Tag Archives: Teacher Athletes

Keisha Bell Sowell: AVID Coordinator and national soccer player

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Keisha Bell Sowell, a former award-winning American soccer player, now works as an AVID Coordinator in Houston, Texas. Photo credit: Keisha Bell Sowell.

Many excellent classroom teachers have also earned acclaim as fine athletes. One of these is Keisha Bell Sowell, a former award-winning American soccer player who now teaches in Houston, Texas.

Keisha was born on December 20, 1979, in Spring, Texas. As a young girl, she attended Klein Oak High School in her home town. While in high school, she played soccer, playing both outside midfielder and defender. She earned All-District honors in 1996.

Once she graduated from high school, Keisha enrolled at University of Florida, where she majored in Sociology. She was a freshman when she became part of the University of Florida team that garnered the 1998 NCAA Championship. Her position was defender. That year, she served on the NCAA Championships All-Tournament Team. In 2001, she was a member of the United States National Team at the Algarve Cup competition, which was held in Portugal. By 2003, she was serving the University of Florida team as a volunteer coach.

Today, Keisha serves as the AVID Coordinator for Woodcreek Middle School in Houston, Texas. She teaches sixth, seventh, and eighth grade there. “My passion and joy is investing in kids, especially tweens and young teens,” expresses Keisha. “I embrace each day with a clean slate and hope that just a small piece of what I teach can be instilled in them and impact them for rest of their lives,” she continues.

To learn more about Keisha’s illustrious career as a college soccer player, see this information published by the University of Florida.

PE teacher, veteran, and pro basketball player Robert Mulvihill

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Beloved physical education teacher Robert Mulvihill of New Jersey was also a former professional basketball player and military veteran. Photo credit: St. Peter’s Preparatory School.

Over the last few years, I have read many stories about classroom teachers who are also talented athletes. One of these was Robert Mulvihill, a high school teacher who was also a professional basketball player.

Robert was born on March 9, 1924, in Washington, DC. As a youngster, he earned a scholarship to attend Gonzaga College High School, a private Catholic school located in the capital city. There he played basketball, and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. Following his high school graduation in 1942, Robert enrolled at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. While there, he played college basketball. When World War II erupted, Robert enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and he also transferred to the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. Later Robert returned to Fordham, where he completed the requirements for his degree in 1948. He was named an All American for 1947-1948, and he was also inducted into the Fordham’s Hall of Fame.

After college, Robert played professional basketball for Wisconsin’s Oshkosh All-Stars as part of the National Basketball League. He did this during the 1948-1949 season. As an All-Star, he played 34 games and averaged 0.9 points per game. Unfortunately, an ankle injury ended his stint with the All-Stars, although he later spent a season playing for Torrington Howards in the East Coast League.

When he concluded his career as a professional basketball player in 1952, Robert relocated to Clifton, New Jersey. There he taught physical education, math, and English at St. Peter’s Preparatory School, a private all-male Jesuit school in Jersey City, New Jersey. There he earned the nickname “The Legend of Prep.” In addition, he ran a summer camp and a tour company that took children on field trips in the summers. Before his retirement in 1989, Robert’s career at the school spanned 37 years.

The former educator passed away on May 17, 2016, in Manasquan, New Jersey. He was 92 years old. To read this Chalkboard Champion’s obituary, see this post on northjersey.com.

 

West Virginia’s Vicky Bullett: Former teacher and basketball coach

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West Virginia’s Vicky Bullett is a former middle school teacher and previous Olympic athlete who works as a girls basketball coach.

There are many fine educators who have a history as a remarkable student athlete, and often these educators demonstrate exceptional talent as athletic coaches. One of these is West Virginia’s Vicky Bullett, a former Olympic athlete who also worked as a teacher and girls basketball coach.

Vicky was born October 4, 1967, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. While she was a young girl, she played basketball with her six brothers in their back yard.

After she graduated from high school, Vicky garnered a scholarship to attend the University of Maryland from 1985 to 1989. There she also played on the women’s basketball team. While at Maryland, she was named a 1989 Kodak All-American. In fact, over the course of her college years she averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Vicky is one of the most decorated players in the university’s history. In 1989, Vicky earned her a Bachelor’s degree in General Studies and in 2001, she returned to school and earned an additional degree in Social Work.

Vicky was named to the US Olympic basketball teams in both 1988 and 1992. In 1988, the tewam earned a gold medal, and in 1992, the team earned a bronze medal. This exceptional athlete also played for the US team in the 1990 Goodwill Games, and she was a member of the US National team that went to the 1990 World Championships held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She played in Italy and Brazil, before joining the Charlotte Sting when the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was launched in 1997. She played three seasons there and three more with the Washington Mystics.

In 2007, Vicky returned to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where she accepted a position as a teacher for the Berkeley County Board of Education. She completed graduate courses in Education and then became a teacher and basketball coach at South Middle School in Martinsburg. “For young people, today’s world is difficult,” observes Vicky. “You’ve got to be careful what you say to some kids. They respond to certain things and the coach’s job is to know how,” she continues. “Each kid has a different personality and different strengths. You’ve got to find a way to get the best out of them. They’re learning to trust you and you want your student-athletes to buy into your philosophy and what you’re teaching them,” she concludes.

In January, 2009, Vicky left the classroom and accepted a job as an Assistant Coach with the Washington Mystics. Later that year, she also became the Manager of Basketball Operations for the organization. In the years that followed she also served as the Head Coach for the women’s basketball teach at Hagerstown Community College in Hagerstown, Maryland. In May, 2016, she was named as the Head Coach for the women’s basketball team at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Vicky was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2011. In honor of being a member of the 1988 Gold Medal Team, Vicky’s home town of Martinsburg renamed the street in which she grew up to “Vicky Bullett Street.”

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this interview entitled World Champions of the Panhandle by Katherine Cobb.

 

Educator and basketball coach Arnold Obey succumbs to Covid-19

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Educator Arnold Obey, center, coached boys varsity basketball at  Staten Island Academy for eight seasons. (Photo credit: Staten Island Advance)

The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of several beloved educators. One of these is Arnold Obey, an accomplished teacher and principal from New York.

Arnold was born on March 5, 1947, in the Bronx, New York. He was the oldest of six children. As a young man, he was a star athlete on his school’s basketball team. He helped lead DeWitt Clinton High School to a 38-1 record, two public school city championship games, and one city title.

His  prowess was so impressive that he earned a basketball scholarship to Wagner College on Staten Island. During the years he attended Wagner, 1965 to 1968, the stellar athlete earned over 1,018 points cumulatively in his basketball games. He also participated in track and field, running the 100 and 200 yard dashes and a leg in the 4×400 yard relay. Also a long and triple jumper, Arnold established a school record in the triple jump with a leap of 44’ 11 ½.”. He held that record for over 30 years. In fact, he was inducted into Wagner’s Hall of Fame in 1991.

After college, Arnold served as an Assistant Basketball Coach at Wagner for three seasons. He also became the Boys’ Varsity Basketball Coach at Staten Island Boys Academy. There he guided his team for eight seasons, from 1977 to 1985.

After earning his college degree in 1968, Arnold inaugurated his career as an educator. He accepted a position as a history teacher in the Mariner’s Harbor neighborhood of Staten Island. Eventually he became the assistant principal at PS 16 in Tompkinsville. He also served as the principal of PS 31 in New Brighton, also on Staten Island. Arnold retired from the teaching professoin in 2002.

During his lengthy career in education, Arnold also established himself as an avid runner. He completed the NYC Marathon an astounding 38 times, even after suffering a stroke in 2012. His personal best time was 3 hours, 31 minutes.

Sadly, Arnold passed away from Covid-19 on March 22, 2020, while on vacation in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with his family. He was 73 years old. You can read his obituary published by the New York Times on March 30, 2020.

Joseph Colone: Teacher, coach, and former pro basketball player

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Teacher, coach, and former pro basketball player Joseph Colone.

Many accomplished athletes go on to become exceptional educators once they leave their careers in professional sports. One such teacher is Joseph F. Colone, a former professional basketball player who once played for the New York Knicks.

Joe Colone was born in Berwick, Pennsylvania, on January 23, 1924. He attended Berwick High School in Berwick, Pennsylvania, where he established a reputation as a gifted athlete. Upon his high school graduation, he enrolled in Bloomsburg State Teachers College, now known as Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. There he played basketball. After his college graduation, Joe was not drafted into the NBA, but he still managed to make the Knicks’ roster for the 1948-1949 season.  At 6 feet 5 inches tall and 210 pounds, Joe played the forward position. He played for only one season, but during that season he appeared in 15 games and averaged 5.5 points.

After his brief career in the NBA, Joe moved to Woodbury, New Jersey, and accepted a teaching position at Woodbury Junior/Senior High School, where he taught from 1954 to 1986. There he served as an Assistant Coach for both the basketball and the football teams, and the head coach for the golf team. While at Woodbury, Joseph mentored rising basketball star Dave Budd, who later went on to play for Wake Forest University and then for the New York Knicks.

As a teacher and coach, Joe was described as genuinely nice, fun-loving, and family-oriented. Those who knew him said he had a passion for the art of teaching and a knack for motivating all his kids to do well. “Joe meant everything to me,” former student Dave Budd said in an interview published in nj.com in 2009. “Without him, I’d never have gotten a scholarship to Wake Forest. Without him, I doubt I’d ever have gotten to the NBA,” Budd declared. “He gave me direction, helped me with my temper. Joe was a major person in my life and we remained close over all these years. On the court and off the court, Joe helped many young people in Woodbury,” Budd continued.

Joseph Colone, Chalkboard Champion and professional basketball player, passed away on July 1, 2009, at the age of 85. To learn more about him, see this link at Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame.