Eric Mann, Author at United States Sports Academy

USSA Welcomes Vincent Butta and Randy Smith to Board of Trustees

Eric Mann2022-10-26T11:25:59-05:00October 25th, 2022|

The United States Sports Academy is proud to welcome Randy W. Smith and Vincent Butta to its esteemed Board of Trustees. The Academy is governed by its Board of Trustees, consisting of a group of diverse professionals with specific expertise important to the formation of such an organization. Smith is a former Vice President and Senior Consultant who began his career with Merrill in 1 983. Randy obtained his BS degree from Auburn University in 1977. Randy and his team assisted clients in comprehensive wealth management, developing strategies and long-term plans for the creation and growth of wealth, protection and preservation of wealth and tax minimization strategies, seeking to plan tax advantaged distributions of wealth during life, and planning wealth distribution after death. Randy Lives in Orange Beach with his wife, [...]

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Aaron Judge, Iga Swiatek Named Academy September Athletes of the Month

Eric Mann2022-10-25T11:32:45-05:00October 25th, 2022|

American baseball player Aaron Judge and Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek were named the United States Sports Academy’s Athletes of the Month after their impressive performances on the world stage in September. Judge earned American League player of the month honors after hitting .417/.565/.869 with 10 home runs, eight doubles, 17 RBIs and 30 walks in 25 games in the month. He hit his 61st home run of the season on 28 September 2022, tying Roger Maris’ single-season AL record from 1961. Swiatek won the women’s U.S. Open championship, defeating Ons Jabur 6-2, 7-6 on 11 September 2022 in New York. It was her second major title this season and she is the first player since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win multiple majors in the same season. She is [...]

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Student of the Month Hassan Dakroub Inspired by USSA Alum Mike Leach

Eric Mann2022-10-12T09:40:23-05:00October 11th, 2022|

Like many United States Sports Academy students, Hassan Dakroub is currently working in the sports profession and hopes to use his degree to take the next step in his career. Dakroub, who is seeking his Bachelor of Sports Science degree in sports coaching, is currently working as an assistant football coach at Fordson High School in Dearborn, Mich. He hopes to use what he learns from the Academy to move up in the ranks among football coaches. He discovered the Academy after watching an interview with Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach, who holds a Master of Sports Science degree from the Academy. “I was watching football videos online and found a video where Mike Leach was giving his team a pep talk,” Dakroub said. “The speech inspired me, [...]

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Former USSA Teaching Assistant Dr. Jimmy Mattern Named Faculty Athletic Representative at Wilmington College

Eric Mann2022-10-12T09:41:13-05:00October 11th, 2022|

Former United States Sports Academy teaching assistant and alumnus Dr. Jimmy Mattern was recently named the faculty athletic representative at Wilmington College in Ohio. Mattern is an assistant professor of sport management and the area coordinator for sport sciences at Wilmington. He completed his Doctor of Education degree while working on campus at the Academy in Daphne, Ala., in 2014. Mattern completed his Academy doctoral degree in 2018 at age 27, making him one of the youngest people ever to complete the institution’s doctoral program. At Wilmington, Mattern works with another Academy graduate, Dr. Alan Ledford, who is the program director and associate professor of sport management. “It is nice to have that Academy connection here with Dr. Ledford,” Mattern said. “It says something good about the Academy that it [...]

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Academy Alumnus Dr. David Peterson Leads Development of Shoulder Safe Barbell

Eric Mann2022-10-11T09:02:23-05:00October 11th, 2022|

After months of research and trial and error, United States Sports Academy alumnus Dr. David Peterson created more than just a student-lead research project, but a tangible product that will benefit athletes both at Cedarville and elsewhere. Peterson, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Cedarville University in Ohio, and 2022 Cedarville alumna Kaitlyn Tyms collaborated on a research project to determine the ideal grip width for a revolutionary new barbell designed for athletes with shoulder-related injuries. The barbell is now available for use in Cedarville University’s athletic center and for purchase online. Peterson holds a Doctor of Education degree in sports management with an emphasis in health and fitness and was named the Academy’s 2015 Alumnus of the Year. He retired from the US Navy in 2018 after more than [...]

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USSA President Addresses 40th Anniversary FICTS General Assembly in Italy

Eric Mann2022-09-27T10:25:25-05:00September 27th, 2022|

United States Sports Academy President and CEO Dr. T.J. Rosandich addressed the 40th anniversary General Assembly of the Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs (FICTS) in Treviso, Italy, in September. A member of the FICTS Youth, Education and Culture Commission, Rosandich spoke about his efforts to bring the 2023 FICTS conference to Fort Meyers, Fla., in 2023 - a return to the United States for the first time since 2015. The President has worked Academy Trustee Emeritus, 1995 Sport Artist of the Year, World Olympian Foundation President and Fort Meyers Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Liston Bochette III to lay the groundwork for that city hosting the event. Officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FICTS promotes and spreads the development of Olympic values and the culture of sport through film [...]

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Student of the Month: Brian Bell

Eric Mann2022-09-23T15:03:25-05:00September 23rd, 2022|

Brian Bell of Nashville, Tenn., is the United States Sports Academy’s latest Student of the Month. Bell, a Master of Sports Science degree student, is an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the NFL's Tennessee Titans. https://youtu.be/ERpBLNGPNyw

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LaDeane Hansten Takes Over as Director of Athletics at Santa Barbara City College

Eric Mann2022-09-13T09:08:14-05:00September 13th, 2022|

United States Sports Academy alumna LaDeane Hansten was recently hired as the director of athletics at Santa Barbara (Calif.) City College. Hansten holds an Academy Master of Sports Science degree in sports management, which she earned while working full time in the sport profession while raising a family at home. The Academy’s online courses are available and convenient for those working in the field. “Having the flexibility to pursue my masters online was paramount to my ability to apply for positions in higher education,” Hansten said. “We were living in a rural area and had two young boys who were seven and three when I started at USSA. I did most of my coursework from 9 p.m. to midnight and being home eliminated the need to travel an hour away [...]

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Alumnus Dr. Dexter Davis Earns Promotion, Outstanding Teacher Award at UT Martin

Eric Mann2022-09-13T08:33:02-05:00September 13th, 2022|

United States Sports Academy alumnus Dr. Dexter Davis earned an Outstanding Teacher Award and a promotion within the faculty ranks at the University of Tennessee-Martin this summer. Davis holds a Doctor of Education degree in sports management from the Academy. In addition to his work at UT-Martin, Davis is also a member of the Academy’s non-resident faculty teaching sports management courses. Currently the sport business program coordinator, Davis was promoted to full professor status this summer. Davis was one of two UT-Martin faculty members recognized by the University of Tennessee Alumni Association with their annual Outstanding Teacher Award. Recipients of the Outstanding Teacher Award are nominated by students, faculty and alumni based on classroom performance, scholarship and service. The award has been presented since 1966 to faculty members from all [...]

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Thai Sports Administrator Dr. Gongsak Yodmani Earns Academy’s International Honorary Doctorate

Eric Mann2022-08-23T13:46:02-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

Thai sports administrator and longtime political advisor Dr. Gongsak Yodmani has earned the United States Sports Academy’s 2022 International Honorary Doctorate Award. Yodmani is the current Governor of the Sport Authority of Thailand (SAT), with whom the Academy just completed its longstanding Sports Study Tour program. Each year as part of its Awards of Sport program, the Academy presents its International Honorary Doctorate to a person who has made outstanding contributions to sport and to society. Yodmani will visit the United States to accept his Honorary Doctorate on the Academy campus at the Awards of Sport event on Thursday, 10 November, 2022. Prior to his service to the SAT, Yodmani worked as the CEO of Supongsa Co., Ltd. He also worked as an advisor to the Governor of Bangkok M.R. [...]

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Athletics Stars Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin Named Academy July Athletes of the Month

Eric Mann2022-08-23T10:41:28-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis and American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin set world records in their events at the World Athletics Championships in July and were named the United States Sports Academy’s Athletes of the Month. Duplantis set a world record in the pole vault with a height of 6.21 meters in the event at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore., on 24 July 2022. It was the first world championship title for Duplantis, the reigning Olympic champion in pole vault. McLaughlin broke her own world record with a time of 50.68 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Ore., on 22 July 2022. McLaughlin has now lowered the record four times since June 2021. The second place finisher on the men’s side was American [...]

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USSA Promotes Pair of Faculty Members to New Dean Positions

Eric Mann2022-08-23T10:33:44-05:00August 23rd, 2022|

In a move that will streamline delivery and management of the United States Sports Academy’s online sport education degree programs, the institution named a pair of longtime faculty members as deans of its new departments of undergraduate and graduate studies. Dr. Brandon Spradley was promoted to the role of Dean of Graduate Studies, while Dr. Vandy Pacetti-Donelson was promoted to the role of Dean of Undergraduate Studies, effective at the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year on 1 September. Spradley previously served the Academy as its chair of sports management and associate professor. Spradley previously served as the Director of Continuing Education working on international programs and special projects. He has been involved in the successful development and implementation of sport education programs across the world. He is a member [...]

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