September 29, 2004

Contact: Chris Kilcoyne

ODAC Prepares for National Sportsmanship Presentations

Nationally Known Speaker Dan Doyle Will Lead the Series

Salem, Va. – Brad Bankston, Commissioner of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, is pleased to announce that the conference has secured an NCAA Division III grant to host sportsmanship seminars on each of its member campuses.

The seminars will feature Dan Doyle, the founder and executive director of the Institute of International Sport at the University of Rhode Island.

The grant was made possible by the NCAA through the Division III Initiative Grants Program. The program allows Division III member institutions and conferences to apply for funds targeted to membership education, student-athlete welfare and diversity.

The ODAC presentations mark the fourth consecutive year that Mr. Doyle has been selected by the NCAA to deliver lectures as part of the NCAA Foundation’s “Distinguished Lecture Series.” The lectures will be given over the course of the fall and spring semesters at the 13 schools which make up the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

His visits will include one-on-one contact with each school’s coaching staff, student-athlete leaders, student government leaders and campus administration. He will conclude each visit with a keynote address open to the campus community and the public.

“Dan Doyle has an international reputation as a speaker and leader in our field,” Bankston said. “The NCAA recognizes that Dan is a key player in enhancing leadership and sportsmanship on our campuses. We are delighted that he will address student-athletes and coaches at all 13 of our member schools. His message is one that should be heard by every college student-athlete and coach.

“Sportsmanship is a subject the conference addresses each year. In an effort to continue our message and expose more people to the concept of positive sportsmanship, we applied for this grant. Mr. Doyle’s Lecture ‘The Value of Honorable Competition’ will deliver the message we want to convey to all members of the ODAC community.”

The first set of lectures will begin on October 19 when Mr. Doyle travels to Virginia Wesleyan College. He will follow that visit with trips to Randolph-Macon (Oct. 20) and Hampden-Sydney (Oct. 21). An additional trip to the Lynchburg area is planned for early November. The remaining schools in the league will hear from Mr. Doyle during the spring semester.

Additional details on Mr. Doyle’s visits can be found on the conference website at http://www.odaconline.com. Click her for Doyle’s bio http://www.internationalsport.com/ddoyle/.