Four distinguished Dartmouth alumni appeared on the list of the "50 Most Powerful African Americans in Sports," as selected by Black Enterprise magazine in its March issue.
These individuals are not current professional athletes, but executives and business persons in the sports industry. They are Jimmie Lee Solomon '78, senior vice president of baseball operations for Major League Baseball, Reggie Williams '76, vice president of Disney World Attractions, Kery D. Davis '79, senior vice president of sports programming for HBO, and Pamela M. Wheeler '89, director of operations for the Women's National Basketball Association.
Solomon had a distinguished sports career at Dartmouth, lettering in both football and track and field. His All-Ivy League performance on the track as a sprinter translated into a productive two seasons on the football field where he caught 27 passes for 420 yards.
After graduating as a history major and Albert Bradley Scholar, Solomon enrolled at Harvard Business School.
In 1991, Solomon moved to Major League Baseball, first as executive director of minor league operations and then in 2000 as the senior vice president of baseball operations. Solomon helped heal the rift between the major and minor leagues and has been a staunch advocate for change in Major League Baseball, helping to establish international baseball academies throughout the world.
Williams, Solomon's football teammate, also earned this distinction. Williams shined on the football field as an All-Ivy linebacker from 1973-1975 and a first-team All American in 1975. Like Solomon, Williams excelled in two sports as he was named an All-Ivy heavyweight in 1975 for his success on the wrestling mat.
After receiving his Bachelors of Arts degree in psychology, Williams played for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals for 14 years as an All-Pro linebacker, where he made two Super Bowl appearances in 1982 and 1989. In 1986, Williams was named the NFL's Man of the Year.
Williams was then appointed to the Cincinnati City Council in 1988 where he was subsequently reelected. In 1993, however, Disney hired Williams as the director of sports development where he oversaw the construction of the Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.
A year after the completion of this world-renowned complex, Williams was named the Vice President of Disney Attractions, assuming responsibility for nearly all facets of sports-related entertainment at Walt Disney World.
Davis excelled on the basketball court, earning his varsity letter as the Big Green's point guard. However, Davis' true passion lay in the boxing ring, where he was drawn to one of the world's most ancient sport as a high school student in the Bronx.
In 1997, the lure of this sport became too strong as Davis left his previous job to work for HBO as vice president of sports programming. In this capacity, Davis oversees programming and negotiations for the HBO's World Championship and the Boxing After Dark series. Furthermore, Davis oversees Oscar De La Hoya's Latino boxing series on HBO Latino, Boxeo de Oro. As a true fan of the game, Davis is able to provide an integral insight into the world of boxing, helping to create the world's most popular boxing programs.
Wheeler earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1989 from Dartmouth and then her Law Degree from Boston University in 1995.
In 1999, Wheeler was hired by the WNBA for its newly-created position of director of operations. As her first task, she was assigned the negotiations of the collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and the WNBPA, the first ever CBA in professional women's sports.
Today, Wheeler handles much of the day-to-day operations of the WNBA, oversees negotiations and helps to foster professional women's sports by providing support to college graduates and former WNBPA players.
