June 14, 2007
TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics
FROM: Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics
I hope you are all settling in to a wonderful summer full of at least some rest and relaxation. Here at Georgia Tech we are already gearing up for the 2007 football season. Don’t forget, only 78 days remain before we kick off at Notre Dame. It was great to see our group of new incoming freshmen student-athletes arrive on campus today to begin their summer session and orientation process, reminding me of just how close we are to another academic and athletic year.
I have already written many times about the buzz surrounding the ticket office as we press on toward the final season ticket renewal deadline on June 22. We remain confident that our season ticket totals will equal or surpass last year’s numbers. Nearby, our Promotions and Events staff is in full swing putting together the most dynamic and entertaining game-day experience in our program’s history. Our pre-game events, halftime shows, video presentations and game day music should offer an entertainment bonanza for all our fans. More details and information will be forthcoming in future editions of The Good Word.
BASEBALL
I want to pass along congratulations to the 10 members of the baseball team that were selected last week in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. It marks just the second time in school history that 10 Yellow Jackets were selected in the draft, and is a testament of everything these guys have contributed to our program. Danny Hall had four of his players, Matt Wieters, Danny Payne, Michael Fisher and Tim Ladd to go in the top 10 rounds, while all three of the Yellow Jackets’ seniors were selected in the draft and will begin their professional careers this weekend.
While Wieters became just the third player in the program history to be selected within one of the top five picks, Georgia Tech became just one of two schools in the nation to have a player taken in the top-five in both the NFL and MLB Drafts this season. What an amazing achievement, not only for our football and baseball programs, but for our athletics department as a whole.
ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS
I’d also like to congratulate women’s tennis All-American Kristi Miller, golf All-American Roberto Castro and swimming standout Ofer Finkler, who have all earned ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America honors for 2007. Kristi, a junior with a perfect 4.0 GPA that is majoring in history, technology and society, has earned first-team Academic All-America honors for the second time in her career, while Roberto, who capped his career at Georgia Tech with his second-straight first-team Academic All-America honor, graduated with a degree in industrial engineering this May with a 3.81 GPA. Ofer was named a second-team Academic All-America after graduating with a 3.96 GPA in electrical engineering.
THE WHITE HOUSE
And don’t forget to catch a glimpse of our national champion women’s tennis team as they visit the White House on Monday. They will be part of a delegation of 27 national champion teams from various NCAA sports who will meet with President Bush. After a private audience with the President, the student-athletes will receive formal remarks from the President in the Rose Garden. We are hopeful to have some media coverage of the event.
As always, we welcome your feedback ( goodword@athletics.gatech.edu ). Please know that even if I’m not able to send a personal response to everyone, I do read each email, and I appreciate the support and passion of every Georgia Tech fan.
