Page 68 Sundav, October 5, 1997-JOURNAL PROGRESS

FALL PROGRESSPROFILES

EdWatkins: sports entrepreneu rBy Alan GerdesStaff writer

If an owner and his businessare a match made in heaven,then Ed Watkins and WinningEndeavors just might be theperfect fit.

"The Winning Endeavors istwo things," said Watkins, theowner of the business in St.Charles. "One thing is you liketo work as a team, and theother thing is you like to win. 1like to be involved in effortsthat are going to be success-ful."

Over the years, Watkins hasno doubt been on the winningend - in the business and.sports world.

. He's one of the founders ofthe national fantasy baseballcamps for the hearing-im-paired. The camps started outin St. Charles County and arenow exp3J\ding to other citieswith Major League Baseball.. He was one of the co-found-

ers of Sports SI. Charles Coun-ty, and Watkins also isinvolved heavily with the SI.Louis Sports Commission andthe executive director of theMissouri Sports Commission.. He has been a consultantfor more than 100 colleges anduniversities across the countryat one time or another, withmuch of his work at Linden-wood University..He was part of the WhiteHouse Conference on Produc-tivity in 1984."I've essentiallytried to put Logether ways inwhich education and Lhe busi-ness world can come LogeLh-

er," said Watkins, a SouthwestMissouri State University grad-uate who was a professor atPembroke State University inNorth Carolina for four yearsin the early 19705.. He played a key role ingetting the Lindenwood Perfor-mance Arena buill. Watkinsalso is a driving force behindbringing minor-league sports tothe county and getting the pro-posed True Family Arena andthe Ozzie Smith Sports Com-plex built.

UHe's defmitely a gentlemanwho believes very stronglyabout. the commitment ofsports and what it brings to acommunity and what it bringsto the youth," said RichardBrosal, the commissioner ofthe United Hockey League,which is scheduled to bring anexpansion team to St. Charlesfor the 1999-2000season andplay in the proposed TrueFamily Arena.

USomebody said to me onetime, 'You're one of the lucki-est guys I know. You're jusLlucky. You're in everything,' UWatkins said. "What peopledon't see are the hours that ittakes to prepare."

But for all the long hoursand headaches, Watkins saidhe is truly blessed to be doingwhat he's doing.

After all, WaLkinshas beenknown Loschmooze with somepretty heavy hitters: NBCsportscaster Bob Costas, Olym-pic gold medalist Jackie Joy-ner-Kersee and former Cardi-nal greats Ozzie Smith andStan Musial.

"The good thing is I get to

do work and work on thingsthat could just as easily becalled fun. In a lot of cases,they are fun," Watkins said.". . .I've had the good fortune

of working with people likethat, where I'm working fromthe business standpoint butgetting to have a lot of fun aswell."

But not everything has beenall fun and games. Watkinsadmits there have been somefailures.

Such as the Minor LeagueFootball System that he start-ed in the late 19805,only to seethe league never really get offthe ground. And there were theuKeep The Birds In TheirNest" rallies that Watkinsspearheaded about a decadeago, only to see SI. Louis Car-dinals football owner Bill Bid-will and the i team bolt forPhoenix after the 1987season.

"I laugh about that becausewhen I go to things sometimes:hey introduce me and say,'Here's the guy that tried tokeep Bill Bidwill in SI. Lou-is,''' Watkins said, Uand thenthere's a chorus of boos."

But the successes have defi-nitely outnumbered the failuresfor Watkins, who tackles hisprojects with an aggressiveand upbeat approach.

"I really don't see any chal-lenge that can't be accom-plished," said Watkins, 52, whomoved to SI. Louis in 1982before landing in St. Peters in.1983. .'

Brosal, who has workedclosely with Watkins the lastseveral months as details 'forthe arena are trying to beworked out, said: uEd's a lotlike 1 am. 1 always see theglass as half full instead ofhalf empty."

Said Watkins: uSometimesyou run the risk when you'repositive of being glib or peoplesaying, 'Well, you're just beingglib or superficial.' "

While Watkins might lookthe most happy smiling fromear to ear at a press confer-ence, he says he never loses

sight of his first priority: fami-ly. He calls his wife, Janet, hishero. The family also includesa son, Brian, 28, and daughter;Ashley, 19, along with Ellie,Brian's infant daughter.

Whether it's been family,friends or business associates,Watkins says he has plenty ofpeople to thank for all thebusiness and sports ventureshe tackles. .

ul've never been in any thing-where 1 could say, -'1 did tl1atby myself,''' Watkins said.". . .The we part of the Win-ning Endeavors is a big part tome, because Winning Endeav-ors means we."

Added Brosal: UWitnessinghim and his fantasy campsand things that he has broughtto the table for the community,it's someone 1 want to beinvolved with. And we're com-mitted to be involved with EdWatkins and his WinningEndeavors program. U

EdWatkinsplaysbigrolein

St.CharlesCountyCivic leaderrecentlyboughtRenegadesfootballfranchise

TOO;I\, Ed W:llkm:<>IS known

as a ~t~)!.\'III'r \"l\'lt' Il'a!.ler ~'hclcan Sl'al ant" dcal Ith his milt..~'idt- ~rm :lnd po ('r.~np hand-shak",

nut In I~. ht' \IIa!' simph'.COIlI'gl' puk... -

ThaI as Ihl' naml' his U.SArmy drill scr)!.canlshouted irltlhis f;u:(' lime.' and a~aln hill.'Walkms ~(rulU!ll'd 10 sUr\'lvebasic Iratnin~ at Fort l,.('OnardWood Walkins had Just complet.1'<1a masIN's dct/.rl't' in ~io:Ity at KansasSI;ah' Collc.'gl:. h(l

iog III 3'101d IIM'tlralt II didn't' ork.

.1 had a homble altltude,-soud Watklns.!ii -I Jusl wanh:d

}~lr\~'ln:~r~~f~~r:::~~~r~~~ ~;:r"hI'S

I Walkins s;lId ht' f,mcll'<t hun-.('11Inut"h smarlt'r (hiln his connult':- 1Il'1S1uf whom had batch

flnlsht't.I.hl~h school lIiJli drill:'il'rgl';.mt. whose education1OIoppt.-din the seventh.grade,.,,,,:i,o:U up \II, noalku1.." CUoI";t.'h.

-H\.' decided there was DO

wc~ ~:-son i ti$ t..-oop theme,. Watkins $aid -I was thekind 01 penon who gol peoplekilled, he told me..

The sergeanl made' Watkinshis special project. pushing himbeyond endurance.

-I desplStod him.- Walkinssaid

Basic tramlng culminated ma final phYSIcal test Loaded wilhItcar. thl' recruiL"i ran lapsaround a track Watkins was

",hau!'ll-d. coughing and hea\',an~ IIc kn~'w he had alread)'accumulallod mort' than enoo5!:hpoints 10 pas....

.1 said, 'why do this?' I'll JusllO,.alklne rcst 01 thl' Way.

Thai was a mislakl"From tht. ~tands caml' a run.

IIInK thundt'rhulithall'XpIOOt>i:1 inWatkllls'lat.l'

-) knew il!. screamed the

dnll sergeanl. according toWalkins -iloid everyone you

,ouid do this In a crisis, )'OU'III)nl)' gl\'c a ct'rtain amounl andthaI's it. tK-c.'OIUS('\'00 don't ha\'Cwhat Illakt':> - -

Watkins found UK' t'nl'rgy tonln la~ler than e\'cr Afler he

~~,s J:ms~C:gc~~ts~a~~~~~, ~~.~made alltht,S4,' as.'iumptlonsaboul m~' and )'Uu Wt'rt' rOOI( Ihopt. you It'arncd a It~'iOf1IOOa)' ..

Walkins said the sergeantlRked and answered. -Yeah.

~'OUsure taught me something,-[)(.'cades later. Watkins hus-

tles throogh his ~am.packed day

:~il~I;Wi~ti~ ~blll=~geani were-He taught me that no maller

By Ravmond Castile, Staff writerPhotography by Ryan Prewttt

whoa1 ~'IIUdll. giw it 100 pt.'rn'nl.-Watkins said WI.-dncsday whllt'ridding a ballery of phone callsa!li he~"lt In his olfic(' al WinninltEndt';t\"ono. a 5t. l)ctt"nrbaSt-d

public relalions hrm he lounded211yt'ars ago

The.- ml.-dla as scramblingfur (IUrI1t~ about legendarysport,,~,lslcr ,Jack Ruck. hodit'tllhl' nighl before, Watkins. along.timt" sporls boosler andhead of Ihe Missouri Sports('omrniss;un. had lhe conRCl'lionsIhc\' ncc.-dcd

:'OZZlt'. Irs Ed,- said Watkins. '':'Ielvln~ a phone message lor for

mer Cardinals shotl5lop OuieSmith aRI'r a radio ~ationrt'qUl'!(h,1an interview .The~.

ant a t'tlmmcnt abou1 JacklIul.'k That quote J heard )"Oll

~?!."~~(~~:~~~~i~~it ~~~~iiru' \Ihings I'v<.' CVt'r ht'ard, If y"ucan ~ that again, it shtluld b,'great.-

No !WIOOCrhad Watkinshlln~up lh.11 Uk, pnun.: rOlli, ~~illnAnd agoin. And again.

W.lkins Is alwaJS bus), 001these days he is busier thanever Amid swirling publicil)this month, Watkins purchaSt.-dthe RiverCity Re~gadcs, aNalionallndoor Footballl.caguc(NIF1.1 team that had nol won agamc In t o $Caoons

Rut thall.'hanged SaturdayRIghi when thc Renegadl'Sdefeated the Winslon-SalemEnergy 41,'2fi Walkins ch("CrNthis tC3m from the sidelinesallhe Famil). Arena in 5t Charles

vea:~~~~h:ir ~r~~tfinn;~~tSunday -They're a Rood Il'amThey JUSIn~cd an altitudeadjustment 11hclp!li10have nc"-leadcnlhip come in and r('Chargethc batterit.'S.-

The nt'nl.'g.adl.~ marksWatkins' second loray into 1001.ball team ownership. In t988 hcpun:hasrd the St. LouisGamblers. a scmi.pro outdoorteam that boasted 13 formerNn~ players The team IosI ils

~~~~m~~~:a.~n~~,1 ~'~n.ning the Triple A Super RowlWatkins tried 10 pari a)' thai soc.l'('SS inlo som~thing bigger -launching a loot ball minorleague Rul the NF'l. rejccll.-d hisproposals.Watkinssold the leaman 1990

-110011.a bath,- he said -Wespent a 10101 money trying tomake a minor league happen. Isold the team at a substantiallinaneial km. Yoo'd think Iwould have learned my lesson.-

Watki05 said he purchasedthe Renegades because he fearedthe NIFI. was about to pull out

<II SI ('harlt'S ('uunt). hdort' IIII't'nd ullhl.' St.'ason, somclhinJ(NIFI. leaders have dcnicdWalkin.'isaidht, thinks the 1.'0111I'1\. 1'K"I.'dsa foolbalileam 10 fillIht. lO.ooo.scal Famih' Arena

,\S a lund.raiser and promot.I'r. Walkins led thc charge 10hlllid Ihe ramih' An.'na, so thait ht' SI l.ollls rt'gion ould nollx' Ihe ani)' metropolilan area intht. n:ition without a mid.si7.ean.'na: hI.' said

Walkins was inslrumcnlal InhtJIlding a number 01 Olherspur1~ lilCilihl'S. Including lhe SIl'I.'I('rs KCI.'.Plex, the Onie SmilhSport!li C"omplex in O'Failon andlh~' 1I)'land "erlormant"t" r.enh'r;11 I.indt'ownn!! Un,vt'rsitv

Uul ItN.-n.' as ('Inl.'prU,x.&'11spurts t'omplt'!I, thOlI Walkins"utlld nol At'l oH Ihl' gruund - :,stildium Ih:III.'Ould ha\'c kepi lht'fonlball Cardinals Irllm II'<lvingSI Loui1Oin 1988.

Before their movc 10 Phoenix.

Walkin:o: foughl tooth and nail to:)UItU a :Ol;lUlum IUI 11M.;\_.oI\I.IlIiU:oin Earth City. But St. LoWscityleaden; wanted the stadium buillin their downtown

-It (umed inlo a real righlbelwccn Sl. Louis cit)' and coun-ty,. Watkins said. -It was sillylor the community to be dividedovcr sports. ~

II was during this ruckus thaiWalkins met a man who wouldtx't'oml.' his clnst.Iriend andstaunch supporter. Ben Rlanton.prl.'Sutcnl of Ren ,,~ mantonCOO5truchon. The pair eresh:..ring a tablt, al a YMCA fund.ralsioJ!; dinner hen the conver-sallon lurned 10 the roothallCnrdinals

ca;Ji~~~f:I~~lht1tl:~asadumb idea, -Blanton said,

remcmbering thai ni~ht. -II..!tPrl.'!i.~<dmyview,nolknowing

~~3'\~::~a~~n~ ~h~~~~.f:1~:r~~=a~l:-id,invitedme to his home to talkabout it. and we ended upbc.'COming besl friends.

-J stillihink it was a <iJmb idea"81anton called Watkins a

-dreamer and -free spirit. whoi$ not aIr aid to lake risks. -Whenmost people say. 'it would neverhappen: he jusl says. 'Icl's go doit.' It.s bc<:ause 01 pt."Oplelikehim Ihal SI CharlesCounty issuch agreal place to live. Weneed more guys like Ed.-

Blanton and Walkins attend

Firsl Raptist Church 01lIarvl'Sler. where WatJU05teach.es an adult Bible class. One 01 hisstudenls is St. Charles Board ofEducation member John Smith.

-lic's a great teachcr and a

Ed Watkins answers reporters' questions after announcing his purchase of the RiverCityRenegades.

siron!!. Christiim." Smith said.

~11I1O class is fun and inspiring

ococau."iC everybody is excited.

We Iced 011 Ed's energy,-

WatkilUi said his spiritual

beliel is the most important com.

ponent 10 his life.-Without faith. lile is like a

Monopoly game.- Walkins said

~ Mler you finish playing the

r:~~' ~~~~~~~j~:\sg:,~~.kIhing greater and more IlislingIhan ourselves and (he toys weplay with.-

Smith said it was Walkinsho in 1996convinced him 10

Ica\'e his positionas counseling

~~::r :~t~ ~~~es~fcd for:!~\'l';lnI. and bt..'COmethe admin-Islralor (If the newly.built l.ivingWord Christian High SchoolSinl'e 1991.Watkins had been amcmber tlf Smith's Gospelgroup, One A:t:cord. Watkins

~\~~fk~~Fo"~e~i~t~~~:~\iW1...'"'"...; Icuei,.:. antJ cilOlr Oltl.'t.'.tor. i

.Ed'& a pretty good singer,but nol as good as his wife.-Smith said. ,

II as Janel Walkins' voiceIhat first attracted her luturehusband in 1967. when he heardhcr sing in ctlureh.

~I said whoa," Ed Watkinssaid. -Her voicewas sobeautifuland she was so pretty. I askedher later ir she wanted. a cup or

=~~~~~:h~~u~a~him thai night..

The two married one yearlaler. They ha\'c a 24.year-olddaughter, Ashl«- Johnson. and a.tJ.war-old son, Brian Watkins.

'-My dad taught me that. what.('\"l'r I do, I shoulddo it with lealand I.-'Othusiasm," Urian WatkilUisaid -J-:ven if you are doing some-thing you don't like, you have tokIok at the big picture and findmeaning in it. That's how yougenerate enthusiasm..

A financial advisor lor

Morgan Stanley Dean Witter.Brian Watkins has worked 7years directing the Mike BushFantasy Baseball Camp ror theHearing Impaired.

th~~c~S~;=:C:I.~~ers CityCentre Park, annually givesabout 100children with hearingdi!>abilities a chance to learn

baseball with major league play.ers such as Ozzie Smith and LouBrock_ Ed Walkins launched the

program in 1991 when he leamedthat a St. Peters boy with a bear.ing disability had ~n barred

lro:nH~I~~I~Y=1I withother kids, so we told him we'd

Ed Watkins applauds during a news conference announcing his

purchase of the Rlvet(:ity Renegades football team.

just have to build him his ownbasebaU camp,- Ed Walkms said

The progro:unhu sinct' servedmore than 70Q children withhearing disabilities and hasinspired similar programs in 12other cities nationwide

Ed Walkins called on his

son's help in 1993 when the pairdcvclopcd the Talent 1'ranscril>1.an official school documenl Ihatchronicles a college student's

~~rtl:~:':~it~~~~~,archun:h voJunteerism and workexperieo<e. UndenwoodUniversity is currenUy the onlyschool that issues the lranscript.but Ed Walkins said it is his

dream that someday all schools

Wil'rb~o~l~ ~=riPtis anoutgrowth 01 Watkins' 1918-198'.1

. nulional speaking campaign 10

~~:rc=~~~P:=.i~tocauseWatkins embrac:cd after avisit from a fonner student in

:n~t=~ws:.~=.He had been out in the field

lor a year. and he told me therewas a big diflerence between the

~~~f~h~~:~r:nHndi~~incl~S:1

lill'.- Ed Watkllts said

Walkin daughter scnd hl.'rlather innucnt.'t'd her can rpath. Johnson. distm'! din lorfor the MUSI.'Ular O~.,.trnph~',\s.<iOCiallOn. hclpt.<d hcr fUlh..'rand broth('r IIrg:llli7.t.' SC'o't'r;d('harity pru~rOlm!i

-, Jtrcw up Ic..;trnin~ abllul

r~~::;~n~.~i~~~~~~;H1~~~;f:1Ia:;r~~:1vo'Orkc.>dfor good ca\L'it.'5 all hi:>lile. I wantrd to be likl' m... dad,hut he Ones so many IhinJ('s,wtoere do yuu slart:'-

Johnson ~ald ht'r musl \'I\'1dmemory 01 tx.'r lather caml.' during his work as national ad\.isorfor t.hc lIand.'i Acros."i Americacampaign dunng Ihe t98Q!;;

~I h.IH' this neat imagc of

~~~~e~i~~~:~ih~~:.rt~)~them to spread 001, when.' tht')'needed 10 go, - she said

Johnson said her lather DC\'l'"

let his busy schcdWe interfere withhis family oommilmcnls. -When I~=~=~:kxJk oul into the auWcnce and see

my dad there. grinningear ~ear: Johnson said. -He's a big fanof the community, but be's a big.ger fan 01 his lamily M

AI a news conference for the Renegades, Ed Watkins greets Ron Jamison from the BonhommeJunior Foolball League in West County.

--=:!IEd Watkins, the new owner of the RtverCity Renegades. walks the sidelines as the leam scoresits rll'St win of the season.

I.-OCTOBER 5, 1997

Roy Sykes photo

Sportscaster Bob Costas, center front, will serve asemcee for the Nov. 7 tribute to RobertF. Hyland, former chairman of the lindenwood University board of dir.ectors andnamesake of the new Robert F. Hyland Performance Arena. Pictured are, front row fromleft, Lindenwood president Dennis Spellmann, Costas and board of director member GaryShaw; in the back row from left.are board members John Hammond, Frank Trulaske, EdWatkins, Joe Mathews and Dwayne Flowers.

~-~Tributegalato helpretiredebtBy Dan BargerStaff writer

The late Robert F. Hyland, bestknown for his leadership in SI. Louisand stewardship of radio stationKMOX-AM (1120), also was thelongtime chairman of the board at

Lindenwood University.Hyland was involved in the smallest

decisions at the school, such as his insistenceon yellow and white as the team colors forthe Lindenwood football program. He alsowas the leader on larger issues, including adecision on the week of his death in 1992 toproceed with the construction of astate-of-the-art arena on the Lindenwoodcampus.

Construction of the 3,OOO-seatarena beganin 1995 and was completed late last year.

On Nov. 7, Lindenwood University, 209 S.Kingshighway in SI. Charles, will officiallydedicate its new $10 million HylandPerformance Arena as well as pay tribute tothe man whose name the new facility carries.

The tribute to Hyland will be emceed byBob Costas, of NBC Sports; Charles Osgood,of CBS Radio; Dan Dierdorf, of ABC Sports;and past and present KMOX broadcastersJack Buck, Anne Keefe and Jim White.

During the dinnerI excerpts from acommemorative video will be playedfeaturing people whose careers wereinfluenced by Hyland, including Joe

~\'::''Nhat:dlnner_.honorlng the late:~R9b~rtJ-:tyland ~:"'''<'. < "

. ')\Jtes';by Bob Costas',:,..!S§Q.9P,.j1;!?,~ll.DJ~i"dOrf j:'Jacl(~"

U'. . u1e'Keefe .and Jim White -.-",}':JiWhan:'ip.m.Nov.7 .. .

i-!i.'Wnera:' Llndenwood University" Tlc,kata: $200/person

",,,:1010;:916-0001,. '

, '1~.;:i.t;;:.~, \;.

Garagiola, Tim McCarver and JackieJoyner-Kersee.

Through the efforts of event chairman TedWetterau, many of SI. Louis' top companieswill be represented at the Hyland Tribute,including Anheuser-Busch, kG. Edwards &Sons Inc., Edward D. Jones, Emerson Electric,Enterprise Leasing, Harbour Group, KMOX,Laclede Gas, Mallinckrodt, Maritz Inc., MayCo., Mercantile Bank, NationsBank, UnionElectric and United Van Lines.

Tickets to the Hyland tribute dinner,scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 7, are $200 perperson. Proceeds from the dinner will be usedto retire the final portion of the debt on thenew performance arena.

For tickets or further information, call EdWatkins at 916-0001.

?:s~i!\;~~M!E~l};\Ro::O ,:,;:{?~y, -. .' --.",. - .- - ".,",

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1997

ST, CHARLES

HylandArena,notehurningcelehratedBYToMMYROBERTSON outstanding note at a reception at the burning of the last note meant

OfllleSl CharlesPost the Hyland Performance Arena, the banquet also was a celebration. . President Dennis 5pellmann said, of Lindenwood'sdelit-free status.

The president of Lindenwood Friday "We're going to be com-Universitystoodin the institution's pletely'debt-free." The arena was ~ame~ for H~-new arena and proclaimed that the 5pellmann spoke a few moments land, who was se~or Vlce presl-i!,dministrationdid not owe a cent before 1,000guests on the arena's dent of CBS Radio and general

'9n ,~e ,building or anything else floor attended a banquet initially manager of the network-owned ra-~!;!IDDected mth,the institution.,' billed as a ,tribute'to the,late Rob-

',:.~~~.:l!e burried1i'pie~,;~t';tticHast ~~~y'lan~:J~J$p~~ann said ,See HYLAND,Page SC41

HylandArena,debtfreestatuscausefor celebrationContinuedfrom Page SCl

dio station KMOX. He died in 1991ofcancer at age 71.

Hyland was president of Linden-wood's Board of Directors.

'The beautiful thing about this isthe local commitment that made thishappen,' said Ed Watkins, the col-lege's chief money raiser.

'Hopefully people will look atsomething like this and see what acommunity can do when it decides itwants to do something,' Watkinssaid. "And people have had one mindabout this.' ,

The completion of the 3,OOO-seat,$10 million Hyland Arena - a facili-ty the university owns free and clear- puts Lindenwood in the position of

proceeding with even more buildingplans. '.

In the past two years, the collegehas purchased more than 30 acresnear First Capitol southeast of thecollege. University officials are for-mulating plans to build several facili-ties in the area, including one or two

dormitories, a student center, a per-

forming arts center and perhaps acommunity center.

The arena was expected to cost be-tween $3.5 million and $4 when

5pellmann expanded the scope of thefacility. He decided to upgrade thearena by including a luxury skyboxpavilion of 270 cushy seats.

The seating area connects the are-na to a room which can be used forconferences, receptions, board meet-ings, business expositions and muchmore.

Lindenwood sold the luxury seatsfor ,$5,000 each through a personalseat licensing-style campaign. That '

effort plus other fund-raising effortshelped secure a $2.5 million contri.bution from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee

Foundation of Tulsa, Okla., in 1994and a $500,000 donation from 51. An-thony's Medical Center in south 5t:-Louis County last year.

Hyland was a board member of 51.

Anthony's and founded the drug- andalcohol-treatment programs at 51.Anthony's. That center also bears hisname.

ST. PETERS·COTTLEVILLE·HARVESTER·WELDONSPRING·WELDONSPRINGHEIGHTS

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1997III

Hyland tributeis sofd out'

at Lindenwood"By Frank GluckStaff writer ..

A LindenwoodUniversitY,\:event honoring the la~eh:l.Robert F. Hyland has beei}isold out. . < ..:~

University officials;)'announced Thursday at tlie~Robert F < Hyland PerfoJ;~;;;mance Arena that f.\Uof{Jh~1j,~100 tables, at $2,000 eaclf~""'have been reserved. .

The Nov. 7 eventatSarena will feature guesincluding Bob Costas,NBC Sports; CharIOsgood, of CBS Radio; D _

Dierdorf, of ABC ~poz:~~;:'and KMOX broadca.ster;Jack Buc~, Anne Keef~'Jim White. "

"One of the thingsstarted out to dowasftribute to a personwn()sename now graces this beau-tiful facility," said'Ed Wat:-.kins, event coordinator. '.'

"We also wanted to havean opportUnity to talk aqq~the wonderful thing~;t1iihappened,to this, .and celebrate thean institution thatfrom a stu~entpoof 1,200 to more'now."

KMOX-U20 AM',wih.~broadcast the event.:live.jL41(lenwood"",aItnn99s1;~~ClrYKarraker, will .prevl~w!''th~<:\:event on .the s~4tion\$Sports Qpen Li.t),e;;;showfrom the arena.

Hyland, who wedin 1992,

See HYLAND, Page 6A

-

HylandContinued from Page 1.4.

was chairman of the college'sboard of directors for 20 years.Just before his death, Hylandwas an active proponent ofbuilding the arena.

Construction of the 3,OOO-seatarena began in 1995 and wascompleted last year.

"He was probably the finestleader I've seen in my manyyears in St. Louis and I feelthis is a worthwhile event,"said event chairman Ted Wet-terau. "People are honoring aman who deserves it. A lot oftimes we honor people whodon't deserve it. but this man

. ..

does."Lindenwood University Pres-

ident Dennis Spellmann saidHyland would have been proudof the $10 million facility,which will be "a center of cul-ture, entertainment and activi-ty" in St. Charles.

"This is the culmination ofsomething he started and wasvery dear to him," Spellmannsaid. "It (the event) is a wor-thy project that not only cele-brates but honors a man whoreally deserves the tribute."

!\. video featuring people whohave been influenced byHyland, including baseball

great Joe Garagiola, sports-caster Tim McCarver andOlympian Jackie Joyner-Ker-see, will be played during theevent.

Area businesses participatingin the gala dinner include theSuburban Journals of GreaterS1. Louis, Anheuser-Busch,A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.,Edward Jones, Emerson Elec-tric, Enterprise Leasing, Har.bour Group, KMOX, Lacled(Gas, Mallinckrodt. Maritz Inc.May Co., Mercantile BankNationsBank, Union Electritand United Van Lines.

..

,'. ...........

.'.

CatalystEd Watkins Iprovides sparkto get a lot of th ings goi ng/3yKevin Glenn~orrespondent

When it comes to commwlity projects, Ed Watkins doesn't always;ulish wbat be starts.

But that's OK with him."I'm a catalyst. \ get a lot of things gning," said Watkins, SO. "\

>rovlde the spark, Ugbt the fire, and let other people take over.". Sometimes those wbo take over, and even those wbo are only>ssociated, bave better name recognition than Ed Watkins.

For Instance Cardinal shortstop Ouie Smith supports the NationalFantasy Camp for the Hearing \mpalred, which Watkins founded a[ew years ago so deaf children could eoJoy baseball.

Watkins Ut that /Ire after learning that his pastor at Mid RiversBaptist Cbapel, the Rev. Rick Holcombe, had a deaf son, Aaron, wbocouldn't play baseball in the estabUshed youth leagues.

"\ suggested, wby didn't we build him his own doggone field?"Wa~inssmd. .

KSDK.TV sportscaster Mike Bush got interested in the project, andit caught fire. Now, Smith and other basebaU personalities makesppearances st the camp, which attracts 85 kids from aU over thecountry, Watkins said.

lilt's a major success, fI Watkins beamed. tilt's one of the mostgratifying experiences o[ my life."

Watkins' afnuatlon with the chapel has allected him deeply. Untilrecent years, this son of a Methodist minister looked at church as aresponsibility, he smd.

"\ didn't enjoy being a preacber's kid," Watkins said, ilUributlnjlhis feelings to wbat be considered "a lot of politics, a lot of bypocn-sy" in the church.

Over the past five years. lalth has become a driving lorce In hislife.

"You start to think you're something sometimes. Then you think,'Who made this?' " Watkins explained.

"When you've accompUshed aU these things . . . you realize all thatstull is Junk. It's important, but wby are you doing them? Some-times. maybe for your own glorification."

Today, be tries not to take Ufe for granted. He tackles Ufe with averve more typical of someone half his age, if not much younger.

"\ pray a lot. \ probably look like an Idiot sometimes wa1kingdown the road talking to myself," be continued. "But \ try not totake myself too seriously."

Watkins laughs ollen and beartily. He says no one could be bappiertban be. StUl, he smd, his new relationship with God didn't Immedl.ately lead to bapplness. .

"I made a personal commitment, and that's wben things wentsouth," he smd.

Disappointed by the departurer.

ears ago of the foothaU Cardin~ls,Wa~ins started a local minor eague footbaU team and investeabeavlly. .

"I was In It big Ume," he said.The team, whlcb boasted former National Football League players

and players who would go on to ploy In tbe NFL, drew modestcrowds of about 3,000 the first year. It went OD to reward Watkinswith the Triple A Super Bowl Championship.

But interest, and soon the endeavor, fizzled."\ lost a lot of money," Watkins admllted. "Those are the times

I've learned the most - when things were the toughest."Watkins has enjoyed years of success as an occupational literacy

and career developmeDt consultant to the education world.He oilers his services nationwide to schools that want to do a

belter Job of preparing students [or the working world."We (as a country) do a poor job o[ preparing people for their

We's work" Watkins said.In 19&1,be attended the WhIte House CoDference OD Productivity,

which he considers among his greatest accomplishments. He Is alsoweU.publlshed in the area of career development.

As a consultant to Undenwood College, he has joined PresidentDeon\s Spellmann In introducing a "talent transcrlpt," which docu-ments a range of accom

r.Ushmentsas well as a student's ¥,ades."We should chronic e tbe good things people do,' Watkins

explained,adding that doing so would encourage people to do moregoodthings. .

He encourages volunteer positions and internships to help eachstudent "become a wholeperson."

Watkins'personal "heroes" bave helped make him whole,he said."They're people 1 look up to and learn from, and there's so dOl!'

~e much to learn," be said. "I sometimes feel 1 can't get throughHe Dames as some heroes basebaU ¥reat Stan Musial; his son,'

Brian; his daughter, Ashlee; and his wife, Janet. He says he looks[orward to learning more from them.

"I really don't thlnk much about what life's going to be like Inbeaven, but 1 thlnk We here Is Incredibly Interesting and exciting,"Walkinssaid.

"\ reaDy have a lot of heroes. My biggest hero Is my wife. 1bellevethat peopleneed heroes.

"TheCtbat Lakescare of my car Is my hero, because 1 don'tlmowan . g about my car," he said. "I don't look for perfection; Ilookat gs that 1 can learn from them.

"The journey for me Is important. I'm fascinated by the trip."

Thurlday.Jun. 22, 1885-';

~.,'~K'

~~.'~~.:I

Ed Watkins (second from left) stands with (from left) former Cardinals manager Joe Torre and Cardinal coaches and IBob Gibson and Red Schoendienst at the Fantasy Baseball Camp last week,

Page C2 · Sunday, February 6, 2000. Journal

j~TCL

> , " SuperBow XxXIV

,FormerBigRedstar,boosterthrilledwith Rams'success

:~~ .' .

~-CardinalplayerWehrlimakestrip"toSuperBowl;VYatkins,saysteam'sseasonbroughtcommunitytogether~,' I,

BtAlan Gerdes "Everybody jumped on the went down, there was Ii worryS," writer ' bandwagon, and I'm certainly no that the promise that they were

'~' . " different,"said Wehrli,who showingin the preseasonmight~in1985,Ed Watkinsstarted the played his entire 14-yearNFL not come to fruition," Wehrli

"~p the Birds in Their Nest" career (1969-82)with the ,said. "BUtWarner stepped rightcafiipaignwhenit lookedlike St. Cardinals. "I got the QPportunity in, he had the confidence,he did-LQuisfootballCardinalsowner to go down to the Super Bowl, n't miss a beat and they keptBi.4:Bidwillwasinterestedin mov- apdit was a funtime." righton going." ,

inlt,the team to another city.' Watkinssaid the hype and hys- Whilemany people have the',.Watkinsheld rallies around teria surroundingthe Rams' mag- perception that St. Louis was not

th~:St. Louis area to drum up ical seasonhas been amazing.' a goodfootball city when thesupport to keep the team in St. "It's really a victory for St. Cardinals were here, Wehrli dis-L~s, but in the end, Bidwill i Louis.It's a victoryfor the whole agrees.Hesaid therewasplentym9vedthe Cardinalsto Arizona community,"Watkinssaid. "It ' ofsupportfor the Cardiaca(t,er the 1987season. really tickles me to death that Cardinals, who won consecutive

...~Myattitude was that I did everywhere you go now, that's division titles in 1974-75butev~~thingI couldto keepthe the topicof conversation. neverwonaplayoff game.te~in here," said Watkins, owner "Sportsis a unifier, and we've Had the Cardinals won aoHWinningEndeavorsin St. seenthat. . . It bringspeople SuperBowlduringthoseyears, '

Clfarles County and president of from diverse backgroundsand cul- Wehrli is convinced the citythe Missouri Sports Commission. tures and brings them together." wouldhave been electrified just"And when it lookedlike it WhenMike Jones made the as it has been for the Rams.wouldn't happen, I turned my game-saving tackle on Titans "They've reached the pinna-attention elsewhere." wide receiver Kevin Dys'Onon cle of the NFL," said Wehrli,

AlthoughSt. Louiswas without the last play of the Super Bowl,' whonotedthat the Ramshave '

a footballteam,the Cardinals' Watkinssaidhe gota feelingthe done,somenicethingsto reachdep,arturedidlead to theforma- Ramswere a team of destiny out to the formerfootball'tio:nof the St. LouisSports this season. Cardinals who still live,in theCOmmission;whichwas started to Wehrli agreed, especiany not- 'area. "Certainly if we wouldpromote sports in the area. ing the remarkable season of ,bavebeen able to do that as the

:The sports commission played ,quarterback Kurt Warner, who C:ardinals,I think we co\,l1dhavea small part in helping bring went from backup quarterback had the same support."pI:ofessionalfootballback to St. to leagueandSuperBowlMVP, Soshouldthe RamsandLouis- Watkins was part of the after starter Trent Green WE!nt , Cardinals meet in a playoffgame,sports commission and said he down with a season-endingknee whowouldWehrlibe rootingfor?attended three NFL meetings injury in the third preseason "That 'might be a toughone,"after the Cardinals left - and the game in August. Wehrli said with a laugh. "I'dRa~s finally arrived in 1995 "Obviouslywhen Trent Green just yell for both of them."th_ to the workof manycivic ' -

leaders and politicians.~Andfive years later, th~

Rams are Super Bowl champions~ much to the delight of Watkins,wija wa!i in Atlanta with 'Otherfamily members for the Rams'23.:Jj6vict'Ory,overthe TennesseeTitans on Jan. 30.

.:It's just an incredible feeling.I got to attend the Super Bowl

, and '1got to attend a party withthQ'p~yers after the Super Bowl,"W$tkii.?Ssaid. "We had the bestpos~ibK~time, and then to havesou,e tiI~ewiththeplayersafterth~/gamt\was just unbelievable."

.Formelr football Cardinalsst4i" Roger 'Wehrli also :attended'the'Super Bo~.vl,and he couldn'tbe happier wil'h the success ofUip. Rams. '.

,MibhaelReignerphoto

Kurt and Brenda Warner and their family enjoy the Super Bowlparade Monday in downtown St. Louis.

JOURNAL, Friday, May 20, 1994 7A

A regional playerin amateur sportsNew facilities considered keyto drawing s'ports events hereBy Christopher DugganStaff writer

Some area officials believethat the St. Peters Rec-Plex andsome other current and plannedfacilities will help make St;Charles County a regional centerfor amateur sports.

St. Peters Mayor ThomasBrown said amateur athleticsare as important to the countyas an inter-county road system,from an economic developmentstandpoint.

"Such sports events are verygood for our sales tax basebecause they invite people tocome into our communities,where they will spend their mon-ey," Brown said. "It's been esti-mated that one athlete in anamateur. event will bring a'naverage of three people to the'site of an event."

Brown said facilities such asthe Rec-Plex are crucial toattracting amateur athleticevents to the county. Additional-ly, Brown said St. Peters hasstarted construction of a 120-acrepark off Mid Rivers Mall Drivetbat would include 10 ball dia-monds, six soccer fields, sandvolleyball courts and other ame-nities. The first phase, whichincludes the playing fields,should be ready for light use in1995,Brown said.

A 3,000-seat performance facil-ity being constructed on thecampus of Lindenwood Collegein St. Charles is also expected to

play a large role in the amateursports picture, Brown said.

The college recently broke'ground for the $7 million facility,which will beadjacent to theHarlan Hunterfootball stadi-um on thecampus. Thenew facility isscheduled forcompletion inJanuary 1996and will be.used for bas- j

ketball and ....

other events Watkins,said Ed Watkins, a consultantfor Lindenwood.

Watkins is no stranger to ama-teur athletics. He served on thefirst executive committee for the'St. Louis Sports Commission in1988,when it was first disc'ussedthat St. Louis should pursuehosting the U.S. Olympic Festi-val.

If the correct facilities, suchas an 8,000- to 10,000-seat stadi-um, are built in st. CharlesCounty, then the county couldbecome a magnet for amateursports, he said.

"We would like to see a facili-ty like that somewhere in thecounty," Watkins said. "In the.coining years I see St. CharlesCounty becoming a center-pointfor amateur sports for theregion. "

Executive Council

Harry T. Mor leyNick PennimanHoward WoodEdward T. BaurJames BuckIrving ClayJoe FarrellGary HeifetzRobert F. HylandMary KaneJohn KingKen MarshallStuart MeyerJohn SchaelDebbie Yow

Mike DyerBing Devine

as of 12/19/9

S1. Louis Sports Committee

1991Executive Council and Committee

Chairman's Advisory Counci]

ChairmanChairman-ElectTreaurer

Larry AlbusLou BrockJack BuckBob BurnesJim HartHale IrwinFred KuhlmannRon ThompsonRichard WatersEd WatkinsBud Wilkinson

Media A dv isorBob Broeg

Executive DirectorVice Chairman

LOCALBRIEFSfor concerls and olher performances.

MISSOURI ------

ST. CHARLES

Benefit paysoffdebtfor arena at Lindenwood .

One thousand people paid $200apiece to attend a benefit Friday eve-ning at the Hyland Performance Are-na at LindenwoodUniversity in St.Charles.

The money paid off the debt on the$10 millionarena, LindenwoodPresi-dent Dennis Spellmann said.

The event was a tribute to the lateRobert F. Hyland, who was chairmanof Lindenwood's board for 20 years.He also was general manager of radiostation KMOX.He died in 1991.

With 3,000 seats, the arena is acombination gymnasium and venue

S1LOUISPOST-DISPATCH'W.EDNESDAY, APRIL,26, 198~;;

Dennis Spellmann'Executive vice president

Plans Made'For Football

ByAlanFredmanOfthe Sl CharlesPoat

LindenwoodCollegewill starta football program as early asthis fall, says DennisSpellmann,the college's executive vicepresident.

The new football team wouldplay a junior varsity schedulethis season and next season andturn into a varsity program lei1991,he said Monday.

"We're not talking about a big-time. or semipro team," Spell-mann said.

Spellmann said he wanted Lln-denwood's program to be com-petitive with other National As.sociatlon 01 IntercollegiateAthletics colleges in the Mid-west, such as Missouri ValleyCollege In Marshall, Mo., andCulver-Stockton College in Can-ton, Mo,

Spellmann said he, hoped Lin-denwood would hire a headcoach'in a couple of weeks.

"Ed Watkins is helping mewith that," he said. Watkins is theowner of the St. Louis Gamblerssemipro football team, which

See FOOTBALL:Page 4 'i

From page oneplays its home

. games at Lindenwood. ,.. :Spellmann said he was searching

for 60 players to start the program. "Ithink there are enough players from ,

St. Charles 'County to start the new,;:program," he said.

Spellmann said he was uncertainhow many scholarships would beawarded for football.

"We're' recruiting, people' as stu-dents first and football players sec-ond." he said. "I'm workingwith theMissouriValley program now. Theirfootball team has a higher grade-ppintaverage thiintne students."

Spellmann ~~s ~J:e.~_by Linden.-woodin March as a part-time consul-tant., His major responsibility is toturn around Lindenwood's sagging fi-nancialfortunes. '

Spellmannis.a former middle line-backer and guard at MissouriValley,wheTe he was inducted into ttJ,esc'hool'ssports Hallof Fame.

He said the primary purpose instarting ,football at Lindenwoodwasto add to "the total development ofthe student."

Spellmimn said extracurricular ~c-tivitl~s such as sports. choir and bandare important in luring more studentsto campus.

Spellmann said he hoped the newfootball program would increase Lin-denwood's enrollment. "We've gotrOQmfor 800 students on campus andwe have only 230 right now he said.. Spellmann estimated the football

program would cost $30,000 '~ or'$500 a play.er - for equipment."We're hoping to do It for less." hesaid.

Lindenwood's new team has a headstart with superior facilities. Spell-mann said. noting the renovation ofthe school's Astroturf field lastsummer.

Spellmann said Lindenwood a,lsoplans to convert the old horse stablesnear the stadium into locker rooms,

Spell,mann said the Lions likelywould play on Mondays and Thurs-days in the two years in which theyare a junior varsity team. They'llschedule games on mpre traditionalSaturdays when the varsity programis started.

, "We're looking for students to pla~football." SRellmann said. "If anyontis interested. they should call our ad,missions office" at 949-2000..