Contesting and Constructing Gender, Sexuality, and Identity in Women's Roller Derby

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Contesting and Constructing Gender, Sexuality, and Identity in Women's Roller Derby UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones May 2018 Contesting and Constructing Gender, Sexuality, and Identity in Women's Roller Derby Suzanne Becker Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, and the Gender and Sexuality Commons Repository Citation Becker, Suzanne, "Contesting and Constructing Gender, Sexuality, and Identity in Women's Roller Derby" (2018). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 3215. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/13568377 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CONTESTING AND CONSTRUCTING GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND IDENTITY IN WOMEN’S ROLLER DERBY By Suzanne R. Becker Bachelor of Arts – Journalism University of Wisconsin, Madison 1992 Master of Arts – Sociology University of Colorado, Colorado Springs 2004 Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2009 A doctoral project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy – Sociology Department of Sociology College of Liberal Arts The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2018 Dissertation Approval The Graduate College The University of Nevada, Las Vegas April 25, 2017 This dissertation prepared by Suzanne R. Becker entitled Contesting and Constructing Gender, Sexuality, and Identity in Women’s Roller Derby is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy – Sociology Department of Sociology Barbara Brents, Ph.D. Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan, Ph.D. Examination Committee Chair Graduate College Interim Dean Robert Futrell, Ph.D. Examination Committee Member Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan, Ph.D. Examination Committee Member Lynn Comella, Ph.D. Graduate College Faculty Representative ii ABSTRACT Contesting and Constructing Gender, Sexuality, and Identity in Women’s Roller Derby by Suzanne R. Becker Dr. Barb Brents, Examination Committee Professor of Sociology University of Nevada, Las Vegas In this dissertation project I use the case of women’s roller derby to examine gender resistance in spaces produced and dominated by women. I examine the challenges and strategies roller derby participants deploy in resistance to the gender binary and its gender mandates, and whether or not these strategies and cultural expressions are oppositional or political. Through a combination of ethnography, participant-observation, semi-structured interviews, and analysis of web and print media on roller derby, I explain how women’s roller derby participants construct identity, varying types of femininities, and engage in forms of cultural resistance through their sport. I analyze the political and cultural challenges skaters and the sport of roller derby pose to the gender binary, mainstream gender expectations, and understandings of femininity and sexuality, and investigate how those challenges manifest at the level of individual identity, roller derby organization, and roller derby cultural symbolism. I argue that the skaters’ embodied practices challenge and disrupt notions of gender, sexuality, body, and identity. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………...……iii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION – DERBY AND RESISTANCE............................................... 1 The Feminist Roots of Resistance in Roller Derby .................................................................... 2 How Far We’ve Come ................................................................................................................ 7 History of Roller Derby: The First Whistle ............................................................................... 9 Chapter 2: LITERATURE – GENDER, SPORT & CULTURAL RESISTANCE ...................... 17 Femininities: A New Frontier ................................................................................................... 21 Doing Gender ........................................................................................................................ 23 Gender, Identity, and Performativity .................................................................................... 25 Alternative Femininities........................................................................................................ 26 Modern Understandings of Sport .............................................................................................. 27 Sport as a Masculine Space....................................................................................................... 29 Sport as a Space of Resistance .................................................................................................. 33 A Sport of One’s Own .............................................................................................................. 35 Gender and the Organization of sport ....................................................................................... 36 Social Movement Research and Cultural Resistance ................................................................ 39 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 44 Researcher’s Background ......................................................................................................... 44 Population and Sample ............................................................................................................. 47 Sampling Methods .................................................................................................................... 50 Data Collection ......................................................................................................................... 51 Participant Observation ............................................................................................................. 53 iv Analytical and Interpretive Strategies ....................................................................................... 55 Validation .................................................................................................................................. 56 CHAPTER 4: SPORTS AS RESISTANCE: PUTTING THE FEMININE AND SEXUAL INTO CONTACT SPORT ..................................................................................................................... 60 Challenging Norms ................................................................................................................... 64 Sexuality and Sport ................................................................................................................... 67 CHAPTER 5: DIY AS A STRATEGY OF RESISTANCE IN ROLLER DERBY..................... 71 Doing It Yourself ...................................................................................................................... 74 The DIY In Derby – DIY League Operation ............................................................................ 77 The DIY in Derby – DIY League Ownership ........................................................................... 79 “By the Skaters for the Skaters” DIY and the WFTDA ........................................................... 80 The Collective Ethic – Group Control over Activity and Community ..................................... 82 A Sport of One’s Own (Again) ................................................................................................. 89 CHAPTER 6: PARODY & PERFORMANCE AS STRATEGIES OF RESISTANCE .............. 97 Social Protest ............................................................................................................................ 97 Performance as Politics: Parody, Irony, Camp ......................................................................... 99 Uniforms, War Paint, and Skate Names, ................................................................................ 100 Fashion ................................................................................................................................ 100 Skate Names........................................................................................................................ 102 Refocusing the Gaze – Sexuality in Bouts .............................................................................. 104 Performances........................................................................................................................... 106 Taking on the Tropes .............................................................................................................. 107 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 111 v CHAPTER 7: QUEERING THE TRACK ................................................................................. 113 Defining Queer.......................................................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Issue #64 August
    HERITAGE HERALD Issue Number 64, August 2018 • www.heritageleague.org Periodical of the Heritage League of the Second Air Division (USAAF) One Tough Mission, Many Men Saved —Two B-24 crews (from the 93rd & 458th BGs) on Mission 798 to Hamburg by Tom Eisele with assistance from brothers Tim, Ted and Mike. In the European air war, by late 1944, Allied targets to the south in Germany, around Paderborn and bombing missions of 500-600 bombers were common, Bielefeld. The southern targets were rail facilities, con- frequently with 300-400 escorting fighters. The 8th Air sisting of marshalling yards, switching facilities, and Force had grown steadily into three full Air Divisions, rail viaducts in that area. The northern targets were oil while the German Luftwaffe had been seriously erod- refineries and U-Boat bases in and around Hamburg. ed. The sheer weight of the forces that the Americans The bulk of American planes flew against the could throw against German air defenses meant the southern targets in Mission 798, with over 450 heavy Americans had to prevail—right? bombers and almost 200 supporting fighters engaged Well, perhaps on some Olympian level, this with those targets. A smaller group of 215-225 heavy view makes sense. At the more personal level of individ- bombers and roughly 100 fighters took on the north- ual fliers risking their lives, however, such a view like- ern targets in the Hamburg vicinity. This article focuses ly would not resonate with the men who had to see that on that smaller group heading north toward Hamburg.
    [Show full text]
  • POLL RESULTS: Congressional Bipartisanship Nationwide and in Battleground States
    POLL RESULTS: Congressional Bipartisanship Nationwide and in Battleground States 1 Voters think Congress is dysfunctional and reject the suggestion that it is effective. Please indicate whether you think this word or phrase describes the United States Congress, or not. Nationwide Battleground Nationwide Independents Battleground Independents Dysfunctional 60 60 61 64 Broken 56 58 58 60 Ineffective 54 54 55 56 Gridlocked 50 48 52 50 Partisan 42 37 40 33 0 Bipartisan 7 8 7 8 Has America's best 3 2 3 interests at heart 3 Functioning 2 2 2 3 Effective 2 2 2 3 2 Political frustrations center around politicians’ inability to collaborate in a productive way. Which of these problems frustrates you the most? Nationwide Battleground Nationwide Independents Battleground Independents Politicians can’t work together to get things done anymore. 41 37 41 39 Career politicians have been in office too long and don’t 29 30 30 30 understand the needs of regular people. Politicians are politicizing issues that really shouldn’t be 14 13 12 14 politicized. Out political system is broken and doesn’t work for me. 12 15 12 12 3 Candidates who brand themselves as bipartisan will have a better chance of winning in upcoming elections. For which candidate for Congress would you be more likely to vote? A candidate who is willing to compromise to A candidate who will stay true to his/her get things done principles and not make any concessions NationwideNationwide 72 28 Nationwide Nationwide Independents Independents 74 26 BattlegroundBattleground 70 30 Battleground Battleground IndependentsIndependents 73 27 A candidate who will vote for bipartisan A candidate who will resist bipartisan legislation legislation and stick with his/her party NationwideNationwide 83 17 Nationwide IndependentsNationwide Independents 86 14 BattlegroundBattleground 82 18 Battleground BattlegroundIndependents Independents 88 12 4 Across the country, voters agree that they want members of Congress to work together.
    [Show full text]
  • Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY 11235
    Oct. 9–15, 2015 Including Park Slope Courier, Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Courier, Brooklyn Heights Courier, & Williamsburg Courier FREE SERVING GOWANUS, PARK SLOPE, PROSPECT HEIGHTS, WINDSOR TERRACE, BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, DUMBO, METROTECH, BOERUM HILL, CARROLL GARDENS, COBBLE HILL, RED HOOK, WILLIAMSBURG & GREENPOINT W FREE Delivery, Set-up & Removal PLUS Special Financing PRICE MATCH guarantee Available See Inside For Details. Now Over... 60 In-Store Mattress Galleries NY, NJ, CT, PA New mattress galleries opening daily. Visit pcrichard.com/mattress for details. New mattress galleries opening daily. Visit pcrichard.com/mattress for details. A CNG Publication Vol. 35 No. 41 UPDATED EVERY DAY AT BROOKLYNDAILY.COM * *BY MAIL. SEE STORE FOR DETAILS. UP 6 TO 60 MONTHS SPECIAL FINANCING On Qualifying Mattress Purchases VALID 10/9/15 - 10/15/15 6. ALL SPECIAL FINANCING OFFERS: SUBJECT TO CREDIT APPROVAL. MINIMUM MONTHLY PAYMENTS REQUIRED. 6 MONTHS SPECIAL FINANCING ON PURCHASES OF ALL MATTRESSES UP TO $999, 12 MONTHS ON PU $4,500-$5,999 AND 60 MONTHS ONPURCHASES OF $6,000 OR MORE. EQUAL MONTHLY PAYMENTS REQUIRED FOR 36, 48 OR 60 MONTHS. Oct. 9–15, 2015 Including Park Slope Courier, Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Courier, Brooklyn Heights Courier, & Williamsburg Courier FREE SERVING GOWANUS, PARK SLOPE, PROSPECT HEIGHTS, WINDSOR TERRACE, BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, DUMBO, METROTECH, BOERUM HILL, CARROLL GARDENS, COBBLE HILL, RED HOOK, WILLIAMSBURG & GREENPOINT Slopers: Revive NEW DUMBO B17 bus! BY COLIN MIXSON Call it a zom-bus! A confederation of civic- SCHOOL FIGHT minded Park Slopers is plot- ting to resurrect a cross-town bus service between the Co- lumbia Street Waterfront Dis- Parents now trict and Crown Heights that the transit authority axed fi ve demanding years ago amidst budget cuts.
    [Show full text]
  • The Popular Culture Studies Journal
    THE POPULAR CULTURE STUDIES JOURNAL VOLUME 6 NUMBER 1 2018 Editor NORMA JONES Liquid Flicks Media, Inc./IXMachine Managing Editor JULIA LARGENT McPherson College Assistant Editor GARRET L. CASTLEBERRY Mid-America Christian University Copy Editor Kevin Calcamp Queens University of Charlotte Reviews Editor MALYNNDA JOHNSON Indiana State University Assistant Reviews Editor JESSICA BENHAM University of Pittsburgh Please visit the PCSJ at: http://mpcaaca.org/the-popular-culture- studies-journal/ The Popular Culture Studies Journal is the official journal of the Midwest Popular and American Culture Association. Copyright © 2018 Midwest Popular and American Culture Association. All rights reserved. MPCA/ACA, 421 W. Huron St Unit 1304, Chicago, IL 60654 Cover credit: Cover Artwork: “Wrestling” by Brent Jones © 2018 Courtesy of https://openclipart.org EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD ANTHONY ADAH FALON DEIMLER Minnesota State University, Moorhead University of Wisconsin-Madison JESSICA AUSTIN HANNAH DODD Anglia Ruskin University The Ohio State University AARON BARLOW ASHLEY M. DONNELLY New York City College of Technology (CUNY) Ball State University Faculty Editor, Academe, the magazine of the AAUP JOSEF BENSON LEIGH H. EDWARDS University of Wisconsin Parkside Florida State University PAUL BOOTH VICTOR EVANS DePaul University Seattle University GARY BURNS JUSTIN GARCIA Northern Illinois University Millersville University KELLI S. BURNS ALEXANDRA GARNER University of South Florida Bowling Green State University ANNE M. CANAVAN MATTHEW HALE Salt Lake Community College Indiana University, Bloomington ERIN MAE CLARK NICOLE HAMMOND Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota University of California, Santa Cruz BRIAN COGAN ART HERBIG Molloy College Indiana University - Purdue University, Fort Wayne JARED JOHNSON ANDREW F. HERRMANN Thiel College East Tennessee State University JESSE KAVADLO MATTHEW NICOSIA Maryville University of St.
    [Show full text]
  • Professional Female Bodybuilding: Self- Determination Theory Approach Mark T
    Journal of International Women's Studies Volume 16 | Issue 3 Article 6 Jul-2015 Professional Female Bodybuilding: Self- Determination Theory Approach Mark T. Suffolk Follow this and additional works at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws Part of the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Suffolk, Mark T. (2015). Professional Female Bodybuilding: Self-Determination Theory Approach. Journal of International Women's Studies, 16(3), 71-85. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol16/iss3/6 This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. This journal and its contents may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. ©2015 Journal of International Women’s Studies. Professional Female Bodybuilding: Self-Determination Theory Approach By Mark T Suffolk1 Abstract Female professional bodybuilders have received a substantial amount of scholarly and media attention. However, investigations have largely been conducted from a pathologizing perspective. This exploratory research investigated the female bodybuilding community from a positive development perspective. Thematic analysis was applied to twenty four publicly available online video interviews of female professional bodybuilders ranging in age from 29-49 years to understand the reasons as to why females take up the sport of bodybuilding, and to identify factors that contribute towards continued participation. Identified themes were framed within Self-Determination Theory. The findings indicate that pursuing bodybuilding can provide mechanisms that link the activity to psychological well-being by enhancing autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2010
    TUMBLEWEED CENTER FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2010 shared their collective knowledge of the community to select or- WELCOME ganizations that could make a difference immediately and without Dear Friends of Tumbleweed, any time-consuming application processes. Fundraising remained As Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development completes our 35th down only slightly, and was supported by many corporate grants year of providing a safety net for the at-risk, runaway, and home- such as Scottsdale Insurance’s parent company Nationwide Insur- less youth in our Community, we celebrate one of our most inspi- ance Co providing a significant grant for the first time. Certainly rational years amidst a host of challenges presented by a daunting many other gifts and grants were received from caregivers like you, financial climate. to make this turnaround possible. Like everyone else in Arizona we have watched as the economy Through all these challenges our employees continued to serve continued to spin into a state of emergency. We had made all the 47% more than last year, and still assisted youth in accomplish- adjustments to programs that could be made and finally more seri- ing wonderful outcomes. If you visit with a former Tumbleweed ous measures were required. Benefits were reduced, positions were Client, like the five (5) featured on the video during our Annual eliminated and we reduced an already thin management support Dinner Auction this year, you quickly understand the value of structure to historical low levels of 6% of our operating budget for Tumbleweed to the Community. Youth will tell you they were on a “general and administrative” and 4% for fundraising, down from path to self-destruction and became healthy productive members 10% & 5% respectively the previous year.
    [Show full text]
  • Donald Trump 41% 55% 4%
    August 13-17, 2017 / N=1,000 Registered voters / ±3.1% M.O.E. THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BATTLEGROUND POLL A national survey of 1,000 Registered Voters August 13-17, 2017 / N=1,000 Registered voters / ±3.1% M.O.E. Do you feel things in the country are going in the right direction, or do you feel things have gotten off on the wrong track? 70% 69% 66% 66% 64% 65% 63% 64% 58% 30% 28% 26% 26% 27% 27% 28% 21% 21% 14% 11% 10% 8% 9% 8% 7% 6% 9% 3/20/2014 8/28/2014 12/11/2014 5/7/2015 4/20/2016 9/1/2016 10/13/2016 12/1/2016 8/17/2017 Right direction Unsure Wrong track Q1 August 13-17, 2017 / N=1,000 Registered voters/Split sample A/B/ ±3.1% M.O.E. Do you feel things in the country are going in the right direction, or do you feel things have gotten off on the wrong track? 72% 75% 73% 70% 69% 67% 67% 65%66%66% 63%64% 63% 64% 62% 62% 61% 60% 59% 59% 59% 64% 58% 56% 57%56%57% 55% 55% 54% 54% 59% 54% 52% 51% 40% 41% 34% 40% 39% 38% 38% 39% 37% 37% 28% 36% 34% 28% 32% 32% 33%32% 26% 31% 31% 30% 29% 28% 28% 27% 27% 21%21% 26% 24% 6/1/04 8/1/0410/1/043/1/05 10/1/052/1/06 9/1/06 7/1/0912/1/094/8/10 8/1/109/21/1010/21/105/12/119/1/11 11/11/112/12/125/1/128/12/129/20/129/27/1210/18/1211/5/1212/6/1210/31/131/16/143/14/148/28/1412/11/145/7/154/20/169/1/16 10/13/1612/1/168/17/17 Right Direction Wrong Track Unsure Q1 August 13-17, 2017 / N=1,000 Registered voters / ±3.1% M.O.E.
    [Show full text]
  • Female Bodybuilding: Exploring Muscularity, Femininity and Bodily Empowerment
    Female Bodybuilding: Exploring Muscularity, Femininity and Bodily Empowerment by MARGOT C. LANG B.A., McGill University, 1995 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES SCHOOL OF HUMAN KINETICS We accept this thesis as conforming to the required standard THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA March 1998 © Margot C. Lang, 1998 In presenting this thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of British Columbia, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for reference and study. I further agree that permission for extensive copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the head of my department or by his or her representatives. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Department of ih^UrynttL^ /Cfn^^CS^ The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada Date DE-6 (2/88) ABSTRACT This study aimed to build upon the literature on women's athleticism by using bodybuilding as a vehicle for exploring associations between women's muscularity, notions of gender and bodily empowerment. Feminist cultural analyses of women's bodybuilding have claimed that muscularity is constrained by gendered meanings surrounding the sport and the female body (cf. Bordo, 1993; Coakley, 1994; Schulze, 1990). The purpose was to explore how personal interpretations of muscularity by competitive female bodybuilders contributed to their definitions of gender and empowerment through the body. Three competitive female bodybuilders were recruited. Ethnographic techniques were employed, including observations of subjects' training sessions, ongoing fieldnotes, and individual in-depth interviews to uncover the women's interpretations of their muscularity, gender and bodily empowerment.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender and Bodily Transformation in Women's Flat Track Roller
    Gender and Bodily Transformation in Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Rayanne Streeter Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science In Sociology Toni Calasanti, Co-Chair Christine Labuski, Co-Chair Sarah Ovink May 6, 2014 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: Roller derby, Bodies, Gender, Sexuality, Violence Copyright 2014, Rayanne Streeter Gender and Bodily Transformation in Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Rayanne Streeter ABSTRACT Sports as a social institution reflects and reshapes social values and power relations in broader society, including gender relations. For instance, the ways in which bodies are used in sports produces gender; as such sport has been shown to reaffirm men’s power over women and ritualize and embed aggression, strength, and violence into the male body. Roller derby, which is a full-contact, highly physical sport, offers women the opportunity to renegotiate these stereotypical gendered and embodied ideas of gender. Drawing on bodily theory, contact sport, and self-defense literatures this study explores how female roller derby players undergo such negotiations of femininity and womanhood and how one’s body plays a role in this. This was done through the analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews with female flat track roller derby players in the United States. Findings show similarities to self-defense where skaters’ notions of womanhood and femininity are transformed through a variety of ways and these are related to experiencing bodies in new and transgressive ways. One key finding demonstrates how these transformations are complicated by biological narratives and understandings of violence.
    [Show full text]
  • Roller Derby: Past, Present, Future RESEARCH PAPER for ASU’S Global Sport Institute
    Devoney Looser, Foundation Professor of English Department of English, Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 85287-1401 [email protected] Roller Derby: Past, Present, Future RESEARCH PAPER for ASU’s Global Sport Institute SUMMARY Is roller derby a sport? Okay, sure, but, “Is it a legitimate sport?” No matter how you’re disposed to answer these questions, chances are that you’re asking without a firm grasp of roller derby’s past or present. Knowledge of both is crucial to understanding, or predicting, what derby’s future might look like in Sport 2036. From its official origins in Chicago in 1935, to its rebirth in Austin, TX in 2001, roller derby has been an outlier sport in ways admirable and not. It has long been ahead of the curve on diversity and inclusivity, a little-known fact. Even players and fans who are diehard devotees—who live and breathe by derby—have little knowledge of how the sport began, how it was different, or why knowing all of that might matter. In this paper, which is part of a book-in-progress, I offer a sense of the following: 1) why roller derby’s past and present, especially its unusual origins, its envelope-pushing play and players, and its waxing and waning popularity, matters to its future; 2) how roller derby’s cultural reputation (which grew out of roller skating’s reputation) has had an impact on its status as an American sport; 3) how roller derby’s economic history, from family business to skater-owned-and- operated non-profits, has shaped opportunity and growth; and 4) why the sport’s past, present, and future inclusivity, diversity, and counter-cultural aspects resonate so deeply with those who play and watch.
    [Show full text]
  • 87 2019 Media Guide Orlando's Hometown Team 1979 Ncaa Iii
    ORLANDO’S HOMETOWN TEAM YEAR-BY-YEAR RESULTS 1979 1982 • During his inaugural address, UCF President Trevor Colbourn • Following Don Jonas’ resignation, associate head coach Sam Weir is announces that the school will “explore the possibility of developing a named the program’s interim head coach. New athletics director Bill football program.” Later, Colbourn and director of athletics Jack O’Leary Peterson announces that UCF will compete as a Division II program approve a decision to form a football team to begin play in the fall of during the year. With the move to D-II, the school begins awarding 1979 as an NCAA Division III program. Former professional football athletics scholarships. Following the season, four Knights sign player Don Jonas becomes the school’s first coach on a volunteer basis. professional contracts: tight end Mike Carter with the National Football On Aug. 28, 148 prospective players participate in the program’s first League’s Denver Broncos and defensive end Ed Gantner, linebacker Bill practice. Less than one month later on Sept. 22, UCF travels to St. Leo Giovanetti and offensive lineman Mike Sommerfield with the Tampa Bay for its first game and wins 21-0. Bobby Joe Plain scores the school’s first Bandits of the United States Football League. Following the season, New touchdown on a 13-yard pass reception from Mike Cullison in the first York Yankees president and former Buffalo Bills head coach Lou Saban is quarter. The following week, UCF plays its first home contest at the named UCF’s head coach. Tangerine Bowl and posts a 7-6 victory over Fort Benning in front of 14,188 fans.
    [Show full text]
  • FINAL-Annual-Report
    ANNUAL REPORT 20152016 THE FOOD BANK THANKS THOSE WHO HAVE HELD FOOD DRIVES FOOD DONORS OR DONATED FOOD TO ST. MARY’S DURING THE PAST YEAR. Anderson Security Agency Arizona State University Big Surf Water Park Apache Elementary School Arizona Traditions Bill Johnson’s Big Apple Apollo High School Armored Mini Storage Billing Tree APS Arrow Electronics Biltmore Preparatory Academy APSM Systems Arrowhead Elementary School Bimbo Bakeries Aquity Speciality Hospital Arrowhead Honda Bimbo Depot Arby’s Arroyo Elementary School Biomat USA Arbys Food Drive Arthur Orthodontics and NSC Dentistry Bioscience High School Arcadia High School As You Wish Pottery Painting Bircher Exterminating Services Arcadia Holiday Festival Ashton Ranch Elementary School BizIQ Archway Trivium East Ashton Ti any Blackboard Arizona 86 Car Club Ashurst’s Produce Blackhawk Network Arizona American Italian Club ASML Blue Global Media Arizona Business Bank Association of Arizona Food Banks Blue Line Distributing Arizona Business Bank Greenway Augusta Ranch Elementary School Bluestone Chiropractic Group 1 Epic LLC Aisic North Arizona Business Bank Tempe Autumn Ridge Apartment Homes Bocce Club of Sun City 56th Fighter Wing AJ’s Fine Foods Arizona Cardinals AV Concepts Booker Software AAEC Estrella Mountain Ak-Chin Indian Community Arizona College Avnet Breakthru Beverage Arizona Aaron’s Furniture Albertsons Arizona Country Club Avondale Middle School Brent Redmond Logistics Abeinsa EPC-Abacus Alfred F Garcia School Arizona Coyotes AZ Hors D’oervres Brides of March Bar Crawl
    [Show full text]