Dowling College - Commencement

Upcoming Info Sessions, Workshops & Open Houses

View Schedule & R.S.V.P.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008
10:30 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.

Commencement Speaker: Allan Houston

Allan Houston
- Biography -

As a man of faith and strong family values, Allan Houston lives his life with a determination to utilize his success as a professional athlete to help others while continuing to grow a variety of entrepreneurial interests.

Before his retirement in the Fall of 2005, Allan was touted as one of the "purest shooters" in the NBA, finishing his career as one of the NBA's all-time greatest long-range shooters (#11 in three pointers made) and one of the all-time leading scorers in Knicks history (#2 in three pointers, #4 in total points, and #8 in scoring average). Allan was a two-time NBA All-Star, and in his last healthy season (2002-03) finished as the 10th leading scorer in the league. But for all his accomplishments he is especially proud of being named one of The Sporting News' "Good Guys in Sports" (four times) and helping Team USA bring home the gold medal in the 2000 Summer Olympics games in Sydney, Australia.

Allan's dedication to helping others is demonstrated through the exciting work of his Foundation, which is currently working with a variety of community and corporate partners to empower and serve the needs of young people. The Foundation's original programming includes the "Father Knows Best" Basketball Retreat, a weekend event that combines high-powered basketball with meaningful life-skills for fathers/mentors and their sons/mentees. Together with Citigroup, Lenovo and the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an innovative new program in business education and development was launched in Harlem last year and is now expanding to New Orleans and other cities. These meaningful programs are empowering young people socially, intellectually, professionally, and spiritually.

With a strong entrepreneurial spirit inherited from his parents, Allan continues to build and expand Allan Houston Enterprises which serves as an umbrella company for a variety of business ventures, including - Top Gun Leather (the largest leather goods and apparel retail chain in the tri-state area) and UNK NBA (an urban fashion producer licensed by the NBA). The company is currently looking to expand its interests in these and other industries.

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Allan graduated from the University of Tennessee and is happily married to Tamara Johnson Houston with four wonderful children.

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Please visit www.AllanHouston.com and www.AllanHoustonFoundation.org for more info.