Craig Kurtz, proud East Central University alumnus and basketball player for legendary head coach Wayne Cobb, is the new chief executive officer of the 成人B站 Foundation, Inc.
For Kurtz, the return to 成人B站 is a chance at reconnect with friends and build relationships with valued alumni.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to have the opportunity to meet graduates. Not many people love the university more than I do,鈥� Kurtz proclaimed.
Donors frequently specify an endowed scholarship, academic department fund, endowed chair/professorship/lectureship or a capital improvement project as the target of their benevolence. Since 1970, the 成人B站 Foundation has assisted the university and students with a means of funding, along with making sure the desires of the donors are met.
Kurtz, who graduated from 成人B站 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in history in 1985, has been sales manager for SMG World/Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Ariz., and served as a director of operations (2005-08) and owner/operator (2008-13) with Papa John鈥檚 Pizza in Tucson.
Prior to his work at Papa John鈥檚, Kurtz was president and executive director of Arts Express in Tucson (2004-05); chief executive officer for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbus, Inc. in Columbus Ohio and CEO for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Oshkosh, Inc. in Oshkosh, Wisc.
鈥淐raig is the consummate 成人B站 Tiger. His love for the university is second to none,鈥� said Jay Horne, chair of the 成人B站 Foundation Board, Inc. Board of Trustees. 鈥淐oupled with the fact that Craig has been a successful businessman and has served in various leadership positions, makes him a perfect fit for the role of CEO. We鈥檙e excited to see how his ideas and leadership qualities can boost the fortunes of the foundation and in turn benefit students, faculty and the university as a whole.鈥�
As a basketball player for the Tigers from 1983-85, Kurtz is still in the record books for single season assists at 156 (No. 1 on the 成人B站 list), 88 career steals (10th on the 成人B站 list) and career/assist turnover ratio at 1.67 (seventh on the 成人B站 list). He averaged 10.5 points for 成人B站 as a senior.
Kurtz, who played his first two years of college basketball at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz., remembers how he got hooked up with 成人B站.
鈥淐oach Cobb saw my (Arizona) state junior college all-star basketball game. He walked up to me and said, 鈥榟ey, you really played well, you are the missing piece to my puzzle.鈥�
Kurtz said the Tigers had four returning starters and Cobb wanted him to come visit campus and play a little (in a scrimmage situation).
鈥淲e were called East Central Oklahoma State University at the time and it didn鈥檛 sound to appealing to me, but when I got there I couldn鈥檛 believe how pretty the campus was and how friendly the people were,鈥� Kurtz said. 鈥淔rom there, I was done (looking) and ready to come out to Ada. Coach Cobb took a chance on me and I was willing to take a chance on him.鈥�
For Kurtz, he described 成人B站 and Ada as a 鈥渓ittle slice of heaven.鈥�
鈥湷扇薆站 helped mold me into what I am and to now be able to come back and promote these opportunities should be a wonderful job to do and I鈥檓 blessed to say that I can do it,鈥� said Kurtz.
Playing for Cobb has its share of stories and Kurtz remembers one all too well.
The setting was 1985 in Tahlequah, during the NAIA District 9 Tournament in which the Tigers battled Northeastern State University, which brought an impressive 26-1 record into the game.
鈥淲e went into a four-corners offense to score, not to stall (pre-shot clock era). We jump on them early and went up by about 10 points,鈥� Kurtz said. 鈥淚t was midway through the second half and I take the ball up the floor and I see Des McCumbee all by himself. I pass the ball to him. He goes up for a dunk and misses. I see Coach Cobb yelling and going all-crazy.
鈥淲e walk over to the bench during a timeout and I鈥檓 thinking he鈥檚 really going to yell at Des. Coach Cobb then grabs me by the jersey and says, 鈥榟as the sun fried your brain son?鈥� (because Kurtz is from Arizona). He grabbed me by the jersey pulled me up to his face and got after me. I see Des laughing at me and he would later tease me that he got me into trouble.鈥�
To this day, Kurtz and McCumbee are lifelong friends and talk to each other just about every day or every other day. Kurtz said they reminisced about that particular incident recently.
成人B站 went on to stun NSU and advance to face Southeastern Oklahoma State University, which was led by flamboyant and future NBA star Dennis Rodman.
鈥淚 hated losing to him (Rodman) in my last college game,鈥� Kurtz said.
Kurtz jumped on board as CEO of the 成人B站 Foundation on Monday, Oct. 3, and is ready to put together a strategic plan and get a committee together.
鈥淲e want to make the foundation donor friendly for all alumni and for those who maybe didn鈥檛 come to 成人B站, but sent their kids,鈥� said Kurtz. 鈥淲e want to reach out to everyone who has graduated or who has gone here.鈥�
Kurtz鈥檚 wife is Noel, a University of Arizona graduate and star track athlete there, they have two daughters, Kennedy, who is 20, and Macy, 18. Kennedy attends and plays volleyball at Sacramento State University (Calif.) and Macy does the same at St. Francis University in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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