|
Name:
|
Reggie Williams |
Month: |
November 2003
|
School: |
Dartmouth College |
Degree: |
B.A., 1976; Honorary Doctor of Laws, 1990 |
Company: |
Disney Sports Attractions, Inc. |
Title: |
Vice President |
From playing professional
football to holding office in local government, Reggie Williams is a dynamic
leader who has tackled all kinds of challenges and opportunities throughout
his professional career. As Vice President of Disney Sports Attractions, Reggie
has the unique opportunity of leading a diverse and talented team that provides
exhilarating sports and recreation experiences to guests at Walt Disney World
Resort every day of the year.
Reggie attended Dartmouth
College, where he graduated in just three and half years and was a three-time
All-Ivy League linebacker in football and an Ivy League heavyweight wrestling
champion (1975). The recipient of an academic scholarship, Reggie earned a Bachelor
of Arts degree in Psychology in 1976 and later received an honorary Doctor of
Laws in 1990.
As a linebacker for 14
seasons (1976-89) with the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, Reggie
patrolled a 100-yard field from end zone to end zone. Today, Reggie oversees
Disney's vast Sports and Recreation offerings at Walt Disney World, which includes
two water theme parks, a 200-acre sports complex, five championship golf courses,
miniature golf courses, countless nature trails and bodies of water, perfect
for fishing, boating, sailing and other outdoor activities.
Reggie's team is responsible
for virtually every sports-related event on Disney property, including more
than 150 annual events at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, the annual
Walt Disney World Marathon, and Disney's long-running PGA TOUR event, the FUNAI
Classic at Walt Disney World Resort.
Reggie began his career
with the Walt Disney Company in April 1993. As the Director of Sports Development
for Walt Disney World Resort, Reggie championed the effort to grow Disney's
involvement in sports, particularly amateur sports. For more than a decade,
Reggie's passion and vision have allowed the Walt Disney Co. to reshape the
sports industry, while providing unprecedented opportunities for kids of all
ages.
Reggie has been recognized
as a leader within the Walt Disney Co., and in the world of sports, as evidenced
by his No. 88 ranking in Sports Illustrated's list of the "101 Most Influential
Minorities in Sports" in May 2003. Despite such an impressive accolade, Reggie
is quick to deflect attention to his talented Sports and Recreation team:
"The recognition in Sports
Illustrated has been a tremendous honor, however, the acknowledgement is not
about one individual. It is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of
our entire team of more than 2,000 cast members."
In the mid 1990s, Reggie
oversaw the creation of Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, a state-of-the-art
200-acre multi-sport facility that opened on March 28, 1997. Promising a truly
unique destination in the heart of the world's most popular vacation destination,
Reggie forged key sports industry relationships with Major League Baseball's
Atlanta Braves, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the nation's largest amateur
sports organization, and others. The Braves moved their spring training and
minor league baseball operations to the sports complex in 1997. The AAU relocated
its national headquarters to Walt Disney World Resort in 1996, bringing more
than 30 annual national championship events to the complex.
In 1998, Reggie was named
Vice President of Disney Sports Attractions, overseeing a newly created Sports
& Recreation division that merged Walt Disney World Resort Recreation, Water
Parks, and Disney Sports Attractions, which included Disney's Wide World of
Sports Complex, the Walt Disney World Speedway, and Walt Disney World Golf.
With the promotion, Reggie assumed responsibility for sports development and
management, sales and marketing, budgeting and strategy, sports industry relations,
new product development, and merchandise strategy and operations.
Prior to arriving at Disney,
Reggie played 14 seasons in the NFL and appeared in two Super Bowls - XVI (1982)
and XXIII (1989). During his playing career, Reggie received numerous honors,
including selection to the NFL All-Rookie Team (1976), the Byron "Whizzer" White
Award for Humanitarian Service (1985), the NFL Man of the Year (1986), and Sports
Illustrated's Co-Sportsman of the Year (1987).
In addition to his football
and humanitarian accomplishments, Reggie was appointed to an open seat on the
Cincinnati City Council in 1988 and was re-elected for a second term in 1989.
After retiring from the NFL, Reggie joined the World Football League as the
Vice President/General Manager of the New Jersey Knights. He later rejoined
the National Football League with the opening of the first Youth Education Town
(YET) in Los Angeles. Reggie
remains involved with many service organizations and projects today, including
The United Way, the National Consortium for Academics and Sports, Give Kids
the World, and the Peter Westbrook Foundation. Reggie
continues to tackle the many challenges and opportunities that have made Disney's
Sports and Recreation division such a successful and dynamic business unit.
Most importantly, Reggie recognizes the impact that Sports and Recreation is
having on the Walt Disney Company
and its guests:
"My greatest personal satisfaction
is that we are making a difference in children's lives. We are creating experiences
that they would not have anywhere else. We are giving kids the opportunity to
compete in sports and we are providing experiences that will positively shape
their lives and make them successful individuals."
|