Besides the conversation with Walter Cronkite, Convention attendees also had the chance to hear from other well-known figures during keynote sessions.

U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona focused his remarks during a January 6 address on youth health and wellness. He said in fact that the NCAA is shaping the future of the nation by helping students get in shape.

“The fact of the matter is that what you do at the NCAA is not just oversee intercollegiate athletics in the United States, but you shape our culture — you raise role models” he told delegates. “There isn’t a kid who can’t name star athletes at your universities and want to be like them. You have the potential to take a lead in helping shape the health, wellness and fitness of our children nationally.”

Carmona said the nation is in the midst of a potentially catastrophic epidemic with childhood obesity, and he encouraged the continued use of NCAA student-athletes as role models to motivate youth to make healthy choices. In noting that this year is the 50th anniversary of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness — as well as the NCAA’s Centennial — Carmona, the 17th surgeon general of the United States, suggested the two organizations form a partnership to address the issue.

“What a wonderful opportunity for us to partner to work on this terrible problem of childhood obesity,” he said.

A different kind of teamwork was highlighted during the January 7 keynote address by former basketball student-athletes David Lattin, Nevil Shed and Jerry Armstrong, and former assistant coach Henry “Moe” Iba, all members of the Texas Western College (now University of Texas at El Paso) team that captured the 1966 NCAA title. The Miners made history when then-head coach Don Haskins started five African-Americans for the first time in championship-game history. Texas Western’s 72-65 victory over the University of Kentucky is the subject of the current Disney movie “Glory Road.”

As part of the question-and-answer format moderated by Charlotte Westerhaus, NCAA vice president for diversity and inclusion, Lattin noted that, unlike the portrayal in the movie, Texas Western had been employing an all-black starting lineup throughout the season, not just the final game. Another difference between the movie and reality was the apparent tension between black and white players on the squad. Iba said those tensions didn’t exist, and he credited Haskins for doing a good job of blending the team together.

“We knew we had a unique situation with great athletes. They thought no one could beat them. They were very confident,” said Iba of the team that finished the season 28-1.

Convention delegates were treated to an advanced screening of “Glory Road” on January 6.