Sports Envoy
Sports Envoy Program

Region: South & Central Asia

Heidi Moore

Judo

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  Turkmenistan

Heidi Moore, LAT, ATC started judo in 1986 in Santa Monica, California. She currently holds the rank of godan, or 5th degree black belt. Heidi has had competitive success at every stage of her career, medaling multiple times at national tournaments at the junior, high school, collegiate, senior, and masters levels. She has won 11 medals at the USA Judo Senior National Championships. She represented the United States at the 2005 and 2007 World Championships and at the 2005, 2007 and 2008 Pan American Championships. She finished the 2007 Pan American Championships with a bronze medal.

Heidi moved to Denver in 1999 and took over Denver Judo with her husband Scott. Through Scott, Heidi became involved in the US Paralympic judo program and has served as a coach for the national team many times, including serving as the assistant coach at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Heidi serves as head instructor and executive director of Denver Judo and enjoys teaching the youth and senior competitive classes.

Heidi is a Certified Athletic Trainer and an International “A” level coach with USA Judo

Dartanyon Crockett

Judo

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  Turkmenistan

Dartanyon Crockett was born with Leber’s disease, a genetic condition causing progressive vision loss. After his mother died when he was just eight years old, Dartanyon endured a life of transiency and extreme poverty at the mercy of his father who struggled with substance abuse. Wrestling became an important outlet for Crockett throughout high school, and it was on the mats that the he met his best friend, Leroy Sutton. Sutton lost his legs in train accident at age eleven, and Crockett physically carried Sutton on his back through practices and competitions. In 2009, ESPN featured the extraordinary friendship between these two young men, inspiring thousands of viewers to lift them out of poverty….In 2010, Crockett was invited to try blind judo. Just two years into this new venture, he shocked the world by winning a bronze medal at the London Paralympic Games. Crockett has qualified his weight class for the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games with his victory at last year’s IBSA World Championships.

Angela Meyer

Kickboxing

Mixed Martial Arts

Served as envoy

  • 2019  –  Pakistan
  • 2020  –  Kyrgyzstan

Angela Meyer is an internationally known teacher, public speaker and activist. She has worked in the favelas of Brazil, Honduras, Costa Rica, Mexico, taught young girls self defense in Pakistan and Nairobi, Kenya.

She is a black belt in self defense, a competitive Muay Thai fighter and Boxer, renowned yoga instructor, leads yoga teacher trainings and retreats, is a Budokon Brown Belt and Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt.

Angela has also worked at an AIDS Hospice for homeless men and women in Washington DC for over 15 years, is an End of Life Care Counselor, Buddhist Chaplain and has a Masters of Divinity.

In addition, Angela is the Empowerment Director for Global Journalist Security, leading hostile environment trainings both domestically and abroad, owner of Warrior Woman Republic, and columnist for Elephant Journal.

She loves to laugh, play with kids, and if not wearing black boots, you’ll find her barefoot in the grass.

Lonnie Hannah II

Sledge Hockey

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  Kazakhstan
  • 2016  –  Slovakia

Lonnie Hannah II is a former ice sledge hockey player. He won medals with Team USA at the 2002 Winter Paralympics and 2006 Paralympics.

He received the Whang Youn Dai Overcome Prize for competing at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Turin, after being diagnosed with cancer the previous year. He also carried his country’s flag at the Games’ Closing Ceremony. In 2007 he started to coach the first ice sledge hockey program in Texas, affiliated to the San Antonio Rampage American Hockey League [AHL] team. The team’s roster contains mainly injured military personnel in rehabilitation at San Antonio’s Brooke Army Medical Center [BAMC].

Andrew Yohe

Sledge Hockey

Served as envoy

  • 2014  –  Kazakhstan

Andy Yohe began playing the Sledge Hockey in 2002 with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago [RIC] Blackhawks in United States of America. He played wheelchair basketball after his accident, but also searched for a sport he could play outside the basketball season. He had always been an ice hockey fan, so once he discovered Para ice hockey he wanted to give it a go.

After winning a gold medal at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, he retired from the sport to spend more time with his family. In 2013 he made a comeback and went on to win gold at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi. Soon after the event he retired from Para ice hockey for a second time, but in 2016 he made another return to the sport with the aim of winning a third Paralympic gold in 2018. “It’s all about the love of the game and being part of the team more than anything. I feel like with all the work we’ve put in previously, we’re working on creating a dynasty, not just one great Games here or there. It’s more of a long-term success of the programme and I’d like to be a part of it.”

Tracy Noonan

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Guatemala
  • 2013  –  Costa Rica
  • 2014  –  Tonga
  • 2016  –  Fiji
  • 2016  –  Nepal

A potent combination of talent and tenacity carried Tracy Noonan (formerly Ducar) to the top of the women’s soccer world. Her list of accomplishments includes a 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship with the United States women’s national team and three NCAA championships with the powerhouse North Carolina Tar Heels. She also was a founding member of the Women’s United Soccer Association, backstopping a Boston Breakers team that included USA and international stars Kristine Lilly, Kate Sobrero Markgraf, Maren Meinert (Germany) and Dagny Mellgren (Norway).

Not bad for a player whose career was almost derailed by a broken back suffered during a high school basketball game.

Since retiring as an active player, Tracy has devoted herself to teaching and coaching, and was head soccer coach at Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC before deciding to devote herself full-time to Dynasty Goalkeeping.

Career Highlights:
3-time NCAA champion at the University of North Carolina (1991-95)
U.S. Women’s National Team goalkeeper (1996-99)
Alternate on the 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympic Soccer Team
1999 Women’s World Cup Team
Founding member of the WUSA and goalkeeper for the Boston Breakers (2001-03)
Winner of the Boston Breakers Shield Award (2001)
Member of the New England Women’s Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 2001)
Goalkeeper coach at UNC-Greensboro (1998-99)
Head Soccer Coach at Greensboro College (2004-05)

Linda Hamilton

Soccer

Served as envoy

  • 2007  –  Philippines
  • 2010  –  Ivory Coast
  • 2011  –  Brazil
  • 2013  –  Chile
  • 2014  –  Bangladesh
  • 2015  –  Burma
  • 2016  –  China
  • 2019  –  Egypt

Linda Hamilton enters her fifth season as head coach of the Southwestern women’s soccer team, coming off a season in which she was named the SCAC Coach of the Year, leading the Pirates to the SCAC Championship match.

Hamilton brings a wealth of experience to the program, both as a player and coach. She played collegiately at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina, earning All-America status and all-conference honors all four years. She was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1988. Hamilton was a member of the United States National Team, where she played in 82 international matches. She helped the team to a World Cup gold medal in 1991 and bronze in 1995.

Hamilton, who owns a United States Soccer Federation “A” coaching license, got her start in coaching at Old Dominion University as the team’s head coach from 1993 to 1995. She later served as an assistant at Hofstra University (2006-2007) and most recently served as head coach at the University of North Florida (2007-2013). She has additionally worked with the Easter Seals and National Multiple Sclerosis Society (2002-2006), serving as director of development.

Vladimir Radmanovic

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2017  –  Kazakhstan

Born in 1980 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vladimir Radmanovic was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft. Playing with Seattle until 2006, Radmanovic then played for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Charlotte Bobcats, the Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, and Chicago Bulls. Over the course of his 15 years in the NBA, Radmanovic started 213 games as a Power and Small Forward, averaging 8 points per game.

Sam Perkins

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2005  –  Algeria
  • 2008  –  Kyrgyzstan
  • 2008  –  Kazakhstan
  • 2009  –  Qatar
  • 2010  –  Indonesia
  • 2011  –  South Sudan
  • 2012  –  United Kingdom
  • 2022  –  Albania

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Perkins attended Samuel J. Tilden High School. He later attended and graduated from Shaker High School in Latham, New York. He was named large-school player of the year (high school) by the New York State Sportswriters Association in 1980 and was also named to the 35 Greatest Boys McDonald’s All Americans team.

Perkins attended college at the University of North Carolina and played basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1980 to 1984. He was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 1981 and starred alongside future NBA Hall of Famers James Worthy and Michael Jordan on the Tar Heels’ 1982 NCAA championship team. A three-time All-American, Perkins was the 1984 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. Perkins finished his collegiate basketball career as the Tar Heels’ all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots and as the second-highest scorer in team history. He graduated from UNC in 1984.

Perkins was a co-captain of the gold-medal-winning 1984 U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team.

Chosen by the Dallas Mavericks as the fourth overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, Perkins went on to play as a power forward and center in the NBA from 1984 to 2001. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1985. Perkins played for the Dallas Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Indiana Pacers, respectively. He scored a career-high 45 points on April 12, 1990. Perkins tied an NBA record on January 15, 1997 by making eight three-pointers without a miss. He appeared in three NBA Finals: The 1991 NBA Finals (with the Lakers), the 1996 NBA Finals (with the SuperSonics), and the 2000 NBA Finals (with the Pacers). In Game One of the 1991 NBA Finals, Perkins made a game-winning three-point shot to defeat the Chicago Bulls. He was known by the nicknames “Sleepy Sam”, “Big Smooth”, and “The Big Easy”.

Since his retirement in 2001, Perkins has been actively involved in a variety of charitable endeavors, including Special Olympics, Nothing But Nets in conjunction with the United Nations, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers, Carolina for Kibera, NBA Cares, Basketball Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity.

In 2002, Perkins was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men’s basketball team as one of the fifty greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history.

In 2008, Perkins was named vice president of player relations for the Indiana Pacers. That September, he was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.

In October 2011, Perkins traveled to South Sudan as a SportsUnited Sports Envoy for the U.S. Department of State, where he worked with Hall of Fame NBA center Dikembe Mutombo to lead a series of basketball clinics and team building exercises with youths, the South Sudanese Wheelchair Basketball Team, and 36 coaches.

Perkins was named to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.

Marty Conlon

Basketball

Served as envoy

  • 2011  –  Uzbekistan
  • 2011  –  Jordan
  • 2012  –  Burma
  • 2014  –  South Korea

As a manager of International Basketball Operations at the National Basketball Association (NBA), Martin Conlon conducts basketball grassroots events all over the world, organizing, coaching in, recruiting for, and creating curriculum for camps, clinics, or coaching seminars. He also maintains relationships with international basketball federations, clubs, and organizations.

Conlon has led the NBA Haier Academy camps in mainland China for the last three years, working in nine different cities and acting as the lead scout and championship coach of the reality TV show NBA Mengniu Basketball Disciple. In 2008, Conlon also led the first-ever “NBA Hoop School” program in India, working with local coaches in Bangalore, Mumbai, and New Delhi.

Prior to joining the NBA front office, Conlon enjoyed an extensive professional basketball career, most recently as the captain and player/coach of the Irish National Team. He played one season in Spain, another in Greece, and three in Italy. Conlon played in the NBA from 1991 to 1999, spending time on the rosters of Seattle, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Miami.

A member of the Westchester County Hall of Fame, Conlon is also a junior council member of New York’s Museum of Natural History, a junior board member of SEEDS (Sports for Education and Economic Development in Senegal) and a member of the Hawk Mountain conservancy.

As a player at Providence College – from which he holds a bachelor’s degree – Conlon played on the 1987 NCAA Final Four team. He returned to the tournament with Providence in 1989 and 1990.