Dr. Marty Durden completed his United States Sports Academy doctoral degree with a dissertation that researched how “servant leadership” from high school coaches motivated their athletes on the basketball court. Now, Durden says he’s become an evangelist for the servant-leadership style of coaching. Durden is the athletic director at Presbyterian School in Houston, Texas. He earned his Doctor of Education degree in sports management from the Academy in 2016 and is the author of a recent Sport Digest piece titled “The Call for a Higher Standard Than Winning” that also touches on the subject of servant-leadership in coaching. “Servant leadership is an idea that I learned about from a book by William Turner which detailed how the successful business man treated his employees,” Durden said. “I read the book in [...]

Master’s degree holder Wayne Burley has one of the more unique jobs among the United States Sports Academy’s more than 5,000 graduates around the world. Burley is one of roughly 150 people in the world who are trained to teach the C.O.B.R.A. (Combat Objective Battle Ready Application) personal defense system. He earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports health and fitness management from the Academy in 1987. A sixth-degree black belt, Burley is the owner of Tri-County Martial Arts in Waynesburg, Ohio. The gym teaches personal self-defense courses, Karate, cardio kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the C.O.B.R.A. system, among others. The C.O.B.R.A. system was created by a law enforcement officer in 2002 and follows a similar pattern used in police academies, but focuses on civilian safety. The system offers [...]

Dr. Keary Rouff said earning his doctoral degree from the United States Sports Academy helped him to see how sport is a global force and ultimately led to his current work in the higher education world. Rouff was recently hired as the program director for sport management and an assistant professor in the business department at Alfred State College in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. He earned his Doctor of Education degree in Sports Management from the Academy in 2007. “The Academy gave me the opportunity to get out of my regional perspective,” Rouff said. “I grew up in the Pittsburgh (Pa.) area and earned my bachelor’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford and master’s degree at Duquesne, which is also in Pittsburgh. So the Academy really [...]

United States Sports Academy alumnus Adam Petway is one of many of the institution’s graduates who have reached the professional sports level after being promoted to Lead Biomechanist, Strength and Conditioning Specialist for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. Petway previously worked as the 76ers strength and conditioning coach. In his new role, Petway will provide kinetic and kinematic assessment of 76ers players, while continuing to assist with the physical preparation of the athletes on a day-to-day basis. Petway joined the team prior to the start of the 2018-19 season and worked in the strength and conditioning department A native of Atlanta, Ga., Petway earned his Bachelor of Sports Science degree in sports coaching from the Academy in 2015. For the previous five years, Petway served as the Director of Strength and [...]

Dr. Craig Bogar said his doctoral degree from the United States Sports Academy helped him secure his position in a faculty leadership role in the American Public University System (APUS). Bogar, who lives in Gulf Shores, Ala., earned his Doctor of Education degree in sports management from the Academy in 2010. He is also a former dean of student services and adjunct faculty member at the Academy, pursuing his doctoral education while working full time at the institution. Today he serves APUS as an associate professor of sport management and the faculty director for the School of Health Sciences, where he oversees the work of approximately 140 faculty members. APUS is an online learning institution that is composed of the American Military University (AMU) and American Public University (APU). “I [...]

Collegiate men’s basketball assistant coach Jermaine Johnson said he learned how to be a transformational leader while earning his bachelor’s degree from the United States Sports Academy. Johnson was recently hired by Troy (Ala.) University as an assistant to head coach Scott Cross. He previously spent five seasons as an assistant coach – then associate head coach – at the University of Tennessee-Martin. Johnson said the Academy taught him to take a holistic view of coaching, to see the job as a collection of pieces and parts that are intimately connected. Johnson earned his Bachelor of Sports Science degree in sports coaching from the Academy in 2007. “I appreciated that the Academy was so focused on the details,” Johnson said. “The curriculum was detail oriented and focused on methodology, and [...]

United States Sports Academy alumna Dr. Monique Carroll recently joined the department of athletics at South Carolina State University as the deputy athletic director for internal operations and senior women’s administrator. Carroll earned her Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 2012 before earning her doctoral degree in sports management from Northcentral University. “I am humbled as well as excited to join the South Carolina State University family. We have tremendous Bulldog tradition to uphold and enhance while providing a first-class experience for our student-athletes,” said Carroll. “I look forward to partnering with AD Danley in executing his vision for athletics while working with our coaches, staff, campus, community, and alumni for success.” Carroll previously worked for nine years at Prairie View A&M University, where [...]

After studying in the United States Sports Academy’s doctoral program and working on the institution’s campus, Dr. Jason Williams has been hired as a member of the teaching faculty at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, Fla. Williams worked at the Academy for three years as a doctoral teaching assistant until his graduation, when he earned his Doctor of Education degree in Sports Management with a Sports Health and Fitness specialization. He was recently hired as a teaching faculty member in FSU’s College of Human Sciences, teaching strength and conditioning and applied physiology courses. “I really enjoyed my time at the Academy,” Williams said. “The Academy attracts high quality people, from everyone on the staff to the faculty and leadership. At the Academy I was fortunate to be able to [...]

Veteran educator, administrator, coach and United States Sports Academy alumnus Ray Canady Jr. has been named the athletic director at Irmo High School in Columbia, S.C. Canady earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 2004. He had served as the assistant athletic director at Irmo High School since 2017 and has worked as a social studies teacher there since 1994. He has also coached varsity baseball, junior varsity football and varsity football quarterbacks in his time at Irmo. “Irmo is home to me, and I’m so proud to serve in the role of athletic director,” said Canady. “With a new head football coach and years of athletic excellence to build on, it’s a great time to be a yellow jacket. We’re excited to [...]