CONTACT: Dean O’Keefe
413-231-5515
Hall of Fame Teams Up With Tyler Ugolyn Foundation To Refurbish Court For YMCA in San Antonio
Tribute to former Columbia University NCAA Student-Athlete lost on 9/11 will create lasting opportunities for youth to play the game he loved
San Antonio, TX – March 31, 2008 – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today it has proudly formed a partnership with the Tyler Ugolyn Foundation and will assist the Foundation in its mission to provide children nationwide the opportunity to participate in basketball by refurbishing courts in cities and towns from coast to coast. The unveiling of the first such “Tyler’s Court” will be held at the Davis-Scott YMCA of San Antonio on Sunday, April 6th at 11AM.
“We are extremely proud to be able to assist the Tyler Ugolyn Foundation in their efforts to celebrate Tyler’s passion for basketball and further his lifelong desire to share his love of the game with children in our nation’s cities”, stated John L. Doleva, Hall of Fame President and CEO. “Thanks to the Ugolyn Foundation there will now be a ‘Tyler’s Court’ in this Final Four city, and because of Tyler’s love of basketball and his giving spirit, thousands of San Antonio children will be able to shoot for their own dreams at the YMCA for generations to come”.
Tyler's father, Victor Ugolyn, said: "On behalf of our family, we are very appreciative of the wonderful support of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the YMCA of the USA, and the NCAA. Our beloved Tyler loved the game of basketball and while a student-athlete at Columbia helped establish a basketball clinic for Harlem area youngsters. We gain some comfort from Jackie Robinson's epitaph which states that “The value of one's life is not determined by the number of years but by the number of lives you've touched."
The dedication ceremony of “Tyler’s Court” at the San Antonio YMCA will be held in conjunction with a basketball motivational and skills clinic for YMCA member youth. The project provides a much needed renovation for the Davis-Scott YMCA basketball court, including a new playing surface, new goal stanchions, new scoreboard, and many additional amenities to provide a first class playing facility for the served YMCA population. The City of San Antonio, site of the 2008 NCAA Men’s Final Four, was selected as a “Tyler’s Court” site in consultation with the Tyler Ugolyn Foundation, the NCAA and the Hall of Fame. .
In a joint statement, Neil Nicoll, President and CEO of YMCA of the USA, and Baron Herdelin-Doherty, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, stated, “The YMCA is grateful for this generous gift from the Ugolyn Foundation, a gift which will not only honor the memory of Tyler Ugolyn, but also contribute substantially to the holistic development of children and youth in the San Antonio area. Through this gift, the Foundation supports the YMCA in building strong kids, strong families and strong communities.
The Foundation, named in honor of Tyler Ugolyn, a former basketball student-athlete at Columbia University who, at the age of 23, was a victim of the terrorist attack in New York City on September 11, 2001, was established six years ago by Tyler's parents, Victor and Diane, and his younger brother, Trevor, to provide support to youth basketball, with an emphasis on court refurbishment and providing character building educational programs and skills clinics to children in urban settings. The not-for-profit foundation, formed by the Ugolyn family, provides the court refurbishments, clinics and educational programs in cities at no cost to participants and organizations, with all funding provided by the Foundation. Each refurbished court will be named “Tyler’s Court’, so noted with a special plaque installed at each court along with the words “I just love playing the game’, a quote attributed to Tyler while a high school player in his hometown of Ridgefield, CT. Tyler Ugolyn was born in Springfield, MA - the same city where basketball was born and home of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
For more information about this dedication ceremony, please contact the following:
Basketball Hall of Fame- Dean O’Keefe (413) 231 5515 or dokeefe@hoophall.com
Davis-Scott YMCA of San Antonio- Baron Herdelin-Doherty, CEO, at 210-246-9600 or baronhd@ymcasatx.org
The Tyler Ugolyn Foundation- Victor Ugolyn- 203-733-7710
email: victor.ugolyn.tu72@alum.dartmouth.org
website: www.tylerugolyn.com
The YMCA of the USA- Neil Nicoll, President & CEO, at 312-419-8355 or neil.nicoll@ymca.net
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level worldwide – professional, collegiate, men and women. For more information, please visit our website at www.hoophall.com or call 1-877-4-HOOPLA.
YMCA of the USA is the national resource office for the nation’s 2,663 YMCAs, which serve nearly 20.2 million people each year, including 9.4 million children under the age of 18. Through a variety of programs and services focused on the holistic development of children and youth, health and well-being for all and family strengthening, YMCAs unite men, women and children of all ages, faiths, backgrounds, abilities and income levels. From urban areas to small towns, YMCAs have proudly served America’s communities for nearly 160 years by building healthy spirit, mind and body for all.
Activate America® is the YMCA’s response to our nation’s growing health crisis. YMCAs are redefining themselves and engaging communities across the country to better support Americans of all ages who are struggling to achieve and maintain well-being of spirit, mind and body. Visit www.ymca.net to find your local YMCA.