About Eric Mann

I am the Dean of Marketing, Communications, and Enrollment at the United States Sports Academy. I earned a bachelor's degree in communication and information sciences from the University of Alabama and am currently in the master's degree program in sports management at the Academy.

Academy Mourns Loss of Beloved Founding President Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich

2020-09-08T15:10:06-05:00August 30th, 2020|

The United States Sports Academy is mourning the loss of its beloved Founding President, Trustee, and longtime global sport education leader Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich, who passed away from natural causes on Saturday, 29 August 2020 at age 88.   A native of Sheboygan Falls, Wisc., Rosandich served as the Academy’s president and chief executive officer for 43 years until 2015, when his son, Dr. T.J. Rosandich, was named president and CEO. Rosandich’s enduring legacy is that the Academy continues to thrive and serve the profession as an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission Sports University created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research, and service.  Rosandich founded the Academy in 1972 in response to a poor performance by the United States Olympic team in the 1972 Munich Games. Research [...]

Johnson, Wiggins Named United States Sports Academy June Athletes of the Month

2020-07-16T08:25:53-05:00July 16th, 2020|

A pair of Americans won the United States Sports Academy’s Athlete of the Month honors for June as sports leagues and federations began to reopen for the first time since the sports world felt the impact of global economic and social disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. On the men’s side, golfer Dustin Johnson took the top honor after winning the Travelers Championship on 28 June 2020 in Connecticut to extend his career-long season victory streak to 13. Johnson shot a 19-under 261 to capture his 21st PGA Tour title. For the women, softball player Megan Wiggins was the top vote-getter after recording three RBI, including the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the seventh as USSSA Pride defeated This Is Us 4-3 on 29 June 2020 in Viera, [...]

Comments Off on Johnson, Wiggins Named United States Sports Academy June Athletes of the Month

Finnish Students Complete Academy’s First Fully Online International Certification in Sports Management Program

2020-07-28T08:38:17-05:00July 14th, 2020|

The United States Sports Academy’s program with ProfTraining Finland and the Finnish Varala Sports Institute to help students in that country train to become sports professionals has produced its first class of graduates. The Academy taught its renowned International Certification in Sports Management (ICSM) post-secondary, non-degree program there fully online for the first time.  Under the guidance of Academy instructors, every student in the cohort completed the ICSM program and received their certification. The students were able to complete the program in approximately eight months and are now considered Academy alumni, which will provide them access to a network of thousands of peers working in the world of sport. The program focused on relevant sports management topics such as administration, sports marketing, sports facilities and events, sports business, human resources, [...]

Comments Off on Finnish Students Complete Academy’s First Fully Online International Certification in Sports Management Program

LA Rams Director of Rehabilitation Byron Cunningham Receives Academy 2019 Alumnus of the Year Award

2020-07-14T13:54:50-05:00July 14th, 2020|

United States Sports Academy master’s degree holder Byron Cunningham recently received his United States Sports Academy 2019 Alumnus of the Year award, a recognition he earned because of his work as the director of rehabilitation for the Los Angeles Rams’ award winning athletic training staff. A native of Mobile, Ala., Cunningham earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports medicine from the Academy in 2002. The Alumnus of the Year Award is given to the year’s most outstanding Academy graduate and the honoree must represent the ideals of sport and of the institution. Cunningham spent the previous eight seasons as a physical therapist and assistant athletic trainer for the Rams. “The Academy was the best of both worlds for me,” Cunningham said. “I’ve always loved sports, and it was [...]

Comments Off on LA Rams Director of Rehabilitation Byron Cunningham Receives Academy 2019 Alumnus of the Year Award

Eastern Shore Chamber Unveils Jubilee Festival Artwork in Event at United States Sports Academy

2021-03-23T09:07:17-05:00July 2nd, 2020|

The Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce unveiled the featured poster art for the upcoming 32nd Annual Jubilee Festival of Art at the American Sport Art Museum & Archives (ASAMA) on the campus of the United States Sports Academy. The painting, “Jubilant Crabs,” produced by local artist Ricky Trione, depicts crabs congregating during a jubilee on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. A jubilee is a natural phenomenon that occurs sporadically on Mobile Bay on Alabama’s Gulf Coast in which many species of crab and shrimp and other bay life leave deeper waters and swarm in high numbers in a shallow coastal area of the bay. The events draw large crowds seeking an abundance of easy-to-catch seafood. Cindy Zebryk was the winner of the door prize at the Eastern Shore [...]

Comments Off on Eastern Shore Chamber Unveils Jubilee Festival Artwork in Event at United States Sports Academy

Academy Mourns Loss of Influential Softball Leader Don Porter

2020-06-10T09:04:03-05:00June 10th, 2020|

The United States Sports Academy family is mourning the loss of longtime leading international softball official Don Porter, a former member of the institution’s Board of Visitors and a one-time member of its national faculty. Porter passed away on Sunday, 7 June 2020, in his hometown of Oklahoma City, Okla., at the age of 90. Porter served in the Army during the Korean War (1951-52) and was awarded the Korean War Medal in 2001 by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Korea. Porter served as the president of the International Softball Federation (ISF) for 26 years and played a crucial role in softball’s inclusion in the Olympics. Porter helped to establish the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in 2013 with current WBSC president Riccardo Fraccari. In 2017, Porter [...]

Comments Off on Academy Mourns Loss of Influential Softball Leader Don Porter

Student of the Month Cheryl Tabone is a Coach, Educator, and Leader in Her Community

2020-11-09T09:36:39-06:00June 9th, 2020|

Cheryl Tabone works as a coach, adjunct professor, and a nonprofit organization president in the Buffalo, N.Y. area. The United States Sports Academy’s Student of the Month, Tabone hopes that her doctoral education from the institution will help her earn an athletic director position at the collegiate level. Tabone already earned a Master of Sports Science dual degree in Sports Coaching and Sports Medicine from the Academy in 2018. Now, she’s seeking her Doctor of Education degree in Sports Management with a specialization in sports leadership and a focus in sports medicine. The Fredonia, N.Y., resident is also breaking down barriers in her field. She’s an assistant coach for the men’s soccer team at Buffalo State University (BSU), where she’s the only female coach on a men’s team in the [...]

Comments Off on Student of the Month Cheryl Tabone is a Coach, Educator, and Leader in Her Community

Robert Jackson Uses Academy Education in Work as High School Principal in South Carolina

2020-06-09T11:45:39-05:00June 9th, 2020|

Recently hired high school principal Robert Jackson said his master’s degree from the United States Sports Academy informed his work as a coach and led to a career in academic administration. Jackson, who holds a Master of Sports Science degree in Sports Management from the Academy, begins his work at Westwood High School in Blythewood, S.C., on July 1 2020. He previously worked as the principal at Longleaf Middle School, which feeds into Westwood, and also spent time as a head basketball coach and physical education teacher early in his career. After completing his degree in 2003, Jackson soon became the assistant principal at Barnwell (S.C.) High School, then worked as assistant principal for instruction at Dutch Fork High School and principal of Irmo Middle School International Academic Magnet. “The [...]

Comments Off on Robert Jackson Uses Academy Education in Work as High School Principal in South Carolina

Academy Alumna Amy Brooks Named Girls’ Basketball Coach, Assistant AD at Savannah Country Day School

2020-06-09T10:36:43-05:00June 9th, 2020|

Savannah (Ga.) Country Day School girls’ basketball coach, assistant athletic director and physical education department chair Amy Brooks said her education from the United States Sports Academy taught her some valuable lessons, none more important than the value of networking. Brooks is part of the Academy’s network of thousands of graduates working at all levels of sport around the world. She earned her Master of Sports Science degree in Sports Management from the Academy in 1989 and has worked as a coach at the high school and AAU levels in her career. “In the sport profession, it is very important to have a personal network of contacts who can help you find jobs and get further in your career,” Brooks said. “The Academy really showed me the value in developing [...]

Comments Off on Academy Alumna Amy Brooks Named Girls’ Basketball Coach, Assistant AD at Savannah Country Day School

Love for Soccer Gave Academy Alumnus Rick Fenoglio Lengthy Career in UK

2020-06-09T08:36:38-05:00June 9th, 2020|

Rick Fenoglio has been described as a “leading American soccer scientist” with more than 30 years of experience coaching and teaching different aspects of the game abroad in the United Kingdom. He’s worked at the highest levels of soccer there, including spending time with both the Manchester United and Manchester City professional clubs. A native of Bristol, Tenn., Fenoglio earned a Master of Sports Science degree from the United States Sports Academy in 1989. The longtime soccer professional recently retired from working as a senior lecturer in football (soccer) at Manchester Metropolitan University to focus his efforts on contributing to the development of the sport in the United States. Fenoglio plans to launch a youth soccer academy in his home state of Tennessee. In addition to work at Manchester Metropolitan [...]

Comments Off on Love for Soccer Gave Academy Alumnus Rick Fenoglio Lengthy Career in UK

Academy’s Dr. Roch King Talks Coaching Profession at Coach Force 21 Event in Athens, Greece

2020-02-26T11:41:07-06:00February 26th, 2020|

United States Sports Academy Chair of Sports Coaching Dr. Roch King recently visited Athens, Greece, where he participated in a working group and panel discussion about the coaching profession hosted by the Hellenic Olympic Committee and the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) and co-sponsored by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union. King was part of panel that discussed “The Voice of the Coach,” which touched on how sport is viewed as a profession around the world. The panel, part of the CoachForce21 conference, included representatives from the coaching profession from European Union countries, Canada, and the United States. Dr. King was jointly representing The Academy as an ICCE member and the United States Center for Coaching Excellence. “It was interesting to hear how the profession of coaching is [...]

Comments Off on Academy’s Dr. Roch King Talks Coaching Profession at Coach Force 21 Event in Athens, Greece

Sergey Eylanbekov’s Eisenhower Memorial Sculpture Placed on National Mall in Washington D.C.

2020-02-28T07:56:55-06:00February 26th, 2020|

The statues of Dwight D. Eisenhower and a group of paratroopers designed and sculpted by two-time United States Sports Academy Sport Artist of the Year Sergey Eylanbekov for the D.D. Eisenhower Memorial were recently placed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The memorial is designed by architect Frank Gehry. The memorial featuring Eylanbekov’s masterworks will be officially dedicated during a special ceremony on 8 May 2020 – the 75th anniversary of VE Day – on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The scene sculpted by Eylanbekov depicts a moment when Eisenhower spoke to solders with the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne division ahead of the Normandy invasion. Eylanbekov, the United States Sports Academy’s 2020 and 2004 Sport Artist of the Year – Sculptor, was selected to create [...]

Comments Off on Sergey Eylanbekov’s Eisenhower Memorial Sculpture Placed on National Mall in Washington D.C.