KU News Release

Pro athletes-turned-businessmen visit KU for Entrepreneurship Week

LAWRENCE — Former pro athletes Bud Stallworth, Bobby Douglass and Deron Cherry will visit the University of Kansas for Entrepreneurship Week.

The athletes-turned-business leaders will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, at Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

The KU Entrepreneurship Club (E-Club) will host the event as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Nov. 17-23, when universities and organizations worldwide hold events designed to inspire, connect, inform, mentor and engage the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Adam Hofmann, KU School of Business student and president of the E-Club, said the event will be informative and inspiring.

“We are thrilled to have Bobby, Bud and Deron as guest speakers to describe how they leveraged their competitive athletic spirit to create entrepreneurial successes,” said Hofmann. “Each has a fascinating and entertaining story which all who attend this event will enjoy.”

In November 2006, the multidisciplinary E-Club was formed to develop entrepreneurial skills and networks for KU students, staff and faculty. Wally Meyer, director of entrepreneurship programs in the School of Business, is faculty adviser for the club. Past E-Club guest speakers included Michael Herman, past president of the Kansas City Royals, and Carl Schramm, CEO of the Kauffman Foundation.

Isaac “Bud” Stallworth played basketball for KU and later played five seasons with professional basketball teams the Seattle Supersonics and the New Orleans Jazz (now the Utah Jazz). Stallworth owned restaurants in Los Angeles and Maui before returning to KU in 1987. Stallworth is assistant director of Design and Construction Management at KU and a limited partner in commercial property development projects in Lawrence. He is a motivational speaker and co-hosts a radio sports talk show on KWLN 1320 AM.

Deron Cherry was a strong safety and punter at Rutgers University and played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1981 to 1991. In 1995, Cherry became the first African-American to co-own a professional NFL team, the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also is a managing general partner with United Beverage, a local Anheuser-Busch distributor, and founded the public service organization Score 1 for Health, which provides annual checkups for children.

Robert “Bobby” Douglass is a native Kansan who played quarterback for KU from 1965 to 1969. Most of his professional football career was spent playing for the Chicago Bears. He played with the San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers as well. After retiring from his 10-season career in the NFL, Douglass invested in Chicago restaurants and real estate sales and was a partner in the ownership of three hotels, including the Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence, which was remodeled in 1995 during Douglass’ tenure.

For more information on Global Entrepreneurship Week, visit www.unleashingideas.org.

For information on entrepreneurship programs at KU, visit www.business.ku.edu.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.