Faces & Places

Salute to Bidwill
Arizona Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill accepts the Fritz Pollard Alliance’s Tank Younger Award at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Feb. 26. The annual award recognizes individuals for their extraordinary contributions toward diversity in the NFL. Also pictured are Gaynell Fenwick and Cyrus Mehri of the alliance.

MBA students meet challenge in San Diego
Nine teams of sports business students from the U.S. and Hong Kong competed Feb. 18-20 in the fifth annual San Diego State University International Sports MBA Case Competition. The Georgetown University team won the competition, judged by the Padres’ Tom Garfinkel, Katie Pothier and Laura Broderick and SDSU professor Martina Musteen. The competitors posed with Padres management at Petco Park.

Happy birthday to U
Johnson C. Smith University AD Steve Joyner, ESPNU VP Rosalyn Durant, UNC Charlotte AD Judy Rose, ESPN EVP of programming John Wildhack, UNC Wilmington AD Kelly Mertens, Davidson College AD Jim Murphy, and Big South Conference Commissioner Kyle Kallander at a ceremony March 2 at the ESPNU headquarters in Charlotte commemorating the network’s fifth anniversary

CAA goes for the gold
Creative Artists Agency partner and managing director David O’Connor (left) and CAA Hockey agent Pat Brisson were at Canada Hockey Place for the U.S.-Canada gold-medal hockey game at the Vancouver Olympic Games on Feb. 28.

Talking NHL biz in the Windy City
From the NHL Business Meetings in Chicago on Feb. 24 (from left): Keith Wachtel, NHL SVP of integrated marketing; Chris McGowan, Los Angeles Kings CMO; George Maloof, Palms Hotel owner; Luc Robitaille, Kings president of business operations

USTA Eastern “Girls Night Out” at MSG
At the USTA Eastern “Girls Night Out” panel discussion at Madison Square Garden on March 1 (from left): USTA Eastern director Roberta Feldman, Olympic figure skating champion Nancy Kerrigan, Women’s Sports Foundation Chair Ilana Kloss, tennis broadcaster Mary Joe Fernandez, WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster, Harlem Jr. Tennis and Education Executive Director Katrina Adams and USTA Eastern managing director of marketing and communications Michelle Blake Wilson.

Game on at ESPN Wide World of Sports
ESPN and Disney officials got into the game for the relaunch ceremony at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on Feb. 25. From left: Ken Potrock, senior vice president of Disney Sports Enterprises; George Bodenheimer, co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and president of ESPN and ABC Sports; Mickey Mouse, who dressed out for football; Al Weiss, president of worldwide operations for Disney Parks and Resorts; and Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort. ESPN Wide World of Sports is a 220-acre international sports complex at Walt Disney World Resort.