CHARLESTON, SC — Three generals, a famous television actor, a Hall of Fame coach and the former US Olympic executive director are among those named to the Medal of Honor Bowl Game’s inaugural national board of directors, according to bowl committee chairman Tommy McQueeney.
“It is with a great deal of pride and enthusiasm for the future of the Medal of Honor Bowl that we announce this amazing assemblage of talent, guidance and dedication,” said Tom McQueeney, chairman of the Medal of Honor Bowl Game. “Our goal to become the very best meant that we needed to start with the top people to steer us. We feel that we have done that with this eminently qualified and distinguished national board.”
The mission of the Medal of Honor Bowl’s board of directors is to assist and support the Medal of Honor Bowl in their quest to become the premier senior college football all-star game in America. The board will serve as the national emissaries of the weeklong event and will be conversant in the scope and purpose of the game, to include the designated beneficiaries, the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation and the Wounded Warriors Project.
General Ed Rice (USAF retired), former Commander Air Education & Training Command, Lt. General John Sams (USAF Ret.) of Boeing and Maj. General James E. Livingston (USMC Ret.) of Mt. Pleasant are the three generals named to the board. Gen. Livingston is a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his heroics in Vietnam.
Actor Ed Marinaro, a former Heisman Trophy runner-up while at Cornell University and star of the hit television show Hill Street Blues. NCAA Hall of Fame football coach Fisher DeBerry, a South Carolina native who coached the Air Force Academy, along with former US Olympic Executive Director Harvey Schiller, will also have seats on the board.
The National Medal of Honor Bowl Board of Directors (NMHBD) will select a chairperson and meet at least once per year in Charleston, home of the Medal of Honor Bowl. Their actions, insights and suggestions will be submitted directly to the Medal of Honor Bowl Chairman and given priority status. Each board member is to be an honored guest of the Medal of Honor Bowl and will be assigned a private suite at The Citadel’s Johnson Hagood Stadium, the site of the game.
Also joining the board of directors includes baseball executive and Mt. Pleasant resident Mike Veeck in addition to Nancy Mace, a consultant with The Mace Group, who was The Citadel’s first female graduate (2000). McQueeney will also have a seat on the board.
Each Board Member serves a term of either two, three or four years with an optional second term of four years at the behest of the full board. The Chairman shall be elected every three years by the board membership, by simple majority. The Chairman of the Medal of Honor Bowl automatically serves as a member of the NMHBD, but cannot serve as NMHBD Chairman.
The inaugural Medal of Honor Bowl was held on Jan. 11, 2014, at Johnson Hagood Stadium with the American Team, coached by Ralph Friedgen, topped coach Chan Gailey’s National Team, 20-3.
The 2015 game will be played on Saturday, January 10.
–MEDAL OF HONOR BOWL–
Bios on Members of the Board of Directors
Coach Fisher DeBerry is the former head football coach at the Air Force Academy and member of the NCAA Football Hall of Fame. Serves as chairman of the Fisher DeBerry Foundation; a 1960 graduate of Wofford College who lives on Sullivan’s Island, SC.
Major General James E. Livingston, USMC Retired, is a Medal of Honor recipient; former Commanding General of the US Marine Corps Reserve Forces in New Orleans; is a 1962 graduate of Auburn University who lives in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
Lowcountry native Nancy Mace is the author of the book, In the Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel; is a public relations consultant for The Mace Group; is currently a candidate for the United States Senate; is the first female graduate of The Citadel (2000).
Tommy McQueeney, Bowl Chairman, Medal of Honor Bowl; native Charlestonian who owns an insurance company; authored two books, The Rise of Charleston and Sunsets Over Charleston; a 1974 graduate of The Citadel.
Ed Marinaro, former Heisman Trophy runner-up who graduated from Cornell University in 1972; former NFL player with Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets; television actor from the successful show Hill Street Blues); a resident of Daniel Island, SC.
General Ed Rice, USAF Retired, is a retired 4-star general; served as Commander, Air Education & Training Command; White House Fellow; Deputy Executive Secretary of National Security Council; a 1978 Distinguished Graduate of the US Air Force Academy.
Lt. General John Sams (USAF Ret); former commander of 15th Air Force; currently serves as a Vice President of Boeing, Inc. ; a member of The Citadel Board of Visitors, and is a 1967 graduate of The Citadel.
Dr. Harvey Schiller, former Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference; former US Olympic Executive Director; past President of International Baseball Federation; Vice Chair, America’s Cup 2013; Board Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY; Chairman of the Board of the privately-held GlobalOptions, Inc.; is a 1960 graduate of The Citadel and lives on Kiawah Island, SC.
Mike Veeck, former marketing/promotions director for four Major League Baseball teams; is the President of the Charleston RiverDogs, the Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees; authored the book, Fun Is Good. A 1973 graduate of Loyola (Maryland), where he lives in Mt. Pleasant; is a visiting professor in The Citadel’s Department of Health, Exercise and Sport Science.
Media Contact:
Andy Solomon
andy.solomon@citadel.edu
843/209-4723