Terry Allvord

Terry "Crash" Allvord' (born 1964) is an American baseball executive selected by President H.W. Bush to establish baseball for the Armed Forces in the modern-era. He founded United States Navy Baseball Club, U.S. Military All-Stars and teams in all other branches of the military before leading the most unique baseball enterprise ever created with current Baltimore Orioles President of Baseball Operations and former Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox General Manager, Dan Duquette to develop a military farm system to provide professional opportunities to armed forces. Built under the umbrella of the U.S. Military All-Stars, the organization is comprised of more than 50 teams worldwide at the military, collegiate and professional levels featuring the Nashua Pride of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, Pittsfield Dukes of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, Latin Stars and Heroes of the Diamond.

Career

A native of Santa Monica, California, Allvord began his career in sports as a hawker for the California Angels and was a standout catcher invited to tryout for the 1984 U.S. Olympics USA Baseball. He joined the U.S. Navy in June 1985 and completed his degree while on active duty. After graduation in 1990 from Southern Illinois University, with honors he was selected for OCS and flight training in Pensacola, Florida. He went on to serve 23 years and seven tours in the Middle East with over 5,000 flight hours as a crew chief, rescue swimmer, naval aviator and Defense/Acquisition Program Manager for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1993, he founded the "National Search and Rescue Competition / SAR Olympics" featuring the top military and civilian Combat, Inland, Maritime and Urban Search and Rescue professionals worldwide attracting international defense, corporate and media interest. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he served on the USS TARAWA LHA-1, USS ESSEX LHD-2 and Commander Task Force 76, as air officer for Rear Admiral Gary Jones. He also served as Director, Special Programs for Commander, Navy Region Southwest creating the annual Navy-Marine Corps All-Star Game, the centerpiece in building the San Diego Padres into the Official Team of the Navy and Marine Corps.

Navy-Marine Corps All-Star Game

Allvord created the Navy-MarineCorps All-Star Game played each summer immediately following a San Diego Padres game. The event features the "Best of the Best" dedicated to Pearl Harbor survivor Commander Lawrence S. Jackman, U.S. Navy. The most valuable player award is dedicated to Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Wayne Kidd, USMC, who was killed in the line of duty while stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in March 1996. The current record for the annual contest is a 9-9 tie between the Navy and Marine Corps. The most recent contest was claimed by the U.S. Military All-Stars defeating the United States Marine Corps 12-1 and played in Tony Gwynn Stadium at San Diego State University.

U.S. Military All-Stars "Red, White & Blue Tour"

The U.S. Military All-Stars have earned 15 Armed Forces Championships and dedicated to the proud tradition and growth of military baseball worldwide. Players represent some of the most talented first responders and military athletes in the world. Most have deployed in the Global War on Terrorism and "Promote the Awareness of all Americans in Support of the Honorable Sacrifices our Armed Forces make on the front lines." Over 25,000 active duty, reserve, Veterans and first Responders have participated in the program, making it the most popular summer baseball exhibition in the world. In 2002, the program was featured on the CBS TV Series JAG episode "The Boast". The annual "Red, White & Blue Tour" barnstorming 45 states and 12 countries makes it possible to compete against the top summer collegiate and professional teams around the world.

Following the 2008 season, Dan Duquette joined forces with retired U.S. Navy Commander Terry Allvord, founder of the U.S. Military All-Stars "Red, White & Blue Tour" and executives of Nokona Athletic Goods Company to create a new ownership group dedicated to providing opportunities for members of the United States' armed forces and military academies. The group changed the name of the Dukes to the Pittsfield American Defenders, which has a double meaning for the U.S. military (as defenders of America), and a new glove made by Nokona, called the American Defender. The new alignment of the ownership group featured instant growth to five teams, which included the Nashua Pride name change to American Defenders of New Hampshire of the Can-Am League, managed by former Red Sox Brian Daubach; the U.S. Military All-Stars "Red, White & Blue Tour" (Domestic); the U.S. Military All-Stars "Red, White & Blue Diplomacy Tour" (International); and the Latin Stars. The U.S. Military All-Stars continue their reputation as a patriotic force in baseball with impressive winning credentials. They posted a record of 31-6-1 against professional and summer collegiate programs like the Boston Red Sox and Cape Cod Baseball League. Over 20 players were offered professional contracts in 2009, making it an ideal source for future talent.

U.S. Military All-Stars "Red, White & Blue Diplomacy Tour"

Created annual Baseball Diplomacy Friendship Tours for Southern and Central Commands, 7th Fleet and Major League Baseball in support of missions to Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Cuba, and Chile. Established partnership with MLB Alumni to provide initial field managing experience to former major league players including: Brian Daubach, Ivan Cruz, Pedro Guerrero, Rick Wilkins, Elias Sosa and Omar Moreno.

Heroes of the Diamond "Road to Ground Zero Tour"

Over the past decade, the Ground Zero Flag that was on site when President George W. Bush delivered his famous “Bullhorn Speech” following the September 11 attacks has been presented to thousands of heroes in ceremonies from Iraq to Afghanistan and back. In 2011, the Ground Zero Flag was presented all over the nation by the U.S. Military All-Stars during the "Road to Ground Zero Tour" on its cross-country journey.

American Defenders of New Hampshire

Following the 2008 season, a Nashua resident who bought the team in January 2006 to prevent it from relocating sold the team to the American Defenders of New Hampshire, LLC led by Dan Duquette who joined forces with retired U.S. Navy Commander Terry Allvord, founder of the U.S. Military All-Stars "Red, White & Blue Tour" and executives of Nokona Athletic Goods Company to create a new ownership group dedicated to providing opportunities for members of the United States' armed forces and military academies. The group changed the club's name from the Nashua Pride to the American Defenders of New Hampshire, placing more emphasis on state-wide appeal. They kept General Manager Chris Hall and promoted Brian Daubach from Hitting Coach to Field Manager. Despite an extremely challenging inaugural season and renovation of Historic Holman Stadium and suites, the Defenders were renamed and moved to Pittsfield, MA. The Pittsfield Colonials played for the CanAm League Championship in year two and returned to the Play-offs in season three before disbanding due to poor attendance.

American Defenders

In their inaugural season, the Defenders were led by former American Baseball Coaches Association Chairman and collegiate baseball legends Dr. Carroll Land and Coach Bob Warn assisted by Coach Ron Swen. Due to the timing of the new partnership and the desire to hold as many spots as possible for players from military schools and service academies, the roster was extremely late in taking shape. The military academies had a hard time providing talent to a premier NECBL team interested in dedicating their efforts to provide an opportunity for their players. Add to that a nation-wide economic downturn, stadium under construction, a daily sun delay and at one point submerged under two feet of water, and Pittsfield faced every challenge imaginable.

Newport Gulls

Allvord worked alongside baseball legend Lou Gorman to lead the Newport Gulls as Vice President, General Manager and Head Coach, expanding fan interest and franchise values among 12 teams in 5 New England States. He built the foundation for the franchise leading the Gulls to Back-to-Back New England Collegiate Baseball League Championships in 2001-2002 while recruiting numerous future major leaguers setting records on and off the field placing the franchise in the top three for attendance, sales, and wins.

Naval Academy Preparatory School

He was the first-ever Athletic Director selected to lead the Navy's fourth oldest school while serving on active duty; only the Naval War College, the Naval Post Graduate School and the Naval Academy are older. As Head Baseball Coach, Allvord guided the program to a 22-5 record in his first year following 14 straight losing seasons. Over 90 new records were set during his tenure at the Naval Academy Preparatory School, known as NAPS. It serves as the preparatory school for the United States Naval Academy located at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. Due to the difficult nature of the Naval Academy's entrance examination, then Undersecretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt also allowed the school to prepare Sailors and Marines with the mission "To enhance Midshipman Candidates' moral, mental, and physical foundations to prepare them for success at the United States Naval Academy".

Honors

In 2003, he earned the Captain Harry T. Jenkins Leadership Award, was National Image Award finalist and was selected as an Advantage Hero Vet. He served in the aftermath of numerous disasters including Hurricane Katrina and Ground Zero at the World Trade Center in New York City assisting in the recovery of personnel lost in the 9-11 tragedy arriving on scene less than 24-hours after the attack. His experiences led him to establish the “So Others May Live Foundation” and his story “Back from Ground Zero” was published worldwide.

Books

He has also written two books for use by military recruiters: “The Mustang Handbook: Guide to Becoming a Military Officer” and “Goal Setting: Formula for Success” He was a contributor to "When Baseball Went to War" and continues his work on a fourth book, “Home and Away: An American Life in the 9-11 Generation”. He is co-author of "Heroes of the Diamond" a children's book featuring the historic mission to return a Ground Zero Flag back to New York for the 10th anniversary of 9-11.

Heroes of the Diamond. 2011, ISBN-10 1936319519

External links

• U.S. Military All-Stars "Red, White & Blue Tour"

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