The Youngstown State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is pleased to announce the Jim and Leighton Holmes Scholarship to enhance the YSU Athletics Scholarship Endowment Fund.
This scholarship was recently established by Jim and Leighton Holmes. Jim Holmes was a member of the football team from 1971 to 1973, playing under legendary coach Dwight “Dike” Beede. He earned his degree in Management and Accountancy from YSU in 1975. He worked a combined 30 years with Youngstown Sheet & Tube, Honeywell International and the Emerson Electric Corporation. As a Strategic Director & Regional Manager, he worked in the Middle East, Africa, Germany and Brazil. While serving in this capacity, Jim and Leighton lived in Denver, Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and Minneapolis, Minn.
Retiring in 2005 and living in Minneapolis, Jim and Leighton are avid cyclists. They sponsor, work and train with amateur and professional cyclists in Minnesota and Canada. They enjoy riding and training on both the open road and the Velodrome track during the warm Minnesota months. “Blood, Sweat and Gears…it’s the journey, not the destination.” They are both proud to pay it forward and help future generations of student-athletes reach their full potential.
The recipient of the scholarship endowment will be a student-athlete on the football team with preference given to a major in the Williamson College of Business Administration. The 2018-19 recipient of the endowment is junior cornerback D.J. Smalls.
“I grew up in a small northeastern Ohio town with limited financial resources to continue my education beyond high school,” Jim Holmes said. “I was blessed with athletic talent, several caring coaches, and a desire to compete and study at the next level. Coach Dike Beede gave me that very opportunity when I was at my greatest time of need. While at YSU, I had an average athletic career but more important, I left with a degree and a better shot at a future. Youngstown State led me to Youngstown Steel which would lead me to two more Fortune 500 companies over the next 30 years. Opportunities and a journey I never dreamt possible to a small-town kid.
“I’m paying it forward because it’s simply the right thing to do! I know that today, there’s another kid out there just like me facing the same financial challenges with the same dreams. If I can help make their dreams a reality, I will consider this donation ‘My’ greatest contribution to this institution.”
Paul McFadden, President of the YSU Foundation, said Jim and Leighton Holmes have been very successful and they never forgot the importance of their YSU experience.
“Jim Holmes has been all over the world and a big reason for that was his education at Youngstown State University,” McFadden said. “This scholarship endowment will impact the life a YSU football student-athlete. We are very thankful for Jim and Leighton to support YSU.”
For more information, or to endow an athletic scholarship at Youngstown State University, contact Dan Kopp at the YSU Foundation at (330) 941-3211 or dkopp@ysufoundation.org
