9/11 and ERAU Athletics

The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 dramatically transformed the world of aviation, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Federal authorities investigated the school for possibly training the terrorists that conducted the attacks, and because of this association, which ultimately turned out to be false, the Athletics Department received a bomb threat in the ICI Center on September 12th, 2001. This poster presentation explores the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and their impact on Athletics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The study will include interviews with members of the Athletics staff working at the time of the attacks, as well as with other members of the ERAU community such as former student-athletes. The poster presentation also draws upon primary sources in the ERAU Archives, as well as records in the Athletics Department. This presentation interprets changes in the Athletics Department, the university’s reputation, and the career aspirations of student-athletes in the larger context of a national crisis mentality and the university’s response to intense media scrutiny. Just as the nation responded with a renewed sense of unity, so too did the Athletics Department discover that its expertise in team building facilitates its successful responses to the challenges