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AAU Appoints International Ambassador

By AAU Baseball, 10/31/16, 12:45PM CDT

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AAU Appoints Maryland District's Michael Graham to International Ambassador Coach & AAU Baseball Executive Committee

AAU Baseball is happy to announce the appointed of Michael Graham (Maryland District) to the newly created position of AAU Baseball International Ambassador Coach. Graham, 54 and a longtime AAU Baseball coach, manager and administrator, was named to the coaching staff for the Sant Boi Falcons of Barcelona, Spain, summer collegiate baseball team of the Collegiate Baseball League Europe (CBLE) in January 2016. Graham's national and international experience will help guide the interest on AAU Baseball beyond our borders, as well as help to support the annual AAU International Championship. Graham also joins the AAU Baseball Executive Committee.

Objective

The objective of this AAU Baseball International Ambassador Coach (IAC) visit was to consult with potential European partners for AAU Baseball, encourage participation in AAU Baseball events and help grow AAU Baseball beyond the United States as well as meet and conduct a courtesy call with European baseball officials.  This visit was historical inasmuch as it was the first trip abroad by a designated IAC authorized by AAU Baseball to conduct any type of discussion with European baseball officials.

Background

The IAC visit resulted from Graham, Cummings and Hoyer—members of the Maryland AAU affiliate club Ruth’s Baseball Ideals Baseball Club and coaches of the advanced skills development/travel-select team Maryland RBI—were named the coaching staff for the Sant Boi Falcons of Barcelona, Spain, summer collegiate baseball team of the CBLE. (Nine of 14 graduating high school seniors and college baseball players that Graham recruited to play for the Sant Boi Barcelona Falcons were AAU Baseball players or alumni.)  AAU Baseball appointed Graham IAC in order to take advantage of the opportunity for AAU Baseball outreach to Europe presented by his association with CBLE.

Graham, 54, is a longtime AAU Baseball coach, manager and administrator. In professional life, he is a career international relations professional and currently serves as senior vice president and chief financial officer, United States Institute of Peace, Washington, DC. A native of Madison, WV, he holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism, a master’s degree in international politics, master’s degree in history, and PhD in organizational management. He played amateur youth baseball through 18U. Micheal's daughter was a two-time All-America scholar-athlete in women’s college softball at Washington College (MD) and is a school teacher. His son attends and plays college baseball at Virginia Wesleyan College