Olympic gold medalist to talk business March 22

March 14, 2018 | Events, News, UToday, Advancement, Business and Innovation
By Bob Mackowiak



John Naber, Olympic gold medal winner and sportscaster, will visit The University of Toledo to give the Edwin Dodd Distinguished Lecture Series in Business Ethics.

The public is invited to hear him speak Thursday, March 22, at 7 p.m. in the Driscoll Alumni Center Auditorium.

Naber

Naber’s presentation is titled “Pursuing Victory With Honor.”

In today’s difficult business environment, the temptation to “cut corners” has never been greater. Delivering his remarks in a friendly and unthreatening manner, Naber enables his audiences to learn how to succeed without violating ethical standards. He believes that nice guys can finish first.

In 1976, Naber became the most highly decorated member of the U.S. Olympic Team, winning four gold medals and one silver, and setting four world records in the sport of swimming. In the process, he became the first swimmer in Olympic history to win two individual medals on the same day.

One year later, he led his school, the University of Southern California, to his and its fourth consecutive undefeated season and national title, and won the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete.

Moving to broadcasting, Naber worked for all the major networks and almost every cable channel covering his sport at local, national and international meets. In 1984, he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame, just two days before he carried the Olympic torch, and later the Olympic flag, into the Los Angeles Olympic opening ceremony. In 1986, Naber began working as a play-by-play announcer, covering sports as varied as motorcross, skiing, gymnastics, football, bowling and equestrian events. He has hosted coverage for more than 30 different sports and for seven Olympic Games.

As a keen observer of excellence, Naber has discovered the method by which champions in all walks of life use to reach their goals, and he shares this process along with his personal insights to audiences all over the globe.

Sponsored by Dana Inc. and Owens-Illinois Inc., and co-hosted by the UT College of Business and Innovation, the College of Law, and the Jesup Scott Honors College, the event is free, but registration is requested at utoledo.edu/business/edwindodd.

The Edwin Dodd Distinguished Lecture Series in Business Ethics celebrates the legacy of the late chairman, CEO and president of Owens-Illinois Corp. Established in 2003 through a collaborative effort led by the Dodd Family with partners Owens-Illinois and the Dana Corp., this fund was established as an enduring memorial to Dodd, spotlighting his work in the business world and the Toledo community. The purpose of the fund is to support the ongoing Distinguished Lecture Series in Business Ethics.

The fund is housed in the College of Business and Innovation and partners with both Dana Corp. and Owens-Illinois with representatives sitting on the planning committee, along with a member of the Dodd family, with the goal of leveraging national networks to identify and feature experts in the field on a biannual basis.