The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation on Monday announced that College Football HOFer LOU HOLTZ, former NFLer DOUG FLUTIE and Pro Football HOFer LYNN SWANN will serve as co-Chairs of the Ronald Reagan Centennial National Football Coin Toss. This event is part of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration, a year-long tribute to honor the late President's 100th birthday. As part of the campaign, 32 NFL teams, 120 NCAA D1 football teams, all NAIA teams and nearly 14,000 high school teams will be invited to flip a commemorative coin at the start of each game played the weekend of Sept. 23-26 (Ronald Reagan Foundation). Following the coin flip, a loudspeaker announcement and a Reagan football tribute video will air. Reagan was born on Feb. 6, 1911 (CNN.com, 8/22).
GREEN PEACE: Athletes from Protect Our Winters (POW) will visit DC on Sept. 14 “after Congress returns to session from a month-long break.” POW Founder JEREMY JONES, snowboarder GRETCHEN BLEILER, skier CHRIS DAVENPORT and Aspen Skiing Co. VP/Sustainability AUDEN SCHENDLER will "deliver a letter to the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives that opposes legislation that restricts the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to limit carbon pollution” (ESPN.com, 8/23).
A STITCH IN TIME... In L.A., Andrea Chang cited a source as saying that Penguins co-Owner RON BURKLE is “in discussions with American Apparel Inc. to refinance a portion of its $160-million debt load.” Burkle last year “bought a 6% stake in the L.A. clothing maker and retailer, only to reduce those investments this year” (LATIMES.com, 8/23).
SUMMER TIME ADVENTURE: Clippers F BLAKE GRIFFIN this week is “interning at Funny Or Die, the comedy website" co-founded by WILL FERRELL and ADAM MCKAY. Griffin arrived at the site's L.A. offices yesterday “to begin three days of work in video production.” He will “help write, shoot, edit and act in several videos for the site" (AP, 8/23)….Spurs F DEJUAN BLAIR is “spending his time away from basketball this summer working on his rapping/singing.” Blair has released his cover of DRAKE’s “Trust Issues,” which is a “gloomy song riddled with profanity, binge drinking references, racist and sexist remarks.” It is a “stark contrast from the professionalism we've seen from the franchise” (MYSANANTONIO.com, 8/22).
NAMES: BROADCASTING & CABLE named ESPN Exec VP/Sales & Marketing SEAN BRATCHES and Turner Broadcasting Senior VP/Strategic Audience Solutions TRISH JONES to the '11 Digital All-Stars list (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 8/22 issue)….Univ. of Miami President DONNA SHALALA said that UM will “hire an outside counsel to help its investigation with the NCAA.” UM reportedly has hired MIKE GLAZIER, a "former NCAA investigator who also was a former law partner of SEC commissioner MIKE SLIVE” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 8/24)….A source said that Astros Owner DRAYTON MCLANE has given a $5M gift to Dallas Baptist Univ. “for renovations to the school’s baseball field” (CHRON.com, 8/23)….TIGER WOODS has “leased a Jupiter office building and plans to move his business empire” to the Florida city from Orlando. The building “formerly was home to the business holdings” of GREG NORMAN, who, like Woods, owns a mansion in Jupiter Island. Woods’ new business “command center is a 10,000-square foot, two-story, Mediterranean-influenced office” (PALM BEACH POST, 8/24)….NASCAR driver KYLE BUSCH “pleaded guilty Tuesday to speeding 128 mph in a 45 mph zone and was placed on probation for a year and fined $1,000.” District Judge THOMAS CHURCH also “revoked Busch’s driver’s license for 45 days and told him not to drive during that time” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 8/24)….Former Univ. of Maryland’s men’s basketball coach GARY WILLIAMS reportedly is “making $400,000 a year as a special athletic department assistant” (BALTIMORESUN.com, 8/23)….Rangers P C.J. WILSON is partnering with The Partnership at Drugfree.org to promote the importance of a drug-free lifestyle and practice of healthy competition. The digital and grassroots effort, “Play Healthy” aims to educate families on the risks of steroids and performance-enhancing substances (Drugfree.org).
BEST WISHES: Univ. of Tennessee women’s basketball coach PAT SUMMITT announced she has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia. The 59-year-old “went public with her condition Tuesday,” and said that she “plans to coach this season.” UT interim AD JOAN CRONAN said, “I’m comfortable because I know her as a person and I know her as a coach. And I feel like if it wasn’t the right thing for her or us she wouldn’t be going forward” (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 8/24).
