Inspire, Spring 1995

Passing The Racquet Dr. Murray Murdoch and Alan Edlund Fife Gets A Kick Out Of Ministry n tallied F'iteai8o6ng T list ofawards and achievements while playing soccer for Cedarville College. He was named the most valuable player in 1985 and named an NAIA All American(1st team)in the same year. But he wanted to do more with soccer than just play the sport and create impressive stats. Following graduation from Cedarville.Tom played with several professional indoor soccer teams, including the Dayton Dynamo.While the professional indoor experience provided Tom an opportunity to use his soccer skills, it provided little opportunity for ministry. In an effort to combine his soccer talents and his desire to share the message ofJesus Christ,he became affiliated with Missionary Athletes International. MAI is an organization that uses soccer as a tool to proclaim the Gospel to people around the world. Tom and his wife, Meg(Irving '89N), and their children, Atalie(3)and Seth(1), are currently living in Bolton,England where they have a multifaced ministry with Ambassadors in Sport, MAI's England-based ministry team. His ministries in England include conducting soccer schools,leading Bible studies,and edarville's most successful team over the years in terms of wins/losses has been men's tennis. In the 28 years ofDr.Murray Murdoch's tenure as tennis coach,his teams have amassed an impressive 563-63 win/loss total for an .892 winning percentage. His teams won 23 NAIA District 22 and Mid- Ohio Conference championships. After the 1994 season,Dr. Murdoch'88H,chair ofthe Department of Social Sciences and History and professor of history,stepped down as tennis coach and has passed the racquet,so to speak,to Alan Edlund '77. Alan and Murray continue a long-time friendship which began many years ago. Murray recruited Alan for tennis back in the'70s,and Alan coached Cedarville reserve tennis teams for about ten years after he graduated. Before that, Henry Murdoch,Murray's father, pastored First Baptist Church of Harvey,Illinois, where Alan accepted Christ While at Cedarville, Tom Fite exhibited excellence in attitude and soccer skill on thefield. witnessing to the teams against which the Ambassadors in Sport team competes.In 1994,Tom's team not only won three championships,but was awarded the Sportsmanship Award in a league of60 teams.This past summer,Tom was involved in an outreach ministry of campus and clinics held in conjunction with the World Cup which was hosted by the United States. This spring,the Fite family will travel with Ambassadors in Sport to Bangladesh and India.The Ambassadors will play matches against some ofthe best teams in those countries and share the message of Jesus Christ with those who attend the games.In addition to ministries in several European countries,MAI traveled to Bangladesh and India in 1992. Tom is an outstanding example ofone who is using his God-given talents and abilities as an evangelistic tool and as a means to build into the lives of believers. Alumni Work With Professional Sports edarville College graduates are working with professional sports organizations in "the front office." Three ofthem are with teams here in Ohio. When Dave Slyby's teaching job in a Springfield,Ohio school fell through,the 1987 grad went home to Wilmington,Ohio to work at the Cincinnati Bengals training camp as he had every summer since he was 15 years old. Bengals owner Mike Brown offered him a full-timejob as assistant video director. Dave learned the cameras and began to help film and edit all practices and games. Dave has assumed additional responsibilities in the Bengals organization. He still films road games,but he now runs the training camp in Wilmington.As entertainment director for the Bengals, Dave scripts out every detail ofeach home gamefor the teams and the media,from pregame and half-time activities to the scoreboard announcements and promotions. As assistant public relations director, he sets up conference calls for group media interviews with the Bengals and gives game and team information to National Football League broadcasting teams. While Dave's English major has helped him in his work with the Bengals,he adds,"Cedarville College taught me more thanjust my discipline. I learned the work ethic and stability. And I saw how the Lord really opened the door for me vocationally." He met his wife, Kelly,at Tri County Baptist Church in Cincinnati.They married in 1994 and live in Mason, Ohio. during Vacation Bible School as a child. When Alan was _ nine,Murray was Alan's interim pastor at First Baptist and later was interim at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Springfield,Ohio,when Alan started taking his family there. The two men have stayed in contact and have played doubles tennis and in leagues together. Both Murray and Alan expect the Cedarville tennis team to have a good season,even though five of last year's top six players are not back.The squad metfor practice during fall quarter and will play teams in Tennessee during spring break before starting scheduled matches spring quarter.The team has an international flavor with Marcus Varotti from Brazil; Todd Entner and Jeff Nelson,MK'sfrom the Philippines; and Brooke Taylor, whose father was an Air Force chaplain and traveled extensively with his family. Alan is impressed with the spiritual attitude ofthe team. "The best thing is the Christlike attitude everyone seems to portray on the court," he says."I'm looking forward to the MarrairceJeremiah Paves The WarIn Women's Athletics omen's intercollegiate yf basketball has grown from the fledgling stage to a sport that is gathering interest nationwide,and no one has done more to help develop the women's game than Dr. Maryalyce Jeremiah '65. Now the Senior Woman Athletic Administrator at California State University at Fullerton, she was present in the formative years of women's basketball three decades ago when colleges werejust beginning to form varsity programs. As a successful coach,author,and lecturer,she has established herself as one ofthe foremost authorities in women's basketball. Jeremiah was a winner The next challenge for Jeremiah came at Indiana University in Bloomington from 1980 through 1985 where the Hoosiers garnered a Big Ten co-championship in 1983,after which she was tabbed Big Ten Coach ofthe Year. Jeremiah wrapped up her coaching career at Cal State Fullerton(1985-92)where she led the Titans to two trips to the NCAA tournament.She was named Big West Conference Coach of the Year in 1991 upon leading CSF to a 25-8 record. Jeremiah,who has authored two books on women's basketball, earned the highest honor in 1990 when she received the coveted Carol Eckman Award.It is presented annually by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association to the coach who best at all four stops during her 23-year coaching career which ended in 1992 with a 375-236 record. She coached from 1970 through 1978 at Cedarville College where she led the Lady Jackets to the OAISW state title in 1973.She then moved on to the University of Dayton where she paced the Lady Flyers to a 69- 5 record in two years, which included the 1980 AIAW Division II national title. Two other alumni are working with professional sports organizations in Cleveland. "My education at Cedarville allowed me to get into a master's program in sports administration[Kent State University] which opened the door to my affiliation with the Cleveland Browns,"says Fred Greetham '79, who graduated with a physical education major and broadcasting minor. Following an internship with the Browns training camp,Fred did some coaching and teaching in Scottsdale, Arizona and at Grand Canyon College.He returned to the Browns as feature writer and then editor ofBrowns News Illustrated for several years. He recently relinquished that responsibility to start an electronic information service about the Browns, called the Cleveland Sports Report.Subscribers can receive daily information on what's happening in the Browns organization through a link to a network bulletin board or by FAX. Fred has other responsibilities in the Browns'front office,including providing stats for the Browns radio network and for national broadcasters,setting up interviews for the media,writing for the local newspapers, writing the game day program,and doing stats for road games. Fred enjoys biweekly Bible study with Christians in the front offices ofCleveland's Cavaliers(CAVS)and Indians. He and his wife,Joyce(Willetts'80),have three children and live in Wellington,Ohio. represents sportsmanship and ethics in the coaching profession. Tim Birch,group sales coordinator for the CAVS,is also a member ofthe front office Bible study. After graduating from Cedarville in 1990 with a degree in communications,hejoined the Cleveland Crunch,a professional indoor soccer team,as account executive. He soon had charge of group sales and game operations. The CAVS approached him in fall 1992 to become group sales coordinator for their organization. Tim also works closely with several sports marketing agencies across the country in ticket promotions for other events held at the CAVS'new 20,500 seat Gund Arena.In its first year ofoperation, Gund has hosted, besides the CAVS games,IHL Lumberjacks games, professional tennis matches, skating championships,college basketball,the Harlem Globetrotters, big-name concerts and artists, Disney World on Ice,a circus,and a rodeo.Gund is part of downtown Cleveland's"Gateway,"a new 28-acre sports and entertainmentcomplex. "I think Cedarville graduates can be very comfortable in saying where they went to college," says Tim."My education prepared me for the future and has proven to be as strong as or stronger than whatI've seen in grads from major universities." Tim and his wife,Debi,are expecting their first child and live in Avon Lake,Ohio.