Posted November 12, 2007

NFL Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow speaks to sport and recreation graduate students

Kellen Winslow
Photo by Jim Roese
NFL Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow addressed students in Professor Michael Jackson’s class.

Play golf.



Of all the advice Kellen Winslow offered sports and recreation administration graduate students, he made sure that one point got across during his Oct. 9th lecture in Walk Auditorium.



“In order to be successful in the [sport], industry play golf,” advised Winslow, a retired NFL Hall of Famer.


“I’ve met more people and made more contacts on the golf course than anywhere.”

   

Winslow, who played for the San Diego Chargers from 1979 to 1987, spoke to students in Professor Michael Jackson’s “Administration of Sport & Recreation” class about how he entered the sports administration field. Currently, he is director of planning and new event development for Disney Sports Attractions, which encompasses the Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, five championship golf courses, recreational activities and numerous sports within the Walt Disney World Resorts.



After retiring from the NFL, Winslow decided to pursue his juris doctorate at the University of San Diego.



“I went to law school because I needed something at the end of my name that was more than just ‘tight end.’ It gave me the confidence to do the things I wanted to do,” said Winslow.



Winslow leveraged his law degree into a colorful career in the legal and corporate worlds prior to being offered a position in broadcasting as an NFL analyst.



“He encompasses excellence off the field,” said student Andrew Carl, co-president of the Sport Admin 501 Corp., a non-profit company run by students as part of their class. “You see a lot of negative things about sports, but here’s a guy who’s a lawyer, who’s at a high-level position in a multi-million dollar corporation.”



As program director for Disney Sports Attractions, Winslow is heavily involved with in finding sponsors to fuel the ongoing growth and maintenance of the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex — a 240-acre athletic mecca in Orlando, Florida., that caters to virtually any type of athlete.



Winslow also encouraged students to pursue internships at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Last year, the sport division brought in 25 interns from around the country including several outstanding interns from Temple, said Winslow. The program offers interns a strong opportunity to segue their experience into a career at Disney later on, as a number of Temple students have done.



“He embodies the Triple A standard of excellence: athletics, academics and administration,” said Jackson, who introduced Winslow. “He’s not just a jock. He’s an NFL Hall of Famer who decided to pursue an education and master a career.”



But that doesn’t mean Winslow has forgotten the importance of sports, and he hopes students won’t either.



“Playing in a park on a Saturday afternoon, it doesn’t matter the person’s race or religion. They are all there for one thing: to play the game,” Winslow said. “It is a uniter. And if we did not have sports in our society, we would still probably be back in the Dark Ages.”



— Written by Andrew Thompson

F
or the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management

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