The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) is very pleased to announcethat Daryl Johnston has agreed to give the Keynote Presentation at the 2011 STMA Conference and Exhibition, Jan. 11-15, in Austin, TX.
Johnston played fullback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1989-1999, winning three Super Bowls (1992, 1993, 1995) and appearing in two NFL Pro Bowls (1993, 1994),including the first ever selection of a fullback in 1993. While not know for his prowess as a runner or receiver, but as a devastating blocker, Johnston was an integral part of the Cowboys dynasty and was considered a leader on and off the field.
Affectionately known as “Moose” during his career, Johnston was a prototypical fullback and led the way for 1993 NFL MVP and Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, who would go on to become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. When Smith broke the record at Texas Stadium on Oct. 27, 2002, Johnston was serving in his current role as the color commentator in the Fox broadcast booth, and was the first person Smith embraced after a ceremony noting the accomplishment.
After retiring from the NFL in 1999 due to an unexpected neck injury in week 1which would not allow him to play again, Johnston joined Fox in 2001. He was immediately placed on the network’s second broadcast team with legendary play-by-play man Dick Stockton until 2007, when he joined Kenny Albert in the booth with Tony Siragusa on the sidelines.
Johnston is very active in the Dallas-area communities he calls his adopted home with his wife and two children. He serves on the board of directors for the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee and as Chairman of SLANT 45, along with co-chairs the Honorable Mr. George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush and educational partner Big Thought. Johnston will lead SLANT 45 to become one of the largest community-wide service-learning projects in U.S. history. An estimated 20,000 elementary-age students will log a combined 45,000 hours in 112 cities across North Texas that will change the face of the region. Johnston has contributed time to many charities including the Special Olympics, Children’s Cancer Fund, Cystic Fibrosis and Literacy Instruction for Texas (LIFT). He has served as honorary chairman for MDA’s “Aisles of Smiles” campaign, an organization he has served for more than 10 years, and for the American Cancer Society’s Gunslingers’ Ball. In 1999, Johnston’s numerous community service activities led to his nomination for the prestigious Whizzer White Humanitarian Award, named in honor of former NFL player and U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Byron Whizzer White.
More than one thousand sports turf managers from across the country and around the world attend the STMA Conference and Exhibition each January where they receive the latest technical information and research available, view new products and services, network with peers, present awards and hear internationally renowned speakers and presenters. Notable previous keynote speakers at the event have included Joe Torre, Ron Santo, Joe Posnanski, and Roy Firestone.
For more information, please contact Kim Heck, STMA CEO at 800.323.3875 or kheck@stma.org.