United States Sports Academy President and CEO Dr. T.J. Rosandich and Dr. Bret Simmermacher, chair of sports coaching, will appear on two nationally broadcast television programs 1-2 July for the TCT Network.
Rosandich and Simmermacher will appear twice on “Beyond the Goal,” a series hosted by former college football coach and sports broadcaster Mike Gottfried. On the show, Gottfried talks with current and former athletes and others involved in the field of sport about their experiences in sport and their Christian faith. The first broadcast is Saturday, 1 July 2017, at 3:30 p.m. Central. The second, which will have a patriotic Fourth of July theme, will air on Sunday, 2 July 2017, at 2 p.m. Central.
TCT is a Christian network that provides award-winning exclusive programming, live broadcasts from across the country, praise and worship music programs, ministry programs and more. TCT is broadcast to 60 million homes throughout the U.S. and parts of Canada on Direct TV Channel 377, through numerous streaming services and on local cable. “Beyond the Goal” can be seen live or afterwards by going to http://www.tct.tv/watch-tct/on-demand-bytg. Replays are available for viewing starting three days after the live air date and are viewable for three weeks thereafter. For other live viewing options, including available local stations, go to www.tct.tv.
Another live viewing option is YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5N-P2Jv5_s.
A native of Ohio, Gottfried played quarterback at Morehead State University before serving as head football coach at Murray State and the universities of Cincinnati, Kansas and Pittsburgh. He went on to a successful career as a college football broadcaster for ESPN. Gottfried and his wife, Mickey, founded Team Focus in 2000 in Mobile,
Ala. It is a cost-free community outreach program aimed at young men without fathers and was inspired by Gottfried’s loss of his father at a young age.
Rosandich was named Academy president and CEO in 2015 after some 33 years of service to the institution, with his last post being that of vice president and chief operating officer. He is also an alumnus having received both his Master of Sport Science degree in Sports Management and his Doctor of Education degree in Sports Management. Rosandich was named the Academy’s 1997 Alumnus of the Year for his contributions to the institution primarily through his work in numerous international sports education projects around the world. He also received a Distinguished Service Award for more than 30 years of service to the institution. He is a long-time faculty member of the Academy and is an expert on sports facility design, having contributed to a book on the subject.
Simmermacher played college baseball as a pitcher under Eddie Stanky at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Ala., and at the University of West Florida (UWF) before signing with the Seattle Mariners organization and playing for the Bellingham, Wash., Mariners, who won the Northwest League championship during his time on the team. He then coached a variety of sports at the high school and college level in Ohio and New Mexico for more than two decades before joining the Academy faculty. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health, leisure and sports/physical education from UWF and his Doctor of Sport Management degree from the Academy.
The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.
The Academy is based in Daphne, Ala. For more information, call (251) 626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.
By Keith Ayers
Keith Ayers is the Director of Communications at the United States Sports Academy. Reach him at kayers@ussa.edu.