John A. Walsh ’66, executive vice president and executive editor of ESPN, Rev. Bernard R. McIlhenny, S.J., dean emeritus at The University of Scranton, and Steve Vacendak, a former Duke University basketball player and current executive director of NC Beautiful, took part in the national panel “Values, Character and Sport in the U.S.A.” during the two-day “Schools Shaping the Culture of Sport” conference held on campus.

Coaching education and sportsmanship were the topics du jour during a two-day conference entitled “Schools Shaping the Culture of Sport,” held recently at The University of Scranton. 

The conference was made possible by a partnership involving the University, Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association District II, and the Bochicchio Sport Character Initiative. 

More than 300 students, coaches, and administrators from 22 school districts
and regional colleges took part in the event, which also drew several leading national authorities in the sport and coaching community.

The conference was highlighted by a panel discussion titled “National Panel: Values, Character and Sport in the USA,” featuring John A. Walsh ’66, executive vice president and executive editor of ESPN, Inc., and Steve Vacendak, a Scranton Prep graduate and Duke University basketball legend, who is the executive director of NC Beautiful. Donnie Collins, a sports writer for The Scranton Times-Tribune, served as the discussion’s moderator.

At the dinner preceding the panel discussion, Wallenpaupack Area School District received the first Bochicchio Award for the Promotion of Character through Sport. The award, funded by the American Sport Education Program, recognizes “exemplary development of character and sportsmanship.”

The conference kicked off with a workshop for student-athletes titled “Leadership and Competitiveness.” Presented by Jim Perry, a member of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education Board of Directors and National Keynote Speaker for the Positive Coaching Alliance, this session focused on the athlete’s role in the development of a positive sport culture.  Following the session, University of Scranton Professor David Black, Ph.D., led the students in a discussion regarding the initiation of an “Interscholastic Sports Leadership Program” for PIAA District II.

Tom Farrey, an ESPN correspondent and author, led a session concentrating on youth sports as well. Farrey penned the widely acclaimed book “Game On: How the Pressure to Win at All Costs Endangers Youth Sports.”

Matt Davidson, Ph.D. ’92, director of the Institute for Excellence and Ethics, joined several PIAA officials and regional experts in a discussion of possible coaching education models for Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

"We feel that the conference … was a significant milestone in our ongoing effort to promote coaching education in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Jack O'Malley, Ph.D., professor emeritus of psychology at Scranton and chair of Bochicchio Sport Character Initiative.

Mike Ognosky, superintendent of Montrose Area School District and secretary of PIAA District II, added, "The partnership between The University of Scranton, the Bochicchio Sports Character Initiative, and PIAA District II has begun to make significant inroads in coaching education and the development of student athletes across Northeastern Pennsylvania.” 

During the conference, several coaches and administrators were recognized for their contributions to area athletics, including Jack Henzes, head football coach at Dunmore High School, Colleen Murphy, head coach women’s soccer at Scranton and moderator of the University’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Becky Davis, Scranton head coach women’s lacrosse, and Debbie Pepsin, Old Forge High School’s athletic director.

The Bochicchio Sport Character Initiative’s programs honor the memory of the late Joe Bochicchio, a University of Scranton coach who has inspired much of the University’s work to promote sportsmanship and coaching education.

Wallenpaupack Athletic Director Mark Kirsten (second from left) received the first Bochicchio Award for the Promotion of Character through Sport. Pictured (from left) are Mike Ognosky, superintendent of Montrose Area School District and secretary of PIAA District II; Kirsten; Michael Silsby, Wallenpaupack Area School District superintendent; and Jack Spall, member of the Wallenpaupack Area School Board.

Msgr. William Feldcamp (left), pastor of St. Paul's RC Parish, Scranton, offered the invocation at the event’s dinner. During the conference, Jack Henzes (center), head football coach at Dunmore High School, was named a Sports Ethics Fellow by the Institute for International Sport and Positive Coaching Alliance, and Colleen Murphy, head women’s soccer coach at Scranton and moderator of the University’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee, received a special award recognizing SAAC’s National Sportsmanship Day programs.