The United States Sports Academy has named Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu and American gymnast Simone Biles as the winners of its male and female Athlete of the Year awards for 2018. Hanyu became the first man since 1952 to defend a Winter Olympics singles figure skating gold medal at the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics in South Korea in February. Hanyu won with a total score of 317.85 to take gold in the event. Hanyu later…
United States Sports Academy honoree Daniel A. Moore has added another honor to his already impressive list of accomplishments after having been named one of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame’s 2019 Distinguished Sportsmen. Moore will be recognized with the honor during the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame’s banquet in Birmingham in April. Moore is renowned for his photo-realistic paintings that depict pivotal moments in sports history. He has been widely recognized for his…
Editor’s note: Since students of the United States Sports Academy are able to complete their coursework and degree requirements on their own schedule, the Academy throughout each month immediately awards degrees to students who complete requirements. Students are not required to wait to the end of a semester or term to receive their degrees. The Academy congratulates the following graduates who completed their degrees this month. Master’s Graduates Nathan Trammell Cohen (Atlanta, Ga.) – M.S.S….
United States Sports Academy alumnus Mike Leach coached the Washington State football team to a school-best 11 wins in 2018 after the Cougars knocked off Iowa State 28-26 in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, in December. It was the second postseason win for Washington State under Leach, who has coached the Cougars (11-2) since 2012. After graduating from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in American studies and earning his Juris Doctor…
Public voting is now open for the United States Sports Academy’s coveted 2018 Athlete of the Year Award, a part of the Academy’s Awards of Sport program that annually recognizes the top male and female athletes in the world. The ballot, now available for online voting, is the culmination of the Academy’s yearlong selection process through which outstanding accomplishments of men and women in sports from around the globe are recognized. Everyone is encouraged to…
The United States Sports Academy continues to strengthen its relationship with its partners in Finland as it welcomed Finnish motorsport manager Atte Varsta and artist Rauli Mard to campus in December. Varsta, an experienced entrepreneur in sports management, retail marketing and business planning, was on the Academy campus to join the institution’s National Faculty, a group of instructors credentialed to teach its post-secondary, non-degree international sports education programs abroad. Varsta is the commercial director for…
It was announced at the recent Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Board of Trustees meeting in New Orleans that the United States Sports Academy’s accreditation has been reaffirmed for another 10 years. As America’s only freestanding accredited sports university, the Academy was first accredited in 1983. The institution’s accreditation was last reaffirmed in 2008. As part of the reaffirmation process, the Academy in September 2017 submitted comprehensive reports on institutional…
Students at China’s WorldTeam Sports facility will soon have the opportunity to take part in a new international sport education program now that the organization has partnered with the United States Sports Academy. Led by president Jie “Jack” Guo, a WorldTeam delegation recently visited the Academy campus in Daphne, Ala., to sign an agreement to develop sports education programs in China. The Academy will assist WorldTeam in its efforts to develop a sport education curricula…
Mobile Sports Hall of Fame chairman and former University of South Alabama athletic director Joe Gottfried has been presented the United States Sports Academy’s 2018 Distinguished Service Award (DSA). Given for outstanding contributions to sport, the award was presented to Gottfried at the home of Academy Founding President Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich. Academy trustee and Art Committee member Susan McCollough presented the award to Gottfried. Gottfried joined the University of South Alabama Department of Athletics…
The United States Sports Academy’s 2017 Alumnus of the Year Dr. Dave Shrock continues to earn accolades for his involvement in the world of track and field. Shrock was recently named the recipient of the USA Track and Field (USATF) President’s Award in recognition of his more than 40 years of service in track and field as an athlete, coach, and administrator. Shrock currently serves as the chair of the USATF National Association’s Committee,…
Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu and Russian figure skater Alina Zagitova have been named the United States Sports Academy’s Male and Female Athletes of the Month for November. Hanyu set a men’s short program world record with a score of 106.69 at the International Skating Union Figure Skating Grand Prix in Helsinki on 3 November 2018. Zagitova scored 80.78 points during her short program at the Gran-Prix Rostelecom Cup in Moscow on 17 November, which…
Finnish artist Rauli Mard has donated a pair of original portraits to the United States Sports Academy’s American Sport Art Museum & Archives (ASAMA) featuring American football player Philip Rivers and Finnish rallycross driver Toomas Heikkinen. Mard is famous for his art depicting motorcycles, cars, and airplanes and his portraits, many of which are crafted in front of the public. Mard visited the United States to attend the United Nations Ambassador Gala in New York,…
© 2019 United States Sports Academy. One Academy Drive, Daphne, AL 36526
