March 27, 2008
STANFORD, Calif. - Jim Sochor, whose career at UC Davis landed him in the College Football Hall of Fame, will receive Positive Coaching Alliance's highest honor, the Ronald L. Jensen Award for Lifetime Achievement, at the 7th Annual National Youth Sports Awards sponsored by Deloitte Saturday, April 12, 2008 at Stanford University's Maples Pavilion.
"Between his on-field success and his accomplishments in shaping leaders, Jim Sochor is an ideal person to receive our highest honor," said PCA Founder and Executive Director Jim Thompson. "Coach Sochor's impact on generations of players is unfathomable, especially when you consider the ripple effect of the coaches he has mentored: the University of Colorado's Dan Hawkins; Mike Bellotti of the University of Oregon; and Boise State University's Chris Petersen."
The awards dinner also will include:
• An appearance by NFL Hall of Fame and San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl Champion quarterback Steve Young
• Presentations by PCA National Advisory Board member, U.S. Olympic Basketball Gold Medalist and NCAA Champion Jennifer Azzi
• Award-winning sportswriter and novelist Robert Lipsyte as Master of Ceremonies
• Winners of PCA's national Double-Goal Coach®Awards, youth and high school coaches whose first goal is winning and whose second, more-important goal is using sports to teach life lessons
• Winners of PCA's national Honoring the Game Awards for organizational excellence in youth or high school sports.
Sochor became a legendary coach with the UC Davis football team during his tenure from 1970-88. He posted a 156-41-5 overall record - best in school history - and had a winning season every year, kick-starting a run that would eventually lead to 37 consecutive winning campaigns. He also won or shared 18 consecutive conference championships.
Sochor's amazing achievements led to his enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
Tickets and tables are available for purchase at www.positivecoach.org/awards.aspx or by phone at 415-202-0904.
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About Positive Coaching Alliance
Founded as a non-profit within the Stanford University Athletic Department in 1998, Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) has the mission of "transforming youth sports so sports can transform youth." To that end, PCA has conducted roughly 5,000 live group workshops nationwide for more than 200,000 youth and high school sports leaders, coaches, parents and athletes. Workshop attendees have helped create a positive, character-building youth sports environment for more than 2.2 million youth athletes.
PCA's partnership network includes more than 1,100 youth sports organizations, cities and schools. In 2008, PCA will conduct roughly 1,500 live, group workshops across the U.S., while assisting thousands of other individuals via online workshops at www.PositiveCoach.org.
PCA workshops train coaches to be Double-Goal Coaches®, whose first goal is winning and whose second, more-important goal is teaching life lessons through sports. PCA sports parent workshops cultivate "Second-Goal Parents," who leave winning to the coaches and players, while helping their children learn life lessons through sports. PCA student-athlete workshops produce "Triple-Impact Competitors," who work to improve themselves, their teammates, and their sport as a whole.
PCA has the support of elite coaches and athletes on a National Advisory Board (http://www.positivecoach.org/advisoryboard.aspx), including National Spokesperson, Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson.
(Press release courtesy of Positive Coaching Alliance)
