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College Football Great Don McPherson to Speak at Utica College

Former SU, NFL Quarterback Nos Social Activist

Written By Kelly Adams

Contact - cleogrande@utica.edu

Utica, NY (04/19/2007) -

Former Syracuse University and NFL quarterback and highly-regarded social activist Don McPherson will dedicate a full day, on Monday, April 30, 2007, to speaking with students and residents of the Mohawk Valley about awareness of gender socialization and violence against women.

 

McPherson, founder and executive director of the Sports Leadership Institute at Adelphi University, will begin his day by visiting local schools and speaking to children on anti-violence issues.

 

At 3:30 p.m., McPherson will talk to area college students at Utica College’s Charles A. Gaetano Stadium about awareness of gender socialization and violence against women. The YWCA of the Mohawk Valley and the Utica College Student Athletic Advisory Committee will host this forum.

 

At 7 p.m., McPherson will speak in the concourse lobby of the Frank E. Gannett Memorial Library in support of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and its annual fundraiser, The Ride for Missing Children. This event is open to the public.

 

One of the most popular and accomplished athletes in the history of Syracuse University, McPherson was the runner-up for the 1987 Heisman Trophy, which is awarded to college football’s most outstanding player, after leading Syracuse to an undefeated season and a No. 4 national ranking in the Associated Press writers’ poll. That same year, he was a consensus All-American selection and was the recipient of a multitude of individual national honors, including the prestigious Maxwell Trophy, Johnny Unitas Award, and Sugar Bowl MVP Trophy. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1988, and played seven seasons of professional football for the Eagles and the Houston Oilers of the NFL as well as the Hamilton Tiger Cats and Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League.

 

More impressive than his athletic accolades, McPherson has used his celebrity to call public attention to issues of violence and healthy living. In 1999, he founded the Sports Leadership Institute to examine the positive role of sports in teaching life. In his role as executive director he has actively promoted the use of sport as an educational tool and has worked with community organizations to create innovative programs for high school and college students to address issues of violence prevention, self-esteem, and substance abuse. He has also served as a consultant to the U.S. Justice Department’s Agenda for the Nation on Violence Against Women, and as an adviser to the U.S. Department of Education and the Family Violence Prevention Fund. In 1997, he testified before the U.S. Congress on behalf of a resolution to create a national summit on violence in sport and society. He has been featured by a wide range of national print and television media, and has appeared on ABC’s Nightline and the Oprah Winfrey Show. In addition, he has presented to several national organizations, including the American Football Coaches Association, the American Association of Black Journalists, and the American Psychological Association. 

 

Prior to founding the Sports Leadership Institute, he served at Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society, where, in 1995, he launched the Athletes in Service community service training program for former college athletes. He later served as national director of the Center’s Mentors in Violence Prevention Program (MVP) and as associate director of the National Consortium for Academics and Sport. In 1999, he joined the board of directors of the Jenna Foundation for Non-violence, where he created McPherson’s Mentors for Jenna, a mentor program aimed at reducing violence and promoting tolerance and civility in Syracuse schools and communities.

 

McPherson has been honored by Lifetime Television as a Champion for Change, by the Family and Children’s Association as Youth Advocate Educator Volunteer, by the Washington, D.C.-based Men Can Stop Rape with the Frederick Douglas Men of Strength Award, by Pace University Law School Women’s Justice Center with the Creative Vision for Women's Justice Award, and by The National Center for Victims of Crime with their annual Leadership Award.

 

Don McPherson’s visit to the Mohawk Valley is made possible with support from The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – Mohawk Valley Branch, the YWCA of the Mohawk Valley, the Verizon Foundation, the Utica College Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the NCAA, and additional community partners.

 

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