Sept. 1, 2016
SAN DIEGO -- Over 300 San Diego State student-athletes assembled in the auditorium of the Exercise and Nutritional Sciences Building on the SDSU campus earlier this week for a presentation by motivational speaker Paul Vaden, a former professional boxing champion and San Diego native who was featured during the Aztec athletic department's Back-to-School Bash festivities.
A member of the California Boxing Hall of Fame and San Diego Hall of Champions, Vaden captured the IBF Light Middleweight title in 1995 with a 12th-round TKO of Vincent Pettway after winning the IBF Inter-Continental Junior Middleweight championship in 1994 with a 12-round unanimous decision over John Montes. He also won a bronze medal as an amateur in the 156-lb. division at the 1990 Goodwill Games.
Following his boxing career, Vaden became a professional public speaker, devising numerous motivational seminars and corporate wellness programs. He has consulted and mentored CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and also authored a book "Answer the Bell: Inventing Your Life as a Champion."
"Paul did a wonderful job connecting with our student-athletes and getting them motivated to take on the new academic year," said SDSU senior associate athletic director Bobby Smitheran. "Our student-athletes and teams strive for championships, and to hear from a home-grown former world champion who excelled at the highest level and continues to make a positive mark on this world, was a great reminder of what opportunities exist at San Diego State to reach their athletic, academic, and personal goals."
The Back-to-School Bash is an annual event designed to provide all Aztec student-athletes the chance to reflect on the achievements of the previous year, introduce new officers of the department's Student-Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) and present community service opportunities for the upcoming year, along with guest speakers on a wide array of topics.
Since the beginning of the 2012-13 season, SDSU has claimed 32 team conference championships, including 28 in the Mountain West.