Dear Friends of William & Mary Athletics,
My family and I feel so comfortable in Williamsburg and on the William & Mary campus, that it's hard for me to believe that we've only called this wonderful place home for a few short months. We are still experiencing W&M firsts on a regular basis and already this month there have been some remarkable events, with more to come. Speaking of firsts, we did experience our first Gold Rush weekend - and the atmosphere was incredible! Even our youngest fans had their Tribe Pride on full display!
A Very Big Birthday
Charter Day is a beloved "birthday" celebration for W&M, and this year the university celebrates its 329
th. For more than three centuries, William & Mary has been a shining light in higher education. During the ceremony in Kaplan Arena, our president, Katherine A. Rowe, will address the future of the university through Vision 2026, our strategic planning process. I'm happy to say that Athletics is making a terrific contribution to this plan, and I will be sharing more information about it very soon.
The Lemon Project and More
With the arrival of Black History Month on Feb. 1, I've been reading up on how W&M will be recognizing, as well as reflecting on, the enormous contributions made by African Americans to this university. For those who are unfamiliar with the
Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation I urge you to learn more. There are two Lemon's Legacies Porch Talks scheduled for this month—'So Pious an Institution': Slavery, Religion, Education, and Virginia's Bray Schools on Feb. 15 and Black History: Local, Living, and Imaginative—Descendant Stories on Feb. 24.
You can register by clicking here.
The university's Center for Student Diversity has
planned multiple events for this month and if you are in the vicinity of Swem Library, there is a very interesting display titled
Strollin', which explains the history of Black Greek letter organizations at W&M.
National Girls and Women in Sports Day
Last week on Feb. 2, we celebrated a milestone. It was the 36
th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. I highly recommend
Dave Johnson's terrific story about three of our favorite women in sports—
Julie Shackford,
Peel Hawthorne and Millie West. Additionally, this year marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, and we will continue to celebrate the impact and accomplishments of the many female student-athletes who have played such a major role in our department's history.
A Tribe Twist to the Super Bowl
This year the Cincinnati Bengals have defied all odds to reach the Super Bowl. And three W&M football alums have been a part of their historic run at the title.
Our Tribe Scribe has a must-read article about their contributions.
Don't Forget to Be All In!
Next weekend is our All In Weekend with the Lord Botetourt Auction, which is a great fundraiser for Athletics. In-person auction tickets are sold out but this week virtual tickets went on sale so you can still be part of the fun -
buy your virtual ticket by clicking here!
Remember, there will be a
full slate of Tribe games and matches that weekend, too, plus the
Millie West Celebration of Life, which is not to be missed as we honor this W&M legend.
And Just for Fun!
I think we all have bucket lists, and one item on mine was a guest spot on
Pardon the Interruption, but I'm very happy to have a shoutout on the Tony Kornheiser show!
Have a listen.
Go Tribe!
Brian D. Mann
Director of Athletics
