Nov. 13, 2008

Photo Gallery

DALLAS, Texas - Conference USA men's soccer players spent part of Thursday afternoon at the Larry Johnson Recreation Center as part of C-USA's continued efforts to become the best Division I-A collegiate conference in athletics, academics and in the community. Ten student-athletes participated in the event that included teaching the children basic soccer skills, handing out t-shirts and water bottles and just talking to the kids.

Players from tournament host SMU and the four semifinal teams in the 2008 C-USA Men's Soccer Championship (Kentucky, South Carolina, Tulsa and UCF) put smiles on the children's faces, while flashing a few smiles of their own in return.

The student-athletes spent most of their time in the main gymnasium showing the basic skills of soccer and getting in small groups to demonstrate some of their own advanced skills. The t-shirts that were distributed were signed by all the student-athletes and a few group photos were also taken at the conclusion of the afternoon.

The Larry Johnson Recreation Center is a 14,000 square foot multi-purpose facility that was built with a generous contribution from former NBA, UNLV and Dallas Skyline basketball star Larry Johnson. He donated close to $1 million to the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department with the intent for the money to be used to build a new recreation center in the Fair Park area of Dallas.

The center provides the surrounding neighborhood a community gathering place that is functional as well as exciting in design. The project stands as one of Dallas Parks' finest and features a gymnasium, multi-purpose rooms, ceramics room, dining room, offices, weight room, learning center and computer lab.