Daniel E. Doyle, Jr. is founder and executive director of the Institute for International Sport at URI. Mr. Doyle is a graduate of Bates College where he was co-captain of the men’s varsity basketball team. He holds a Masters degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and honorary doctorate degrees from Bridgewater (MA) State College and The University of Rhode Island.

Mr. Doyle was a highly successful intercollegiate basketball coach, having led his Trinity College (Connecticut) team to national rankings. In 1979, under Mr. Doyle's direction, Trinity became the first United States team to travel to Cuba since the revolution of 1959. Mr. Doyle was named New England Coach of the Year in 1980-81 and he compiled an overall record (high school and college coaching) of 142-45. His final team at Trinity College was 22-4, and nationally ranked. Upon his resignation from Trinity, Mr. Doyle was honored at a testimonial dinner. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) was the principal speaker at the dinner.

In 1986, Mr. Doyle founded the Institute for International Sport, a non-profit organization that uses sport as the medium to promote and improve international relations. The far-reaching programs of the Institute are intrinsic to the vision of its founder. The Institute's most ambitious program, the World Scholar-Athlete Games, was actually conceived by Mr. Doyle when he was studying at the Fletcher School. The inaugural Games took place from June 20 to July 1, 1993. Senator Bill Bradley served as Honorary Chair and 108 countries and all 50 states sent delegations to this 12-day festival of sport and culture. The World Scholar-Athlete Games was hailed by the media, and most importantly, by the participants, as one of the most successful first-time international events ever held.

As a result of the success of the World Scholar-Athlete Games, the Institute received a federal grant to replicate the Scholar-Athlete Games concept in Rhode Island. In June 1995, the Institute administered the first Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Games for elementary and middle school students. Since 1995, over 3500 Rhode Island students have participated in RISAG.

Another result of the 1993 World Scholar-Athlete Games was a separate grant the Institute received to replicate the Scholar-Athlete Games concept in Belfast, Northern Ireland as part of the ongoing peace process. The "Belfast Scholar-Athlete Games - The Olympiad" was held in August 1995. One hundred twenty young men and women - an approximately equal number of Catholics and Protestants - participated. The success of the pilot program resulted in a full scale 1996 "Ireland Scholar-Athlete Games." This event, which took place from August 10 to 17, 1996 at the University of Ulster in Belfast, involved the participation of over 400 students from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland - an approximately equal number of Protestants and Catholics, along with a strong American scholar-athlete delegation. The second full-scale Ireland Scholar-Athlete Games was held at the University of Ulster in Belfast from August 14 to 22, 1998. Over 500 young people, including an approximately equal number of Protestant and Catholic youth from Northern Ireland and delegations from the United States and Sri Lanka took part. The third Ireland Scholar-Athlete Games took place from August 4 to 11, 2000 at the University of Ulster. Over 500 young people from six countries participated and, once again, the program was adjudged a great success.

From June 22 to July 2, 2000, the Institute, in conjunction with Tel Aviv University in Israel, hosted the first Mediterranean Middle East Scholar-Athlete Games. Over 300 youngsters from 15 countries participated. The Games were a major success and a highlight was a lecture given by former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres.

From June 21 to July 2, 1997, the Institute hosted the second World Scholar-Athlete Games. Approximately 2,000 young people from 147 countries and all 50 states participated in this program. The 147-country delegation made the 1997 World Scholar-Athlete Games the second largest international sport and cultural event in the world that year in terms of countries represented. The Institute hosted the inaugural United States Scholar-Athlete Games from June 26 to July 2, 1999. Approximately 1,600 scholar-athletes from all 50 states participated.

The Third World Scholar-Athlete Games took place from June 23 to July 2, 2001 at the University of Rhode Island. One-hundred and fifty-one countries and all 50 states sent delegations to this event, making the 2001 Games the largest sport or cultural event in the world in 2001 in terms of numbers of countries participating. The Institute for International Sport administered a highly successful European Scholar-Athlete Games in August 2002 at the University of Limerick in Ireland, and an equally successful 2003 United States Scholar-Athlete Games at The University of Rhode Island. Former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, delivered the keynote address at the 2003 Games.

2400 participants from 157 countries made the 2006 World Scholar-Athlete Games, which was celebrated in conjunction with the Institute’s 20th anniversary, the largest sports/cultural event in the world in 2006 in terms of countries represented. Former U.S. President, William Jefferson Clinton, delivered the Games keynote address, and Senator George Mitchell delivered the 20th anniversary address on July 1, as part of closing ceremonies. Rhode Island Attorney General, Patrick Lynch, who served as co-chair of the Games Executive Committee, captured a common theme when he stated at closing ceremonies, "This was perhaps the finest youth event in history."

Mr. Doyle is presently in discussions with a number of countries about future Scholar-Athlete Games, including follow-up activities to the 2006 Australian Scholar-Athlete Games, which took place in Brisbane, Australia.

The Institute has administered Sports Corps, a program that sent recent college graduates to foreign countries to work with disadvantaged and handicapped children, using sport as the medium. In 1992, Mr. Doyle, at the request of then US Ambassador to Burundi, Cynthia Shepard Perry, initiated a "Project Burundi" basketball program. The results included over $30,000 of basketball equipment being sent to Burundi, and in 1993, a historic first, an all-expense paid trip by the Burundi men's basketball team to the United States. At Mr. Doyle's insistence, the team included members from both the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. Mr. Doyle engaged in a similar project in South Africa in 1995, which resulted in the South African Men's National Basketball Team making another historic first, an all-expense paid trip to the United States. The trip was the subject of a New York Times column by William Rhoden.

In 2006, the Institute received a federal grant to administer an extensive sports education program in Nigeria. The program involved the Institute working with Nigerian colleagues in the widespread celebration of National Sportsmanship Day in a number of schools throughout Nigeria. The program also involved an extensive exchange program in which both U.S. and Nigerian volleyball coaches and players visited their sister countries. The program further involved the Institute sending a significant amount of volleyball equipment as well as ten laptop computers to Nigeria – all donated on an in-kind basis.

Other current Institute programs include "National Sportsmanship Day (NSD)," a day conceived by Mr. Doyle in 1990, and formally recognized by the White House and the US Congress. NSD is judged by many to be the largest and most impactful sportsmanship program in the world. Each year, over 13,000 schools in a number of countries celebrate NSD. As cases in point, Bermuda, Ghana, India and Nigeria now host major National Sportsmanship Day celebrations. For the last decade, USA Today has provided editorial coverage of NSD. Sports celebrities such as Grant Hill, David Robinson, Mia Hamm, and Jeff Gordon have all served as Sports Ethics Fellows and made personal appearances and/or public service announcements supporting NSD.

With the help of sports psychologist, Rick Wolff, Mr. Doyle conceived the Center for Sports Parenting. This Institute web site program provides invaluable sports parenting information, and has become one of the most recognized sports parenting resources in the United States. Mr. Wolff and Mr. Doyle have appeared on shows such as Night Line, Court TV, and CNN, and have been quoted in publications ranging from The New York Times to People magazine.

"Belfast United," another Institute program, has received international acclaim. This program, conceived by Mr. Doyle after a 1989 meeting in Dublin with then-US Ambassador to Ireland, Margaret Heckler, involved the Institute, in conjunction with both The Queen's University of Belfast and The University of Ulster at Jordanstown, bringing approximately equal numbers of Catholic and Protestant children together through the medium of sport. The program focused on organized sport and cultural activity for these children in Belfast, followed by a tour to the United States. Belfast United was featured in an April 3, 1995 story in Sports Illustrated and President William Clinton hailed its success during a Presidential visit to Northern Ireland. As a result of Belfast United's impact on the peace process, Mr. Doyle has been honored by several Northern Ireland organizations.

The Institute celebrated its 10th anniversary on July 1, 1996. As part of the celebration, Mr. Doyle and the Institute development staff secured a $1 million lead gift from philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein for the construction of the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame on the University of Rhode Island campus. The Hall of Fame, which serves as the headquarters of the Institute, officially opened on June 27, 1999. An opening ceremony was held, and 20 internationally known scholar-athletes, including Bill Bradley, Sir Roger Bannister, Joan Benoit Samuelson, and Kip Keino, were inducted into the Hall. Since that time, the Hall has inducted other distinguished scholar-athletes such as Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Dr. Jack Ramsay, Chi Cheng, and Bob Mathias. The Hall has initiated a "Distinguished Lecture Series," which has already featured Sir Roger Bannister, Alexander Wolff of Sports Illustrated, Linda Bensel-Meyers of the University of Tennessee, and Dick Schultz, former executive director of the NCAA and U.S. Olympic Committee.

The Institute’s celebration of its 20th anniversary included the announcement of plans to construct its second building on the URI campus – The Center for Sports Leadership (CSL). The CSL will offer innovative leadership programs to coaches, captains and other student-athletes. Many of the leadership concepts will be taken from a specific chapter on sports leadership in Mr. Doyle’s "The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting." The building is expected to open in autumn 2007.

In January 2002, Mr. Doyle conceived the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. The inaugural New England Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place on October 4, 2002 and honored a wide variety of players, officials, and teams who have made special contributions to the history and culture of New England basketball. Among those honored were Bob Cousy, the 1995 UConn Women's National Basketball Championship team, Jim Calhoun, the 1947 Holy Cross Men's National Basketball Championship team and Calvin Murphy. The New England Basketball Hall of Fame Induction ceremony now attracts well over 1000 people at each event, making it one of the largest sports dinners in the United States.

"Renaissance Education" was conceived by Mr. Doyle in 1996. The concept of Renaissance Education involves the integration of athletic and scholarly pursuits through a competition. Mr. Doyle administered a series of pilot programs in West Hartford, Connecticut, and a major pilot program in Northern Ireland. In April 1998, these programs were followed by an intercollegiate Renaissance program at Bates College, which involved the participation of 80 students from 29 colleges throughout the United States and six other countries in a four-day Sparta versus Athens competition. In 1999, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League administered a highly successful pilot "Renaissance Games" program which involved the participation of eight Rhode Island high schools. Since that time, the Rhode Island Renaissance Games has become an important annual event in the State of Rhode Island. From August 11 to 18, 2000, the Institute administered a pilot Renaissance Games program at the University of Limerick which involved the participation of 40 American students and 20 Irish students. In June 2005, the Institute hosted the first intercollegiate Renaissance Games at URI. Nine American colleges and the University of Queensland (Australia) sent delegations to the event. The post-event evaluations by the participants suggested that it was one of the most meaningful educational experiences of their lives.

Mr. Doyle is founder and Chairman of the Irish American Sports Foundation, an all-volunteer organization that has developed athletic programs for children in all 32 counties of Ireland. The Irish American Sports Foundation has completed construction of Ireland's first multi-purpose sports arena, a $4 million facility, located in Dublin. Mr. Doyle was responsible for raising virtually all of the funds for this facility, including a lead gift of $1 million from the Irish government, which he personally negotiated with then-Prime Minister Charles Haughey. The Irish American Sports Foundation has sent over 400 US coaches to Ireland to conduct clinics in various sports. In the mid-1980s, Mr. Doyle successfully coached the Irish Men's National Basketball Team, and arranged for several all-expense paid tours to America for both the Irish National Men's and Women's teams.

Mr. Doyle is also founder and director of two successful summer youth camps - The Kingswood-Oxford Skills Development Basketball Clinic and Camp Renaissance. Both camps have gained acclaim for the innovative nature of their programs and, in the last decade, both camps have been fully enrolled with waiting lists.

At age 26, Mr. Doyle promoted, over an 18-month period, an American Basketball Association exhibition basketball game featuring David Thompson and Julius Erving; a gymnastics exhibition featuring 1976 Gold Medalist Nadia Comaneci, which sold out the Hartford Civic Center faster than any other event up until that point; and two US Olympic basketball exhibitions, featuring the 1976 Olympic team, coached by Dean Smith, against a professional all-star team, coached by Bob Cousy and including the likes of Julius Erving, Doug Collins, and Nate Archibald. The two Olympic exhibition basketball games were part of an eight-game Olympic team exhibition tour. Mr. Doyle's two promoted games outdrew the other six combined by more than double and were the forerunners for the extensive promotional/exhibition tour the US Men's Olympic Basketball Team now takes every four years prior to the Olympic Games. Mr. Doyle also promoted Olympic Gold Medal boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard's third professional fight in Hartford. Based on the success of this fight, Mr. Leonard contracted with Mr. Doyle to promote approximately 15 other of his fights.

Mr. Doyle also conceived and served as Chairman of "The Bob Cousy," an international basketball tournament for players 6'2" and under which was held in Worcester, Massachusetts in July, 1996. "The Bob Cousy" included the participation of 22 international teams and the tournament was called by the Worcester Telegram and Gazette "a huge success." A number of local charities benefited from "The Bob Cousy."

Mr. Doyle is the author of Are You Watching, Adolph Rupp? a novel on the state of intercollegiate sport. The novel was reviewed favorably and was the subject of feature stories in over 50 publications, including the New York Times, Boston Globe and USA Today, and by such authors as James Michener. Mr. Doyle is writing The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting, with a subtitle The Complete Guide for Sports Oriented Families. Volume I of the Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting will be in bookstores in autumn 2007, and Volume II will be in bookstores in 2008. Mr. Doyle is also writing a manual entitled, "The Master Coach." The objective of this manual is to set the standard for coaching excellence and societal impact in the future. The Master Coach manual will be in bookstores in 2008. Mr. Doyle’s second novel, Parading the Ghosts, is expected to be finished in 2008.

Mr. Doyle has also published op-ed pieces on issues such as "Fair play," which appeared in the acclaimed Insights on Global Ethics, published by the Institute for Global Ethics, an op-ed piece entitled "Guns, Armies and the Second Amendment" which appeared in the Providence Journal, and an op-ed piece entitled "The Practical Value of Sportsmanship," which appeared in the Providence Journal.

As a result of his work as a novelist, Mr. Doyle founded and is Director of the Young Writers Institute (YWI). The Institute is an all-volunteer program that has utilized internationally-known authors such as William Kennedy, Richard Ford, Annie Dillard, Susan Fromberg Schaeffer, Dave Barry, Joyce Carol Oates, and the late Robert Ludlum as mentors for young writers who are primarily from urban environments. The YWI has been acclaimed as one of the most innovative writing programs in the United States, and has been the subject of a number of feature stories, including one that appeared in the New York Times. In his capacity as Director of the YWI, Mr. Doyle conceived the Aran Islands International Poetry & Prose Festival. In developing the Festival, Mr. Doyle put together a collaborative partnership which involved US Ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy-Smith, the University of Galway, the Irish Tourist Board, Aer Lingus, and the Aran Islands Cultural Center. The inaugural '97 Festival included the participation of Nobel Prize for Literature Winner Czeslaw Milosz; Poet Laureate of the United States Robert Hass; and internationally renowned Irish poet Eavan Boland. The Festival drew participants from throughout the world and was hailed by the Irish media as one of the finest poetry festivals in Ireland in many, many years. The 1999 Aran Islands International Poetry & Prose Festival was held from August 6 to 14. Readers included Pulitzer Prize winners Rita Dove, William Kennedy, and Frank McCourt; 1998 National Book Award winner, Alice McDermott; famed Irish novelists, Edna O'Brien and Roddy Doyle, and Chinese dissident poet, Xue Di.

Mr. Doyle’s interest in literature has led to the creation of a new Institute initiative, "Hall of Fame Press." Beginning in 2007, Hall of Fame Press will publish two to three sport-themed books per year.

Mr. Doyle has been the principal speaker at over 350 functions, including addresses at The University of Virginia, the Columbia School of Journalism, The Queen's University in Belfast, a White House conference on ethics, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick's Dinner in Scranton, Pennsylvania (where past speakers have included two U.S. Presidents, two Irish Prime Ministers, and many US Senators), and the Melberger Awards Dinner, the Division III "Heisman" trophy dinner. For the sixth consecutive year, Mr. Doyle has been selected by the NCAA Foundation to deliver lectures on sportsmanship and leadership through the Foundation’s distinguished lecturer program. Through this program, Mr. Doyle has spoken at approximately 75 Division III institutions, including schools such as Oberlin, Ohio Wesleyan, Kenyon, Pomona, Caltech, Whittier, Wheaton (IL) College, North Park College, Elmhurst College, Saint John Fisher and Elmira. He has appeared on such nationally televised shows as "Last Word" with Jim Rome and "The Best Damn Sports Show," he has been interviewed by journalists such as Sam Donaldson, and he has also been the recipient of numerous awards. Mr. Doyle has received numerous awards, including:

• February 7, 1993, Mr. Doyle was honored by Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds at the official opening of the aforementioned National Sports Arena in Dublin. At the ceremony, Prime Minister Reynolds presented Mr. Doyle with a Waterford vase for his role in the construction of the Arena and his work with Irish youth.



• April 4, 1993, Mr. Doyle was honored by his high school alma mater, St. John's High of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. He was presented the "Distinguished Alumnus Award." Mr. Doyle was the 15th recipient of this award, which was instituted at St. John's in 1978.



• On May 7, 1993, Mr. Doyle was presented the "Irish Sports Person of the Year" award by Irish President Mary Robinson at a reception at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. This award was presented to Mr. Doyle for his "significant work on behalf of youth in Ireland and Northern Ireland."



• On June 29, 1994, Mr. Doyle was presented with the "Key to the City of Worcester" for his Belfast United program.



• On May 9, 1996, Mr. Doyle was presented with the "Varsity Club" award at Worcester Academy. This award is presented annually to an alumnus who has distinguished himself or herself in athletics and career. Past recipients have included former UConn Men's Basketball Coach Donald "Dee" Rowe; Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist Bill Toomey; and former Big East Commissioner Dave Gavitt.



• On November 22, 1998, the Board of the Greater Hartford Hoop Club decided to name an award, "The Daniel E. Doyle, Jr. Humanitarian Award," in Mr. Doyle's honor. In the future, this award will be presented to an international sports educator who has demonstrated humanitarian practices in his or her work.



• On January 28, 2000, Bridgewater State College conferred an honorary doctorate of international relations to Mr. Doyle.



• On February 11, 2000, Mr. Doyle was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.



• On November 8, 2000, Mr. Doyle received the "New England Hero Award" from the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University.



• On January 4, 2001, Mr. Doyle received the "Hero Among Us" award from the Boston Celtics.



• In January 2002, Mr. Doyle was listed in The Sporting News as one of "Ten to Watch" powerful sports figures.



• May 2003, The University of Rhode Island conferred an honorary doctorate of humane letters to Mr. Doyle.



• May 2003, Mr. Doyle was elected to a five-year term on the Bates College Board of Trustees.



• June 2003, Mr. Doyle was appointed by Governor Donald Carcieri of Rhode Island as a member of the Rhode Island Commodores, a group of prominent business and civic leaders dedicated to assisting the economic development efforts of the State of Rhode Island.



• On October 9, 2003, Mr. Doyle was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the New England Basketball Coaches Association.



• May 7, 2006, Mr. Doyle was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.

Mr. Doyle is married to the former Katherine Butler and they are the parents of six children.

Daniel E. Doyle, Jr. can be reached by e-mail at ddoyle@internationalsport.com