Athlete Leadership Summit
Celebration of Olympic Day

Overview

Each year, the Alabama Sports Festival hosts the Athlete Leadership Summit. Guests speakers each year speak on topics that influence athletes and coaches young and old sharing personal victories and defeats and how it shaped their lives as a whole. In 2009, Alabama football star Siran Stacy shared his personal testimony of the terrible tragedy of losing most of his family in a car accident. in 2008, Head Football Coach Bobby Bowden shared his thoughts on his climb to be the winningest college footbal coach in the country.

This year, we are proud to honor Alabama Olympians, Maze Marshall, Jennifer Chandler and Harvey Glance. Each will share their experiences in competing for Gold in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Athlete Leadership Summit begins at 5:30 pm in the Arena.

Maze Marshall

Kenneth Marshall, known as 'Maze', is a retired Army Sergeant. In 1987, he fell from a helicopter during operations on the Korean Peninsula, paralyzing me from the waist down. After receiving care at the Tuskegee Veterans hospital, I was medically retired. At the age of 22, his military career was over, but he discovered athletics as a way to get through the tough times.

Maze has since competed all over the world and won at least one gold medal in every track and field competition he has entered and, during the 2000 Paralympic Trials, he won three gold medals in shot put, the javelin, and discus, which qualified him for the 2000 Paralympic Games. He won the Silver Medal in the Javelin at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Today, Maze serves on the board of the Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness as well as several other organizations serving military veterans as well.

Jennifer K. Chandler

Jennifer Chandler was born in Langdale, AL. and she was a championship diver from childhood. In 1972, when she was 12, she was named the best female athlete in any sport in the United States Junior Olympics program. In 1973, she won two 13-14-year-old world age-group diving championships in Belgium then finished eighth competing against adults in the 3-meter springboard at the World Aquatics championships in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, that fall. She reached the pinnacle of success in her sport when she won the 3-meter springboard gold medal at the 1976 Olympics as a 17-year old. She is the last American to win the Olympic women’s 3-meter springboard event.

Jennifer earned a place on the 1980 United States Olympic team but was unable to defend her 1976 Olympic title when the United States did not participate in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. A back injury led to her retirement from diving when she was 21.

She was elected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1987, she became a member of the International Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame. Since 2003, she has been director of outreach programs for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Harvey Glance

Harvey Glance was born in Phenix City, Alabama. The greatest sprinter in Auburn history. A three-time Olympian and 1976 gold medal winner. Some of his accomplishments are: 1976-Olympic Gold Medalist; NCAA Champion-60 yards, 100 meters, 200 meters; World Record Holder-100 meters. 1977-SEC Champion-60 yards, 100 meters, 200 meters; NCAA Champion-100 meters. 1978- SEC Champion 60 yards, 100 meters, 200 meters. 1979- Pan Am Games Gold Medalist 100 meters, 4x100 Relay. 1980- Olympic Team/Captain- 100 meters, 4x100 Relay. 1984- Olympic Team-4x100 Relay. 1985- World Cup Gold Medalist-4x100 Relay. 1986-Goodwill Games Gold Medalist-4x100 Relay. 1987-World Championship Gold Medalist 4x100 Relay, Pan Am Games Gold Medalist-4x100 Relay. From 1991-96 he served as head coach at Auburn University. In 1997, he became the men’s head track coach at the University of Alabama. He also served on the coaching staff of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team.