Thursday, November 17, 2011
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – (Nov. 17, 2011) – A University of Maryland Eastern Shore alumnus who is a leader in training youth-sports volunteers is the subject of a profile recently broadcasted by a national sports cable network.
Fred Engh, president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, was featured in a “Golf in America” segment on The Golf Channel. It aired for the first time Nov. 14, 2011.
Engh is a 1963 graduate of the university when it was known as Maryland State College. He teamed with the late Bob Taylor, a star football player at Maryland State, to lead the Hawks’ golf team to a championship season in 1961.
The eight-minute report on Engh, who is white, includes footage of him visiting his alma mater and discussing how being a minority at a historically black institution shaped the career path he chose.
Since 1981, Engh has focused on creating programs to guide adults in how to participate and support youth sports activities so participants have positive experiences.
He’s taken the concept global, reaching out to under-developed countries where organized sports for youth are lacking – especially equipment.
Engh also started “Hook A Kid On Golf,” inspired by his experience in Princess Anne where he first gravitated to the game he still plays – and believes should also be accessible to minorities.
Engh, who grew up in a middle-class family in Ocean City, Md., is one of the UMES alumni featured in a series of stories about the first 125 years of the university’s history.
