19. She helped guide the team to a 79-50 record. In addition, Snow was a part of McMurry's only trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2000. She has served as McMurry's senior woman's administrator and as assistant to the athletic director.

During the 2000 season, McMurry set a then-school record for 24 wins and only five losses. Snow helped develop several all-conference players, including Oganna Merritt, who was also an all-American.

Snow received an associate's degree at Wyavatai College in Prescott, Ariz. before earning a bachelor's degree in 1987 and a master’s degree in 2000 from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene. In 2006, she earned her Doctor of Sports Management degree from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Ala.

Snow will inherit a solid core of players and a program that has made two-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. In the past two seasons, McMurry compiled a 50-8 record, won its first outright ASC West Division title in 2005-2006 and was the ASC Tournament champion in 2006. June 1 will mark her first day as McMurry's head coach.

Academy Alum named Physician Liaison at Southeastern Regional Medical

Kathy Hansen has been named physician liaison for Southeastern Regional Medical. In this newly created role, she will report directly to Kevin Rowley, senior director of Business Development.

Hansen had worked as assistant director of Fitness Services since 1994. Before that, she served as manager of the Southeastern Lifestyle Center in Lumberton for one year and worked in sports medicine for five years.

An Ohio native, Hansen earned a master's degree in sports medicine from the United States Sports Academy in Mobile, Ala., in 1987 and a bachelor's degree in sports medicine and athletic training from Marietta College in Ohio in 1985.

Hansen will serve as an advocate for physicians in the region, ensuring that they and their patients have adequate access to medical center services.

Academy Sports Medicine Alum Named VP at Quadramed

QuadraMed Corporation recently announced that Academy alum Sandra Trakowski, MS, RN, BC, has been appointed Vice President of Clinical Product Management. Her responsibilities include strategic planning for and management of QuadraMed's Care Management product suite, which significantly improve patient safety and quality care.

Previous to this, Trakowski served as the Vice President of Clinical Products at Care Fusion, Inc and as the Associate Director of Nursing Informatics at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. She has held positions at TDS Healthcare Systems, the predecessor of Eclipsys, and the National Institutes of Health.

Trakowski earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from George Mason University, and her Master of Sports Science in Sports Medicine from the United States Sports Academy.

QuadraMed Corporation advances the success of healthcare organizations through IT solutions that leverage quality care into positive financial outcomes. QuadraMed delivers real world solutions that enable healthcare professionals to deliver patient care with significant efficiency.

Academy Alum Behymer Leads Growth of Learfield Sports

The man who gave the Kansas City Royals a mascot and the NAIA a corporate sponsorship program is now Senior Vice President of the rapidly growing Learfield Sports.

Mike Behymer, who obtained his Master of Sports Science in Sports Management at the United States Sports Academy in 1987, has worked for Learfield Sports for seven years. “The key was getting my foot in the door with my NAIA mentorship,” Behymer said. “The Academy was instrumental in helping me get that job.”

The Missouri-based company started out in 1973 as a farm network with nine radio affiliates. The sports division started in 1975, handling the broadcast rights for the University of Missouri sports. It has become a multi-faceted consultant for 28 NCAA Division I college athletic programs. Services include, but are not limited to, sponsorship packages, hospitality, production of television broadcasts and event promotion.

Behymer said 80% of this growth has occurred within the past seven years. He attributes this success to his Academy mentorship, which led to his position as Director of Special Programs at the NAIA, where he started a corporate sponsorship program. He went on to serve as Director of Marketing for the Kansas City Royals, creating the mascot “Slugger,” and becoming vice president of the Kansas City Blades minor-league hockey team.

Academy Alum Named Commissioner of Peach Belt Conference

The Peach Belt Conference has announced that United States Sports Academy alum David Brunk will be its next conference commissioner. Brunk will come to the PBC after serving as commissioner of the Northeast-10 Conference for the past nine years. He will become the second commissioner since the founding of the Peach Belt in 1991. The first was Marvin Vanover, who helped found the conference.

Since play began in the 1991 season, the PBC has won 24 national championships and had 22 national finalists along with over 300 All-Americans and 50 Academic All-Americans. In recent years, Kennesaw State and North Florida have moved up to the Division I level and USC Upstate is scheduled to make the move to Division I at the end of this year. In the past two years, the PBC has added North Georgia College & State University and Georgia Southwestern State University to its membership.

"I'm very honored and excited by this opportunity," said Brunk, who received his Master's in Sports Management from the Academy in 1988. Brunk will begin his duties as Peach Belt Commissioner on July 1. "It is the chance for me to work with some exceptional institutions and people. The Peach Belt has always emphasized academics and highly competitive athletics and the opportunity to be a part of the conference and work with the Board of Directors is very exciting."

As the first full-time commissioner for the Northeast-10 in 1998, Brunk oversaw immense progress. Under his leadership, the NE10 has added five new institutions and expanded the number of championship sports offered to 23, currently the most offered by any NCAA Division II conference. The NE10 has led the nation in graduation rates and academic success rates.

Brunk began his career in intercollegiate athletics at Morehead State University as Director of the Eagle Athletic Fund before being named Assistant Athletic Director. He also served as the school's head softball coach for two years. From there, he worked for the NCAA for eight years in compliance services. He left the NCAA offices to join the Northeast-10 just prior to the NCAA's move to Indianapolis.

Prior to his involvement in intercollegiate athletics, Brunk owned and operated several minor-league baseball franchises for the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He garnered numerous awards for business and marketing excellence.

Brunk continues to be highly involved with the NCAA. He currently serves as chairman of the Division II Management Council and he also serves on the Division II Membership Committee, the Division II Convention Planning Project Team, the Division II Community Advisory Group, the Division II Media Advisory Group and the Division II Identity Subcommittee.

Academy Alum Accepts Position with the USA Pentathlon

United States Sports Academy Alum Scott Novack has joined Sport Partnerships as the High Performance Manager for USA Pentathlon in Colorado Springs, Colo.

A Colorado native, Novack received his Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations and Russian from the University of Nebraska in 1995. He received his Master of Sport Management degree from the Academy in 1997.

Novack began his career in international sports at the 1994 Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia. There, he worked with Turner Broadcasting Company (TBS) and TNT basketball. This experience led him to Brunel University in England, where he wrote his dissertation on British Olympic Development while working with the Great Britain University basketball team as it prepared for the 1997 World University Games.

From 1999 - 2004, Novack worked for USA Rugby in a coaching program that certified over 5,000 coaches. During this time, youth/high school player participation increased from 5,500 to over 17,000. He took the U19 National Team to three world championships, one regional world cup qualifier and two Freedom Cup series with Canada’s U19 national team.

Novack served as Director of High Performance for USA Taekwondo until 2005, for which he created the Athlete & Coach Development matrix and established National Team standards, processes and systems. In addition, he served as Team Leader for USA Taekwondo National Teams at nine major international competitions; his teams accrued 15 gold, 10 silver and 21 bronze medals, including three world champions and a second place overall finish at the 2005 World Championships.

Academy Alum Cox Helps Texas A&M Reach the Sweet 16

Merely a year after winning the National Junior College Athletic Association basketball title as a head coach, United States Sports Academy alum Jeremy Cox is in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men’s Basketball Tournament Sweet 16 as an assistant coach at Texas A&M University.

Texas A&M advanced to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1980 following a 72-69 win over the Louisville Cardinals on 17 March. The Aggies will face Memphis on 22 March at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Cox, who earned his Master of Sport Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 1999, led the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national title in men’s basketball in 2006. Cox is one of two Academy graduates to win a national championship in college basketball in 2006. Terry Waldrop, a 1993 graduate, led Texas Wesleyan to the NAIA National Championship in men’s basketball the same season.

Cox directed his program to a 33-3 record his final season, UAFS’s first national championship season in 25 years. Five of his players earned NCAA Division I scholarships, giving him a place in Division I.

Cox guided UAFS to an 84-17 record in three seasons, winning at least 20 games in each campaign and earning two Bi-State Conference East Division championships. At Fort Smith, he served as an assistant in 2002 after four years as head coach at Garden City (Kan) Community College, where he had a .721 winning percentage and a 93-36 record. In his first head coaching position at North Dakota State College of Science, his team was 19-9 in 1997-98. It won an NJCAA Region XIII championship.

Academy Alum Underwood Receives Bob Costas Grant

Dr. Joseph W. Underwood, a 1987 graduate of the United States Sports Academy, is one of six teachers in the nation to be awarded the annual College Board Bob Costas Grants for the Teaching of Writing.

The grants recognize innovative methods that teachers use to teach writing. They were created to recognize exceptional teachers and pay tribute to Costas, an Emmy Award–winning broadcaster and author, whose generous public service work on behalf of the National Commission on Writing has greatly enhanced the craft of writing. Each teacher will receive $2,000.

Underwood has been teaching for 22 years at Miami Senior High School. There, he built a television production studio by raising funds from the community. Students involved in the inner-city high school's Arts Related Technology for Entertainment Careers Academy collaborate daily to produce a live, 10-minute newscast, including a Spanish segment, for 3,200 students and staff.

Underwood is a finalist for the 2007 National Teacher’s Hall of Fame. He has received numerous honors and awards throughout his teaching career, including the 2004 Disney Teacher Award, the 2005 USA Today All-Star Teacher Award, the 2006 WalMart local Teacher of the Year Award and the 2006 Toyota International Teacher for his studies in the Galapagos Islands.

“These classroom teaching stars continue to inspire us. Their daily creative efforts energize young people and help them appreciate the lifelong rewards of learning to write well,” Costas said.

Students research, write, edit and produce stories ranging from hurricane preparedness and military recruiters' accessibility to teen obesity and choosing college majors. Impressing his students with the mantra that "there is no good writing without rewriting," Underwood guides students to use feedback and rework scripts. "I have learned a lot about values and hard work in the process of strengthening my writing skills," one student wrote. "The one thing I regret is not getting into this class earlier."

The College Board established the National Commission on Writing in 2002 to create support for writing. Bob Costas, a New York Times best-selling author, has been honored as Sportscaster of the Year a record eight times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. He has supported the Commission’s work by producing a national public service announcement encouraging young people to develop strong writing skills for success in the classroom and the workplace.

Teachers of grades 6–12 from any discipline, in public or nonpublic schools, are eligible for the Bob Costas Grants, as are writing programs in schools or the community. For details about the annual award program, visit www.collegeboard.com/costasgrants.

Academy Alumnus Etchison Becomes SID at Maryville College

After 14 years as the head baseball coach for his alma matter, Maryville College (Tenn.), United States Sports Academy graduate Eric Etchison has been named the schools’ first full-time Sports Information Director (SID).

Etchison, who graduated with a master’s degree in sports management from the Academy in 1991, was recently named to the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee. He served on the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Selection Committee in 2004 and 2005. He served on the National Baseball Committee from 2002-’05. He just finished a six-year stint as the American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Region All-American representative for the NCAA South Region. He also assisted in the administration of more than 30 NCAA National Tournament events. As an NCAA liaison, he helped direct four NCAA Division III baseball regional tournaments and four National NCAA Division III baseball championships.

As SID, he has assisted in the development of four NCAA Division III soccer regionals, 10 mens’ basketball regionals and 11 women’s basketball regionals.

As a coach, he had 280 career wins, second all-time for Maryville’s baseball program.

Academy Graduate Remembered After Mountain Climbing Death

After United States Sports Academy graduate Manel de la Matta died on the downside of a mountain climbing expedition, he was remembered not only for his courage but for his vision and compassion.

“He was a cheerful and happy character and kept the team united,” Angela Benavides, editor of ESP.MountEverest.net, said.

The mountain climber from Barcelona, Spain was part of a climbing team that reached the top of K2 on 17 August 2004. K2 is the second highest mountain on Earth. It is located in the Karakoram segment of the Himalayan range between Pakistan and China.

On the way to the top, de la Matta and his teammates tried to organize a rescue party when two climbers were missing on the crowded Abruzzi Spur route. “They attempted this rescue while dozens of other climbers looked the other way, packed their things and hurried home,” according to Benavides. The lost climbers, who were never found, were on the regular route to the top. Manel and his teammates were climbing “The Magic Line,” a more challenging venture.

“Manel had been dreaming of K2 for decades and, especially, he had been dreaming of climbing the Magic Line,” Benevides said. “Despite the difficulties, he was absolutely happy to be there at every moment.”

Manel de la Matta’s team was the first to climb to the top of K2 via the Magic Line twice. It was on the downward journey that de la Matta contracted peritonitis. He died on 17 August 2004 while retreating to a base camp with his expedition leader, Oscar Cadiach. He was 41.

A native of Madrid, de la Matta completed his master’s degree in sports management at the Academy in 1989. He completed his Academy mentorship at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He used that experience to help him direct the table tennis tournament at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

At the time of his death, de la Matta was director of the Mountain Sport Techniques School of the Escuela Pia in Catalonia, Spain. He was also the first director of the FEDME (the Spanish Federation of Climbing and Mountaineering) High Mountain School.

Academy Graduate Sather Serves Military as Physiologist

Lt. Thomas E. Sather, who earned his Master of Sports Science with a dual major in sports fitness and sports medicine in 1996 from the Academy, recently returned from Iraq. He was honored for his service in the air crew in Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC).

Sather has served in the Navy as a physiologist since leaving a brief tenure at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked as a clinical exercise physiologist shortly after graduation. He joined the Navy to become a naval aerospace physiologist. A master’s or doctoral degree is required for admission into the Naval Aerospace Physiologist program.

Sather was deployed to Iraq in 2005. There, he worked as an Aeromedical Safety Officer and a Laser Systems Safety Officer for Marines assigned to oversee the Iraqi elections and the establishment of an Iraqi government. He received a Strike/Flight Air Medal for his time in CASEVAC and the designation as a Marine’s Fleet Marine Force Qualified Officer.

Since his return from Iraq, Sather has been working at the Naval Survival Training Institute in Pensacola, Fla.

Academy Sports Medicine Graduate Builds Career at Florida A&M

In her 13th year as Head Athletic Trainer at Florida A&M University (FAMU), United States Sports Academy graduate Akima Abrakata-Dina is proud of her longevity and the growth of her athletic training program at the Division I school in Tallahassee, Florida.

The former track and field All-American athlete at Lincoln (Mo.) University (1981 and ’82) received her Master of Sports Science in sports medicine at the Academy in 1988 when she worked as a graduate assistant trainer at the University of South Alabama. She then filled a similar role for one year at FAMU before being promoted to assistant athletic trainer. She served in that capacity for two school years as interim head athletic trainer, before being promoted permanently to her current position in 1994.

“The Academy prepared me well for my career,” Dina said. “Most of my mentors are from the Alabama area.”

For the first time since Dina arrived, FAMU now has five certified athletic trainers on staff. She obtained her own certification from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) in 1993.

“We are fortunate to have a very knowledgeable athletic director,” Dina said. “He knows what it takes to do my job and he has really supported me”

Academy Graduate Moore Helps ESPN Evolve

The United States Sports Academy emerged on the scene as the leader in sports education seven years before ESPN did the same in sports media. For the past 10 years, Academy graduate Linda Moore has been involved in ESPN’s evolution from a sports media outlet to a sports management and production entity.

After ESPN began the X Games, an Olympic-style competition for “action sports” such as skateboarding and BMX stunts, Moore was hired to manage a staff of 75 that oversaw all auxiliary events, including the X Trials and B3 events. In 1999, Moore was promoted to her current position, Director of Business Administration for ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE).

“We came about at a time when the leagues were asking exorbitant rights fees,” Moore said. “And we decided to produce our own content. We realized a lot of potential there, because if we own it, we can use it as we need to, through internet, broadband, mobile, iTunes and DVDs.”

ESPN Original Entertainment made poker and spelling bees into spectator sports.

“The National Spelling Bee became one of our most popular programs,” Moore said. “Because of the creativity of our production staff, we’ve been able to take fun events and deliver them to the spectator.”

EOE also produced made-for-television movies based on best-selling sports books, such as “The Junction Boys” and “Season on the Brink.”

“The first owned property was the ESPY awards in 1992,” Moore said. “And the X Games started in 1994 with the first event in 1995. It is definitely because of the success of those two owned properties that led to having an original entertainment and original programming division.”

After a 10-year career in college recruiting, Moore attended the Academy in 1988, finishing in 1989 with a Master of Sports Science in sports management.

“Other programs had a business or media element, but there was nothing that combined business and sports in a convenient, deliverable, real-world situation like the United States Sports Academy,” Moore said. “I have used my education there in so many ways in terms of fitting pieces together. The most important was the business and personnel management class. I learned about so many nuances of a sports-related business regarding personnel matters. The other was sports marketing. Back in 1988, when I took the class, sport marketing was just on the rise. Now there are so many companies making millions of dollars because of sports marketing.”

Moore is also active in the V Foundation for Cancer Research, Women in Cable and Television, and D.A.R.E. Early in her career, Moore was the head of the Academy Educational Center in St. Louis.

“After Linda’s graduation she worked for the Academy’s Education Center in St. Louis,” said Academy President Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich. “Linda did an outstanding job for the Academy so it is not surprising to see her success at ESPN. The Academy is very proud of her.”

Academy's Influence Spreads Through Texas Sports Scene

On athletic fields and in arenas throughout Texas, from the NBA to NCAA Division III baseball, the Academy is quickly becoming one of the more influential universities on the Texas sports scene.

As Academy alumni continue to grow in representation among coaching and administrative positions in the Lone Star State, they are winning championships and building successful programs along the way.

In professional sports, Houston Rockets Vice President of Operations/Player Personnel Dennis Lindsey and former President and Commissioner of the Frisco-based North American Hockey League Michael Santos hold master’s degrees from the Academy. This past summer Santos took a position as the Director of Hockey Operations with the NHL’s Nashville Predators

The Big 12 schools in Texas include an alumni contingent led by Texas Tech head football coach Mike Leach, who obtained a master’s degree in sports coaching in 1988; University of Texas Associate Athletic Director Lynn Wheeler, who earned her master’s degree in 1986; and Texas A&M assistant men’s basketball coach Jeremy Cox, who received his master’s degree in 1999.

Also representing the Academy in Texas Division I schools is Texas Christian University head women’s basketball coach Jeff Mittie, a sport management major who used community involvement by his players to help bring about dramatic increases in attendance for Lady Frog basketball games.

“During the sports marketing classes I took at the Academy, there was discussion about the importance of being invested in your area and the many ways to involve different people in your program,” Mittie said. “Winning helps, but people want to know who they are watching on the floor. We try to get our players out in the community.”

Cox was recently hired by A&M after being head coach at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, the 2006 National Junior College champions in men’s basketball. This was one of two national men’s basketball championships won by coaches with an Academy degree on their resume. Terry Waldrop, who coached Texas Wesleyan University to the 2006 NAIA National Championship in men’s basketball, received his master’s from the Academy in 1993.

In baseball, University of Texas-Tyler head coach James Vilade, who earned his master’s in 2003 from the Academy, has seen six players from his NCAA Division III program turn professional in the past year. Two of his current players were drafted, but chose to stay in school.

“(The Academy) took me to the next level as far as awareness in other areas of sports management, such as promotion and marketing,” Vilade said. “The style of teaching made me better prepared for my career. I’m (the Academy’s) biggest fan. Not one guy will preach it as hard as I do.”

Part of the Academy’s unofficial Texas network started when Kilgore Junior College head men’s basketball coach Scott Schumacher decided in high school that he wanted to attend the institution. He saw an advertisement for the Academy in a magazine ad while working at a YMCA, and went on to earn his master’s degree in 1990.

“I cut the advertisement out, folded it, put it in my wallet, and six years later that was where I went to get my master’s,” Schumacher, the president of the National Junior College Athletic Associations’ Basketball Coaches Association, said.

At Kilgore, Schumacher encouraged his former player and later assistant coach, Cox, to attend the Academy. He did the same for Lindsey, whom he coached in AAU basketball.

“The courses I took there were very realistic for what I have to deal with in my profession as a college basketball coach,” Schumacher said.

Lindsey assists the Rockets’ general manager with the evaluation of draft prospects, free agents and potential trades. In addition, he helps in salary cap matters and heads the statistical evaluation program for professional and amateur talent. Lindsey also coordinates the scouting of amateur and professional talent.

Many of the aforementioned alumni took advantage of the Academy’s “Two Summers Plus” program, where degree seekers take four courses during the summer, complete the mentorship requirement during the school year, then take the final four courses the following summer.

The Academy’s on-campus experience combines the expertise of the international sports world with Southern hospitality at the Alabama location, 10 miles east of Mobile across Mobile Bay.

“The year I spent at the Sports Academy helped me make the contacts and do the networking I needed to find the position I have at Texas,” Wheeler said. “I was able to work with an older group of people with a variety of experiences in the sports world.”

It also could speed the track to success, as in the case with Leach. After graduating law school at Pepperdine University, Leach decided he wanted to be a football coach. He obtained his master’s in sport coaching at the Academy two years later, and in 13 years went from a $6,000-a-year part-time assistant coaching job to a Division I head coaching position at Texas Tech.

“The practical experience gained during my time with the Academy helped put me on the fast track to success in my chosen profession,” Leach said.

As the responsibilities of a coach increase, fewer actually enjoy the traditional “summer break” they might have 20 years ago. That fact, combined with the increasing availability of technology, has allowed a new generation of coaches to take advantage of an Academy education through online learning.

Michael McBroom studied for his master’s degree through distance learning during the latter part of his six-year tenure as associate athletic director of marketing and executive director of the Buffalo Club at West Texas A&M University. As McBroom was finishing his master’s this past summer, he was promoted to athletic director.

“The management and personnel classes really gave me an insight on what to expect from an administrative standpoint and budgeting,” McBroom said. “I keep my textbooks on my shelves. I think I have used something from every class in doing my job.”

Former Texas Tech baseball player Brandon Buckley, who is now the bullpen catcher for the Oakland Athletics, recently earned a bachelor’s degree online from the Academy.

Distance learning was a huge advantage for Buckley, who did practically all of his coursework between midnight and 3 a.m. in hotel rooms during road trips for the A’s, one of the most traveled teams in professional sports.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Buckley said from his hotel room in Toronto, when the A’s were playing a series against the Toronto Blue Jays in July. “But the Academy gave me the opportunity to do work on my own schedule wherever I am.”

Other notable Academy alumni working for Texas sports programs include Texas Tech University Assistant Track and Field Coach Don Hood Jr. and Houston Baptist University Head Women’s Softball Coach Mary Ellen Hall.

Academy Grad Pro-Active in Coaching College Baseball

United States Sports Academy graduate James Vilade has a unique selling point when recruiting for the NCAA Division III baseball program he coaches at the University of Texas at Tyler. It’s a gateway to the pros.

Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, but that sacrifice has paid off as six Patriots at UT-Tyler in the past nine months have joined the ranks of professional baseball. Seven players did the same in the late 1990s at the University of Dallas, also under the direction of Vilade, who obtained his Master of Sports Science at the Academy in 2003.

“There are Division I programs we would out-recruit because of our coaching staff and the facilities we have built,” Vilade said. “Players evaluate opportunity and they see this as a place where they can improve as a player.”

In 2005, the Patriots’ .811 winning percentage was among the top 10 in all NCAA divisions. Vilade’s career coaching record is 200-83 and there is a reason he has seen six players turn pro in the past nine months: he could have sent more but two would not leave. Sophomore pitcher Derek Patterson was drafted twice by the Colorado Rockies, but chose to stay in school. Senior first baseman Brett Amyx was drafted by the Phillies, but made the same choice. Five of the six who did leave did not have the choice to stay because they graduated. The other is scheduled to graduate in May.

All six of the players who are now professionals played for the 2005 team that won the American Southwest Conference (ASC) East Division Championship with an overall record of 30-7, batting .353 as a team and with a team ERA of 3.53 – during the school’s second year of varsity baseball competition. The Patriots were 24-13 in their first year.

Program building is nothing new to Vilade, who started a program at the University of Dallas in 1997 and won 118 games in four years there, including back-to-back ASC East Division titles. During that time, 33 players were selected for the All-Conference Team and 10 made All-Region.

“There is no question that organization is a big part of building a program,” Vilade said. “You have to pay attention to every facet of a program from recruiting, to publicity to practice. Another key is making as many people a part of the organization as you can.”

Between head coaching stints, Vilade was an Assistant at Oral Roberts University, a Division I school in Tulsa, Okla. He helped them to a 48-19 record and a top 20 finish in the regular season polls. This position allowed him to sharpen his recruiting skills.

“The thing I learned most about recruiting is that you are constantly evaluating players,” Vilade said. “Recruiting cannot stop. It is a year-round, seven-day-a-week commitment. It is more competitive then it used to be. There is more quality information out there and more venues to see players.”

He had the commitment and organizational skills already, so Vilade used his education at the Academy to bring about additional management knowledge to improve as a head coach. He said he values his experience with the Academy as much as his education at Baylor University, where he played baseball and graduated in 1995.

“It took me to the next level as far as awareness in other areas of sports management, such as promotion and marketing,” Vilade said. “The style of teaching made me better prepared for my career. I’m (the Academy’s) biggest fan. Not one guy will preach it as hard as I do.”

Oakland Athletics Bullpen Catcher Earns Academy Bachelor's Degree on the Road

The Oakland Athletics are one of the most traveled teams in professional sports, but life on the road has been very productive for their bullpen catcher, thanks to the United States Sports Academy.

Brandon Buckley completed his Bachelor of Sports Science degree in sports coaching in September just in time for the Oakland A’s playoff drive. He completed most of his coursework in hotel rooms between midnight and 3 a.m. during road trips for a team that has flown more than 100,000 miles in the past two years, playing 162 games in 180 days (plus spring training). The online bachelor’s degree program at the Academy was perfectly suited for him.

Now that he is finished, Buckley has been able to focus on the Athletics’ playoff run. After he completed his mentorship, Oakland won the American League Western Division and defeated the Minnesota Twins in the AL Divisional Series.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Buckley said from his hotel room. “But this gives me the opportunity to work on my degree on my own schedule wherever I am.”

The educational pursuit did not keep the father of two from his family time. His second child was born in June. It also did not keep him from one of his most memorable experiences in baseball - watching Barry Bonds tie Babe Ruth with his 714th career home run. Bonds reached the milestone when the San Francisco Giants were playing at Oakland.

“It was a fun day at the ballpark,” Buckley, a native of nearby Pleasanton, Calif. said. “All the media coverage and everything that happened earlier this year had been a huge weight on his shoulders. From a baseball fan’s perspective and a Bay Area sports fan’s perspective, it was nice to see him do it in the Bay Area.”

Despite moments like that, his desire to obtain a college education is also fueled by a need to connect with life outside of baseball. After one year in junior college, Buckley played for two years at Texas Tech and was drafted after his junior season. He played Class AA baseball for four years before becoming a Major League Baseball bullpen catcher.

Buckley said he would like to work in education as a teacher, coach or both. He hopes to pursue a Master of Sports Science degree at the Academy and gain California teaching certification.

Coaching is nothing new to Buckley, who explains the role of a bullpen catcher as that of a coach in practice but not in title.

“I’m basically like the seventh coach on a major league staff,” he said. “I fulfill the roll of being an assistant pitching coach, bullpen coach and infield coach.”

Junior College Championship Earns Academy Alum a Coaching Position at Texas A&M

Jeremy Cox, a junior college coach who is one of two Academy graduates to win a national championship in college basketball in 2006, is breaking into NCAA Division I play as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Texas A&M.

Cox, who earned his Master of Sport Science in sports management in 1999, led the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national title in men’s basketball in 2006. Terry Waldrop, a 1993 graduate, led Texas Wesleyan to the NAIA National Championship in men’s basketball the same season.

“Coaching is a management position and all management skills and marketing skills I learned at the Academy helped me along the way,” Cox said. “This is especially true at the junior college level, where we are involved with everything. There is no sports information director and no marketing department. We have to wear many hats. This degree helped me run a junior college program.”

Cox, the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year for 2006, directed his program to a 33-3 record his final season, UAFS’s first national championship season in 25 years. In addition he had five players earn NCAA Division I scholarships. This earned him a place in Division I, at an up-and-coming Big 12 Conference program that made its first trip to the NCAA tournament in 19 years and advanced to the second round in 2006.

“The recruiting is much more intense at this level,” Cox said of his new position. “That is the biggest adjustment right now.”

Cox guided UAFS to an 84-17 record in three seasons, winning at least 20 games in each campaign and earning two Bi-State Conference East Division championships. He joined the staff at Fort Smith as an assistant in 2002 after serving four years as head coach at Garden City (Kan) Community College, where he had a .721 winning percentage and a 93-36 record. Cox’s first head coaching position was at North Dakota State College of Science, where his team was 19-9 in 1997-98 and won an NJCAA Region XIII championship.

“Texas A&M plays at the highest level of Division I basketball and that’s very exciting to me,” Cox said. “The Big 12 Conference is one of the top two or three leagues in the country, Texas A&M is one of the top upcoming programs in the country and (head coach) Billy Gillespie is one of the top upcoming coaches.”

Nationally-Acclaimed Junior College Coach is a Proud Academy Alum

Even when he was in high school, Scott Schumacher knew he wanted to attend the Academy, where he would graduate in 1990 with a master’s degree in sport coaching.

Now the head men’s basketball coach at Kilgore (Texas) Junior College, Schumacher continuously encourages other coaches to take the same route.

“The courses I took there were very realistic for what I have to deal with in my profession as a college basketball coach,” Schumacher said. “This put me in a position where I could stay in college coaching for 19 years.”

Eleven of those years have been at Kilgore, where Schumacher has coached six National Junior College All-Americans. One of his stars was Francisco Elson of Holland, who recently signed a contract with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs after three years with the Denver Nuggets.

While the Dutchman was a good recruit for Kilgore and California-Berkley, where Elson transferred, Schumacher has been an effective recruiter for his graduate school alma matter as well. He encouraged Jeremy Cox to attend, before he graduated from the Academy and coached the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith to a 2006 junior college national championship. Cox was recently hired as an assistant with Texas A&M.

Schumacher coached at Paris (Texas) Junior College for five years and has also coached AAU basketball. One of his AAU players was Dennis Lindsey, who would later play with Schumacher’s brother at Baylor University. Lindsey graduated from the Academy when he was coaching at Pensacola Junior College. In 2005 Lindsey, now vice president of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, was named Academy Alumnus of the Year.

But all it took to steer Schumacher towards Daphne was a magazine ad.

“I was working in a YMCA my senior year in high school and saw an advertisement (for the Academy) in a magazine,” Schumacher said. “I cut the advertisement out, folded it, put it in my wallet and six years later that was where I went to get my master’s.”

Schumacher now serves as president of the NJCAA’s Basketball Coaches’ Association and is the junior college representative of USA Basketball. Before coaching at Paris, where he was named Texas East Conference Coach of the Year, he was an assistant at Sheridan (Wyoming) Junior College and Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Tex.

Coach Hawkins Goes Global with Young Basketball Team

Since the Academy offers sport education programs worldwide, it is only fitting that one of its graduates used globalization to educate his players.

Steve Hawkins, head men’s basketball coach at Western Michigan University and a 1989 Academy graduate, took his team on a tour of Europe in May, where the Broncos played six games in eight days, finishing with a 4-2 record. The Broncos won games in Rome and Viterbo, Italy, lost their first two games in Greece and then finished with two victories over the Greek Under-18 National Team.

Playing against an under-18 team was not too much of a chronological regression for a team that, for the second straight season, will have no seniors on its roster. During the 2005-’06 campaign, 70 percent of Western Michigan’s playing time was taken up by freshmen and sophomores. It was clearly a rebuilding year for a team that finished 14-17 after three straight 20-wins seasons.

“We are hoping the tour benefits us the way it did last time we went,” Hawkins said. The fourth-year coach was an assistant for the Broncos when they toured France, Switzerland and Monaco in 2002. “It was a bonding experience, with everybody getting to experience something for the first time and go through it together.”

With three returning starters and the products of some diligent recruiting, the 2004 Basketball Times Top Rookie Coach hopes the Broncos will return to contention in the Mid American Conference (MAC). He also is very specific about how his education at the Academy helped him prepare for his career.

“The quality of information I received, specifically as it relates to how the body works, has served me well,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins is a product of the "Two Summers Plus" program, where a student can complete a master's degree in one year.

“The intensity in which you have to work is something that served me well,” Hawkins said. “There is a little bit of pressure involved and I don’t think that is a bad thing.”

Hawkins has played a key role in the revitalization of the program, first as an assistant and now as head coach.

After a record-setting first year as head coach in 2003-04, the Broncos followed with a 20-win campaign and NIT appearance in 2004-05. WMU became the first program ever to defend its West Division title.

WMU captured the MAC division, regular season and tournament championships en route to a 26-5 overall record in 2003-04, the highest total in school history. The team appeared in the NCAA Tournament for just the third time since the program’s inception.

Hawkins graduated from the University of South Alabama in 1987, where he worked as a student assistant for men’s basketball. He spent one season as a graduate assistant at Quincy University (IL) before spending two seasons as an assistant coach at St. Andrews College in N.C. He returned to Quincy for one season as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach for nine seasons, where he had a record of 137-111 and was named Illinois Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division Two Coach of the Year four times.

Disney, Academy Have Magical Relationship in Mentor Program

The United States Sports Academy has had worldwide influence in the sports field, from the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Magic Kingdom. Just ask the people at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista Florida, where several Academy students have chosen the internship program there to complete their mentorship for the Academy.

“It’s truly a magical experience,” Academy master’s degree candidate Lucas Ingersol of Oneonta, N.Y., said a month after beginning his mentorship there. He will soon be joined by classmate Chista Leggette of Fayetteville, N.C.

Disney’s Wide World of Sports is a 220-acre facility plays host to over 170 amateur and professional events each year. This is a place where athletes can compete and experience the same world-class facilities that are used by the best athletes in the world.

The flow of students to Disney has been occurring for the past eight years. Disney’s biggest windfall from the program may have come from Rick Morris. He completed his doctoral mentorship with Disney, was immediately hired as sales manager for the Orlando Rays minor-league baseball team and is now manager of sports for the Wide World of Sports complex being built at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.

“The mentorship was a capstone for the coursework, putting it in perspective in the real world of the sports business,” Morris said.

Kari Samora, director of the Disney’s Wide World of Sports Internship Program, also credits the Academy staff for the successful relationship.

“It really starts off with the contacts,” Samora said. “The school representatives, such as Dr. Ryder, are fantastic. She supports the program and gets the information out to the students. Robin Kemp (the Academy Director of Mentorships) is very diligent and conscientious about starting things on the right foot and helping us get the right people.”

Getting the students to Disney is one thing. What they find at Disney is another.

“Our facilities are top notch and our management staff is top notch,” Samora said. “We have the best leaders in the sports industry here at Walt Disney World. We have every single sport represented. There isn’t anything you can miss. We’ve done sports from all areas, all places and any kind of sport. With our management staff, you can network with someone in the area you are interested in.”

Academy Alum McDermott Coaching Iowa State Basketball

After taking the University of Northern Iowa to a new level in men’s basketball, Greg McDermott is moving up to a new level of college coaching.

McDermott, who graduated from the Academy in 1994 with a Master of Sport Science degree in sports management, has begun his first season as head men’s basketball coach at Iowa State University. He is venturing into Big 12-conference sports after taking a mid-major team, Northern Iowa, to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

“Coaching in the Big 12, compared to the Missouri Valley Conference, is much more of a public job,” McDermott said. “This is especially true when you live in Iowa, where there are no (major) professional sports teams. A big part of coaching at this level is you have to be a good politician.”

Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard - realizing he had one of the best fan bases in the Big 12, a strong reputation in basketball and a department that has made significant investments in the program – saw the need to make men’s basketball an elite sport for ISU. He saw McDermott as a coach who would take the Cyclones to that level and be someone to whom the fans could relate.

“I am one of you,” McDermott told 2,000 fans who attended the announcement of his hiring on March 21. “I am a farm boy from Cascade, Iowa.”

The comment received a standing ovation.

“It’s unbelievable the welcome I have received here,” McDermott said. “It is beyond anything I could have imagined. The people of Ames and the Cyclone Nation have opened their arms to us and that has made the transition really simple.”

In his third season at UNI, McDermott led the Panthers to a 21-10 record and to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in the school’s history. UNI followed with its first ever at-large birth in 2005 and a school record 23 wins in 2006, along with the school’s first-ever Associated Press Top 25 ranking.

“In Greg McDermott, we have one of the most successful young coaches in the nation,” ISU President Dr. Gregory Geoffroy said. “He has proven that he can build a strong program and be successful in a very competitive conference. We are extremely pleased that he has accepted our invitation to become the new head coach of the Cyclone men’s basketball program.”

McDermott took advantage of the convenience of the Academy’s two-summers-plus program to gain his first head coaching position. In this program, students can take 12 hours at the Academy Daphne Campus in each of two summers, and complete a mentorship in their hometowns during the regular school year between. McDermott was an assistant coach at University of North Dakota when he enrolled in the program, and he completed his mentorship at the UND’s compliance office. A master’s degree was required at his first head coaching job, Wayne State University, where he coached from 1994-2000 and compiled a record of 116-53, including two appearances in the NCAA Division Two tournament. After that, he coached at North Dakota State for one year before beginning his five years at Northern Iowa.

McBroom Named Director of Athletics While Finishing Academy Master's

Two months before completing his master’s degree at the Academy, Michael McBroom began to enjoy the fruits of his academic labor. He was promoted to Director of Athletics at West Texas A&M University.

The recent Master of Sports Science in sports management degree recipient received his early present in May. After McBroom served as WTAMU’s associate athletic director of marketing and executive director of the Buffalo Club for six years, the retirement of former athletic director Ed Harris helped expedite his promotion process. McBroom is not hesitant to tout the value of his Academy education in preparing for the new challenge.

“The management and personnel classes really gave me an insight on what to expect, from an administrative standpoint and budgeting,” McBroom said. “I keep my textbooks on my shelves. I think I have used something from every class in doing my job. I am trying to hire a head athletic trainer and if I had not taken athletic training management, I would really be behind the 8-ball right now.”

In his previous position at West Texas A&M, the NCAA Division Two school in Canyon, Texas saw a 65-percent increase in annual revenues through a comprehensive fund raising program. Buffalo Club membership rose by 125 percent to more than 700 members and corporate partnerships have increased from 60 to 100.

Smith Named Head Trainer for Orlando Magic

Academy graduate Tom Smith has been an NBA trainer for six years, but he says his new position with the Orlando Magic is “a dream come true.”

Smith joined the Magic as head athletic trainer earlier this month after six years working as an assistant athletic trainer for the Atlanta Hawks, where he assisted with the training needs of players and handled the team’s travel arrangements. Prior to Atlanta, he spent six years as head athletic trainer at St. Paul Academy in St. Paul, Minn.

“This is the city I have always wanted to live in and an organization I have always wanted to work for,” Smith, who received a Master of Sports Science in sports medicine from the Academy in 1991, said. “It’s a family-owned team and everyone knows who the owner is. They run it like that. When offered the job, the first thing I was told was ‘welcome to the family.”

Smith completed his Academy master’s degree mentorship with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves as a graduate student trainer in 1990.

“Without that opportunity to get into the door, I would not be in pro basketball,” Smith said.

From 1992-1995, Smith served as head trainer and travel coordinator for the Rapid City Thrillers of the Continental Basketball Association. While working at St. Paul Academy, Smith also worked one season with the Minnesota Moose of the International Hockey League.

Smith, who obtained his bachelor’s degree in sports studies from Northwestern College in Minnesota, is a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) and a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has assisted the training staffs at many different events, including the Magic’s summer league games in 1999 and several NBA pre-draft camps.

Triumph Comes After Trial and Tragedy for Academy Graduate

No one is immune to pain, sorrow or worry, but there are some who will stand up and remind everyone that life still goes on.

This year, life went on for Matthew Grimaldi, a recent graduate of the United States Sports Academy doctoral program.

Mercyhurst College’s (Erie, Penn.) Associate Athletic Director completed the final defense of his dissertation in February as the committee, chaired by professor Dr. Richard DeSchriver, accepted his defense.

DeSchriver was Dean of Academic Affairs when Grimaldi started this journey. Current Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies Dr. Fred Cromartie was working on his master’s degree when Grimaldi started. Bill Clinton was President. The World Series was about to be cancelled.

Beginning in the fall of 1994 Grimaldi began his quest for an Ed.D in sports management at the Academy, while serving as the Academy’s director of student services and admissions. He completed his coursework in the summer of 1997 and started his mentorship at Drexel University in Philadelphia. That led to a full time position as director of compliance for the Drexel athletic department, where he served for five years.

As he approached the deadline for completion of his doctorate, Grimaldi hit his first roadblock. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The least of his concerns was finishing his education at that point, but he applied for and received a one-year extension. A year later, his sister was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

“Dr. (Thomas P.) Rosandich (president of the Academy) called me and asked if there is anything he could do,” Grimaldi said.

Grimaldi asked Rosandich for another extension, which he obtained. After his sister’s death, Grimaldi continued working on his dissertation before his wife, the mother of his 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was in phase two and had to have a full mastectomy and chemotherapy.

“We are counting our blessings on many fronts,” Grimaldi said, after Jamie Grimaldi’s recovery and news that the cancer had stopped spreading. “Our strength is in our commitment to family. We are never ones to ask why. We just shift gears, like a football team. Sometimes you just have to call an audible.”

Needless to say, Grimaldi was granted another extension. He finally defended his dissertation in February, “Development of a Guide to Aid in Institutional Compliance with Title IX.”

Being an advocate of complying with a law associated with gender equity in sports is not hard for someone who knows first-hand about the strength of a woman. During his tenure at Mercyhurst, where he is in his fifth year, the number of female head coaches has increased from one to seven and scholarships for female athletes have gone up 11 percent. The school has constructed a new state-of-the art women’s soccer stadium and softball field as well along with a new baseball field and improvements to the football stadium. The women’s rowing team earned an NCAA Division Two National Championship.

Jamie Grimaldi is technically free of cancer now.

Grimaldi will receive his degree in July at the Academy graduation and then, life goes on.

Mentorship Pursuit Nets Big Results for Grove

Before the Atlantic Division Champion New Jersey Nets clinched an NBA playoff spot, Kyle Grove already had a championship educational experience in the bag.

“This is a wonderful ride,” Grove said. “The playoffs are definitely a new experience for me. I’ve never been in a playoff atmosphere in basketball. I have in football, yes, but not basketball.”

Grove, a United States Sports Academy master’s degree student from West Orange, N.J., has been diligently working under Nets’ Advertising and Promotions Manager Shauna Sikorski in the Academy mentorship program. The former Norfolk (Va.) State University football player, who played in NFL Europe and the Arena Football League, used a contact from Norfolk to gain this opportunity.

“Mr. Brown, who was director of the Boys and Girls Club of Norfolk, knew the Human Resources director for the Nets,” Grove said.

Students pursuing a Master of Sports Science degree at the Academy have the option of earning credit while gaining practical experience through a mentorship. Grove has used that opportunity to help the Nets with projects that promote ticket sales, all-star balloting and the New Jersey high school basketball state tournament.

“The most exciting thing so far has been organizing the high school basketball tournament,” Grove said. “I learned a lot about event planning.”

Grove’s mentor, Sikorski, has been working with Nets Sports and Entertainment in East Rutherford, N.J. since June. She was previously the marketing coordinator for the Asheville Altitude of the National Basketball Development League.

With the help of Grove, who is in his third month with the Nets, the NBA team increased its collection of All-Star ballots in February from 73,040 in 2005 to 95,396 this season.

“We gave away t-shirts and fans got a chance to win basketballs autographed by Vince Carter and Jason Kidd and kids had a chance to win video games,” Grove said. “That was just a couple of the promotions we ran.”

Superbowl Countdown Begins for Academy Doctoral Student

United States Sports Academy doctoral student and former sports writer Maria Scott is combining her management education and communication skills to help the City of Miami prepare for Super Bowl XLI.

Scott is working for the South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee to fulfill her mentorship requirements for a Doctor of Sports Management degree at the Academy. Host committees are civic groups that organize parties, special events and logistical aspects of hosting a major sporting event. Her tasks focus on internal and external communications.

“Technology keeps changing, but you have to stay on top of it” Scott said. “Host committees in the past have done their best to keep up with it. We are trying to move forward and stay on the cutting edge. Right now we are developing a photo gallery for our web site and trying to keep it as up to date as possible.”

Scott aspires to manage a media relations team for major sports events and to teach sports media courses at the collegiate level, so she has divided her mentorship up into two assignments: working for the host committee with Committee President Michael Kelly as a mentor and University of Miami sports administration professor Dr. Jeremy Jordan. Under Jordan, she is developing a sports media curriculum for the University of Miami while teaching sports management courses.

Under Kelly, she is acting as a communications liaison for the committee and its volunteers, sponsors and civic leaders.

“This is a very political job in a very political atmosphere,” Scott said. “It is important to make sure everyone is happy from a sponsorship side and political side.”

Prior to attending the Academy, Scott worked as a sports writer in Pennsylvania while obtaining a master’s degree in sports administration from Westchester University. She later worked for the Tampa Tribune.

The mentorship program is designed to allow students to make a practical application of their education skills in a professional setting personalized towards their background and/or aspirations. Doctoral students receive nine hours credit for a mentorship. The mentorship program is also used in the Academy’s bachelor and master’s degree program.

Academy Master's Student Living a Dream as Detroit Tigers Intern

Young baseball players can sometimes live their Major League dreams even if they don’t choose to become professional athletes.

Ask Joey Badall, a student in the United States Sports Academy’s Master of Sports Science program in sports management. The native of Jackson, Michigan who played baseball at Grand Valley State for four years is fulfilling his mentorship requirement in the corporate sales department of his favorite team, the Detroit Tigers.

“This is my hometown team, the one I’ve watched and read about all of my life,” Badall said.

Badall, who attended the Academy right after obtaining his bachelor’s degree in physical education at Grand Valley, has yet to wake up from the dream. The Tigers – who were 71-91 last year; who had been absent from the postseason for 19 years; who had no winning season in 13 years and no World Series in 22 years – are off to their best start in years and are pushing the World Series Champion Chicago White Sox in the standings.

“The atmosphere has been absolutely crazy – we’re thrilled,” Badall said. “Chris Shelton started the season tremendously hot and we got a lot of national and local media coverage. It’s a start we haven’t seen in a long time and we’re excited about this year’s club. Everybody talks about the Tigers and how well they did. You can sense the high emotion in the air. Everybody is holding their breath that the success will keep up.”

Badall’s mentor is Jill Chamberlain, the sponsorship services manager for the Tigers for almost four years. The former freelance graphic designer has an MBA from Wayne State University in Detroit and a bachelor’s degree in visual communication from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. Badall’s duties involve logistical arrangements and hospitality services for the team’s many corporate sponsors. The pace of these duties peaked on April 10, the day of the Tigers’ home opener.

“Opening day is not just a game, but more like a celebration of a new season,” Badall said. “We were expecting 44,000 plus and we got over 45,000. We had pre-game festivities for our corporate sponsors at Fox Theater and had a perfect turnout – all 74 sponsors. It was a huge success and everybody did their part to make things run smoothly.”

Students pursuing a Master of Sports Science degree at the Academy have the option of earning credit through a mentorship. This route is also offered as a part of the Academy’s bachelor’s degree and doctoral studies. The mentorship program is designed to allow students to make a practical application of their education skills in a professional setting personalized towards their background and/or aspirations.

Academy's First Bachelor's Degree a Tribute to Recipient's Father

The last of Tom Canale Jr.’s three children to receive a bachelor’s degree was first to be conferred with such a degree from the United States Sports Academy. That was the wish of Tom Canale III, whose father is suffering from terminal cancer.

The final stage of his degree ended April 17 with the last day of his mentorship at Illinois Valley Community College (IVCC). The Academy conferred Canale on April 20, so that he could present the B.S.S. degree to his father, days after completing his mentorship and degree requirements. The Academy and IVCC are working on arrangements for Canale to receive his B.S.S. degree in May at the IVCC graduation ceremonies rather than waiting for the Academy graduation on July 22 in Mobile, Alabama.

“My brother and sister are already college graduates,” Tommy Canale said. “And I wanted to get my degree while my father was still alive.”

Over the past 34 years, thousands of master’s degrees and hundreds of doctorates have been awarded by the Academy, but Canale will be the first graduate of its two-year-old upper-division Bachelor of Sports Science (B.S.S.) degree. The Academy began offering upper-level bachelor’s degree courses to transfer students in 2004. Canale obtained his associates degree at IVCC while working as an assistant basketball coach there. The 15-year coaching veteran took a year off from his career to finish his B.S.S. in sports management, which he started pursuing in the fall of 2004. His mentor was the IVCC Athletic Director, Michael Riley, who is also the Division II liaison to the National Junior College Athletic Association.

“It was a bold decision for Tommy to take a year off coaching to work on his bachelor’s degree,” said Riley. “He is a unique individual who, when he sets his mind, is 100 percent focused and goal oriented. What sets him apart is that he also does everything with quality.”

The Academy’s online delivery system made it easy for Canale to accelerate his pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. The Academy’s distance learning system allows students the flexibility to take classes online without leaving their homes or job. Students can also work at their own pace, which allows them to complete their degree at any time throughout the academic year.

“Tom came to me with out a bachelor’s degree,” added Riley. “He had a lot of talent as a coach and administrator. We talked about him going back to school and I was familiar with the U.S. Sports Academy. We both liked the online delivery that offers students an option to pursue their degree while working because they can continue in their personal and professional life.”

“One of the reasons this program was so appealing to me is the fact that it’s so sports specified and I could go at my own pace,” Canale said. “If I’m going to be out of town for two-three days I like to get my work done before I leave so I won’t be behind when I get back. The Academy offers great flexibility with their online course delivery.”

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Academy Alum Rachelle Cannon Building a Career in Fitness

Ever since graduating from the United States Sports Academy in 2003, Rachelle Cannon (aka – “The Queen of Quads”) has been building her resume as well as her body.

Cannon, who holds a Master of Sport Science in fitness management and a Bachelor of Science degree in political science from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, was named Amateur Body Builder of the Week by BodyBuilders.com in January a year after her graduation from the Academy in 2003. That same year she also earned professional status in the International Natural Bodybuilding Federation.

Shattering the stereotype of female bodybuilders being