Durham Sports Club

Our meeting this week will feature Marissa Young, Head Women’s Softball Coach at Duke University. Young will lead Duke’s softball program when it begins play in 2017-18. In taking over Duke’s newest athletic program, Young will be tasked with making the Blue Devils competitive in the ACC, which already has 11 softball teams.

A three-time All-American during her playing days at Michigan, Young was named Big Ten Player of the Year in 2003. Young tied the single-season record for home runs and is Michigan’s all-time leader in strikeouts. She played professionally for two years before beginning her coaching career.

At the top of the list for Young is recruiting, and she took her first recruiting trip to California for the Premiere Girls Fastpitch national championships. It will be her first chance to build a list of potential recruits. Duke plans on using all 12 scholarships the NCAA allots for softball, and Young will have some flexibility in how she initially distributes them.

Young previously held coaching positions at Concordia—where she was head coach—and Eastern Michigan before joining the Tar Heel coaching staff for two years. Young coached the pitchers and catchers during the 2015 campaign, in which North Carolina went 37-16 and its pitching staff posted a 3.35 earned run average and 234 strikeouts.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
10/7/15 – Special Guest Speaker
10/21/15 – Special Guest Speaker
11/4/15 – Special Guest Speaker

Our meeting this week will feature Eric Montross, former UNC Basketball great, NBA star, and now Color Commentator for UNC Basketball broadcasts. Montross was part of the UNC team that won the NCAA Championship against Michigan in 1993 and was named an All-American as a junior and senior. In 4 seasons at UNC, Montross appeared in 139 games, averaging 11.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Montross was selected by the Boston Celtics with the ninth overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft. During his first year in the NBA, he averaged 10 points per game, and was selected to the 1995 Rookie All-Star Game and named to the NBA All-Rookie 2nd Team. During his career in the NBA, Montross played with the Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons, and the Toronto Raptors.

Montross is now color commentator on UNC’s basketball broadcasts, working alongside play-by-play man Jones Angell. With the Pan-American Health Organization, Montross co-founded an organization called Vaccine Ambassadors, which aims to distribute vaccines all over the world, especially to developing countries, and help children.

In 1994, he started the Eric Montross Fathers Day Basketball Camp. The camp helped raise thousands of dollars for UNC hospitals and still does.

A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Eric and his wife Laura currently reside in Chapel Hill.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
9/16/15 – Marissa Young, Head Softball Coach, Duke
10/7/15 – Special Guest Speaker
10/21/15 – Special Guest Speaker

Our meeting this week will feature Jerry Mack, Head Football Coach at North Carolina Central University. In his first season as a head coach, Mack led the 2014 NCCU Eagles to the most victories in the program’s Division I-FCS tenure with a 7-5 overall record and a share of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship. The team also earned the program’s first win over a nationally-ranked FCS opponent by defeating No. 24 North Carolina A&T in the final game of the season on Nov. 22, 2014, broke the school record for pass completions in a season with 227, and ranked third in the nation (FCS) in turnover margin at +12.0.

Mack joined NCCU after spending two seasons (2012-13) with the University of South Alabama as wide receivers coach. During that time, three of his receivers finished among the top five on South Alabama’s single-season record lists for receptions and receiving yards.

He spent the 2011 campaign in his hometown with the University of Memphis, also as wide receivers coach, where he tutored the receiver with the second-highest single-season receptions in school history.

Mack began his collegiate playing career at Jackson State before transferring after one season (1999) to Arkansas State University.  He lettered three years at Arkansas State (2001-03) before earning his bachelor’s degree in management information systems in 2003.Mack completed his master’s degree in physical education from Delta State in 2006 after serving on the Statesmen coaching staff as a graduate assistant.

He has been selected for three internships in the NFL with the New York Jets (2009, 2010) and Buffalo Bills (2008), and participated in the NCAA Coaches Academy program.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
9/2/15 – Eric Montross, Color Commentator, UNC Basketball
9/16/15 – Special Guest Speaker
10/7/15 – Special Guest Speaker

Our meeting this week will feature Kevin Guskiewicz, Co-Director of the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center and Director of the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at UNC.

Over the past 18 years, Dr. Guskiewicz’s research has focused on sport-related concussion. He’s investigated it’s effect and neuropsychological function in high school and collegiate athletes, and the long-term neurological issues related to playing sport. Dr. Guskiewicz has been the recipient of 23 funded research grants, and has published over 90 journal articles and six textbook chapters related to concussion in sport. He was awarded Fellowship in the American College of Sports Medicine in 2003, the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education in 2006, and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association in 2008. In 2010 he was named to NCAA’s Concussion Committee, the NFLPA’s Mackey-White Committee, and the NFL’s Head, Neck, and Spine Committee. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Sports Medicine from the University of Virginia in 1995, after receiving a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from The University of Pittsburgh in 1992 and a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from West Chester University in 1989.

Kevin resides in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with his wife, Amy, and four children, Jacob, Nathan, Adam, and Tessa.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
8/19/15 – Jerry Mack, Head Football Coach, North Carolina Central University
9/2/15 – Special Guest Speaker
9/16/15 – Special Guest Speaker

Our meeting this week will feature the presentation of the “Hugo Germino Sports Ambassador Award”. The “Hugo Germino Sports Ambassador Award” was established to honor deserving citizens who have spent an exceptional amount of time promoting, coaching, and working with young people in various sporting activities in the Durham community, without recognition. We feel these individuals deserve credit for taking their time and interest to promote athletics, fun, and happiness for so many people without expecting any pay or personal accolades. This year’s presentation promises to be a great event, as we will honor two recipients. In addition, we have a very special surprise guest! You won’t want to miss this program!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
8/5/15 – Kevin Guskiewicz, Co-Director, the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center
8/19/15 – Jerry Mack, Head Football Coach, North Carolina Central University
9/2/15 – Special Guest Speaker

Our meeting this week will feature Mike Maniscalco, sportstalk radio host alongside Mark Thomas. Mike & Mark offer local sports talk weekdays on 620 The Buzz from 6am to 9am. Mike Maniscalco and Mark Thomas have been with WCMC-FM/WDNC-AM since it’s creation in 2007. Mike Maniscalco is the pre- and post-game show host for the Carolina Hurricanes broadcasts on 99.9 The Fan.

The Stormfront® is the long running pre-game show for  Carolina Hurricanes hockey games..  The Stormfront® radio program began shortly after the Carolina Hurricanes arrived in the state of North Carolina – 1997.  The Stormfront® is hosted by 99.9 The Fan’s Mike Maniscalcso – noted local hockey expert and reporter.  The Stormfront® is a thirty-minute radio program that airs prior to each Carolina Hurricanes game from pre-season through the post season.  The Stormfront radio program features analysis and interviews of each match up.  Chuck Kaiton, radio voice of the Carolina Hurricanes makes regular appearances on The Stormfront.

The Aftermath® is the long running post-game show for Carolina Hurricanes hockey games. Like The Stormfront®, The Aftermath® radio program began when the Carolina Hurricanes first arrived in North Carolina in 1997.  The Aftermath® is hosted by Mike Maniscalco.  The Aftermath® radio program often features post-game reaction from local fans.  The Aftermath® also features a segment with John Forslund, the television voice of the Carolina Hurricanes.  The Aftermath® radio program is heard immediately following the conclusion of every Carolina Hurricanes game from pre-season to post season.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

7/15/15 – Hugo Germino Award Presentation
8/5/15 – Kevin Guskiewicz, Co-Director, the Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center
8/19/15 – Special Guest Speaker

This week’s meeting will feature the presentation of the “Russell Blunt ‘Be A Good Sport Award'”, given to a high school athlete who has shown exemplary sportsmanship.

Russell Blunt was a high school and college track and field coach. A graduate of St.
Augustine’s College, he coached at several colleges but best known for work at Durham’s Hillside High School, where his teams captured 10 state team championships, including winning 118 of 120 dual meets over a 12-year period. He also coached the Hillside football team. He’s a member of N.C. High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame.

 
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

7/1/15 – Mike Maniscalco, sports radio host, 620 the buzz
7/15/15 – Hugo Germino Award Presentation
8/5//15 – Special Guest Speaker

The guest speaker for our upcoming meeting will be Kenny King, the Academic Coordinator for the Men’s Basketball and Women’s Golf teams at Duke University. King’s main responsibilities include class scheduling, tutoring, time management and long-term academic and career planning, and serving as the liaison for campus affairs. As the scope of the program has become more global, King continues to strengthen communication between the undergraduate faculty while expanding his reach to include the graduate, professional and international communities. In addition to his academic and campus duties, King is also involved in Duke’s day-to-day basketball operations. He assists the coaching staff with various recruiting responsibilities and the coordination of the Coaches’ Clinic. He also assists with the direction of Coach K’s basketball camp and the K Academy.

 King served four years as a student manager at Duke from 1996-2000. He graduated “cum laude” from Duke with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics with a minor in chemistry. Following his graduation in 2000, he worked at Morgan Stanley for two years as an Analyst before returning to Duke as the Academic Director and Recruiting Coordinator.

King and his wife, Robin, have three sons and one daughter.

Thanks for the info, www.GoDuke.com 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

5/30/15 – Annual “Night Out With the Bulls”
6/3/15 – Durham Sports Club Scholar-Athlete Awards Night (5:30 Start Time)
6/17/15 – Special Guest Speaker

The guest speaker for our upcoming meeting will be Shane Ryan, author of Slaying the Tiger: A Year Inside the Ropes on the New PGA Tour, a new book that is due out in June. Ryan has written about golf, college basketball, and baseball for various outlets, including ESPN The Magazine, Golf Digest, Deadspin, and Grantland.

As Random House Books, publisher, states: “For more than a decade, golf was dominated by one galvanizing figure: Eldrick “Tiger” Woods. But as his star has fallen, a new, ambitious generation has stepped up to claim the crown. Once the domain of veterans, golf saw a youth revolution in 2014. In Slaying the Tiger, Shane Ryan introduces us to the volatile, colorful crop of heirs apparent who are storming the barricades of this traditionally old-fashioned sport…From Augusta to Scotland, with an irreverent and energetic voice, Ryan documents every transcendent moment, every press tent tirade, and every controversy that made the 2014 Tour one of the most exciting and unpredictable in recent memory.

Ryan grew up in Saranac Lake, New York, went to school at Duke University, and now lives in Durham, North Carolina, with his wife, Emily.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

5/20/15 – Kenny King,  Academic Support Director /Student Life and Campus Relations Coordinator, Duke Basketball
5/30/15 – Annual “Night Out With the Bulls”
6/3/15 – Durham Sports Club Scholar-Athlete Awards Night

The guest speaker for our upcoming meeting will be Chris Pollard, Head Baseball Coach at Duke.  Last season, in just his second year, Pollard led the Blue Devils to the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2009 as Duke finished fourth overall in the league standings. Duke’s 16 ACC wins in 2014 tied the program record as the Blue Devils finished in the top four in the conference standings for the first time since 1994. The Blue Devils cemented their status as one of the top teams in North Carolina, finishing the season 8-1 against in-state ACC rivals North Carolina, NC State, and Wake Forest. Duke finished the season with 33 wins, surpassing the 30-win plateau for the first time since 2009 and 10^th time in program history. In addition, the Blue Devils entered the national rankings, earning the No. 30 spot in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper national poll May 6. The 2014 Blue Devils earned a spot in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s rankings for the first time since the organization began its poll in 1998.

Prior to Duke, Pollard spent 8 years coaching at Appalachian State and 5 years at Pfeiffer University. He graduated with a B.A. from Davidson and a Master’s Degree from Mississippi State University. He and his wife, Stephanie, live in Durham with sons, Thomas and Brady.

Thanks for the info, www.GoDuke.com

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

5/6/15 – Shane Ryan, Professional Golfer and Author
5/20/15 – Kenny King,  Academic Support Director /Student Life and Campus Relations Coordinator, Duke Basketball
5/30/15 – Annual “Night Out With the Bulls”
6/3/15 – Durham Sports Club Scholar-Athlete Awards Night