The Youngstown State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is pleased to announce the creation of the Chris and Ann-Marie Adams Scholarship to enhance the YSU Athletics Scholarship Endowment Fund.
The Chris and Ann-Marie Adams Scholarship has been established by Chris and Ann-Marie Adams in support of a student-athlete dedicated to teamwork and a strong work ethic. Chris Adams was a football student-athlete for Youngstown State from 1985-88. He lettered as a true freshman under Head Coach Bill Narduzzi before playing his next three years for Head Coach Jim Tressel.
Adams, a native of Sarasota, Fla., was an offensive guard for the Penguins during his four-year career. He was a member of the 1987 squad that won the Ohio Valley Conference title and was YSU’s first FCS playoff-qualifying squad.
He has served as a business executive since graduating from YSU. Chris pioneered Enterprise Rent-A-Car in the United Kingdom as the company’s first overseas venture. He served as Vice President and General Manager at Enterprise for 16 years. Currently, he is the Senior Vice President for Store Operations for Pep Boys, a nationwide retail and chain operation with over 800 stores across the United States.
This scholarship will be awarded annually to recognize the efforts of a YSU football student-athlete. The student-athlete must maintain a GPA of 3.2 and be enrolled in the Williamson College of Business Administration.
Adams said the teamwork he learned as a member of the football program, and, the education he received from YSU instilled the drive for him to be a success.
“Ann-Marie and I felt that it was important to give back to YSU as it played such a big part in my life laying the foundation for hard work and discipline which has helped me tremendously in my work career,” Chris Adams said. “We are very proud to be able to play a small part in giving to a young scholar-athlete the same opportunity that was awarded to me.”
Paul McFadden, President of the YSU Foundation, said both Chris and Ann-Marie have often offered support to academics and athletics at Youngstown State University.
“Chris is a fine example of what someone who graduates from Youngstown State University can accomplish,” McFadden said. “He worked hard as a student-athlete to be successful and the traits he learned while at YSU helped him reach his goals in life off the field. We are thankful to Chris and Ann-Marie for their generosity.”
For more information, or to endow an athletic scholarship at Youngstown State University, contact the Dan Kopp at the YSU Foundation at (330) 941-3211 or dkopp@ysufoundatio.org
