January 24, 2004
January 23, 2004 - New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. announced today that the St. John's Preparatory School track program from Astoria, NY, has been named the winner of the Fifth Annual $10,000 New Balance Marty Glickman Award. Stuyvesant High School track program from Manhattan, NY, was selected as runner-up, earning a $5,000 award.
The award, which pays homage to the recently deceased track star, legendary sports broadcaster and humanitarian Marty Glickman, will be given during a special ceremony at the Ninth Annual New Balance Games on Saturday, January 24 at the New Balance Track & Field Center at the Armory in Upper Manhattan.
"It is an honor to present the 2004 New Balance Marty Glickman Award to such worthy track and field programs as those at St. John's Preparatory High School and Stuyvesant High School," said Paul Heffernan, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing, Design, and Development. "Marty personified the Achieve New Balance philosophy that recognizes the importance of perseverance and success on and off the playing field."
In addition to a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 out of 4.00, St. John's Preparatory High School's community service achievements include donating significant time to various soup kitchens and nursing homes as well as raising money to support UNICEF.
Stuyvesant High School's track program posted a 91.4 out of 100 grade point average. Their community service programs include leading the "Stuyvesant Strut," the kick-off event celebrating the school's centennial year. In addition, members of the team are involved in "Big Sibs," a mentor program to help make the transition into the school more comfortable for incoming freshman.
The New Balance Marty Glickman Award was established by New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. in 1999 to recognize outstanding achievement in academics, team spirit and community service. The award is part of New Balance's ongoing support of grassroots youth athletics. Last year's winners were Clarkstown South High School and St. Joseph By-the-Sea High School.
Glickman, a New York native who passed away at age 83 on January 3, 2001, was a Hall of Fame sports broadcaster who was the mentor for several top sports announcers, including Bob Costas and Marv Albert. Prior to his broadcasting career, Glickman was a standout runner (as well as an All-East halfback) at Syracuse University. A member of the 1936 Olympic 4x100 meter relay team, Glickman was unable to compete in the Games in Berlin because Adolph Hitler banned all Jews from Games hosted by Germany. In 1999, the United States Olympic Committee presented Glickman with a plaque to recognize the fact that he was denied his place on the gold medal sprint relay team because he was Jewish. During his 55-year sports broadcast career, Glickman was the voice of the New York Knicks, the New York Giants and the New York Jets.
Glickman cited his achievements at Brooklyn's James Madison High School as the springboard to his future successes, which is one reason New Balance established the award in his honor. During both his junior and senior years, he was the indoor and outdoor City and State Champion in the 100-yard dash, as well as the National Scholastic Sprint Champion in his senior year. A well-rounded athlete, Glickman also led Madison's football team to an undefeated season and the City and State Champion title during his senior year. Even in junior high his abilities helped Montauk Junior High School's baseball and basketball teams earn a place in the city championships.
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc., headquartered in Boston, MA, is a leading manufacturer of technologically innovative width-sized performance footwear and athletic apparel for women, men, and children. The range of product categories includes running, walking, cross training, basketball, tennis, adventure sports, and kids. Dunham joined the New Balance family in Fall 1998. Dunham is an outdoor performance brand known for its technologies, innovations and development of footwear that is lightweight, comfortable and inspired by the world outside. New Balance acquired the rights to the PF Flyers brand in February 2000. First introduced in 1937 by the B.F. Goodrich Company, PF Flyers was re-launched in Spring 2003 as an authentic brand of active casual footwear. New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. employs more than 2,400 people around the globe, and in 2002 reported worldwide sales of $1.3 billion. For more information please visit http://www.newbalance.com.
