UW-Green Bay’s King of swing

How did it happen that UW-Green Bay Athletics was able to book international golf star Sergio Garcia for appearances in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to benefit the Phoenix program?

They went through the King — Mark King — a 1981 graduate in business administration.

King is president and chief executive officer of TaylorMade-adidas Golf of Carlsbad, Calif., the nation’s largest golf equipment maker. King enjoys a measure of celebrity status within the industry, thanks to making TaylorMade the No. 1 brand on the PGA tour and boosting sales from $300 million to more than $1 billion annually. He was named golf executive of the year within two years of being named president in 1999, at age 40.

Says King of UW-Green Bay: “I had some of the greatest years of my life there. Even today, of the things I’ve done in the 25 years since, graduating from college was one of the most significant achievements I’ve ever had.”

Garcia is part of the TaylorMade endorsement stable of top PGA pros and he and King are longtime friends. In recent years King, a top golfer himself and standout collegian for the Phoenix team during his college days, has given back to his old program through philanthropy and fundraising assistance for student-athlete scholarships.

The Garcia fund-raiser takes place Sept. 8 at Oneida Golf and Country Club near Green Bay. King and Garcia will attend that night’s Monday Night Football game between the Packers and Vikings. During the day, there’ll be golf and also a $100-per-plate breakfast, Q and A, and mini-clinic led by Garcia. Green Bay Athletics at (920) 465-2145 has full details on the day’s events.