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For Immediate Release
Contact: Chris Shea at cshea@internationalsport.com or 401-874-7405
Mariah Burton Nelson Among
"The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators In America"
RESTON, VA. (October 24, 2007) --- Mariah Burton Nelson was named one of “The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America” by the Institute for International Sport.
A former Stanford University and professional basketball player, Nelson is the author of five books, including We Are All Athletes, Are We Winning Yet? and The Stronger Women Get, The More Men Love Football. She written numerous articles for The New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, The Washington Post, and many other publications.
Since 2006, she has been the Executive Director for the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation, a professional association committed to lifelong and inclusive fitness.
A popular and dynamic speaker, she has addressed hundreds of high school, college, association, government, and corporate audiences, spreading her message: “Think of yourself as an athlete…it will change the way you walk, the way you work, and the decisions you make about leadership, teamwork, and success”. She has served as an advocate for women's and girls' sports opportunities, and addressed sensitive topics such as domestic violence by football players, coach-athlete sexual abuse, and homophobia in sport.
Nelson is in good company. Other awardees include Andre Agassi, Former Senator Birch Bayh, Jody Conradt, Bob Costas, Frank DeFord, Anita DeFrantz, Harry Edwards, Zina Garrison, Christine Grant, Lillian Greene-Chamberlain, Bud Greenspan, Pat Griffin, Phil Jackson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mary Jo Kane, Eunice Kennedy-Shriver, Billie Jean King, Mike Krzyzewski, Richard Lapchick, Robert Lipsyte, Donna Lopiano, Michael Messner, Alonzo Mourning, Joe Paterno, Cal Ripken, Jr., Robert Rotella, Bill Russell, Dawn Staley, Vivian Stringer, Pat Summitt, Judith Sweet, Jim Thompson, Tom Tutko, Alexander Wolff, John Wooden, Tiger Woods, and Kay Yow.
The Institute for International Sport was founded in 1986 by Daniel E. Doyle, Jr. The Institute fosters global friendships through sport, culture and education. This three-year project was the result of Doyle's observation that many athletes note the profound impact of the sports experience in shaping their views and practices regarding teamwork, self discipline, fair play, diversity, and competition, and many also point to former coaches and athletic administrators as key mentors in their lives.
“This project is aimed at honoring individuals and organizations who have creatively and effectively used sport in the very best way -- as a means to educate and shape positive values. We praise sports educators yet we really do not honor them in a manner befitting their admirable impact on society,” said Doyle.
The core criterion for selection was the effective use of sport as a means to educate.
- Agassi, Andre, Former World No. 1 tennis player and founder of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation
- Alford, Diane, Executive Director of The Miracle League
- Bayh, The Honorable Birch, Former U.S. Senator from Indiana and author of Title IX of the Higher Education Act
- Beaney, Bill, Head Men's Hockey Coach at Middlebury College
- Begay, Notah, The only Native American ever on the PGA Tour, and founder of the Notah Begay III Foundation
- Bettis, Jerome, Former NFL all-star, and Founder of the “Cyber Bus” program;
- Bigelow, Bob, Former NBA player and youth sports author and speaker;
- Bowen, William, Co-author of “The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values” with James Shulman
- Brand, Dr. Myles, Executive Director of the NCAA
- Burnett, Dr. Darrell, Clinical Psychologist specializing in Sports Psychology;
- Campbell, Myles, Athletic Director at Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School in Tenafly, New Jersey
- Conradt, Jody, Former Head Women's Basketball Coach at the University of Texas and the second woman inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
- Costas, Bob, Emmy award winning sportscaster, commentator and sports historian
- Curry, Bill, Former NFL player, head college football coach and sportscaster, and Executive Director of Leadership at the Baylor School
- DeFord, Frank, Author and commentator and a Senior Contributing Writer at Sports Illustrated
- DeFrantz, Anita, Two-time Olympian and the first woman to be elected vice president of the International Olympic Committee. President of the Amateur Athletic Foundation in Los Angeles
- Edwards, Dr. Harry, Activist, professor, sports consultant and author on issues of race in sports
- Engh, Fred, Founder and President of the National Alliance of Youth Sports
- Ehrmann, Rev. Joe, Former All-American and professional football player, author and speaker
- Epperson, Dave, PhD, Co-founder of Parents for Good Sports
Farrey, Tom, Senior Writer with ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com
- Garrison, Zina, Professional tennis player, Olympic Gold Medalist and founder of the Zina Garrison All Court Tennis Academy
- Gerdy, John, PhD, Former professional basketball player, author and professor
- Gould, Dr. Dan, Vice Chairman of the Sport Science Committee and the Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports
- Grant, Dr. Christine H.B., Athletic administrator and Title IX advocate
- Greene-Chamberlain, Lillian, International physical fitness and sports consultant and motivational speaker
- Greenspan, Bud, Eight-time Emmy award winner, winner of the Olympic Order Award in 1985, producer, writer and director of Olympic films
- Griffin, Pat, Professor Emerita at the University of Massachusetts and currently director of the Women's Sports Foundation program “It Takes a Team!”
- Haney, Jim, Executive Director, National Association of College Basketball Coaches
- Hesburgh, Father Dr. Theodore, Former President of the University of Notre Dame
- Hillman, Charles, PhD, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Psychology at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Hoberman, Dr. John, Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of numerous books and articles on sports, specifically on performance enhancing drugs and the cultural impact of sports
- Holland, Terry, Athletic Director at East Carolina University
- Hooton, Don, Educator with focus on prevalence and dangers of performance enhancing drugs
- Jackson, Phil, Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers
- Johnson, Melissa, Executive Director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
- Johnson, Stacey, Co-founder of the Community Olympic Development Program
- Josephson, Michael, Founder and President of the Joseph & Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics
- Joyner-Kersee, Jackie, Olympic Gold Medalist and Founder of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation
- Kamm, Dr. Ronald, Sports Psychiatrist and Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association
- Kanaby, Bob, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations
- Kane, Mary Jo, PhD, Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota
- Kennedy-Shriver, Eunice, Founder and honorary chairperson of the Special Olympics
- King, Billie Jean, Retired tennis professional and Founder of The Women's Sports Foundation
- Krzyzewski, Mike, Head Men's Basketball Coach at Duke University
- Lapchick, Dr. Richard, Director for the DeVos Sports Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida
- Lewis, Guy, PhD, Author, Fulbright Scholar and pioneer in Sports Management programs
- Lipsyte, Robert, Sports Journalist and Author
- Lopiano, Donna PhD, Former Executive Director of the Women's Sports Foundation
- Lucas, Dr. John, Olympic historian and author
- Messner, Michael, Author and former President of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
- Mitrano, Chuck, Commissioner of the Empire 8 Conference
- Mourning, Alonzo, NBA player and founder of the Alonzo Mourning Charities, which concentrates on building youth centers
- Murphy, Mark, Former NFL player and Director of Athletics and Recreation at Northwestern University
- Nelson, Mariah Burton, author, speaker, and executive director, American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation
- Padwe, Sandy, Professor of Journalism at Columbia University and former Editor at Sports Illustrated and The New York Times
- Paterno, Joe, Head Football Coach at Penn State University
- Phillips, Terry Don, PhD. J.D., Athletic Director at Clemson University
- Prouty, Dick, Author and Administrator of Project Adventure
- Ravizza, Dr. Ken, Author, lecturer and sports psychologist
- Ridl, Jack, Sports poet and professor at Hope College
- Ripken, Cal Jr., Hall of Fame baseball player, author and Head of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation
- Roby, Peter, Former Director for the Center for the Study of Sport in Society and Athletic Director at Northeastern University
- Rotella, Dr. Robert, Author, lecturer and sports psychologist
- Rowe, Donald, Special advisor for athletics at the University of Connecticut, former Head Men's Basketball Coach at UConn and Head Boy's Basketball Coach at Worcester Academy
- Russell, Bill, NBA Hall of Fame Basketball Player, author and lecturer
- Selleck, George, Sports psychologist and lecturer
- Shropshire, Kenneth J.D., Professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative
- Shulman, James, Co-author of “The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values” with William Bowen
- Speer, Dr. Kevin, Former Director of the Duke University Sports Medicine Center, and former football academic All American
- Spillett, Roxanne, President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America
- Staley, Dawn, Head Women's Basketball Coach at Temple University
- Stratten, Ron, Former NCAA Vice President for Education Services
- Stringer, Vivian, Head Women's Basketball Coach at Rutgers University
- Stoll, Sharon, PhD, Professor and Director of the Center for Ethics at the University of Idaho
- Summitt, Pat, Head Women's Basketball Coach at the University of Tennessee
- Summons, Susan, Associate Professor and Head Women's Basketball Coach at Miami-Dade College
- Sweet, Judith, Former NCAA President and former Athletic Director
- Simon, Robert, Professor of Philosophy at Hamilton College
- Thompson, Jim, Founder and Executive Director of the Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University
- Tuohey, Brendan, Co- Founder of PeacePlayers International
- Tutko, Dr. Tom, Professor Emeritus at San Jose State University and Founder of the Institute for the Study of Athletic Motivation
- Vanderzwaag, Dr. Harold, The first Head of the Sports Management Program at the University of Massachusetts
- Wadler, Dr. Gary, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine, author with specific focus on drug use in sports
- Walters, Gary, Athletic Director at Princeton University
- Westbrook, Peter, Six-time Olympic bronze medal winner, author and Founder of the Peter Westbrook Foundation
- Wilson, Chuck, Award-winning radio broadcaster and interviewer
- Wolff, Alexander, Author and Senior Staff writer for Sports Illustrated
- Wong, Glenn, J.D., Professor, Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts
- Wooden, John, Former Head Men's Basketball Coach at UCLA
- Woods, Tiger, Professional golfer and the founder of the Tiger Woods Foundation and the Tiger Woods Learning Center
- Yow, Kay, Head Women's Basketball Coach at North Carolina State University
- Zimbalist, Andrew, PhD, Author and Professor of Economics at Smith College with specific focus on the Economics of Sport.
The Institute also named the Fifteen Most Influential Sports Education “Teams” in America.
From the time the Institute announced the project in 2004, the organization received over 1500 nominations for individuals and “teams.” After reducing the list to 200 individual finalists and 30 “team” finalists, the Institute appointed a final selection committee made up of coaches, athletic administrators, journalists and academicians. David Bloss, former Sports Editor of the Providence Journal, chaired the committee.
For full bios and more information and commentary by and about the awardees, go to http:www.internationalsport.com
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