USF Well Represented at Tampa Bay Sneaker Soiree
June 02, 2011 | General
TAMPA - The University of South Florida was well represented at last night's Inaugural Tampa Bay Sneaker Soiree at sold out TPepin's Hospitality Centre. Hosted by the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, the Sneaker Soiree marked the first time the Tampa Bay community has honored the "off the field" business accomplishments of each of the local sports properties.
Headlining the group of Bulls' nominations was President Judy Genshaft, who was named Community Sports Leader of the Year. Genshaft was joined by Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Doug Woolard, who was nominated for Executive of the Year, and Associate A.D. for Facilities and Events Scott Glaser, who was up for Young Executive of the Year.
Aside from the individual nominations, USF received six other nominations. The Bulls' Baseball and Softball Complex received recognition in the Sports Facility of the Year category, while the USF Series Softball Tournament appeared in the Amateur or Collegiate Special Event of the Year category. USF's "A Holtz New Era" campaign was nominated for the Season Ticket Marketing/Advertising Campaign of the Year, Verizon FiOS' relationship with USF Athletics was in the Sponsorship Activation of the Year category, USF's promotion of its men's soccer game with Virginia Tech, which resulted in the largest crowd in school history, was up for Individual Game Promotion of the Year and the department's official website, GoUSFBulls.com, was a nominee for Website of the Year.
In addition to the awards ceremony, the event featured an "owners' roundtable discussion," which included Bryan Glazer of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jeff Vinik of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Stuart Sternberg of the Tampa Bay Rays. Nationally-renowned college basketball analyst Dick Vitale was also in attendance to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring him for his incredible contributions to the Tampa Bay community.
The event, which was emceed by ESPN's Jesse Palmer, served as a fundraiser for the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that works diligently to impact the Tampa Bay area both socially and economically through sports.
