Awesome American Sports
A Celebration of the Awesome people, events and stories of sports in the United States from the Past to the Present
Welcome to this biweekly newsletter, written by me, Corye Perez Beene, Ph.D. I am a United States History Professor with a focus on sports history. I am a certified “sports nut.” I find the sports stories from the past to the present that celebrate the Awesomeness of American Sports.
Thank you for your support! I am so appreciative of YOU being here 😃
Follow me on Twitter: @HistoryBeene or LinkedIn: coryebeene
Gold Medal
The NCAA Track and Field Championships were held this weekend. One of my former students (I teach US History at South Plains College in Texas) won the 110m Hurdles with a time of 13.25! His name is Robert Dunning. Congratulations to him and his first collegiate Coach, my husband, Chris Beene. Congratulations also to Blaine Wiley (who also used to Coach at South Plains College), his Coach now at the University of Alabama.
Last month, my husband and Coach Wiley were inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Hall of Fame for their time together at South Plains College.
Here is a short List of their Accomplishments:
Chris Beene:
32 National Championship team titles in 12 years
14 National Coach of the Year awards
Holds record for most consecutive track and field titles in NJCAA History: 10 Outdoor Men’s Track and Field
Has had over 20 former athletes compete in the last 3 Olympic games
Blaine Wiley:
28 National Championship team titles in 9 years
Coached seven NJCAA men’s and women’s National Athletes of the Year
NJCAA Coach of the Year 11 times
107 NJCAA individual and relay national champions
Thank you to the NJCAA Hall of Fame Committee for this tremendous honor and blessing to both of these Coaches. It takes passion, commitment, patience, planning, preparation, and most of all, HARD WORK to achieve this level of success. I am so proud of both of them.
Silver Medal
We should all be thankful for our blessings in life; sometimes it takes a tragedy to realize them. Timothy Alexander’s story is a great one! Read it HERE
This young lady’s floor routine, even though she has no legs, is terrific! Loved it! Watch it HERE
Andy Duran started a club for overweight skateboarders called “Chubb Rollz.” Read his story HERE
High School senior Yeva Klingbeil was not going to let cancer stop her from participating in the 4x400 meter relay. Watch this video:
Who in the world would do 100 triathlons in 100 days? The “Iron Cowboy” James Lawrence did! The triathlon is 2.4 miles of swimming, biking 112.21 miles, and a full marathon (26.2 miles)! His incredible feat helped raise money for the charity, Operation Underground Railroad, which strives to eliminate child sex trafficking.
Bronze Medal
Simone Biles won her 7th US Gymnastics Championship - the most of any woman in history! She has won every all-around title since 2013. I cant wait to see her in the Olympics next month!
Nikola Jokic was named NBA MVP. He is only the 6th international player to receive the prestigious honor. The Denver Nuggets star said:
"It's a big accomplishment," "But it's something that, like I said to the guys, it's not just me. I couldn't do it by myself. It's something that it is an individual award but it's the effort of everybody who is part of the Denver Nuggets organization."
Katherine Evans was hired by the Washington Wizards as the Vice President of Research & Information Systems. She is the first woman in NBA history to lead this department.
Saniya Rivers was named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. The Ashley High School senior from North Carolina averaged 36.8 points a game and 11.5 rebounds! She will be attending the University of South Carolina this fall.
Seventeen year old Erriyon Knight broke Usain Bolt’s 200m high school record. He ran 20.11, beating Bolt’s record of 20.13 made in 2013. Watch this amazing accomplishment:
Thank you for reading! Are you looking for a speaker for your next event or conference? Email me at historybeene@gmail.com
Check out my blog where I write about the Awesome, positive and cool stories of US History: AwesomeAmericanHistory.com