By Rachael Sklar
DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks are extremely proud of their employees, who are being recognized at the local, state-wide, and national levels for the incredible accomplishments in the sports world. Here’s a look at at the recent awards and/or honors for Chris Arnold, Rolando Blackman and Mark Followill:
Chris Arnold
On February 23rd, The Dallas African American Museum added 10 new names to its gallery honoring African Americans who have made outstanding contributions to sports. Dallas Mavericks game night Emcee and Inclusion Ambassador, Chris Arnold is a member of the 2019 inductees.
Chris Arnold has been a part of the Mavericks broadcasting department since 1996. Arnold goes beyond his Inclusion Ambassador and Game Night Emcee responsibilities and continues to be involved in many of the team’s off the court promotions including public speaking, marketing initiatives and other broadcast endeavors. The Mavericks are so lucky to have Chris Arnold as part of the team and are so excited about his induction into the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame. Congrats Chris!
[The Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame (TBSHOF), housed at the African American Museum, was established to chronicle the sports history contributions made by African Americans. It was established in 1996 to honor coaches and athletes of high character and athletic achievement, who are either Texans by birth or by athletic participation (collegiate or professional), and who have made recognizable contributions to African American culture and/or history.]
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Rolando Blackman
On January 29, 2019, Rolando Blackman’s high school Jersey from William E. Grady High School was retired as he was be inducted into the Grady HS Athletic Hall of Fame. It is on that day, the Brooklyn Borough President, Mr. Eric Adams, has proclaimed the day as Rolando Blackman Day.
Grady High School was where Blackman’s passions and skills developed, and by the time he was a senior, he was named a NYC All-city basketball in player. He then went on to play at Kansas State University before being drafted with the ninth overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in 1981.
Blackman has been a legend for the Dallas Mavericks, both on and off the court. After his 13 seasons in the NBA came to an end, Blackman continued his basketball career in many different positions with the Dallas Mavericks including defensive coordinator, assistant coach, and Director of Player Development and currently serves at the Vice President of Corporate Relations. Blackman is a true Maverick and we congratulate him on his high school jersey retirement. Go Ro!
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Mark Followill
The voice of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Followill, was recently voted the 2018 Texas Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Followill is the television play-by-play announcer for the Dallas Mavericks on FOX Sports Southwest and for FC Dallas soccer. This is Followill’s first win and he will be honored at the 60th annual NSMA Awards weekend in June.
Followill has completed 19 seasons as part of Dallas Mavericks broadcasts, and 13 seasons as play-by-play voice of the Mavs television broadcasts on Fox Sports Southwest and TXA21. Followill is a legend in the Dallas community and the Mavericks are so proud of his Sportscaster of the Year award. Congrats Mark!
[The National Sports Media Association, Inc.is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which seeks to develop educational opportunities for those who are interested in pursuing a career in sports media, through networking, interning, mentoring and scholarship programs. The NSMA also honors, preserves and celebrates the diverse legacy of sports media in the United States. Founded in 1959 as the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association in Salisbury, N.C., the NSSA added its Hall of Fame in 1962, with Grantland Rice as its first member. The organization rebranded to the National Sports Media Association in 2016 and moved to Winston-Salem, N.C. one year later. For more information on NSMA, go to nationalsportsmedia.org]
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