Dee Rowe Named One Of "The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators In America"

KINGSTON, R.I. (October 17, 2007) --- Donald “Dee” Rowe, a member of the University of Connecticut community since 1969, has been named one of “The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America” by the Institute for International Sport.

The Institute for International Sport was founded in 1986 by Daniel E. Doyle, Jr. More than two decades after its founding, the Institute for International Sport remains guided by international leaders in the academic, business, government and athletic communities. The IIS has fostered an extraordinary number of global friendships through sport, culture and education, connecting tens of thousands of people.

“In America and in many other countries, we honor elite athletes, winning coaches, wealthy team owners and media moguls. We praise sports educators yet we really do not honor them in a manner befitting their admirable impact on society,” said Doyle. “This project is aimed at honoring individuals and organizations who have creatively and effectively used sport in the very best way - as a means to educate and shape positive values.”

Rowe joined the UConn community in March of 1969 as the head men’s basketball coach and served in that position for eight seasons. In 1978, he founded The University of Connecticut Athletic Development Fund and took that department from a zero base in 1978 to a level of $2 million in 1990-91 when he retired. Today, the organization that Rowe set the groundwork for annually raises $15.5 million per year with 6,500 members.

In June of 1991, Rowe retired from fulltime University service and became the Special Adviser for Athletics. In that role which continues today, Rowe serves the Division of Athletics, its coaches and student-athletes in many special ways ranging from mentor, fundraiser and goodwill ambassador.

During his eight-year tenure he served as head men’s basketball coach, he led the Huskies to an overall record of 120-88 and was twice named New England Coach of the Year. In his final five years on the sidelines (1972-77), UConn posted winning records in each season and had an 88-48 record. Under Rowe, the Huskies advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 1976 NCAA Championship and UConn also earned berths in the 1974 and ’75 National Invitation Tournaments.

In addition to his coaching duties at UConn, Rowe served as an assistant coach to Dave Gavitt for the 1980 United States Olympic Men’s Basketball Team.

Prior to coming to Connecticut, Rowe served for 13 years (1955-69) as the Director of Athletics and head coach of basketball and baseball at Worcester (Mass.) Academy.

Rowe joins a great and prestigious list compiled by the organization. The entire list, includes: Acosta, Vivian, PhD, Professor Emerita at the City University of New York’s Brooklyn College and co-author with Dr. Linda Carpenter on Title IX issues and statistics on women in sports.; Agassi, Andre, Former World No. 1 tennis player and founder of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation; Alford, Diane, Executive Director of The Miracle League; Bayh, The Honorable Birch, Former U.S. Senator from Indiana and author of Title IX of the Higher Education Act; Beaney, Bill, Head Men’s Hockey Coach at Middlebury College; Begay, Notah, The only Native American ever on the PGA Tour, and founder of the Notah Begay III Foundation; Bettis, Jerome, Former NFL all-star, and Founder of the “Cyber Bus” program; Bigelow, Bob, Former NBA player and youth sports author and speaker; Bowen, William, Co-author of “The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values” with James Shulman; Brand, Dr. Myles, Executive Director of the NCAA; Burnett, Dr. Darrell, Clinical Psychologist specializing in Sports Psychology; Burton-Nelson, Mariah, Speaker, author and Executive Director of the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation; Campbell, Myles, Athletic Director at Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School in Tenafly, New Jersey; Carpenter, Linda Jean, PhD, Professor Emerita at the City College of New York’s Brooklyn College and co-author with Dr. Vivian Acosta on Title IX issues and statistics on women in sports; Coakley, Jay, Professor Emeritus, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, author and journal editor; Conradt, Jody, Former Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of Texas and the second woman inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame; Costas, Bob, Emmy award winning sportscaster, commentator and sports historian; Curry, Bill, Former NFL player, head college football coach and sportscaster, and Executive Director of Leadership at the Baylor School; DeFord, Frank, Author and commentator and a Senior Contributing Writer at Sports Illustrated; DeFrantz, Anita, Former two-time Olympian and the first woman to be elected vice president of the International Olympic Committee. President of the Amateur Athletic Foundation in Los Angeles; Edwards, Dr. Harry, Activist, professor, sports consultant and author on issues of race in sports; Engh, Fred, Founder and President of the National Alliance of Youth Sports; Ehrmann, Rev. Joe, Former All-American and professional football player, author and speaker.; Epperson, Dave, PhD, Co-founder of Parents for Good Sports; Farrey, Tom, Senior Writer with ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com; Garrison, Zina, Professional tennis player, Olympic Gold Medalist and founder of the Zina Garrison All Court Tennis Academy; Gerdy, John, PhD, Former professional basketball player, author and professor; Gould, Dr. Dan, Vice Chairman of the Sport Science Committee and the Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports; Grant, Dr. Christine H.B., Athletic administrator and Title IX advocate; Greene-Chamberlain, Lillian, International physical fitness and sports consultant and motivational speaker; Greenspan, Bud, Eight-time Emmy award winner, winner of the Olympic Order Award in 1985, producer, writer and director of Olympic films; Griffin, Pat, Professor Emerita at the University of Massachusetts and currently director of the Women’s Sports Foundation program “It Takes a Team!”; Haney, Jim, Executive Director, National Association of College Basketball Coaches; Hesburgh, Father Dr. Theodore, Former President of the University of Notre Dame; Hillman, Charles, PhD, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Psychology at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Hoberman, Dr. John, Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of numerous books and articles on sports, specifically on performance enhancing drugs and the cultural impact of sports; Holland, Terry, Athletic Director at East Carolina University; Hooton, Don, Educator with focus on prevalence and dangers of performance enhancing drugs; Jackson, Phil, Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers; Johnson, Melissa, Executive Director of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; Johnson, Stacey, Co-founder of the Community Olympic Development Program; Josephson, Michael, Founder and President of the Joseph & Edna Josephson Institute of Ethics; Joyner-Kersee, Jackie, Olympic Gold Medalist and Founder of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation; Kamm, Dr. Ronald, Sports Psychiatrist and Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association; Kanaby, Bob, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations; Kane, Mary Jo, PhD, Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota; Kennedy-Shriver, Eunice, Founder and honorary chairperson of the Special Olympics; King, Billie Jean, Retired tennis professional and Founder of The Women’s Sports Foundation; Krzyzewski, Mike, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Duke University; Lapchick, Dr. Richard, Director for the DeVos Sports Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida; Lauer, Dr. Larry, Co-Director of the Institute for the Study of Youth in Sports with particular focus on aggression and violence in ice hockey; Lewis, Guy, PhD, Author, Fulbright Scholar and pioneer in Sports Management programs; Lipsyte, Robert, Sports Journalist and Author; Lopiano, Donna PhD, Former Executive Director of the Women’s Sports Foundation; Lucas, Dr. John, Olympic historian and author; Martens, Rainer, President and Founder of Human Kinetics Publishers; Messner, Michael, Author and former President of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport; Mitrano, Chuck, Commissioner of the Empire 8 Conference; Mourning, Alonzo, NBA player and founder of the Alonzo Mourning Charities, which concentrates on building youth centers; Murphy, Mark, Former NFL player and Director of Athletics and Recreation at Northwestern University; Padwe, Sandy, Professor of Journalism at Columbia University and former Editor at Sports Illustrated and The New York Times; Paterno, Joe, Head Football Coach at Penn State University; Phillips, Terry Don, PhD. J.D., Athletic Director at Clemson University; Priest, Laurie, Chair of Physical Education and Director of Athletics at Mount Holyoke College; Prouty, Dick, Author and Administrator of Project Adventure; Ravizza, Dr. Ken, Author, lecturer and sports psychologist; Ridl, Jack, Sports poet and professor at Hope College; Ripken, Cal Jr., Hall of Fame baseball player, author and Head of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation; Roby, Peter, Former Director for the Center for the Study of Sport in Society and Athletic Director at Northeastern University; Rotella, Dr. Robert, Author, lecturer and sports psychologist; Rowe, Donald, Special advisor for athletics at the University of Connecticut, former Head Men’s Basketball Coach at UConn and Head Boy’s Basketball Coach at Worcester Academy; Russell, Bill, NBA Hall of Fame Basketball Player, author and lecturer; Selleck, George, Sports psychologist and lecturer; Shropshire, Kenneth J.D., Professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative; Shulman, James, Co-author of “The Game of Life: College Sports and Educational Values” with William Bowen; Speer, Dr. Kevin, Former Director of the Duke University Sports Medicine Center, and former football academic All American; Spillett, Roxanne, President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America; Staley, Dawn, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Temple University; Stratten, Ron, Former NCAA Vice President for Education Services; Stringer, Vivian, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Rutgers University; Stoll, Sharon, PhD, Professor and Director of the Center for Ethics at the University of Idaho; Summitt, Pat, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of Tennessee; Summons, Susan, Associate Professor and Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Miami-Dade College.; Sweet, Judith, Former NCAA President and former Athletic Director; Simon, Robert, Professor of Philosophy at Hamilton College; Thompson, Jim, Founder and Executive Director of the Positive Coaching Alliance at Stanford University; Tuohey, Brendan, Co- Founder of PeacePlayers International; Tutko, Dr. Tom, Professor Emeritus at San Jose State University and Founder of the Institute for the Study of Athletic Motivation; Vanderzwaag, Dr. Harold, The first Head of the Sports Management Program at the University of Massachusetts; Wadler, Dr. Gary, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine, author with specific focus on drug use in sports; Walker, Dr. Leroy, Former President of the United States Olympic Committee; Walters, Gary, Athletic Director at Princeton University; Westbrook, Peter, Six-time Olympic bronze medal winner, author and Founder of the Peter Westbrook Foundation; Wilson, Chuck, Award-winning radio broadcaster and interviewer; Wolff, Alexander, Author and Senior Staff writer for Sports Illustrated; Wong, Glenn, J.D., Professor, Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts; Wooden, John, Former Head Men’s Basketball Coach at UCLA; Woods, Tiger, Professional golfer and the founder of the Tiger Woods Foundation and the Tiger Woods Learning Center; Yow, Kay, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at North Carolina State University; Zimbalist, Andrew, PhD, Author and Professor of Economics at Smith College with specific focus on the Economics of Sport.