USA Ultimate

Bob DeMan was one of the stars of the dominant NYNY dynasty. Standing 6’4", Bob was that rare big man whose game was not defined by owning the sky and dominating the end zone, but rather by his keen offensive understanding, smooth graceful movement and powerful breakmark throws. Usually playing the third person in NYNY’s vaunted four-man offensive pull play, Bob’s job was to gain large chunks of yards and then look to throw for the goal. As a member of NYNY, Bob won five consecutive UPA National Championships in the club open division from 1989-1993, along with three WFDF World Championships. Following two more appearances in the semis at UPA Nationals with the New York Cojones, the full breadth of Bob’s talents were revealed when he moved to Texas. Bob’s presence led the Houston Houndz to new heights and into the national forefront, winning Southern Regionals for the first time in 1997, and back-to-back appearances at UPA Nationals in 1997-1998. Bob was an unstoppable offensive force.

Dominique has been a dominant force in the women’s division since she first began to play. Winning the Callahan Award and a national title during her time at Stanford, she continued playing with premier women’s teams in the Bay Area and Boston and currently plays in Seattle with Riot. Over the length of her career, Dom has been a key team member with four UPA National Championships in the club women’s division and six WFDF World Championship titles in multiple divisions, including being named to six U.S. National Teams – a remarkable feat. In addition to being continuously successful on the field, she has displayed exemplary sportsmanship and fair play at every level. Dom’s athleticism and versatility as a player contribute to her ability to fill many different roles on the team/field and has enabled her to easily integrate into new systems and teams. 

Dom has participated in many teaching clinics over the last couple of decades (U.S., Japan, Uganda) and, more recently, organized a clinic for East African players (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda) in Kisumu, Kenya. And throughout this exemplary ultimate career, Dom practices as an emergency medicine physician. 

Angela Lin began her career at Georgia Tech in the mid-1990s and thereafter spent the majority of her career with Ozone. Early on, she committed to developing her offensive skills and was one of the pioneers of breakmark throws.

As her career progressed, so did she. She worked tirelessly to continue pushing her fitness, speed, power and durability, allowing her to develop outstanding defensive skills as well. She was aggressive without being too physical. With her closing speed and endurance, she could battle with anyone. Angela is a true all-around player who has always played with great spirit, no matter how important the moment.

As a leader, Angela inspires her teammates with her actions and supportive words. She has earned the respect of all of her opponents and teammates.

She currently is a co-owner and co-captain of Atlanta Soul, a new professional women’s team in Atlanta. Angela has given back to ultimate by hosting many women’s clinics, captained many seasons, coached high school and club teams and been a true ambassador for our sport. 

Tina McDowell began her ultimate career playing in the college open division with the University of Georgia and then had a long career playing in Atlanta and Denver with Ozone, Rare Air and Molly Brown in the club women’s division, and thereafter, went on to a successful run in the masters division, including the women’s masters title in London at the World Ultimate and Guts Championships in 2016. With a strong mental game, she was super competitive but didn’t let her competitiveness deter her commitment to the Spirit of the Game. She played with heart, integrity, grit and determination. She was a tough, fair player and a leader on the field with the ability to bring out the best in her teammates. 

Solid in every part of the game, Tina could throw to anywhere on the field, play effective defense against any opponent and rally her team around her for the win. She was the total package. Tina loved the game. She loved her team, our community and our sport, and it shows in how she carried herself both on and off the field. 

Joanie Merrill was instrumental in the Santa Barbara Condors’ domination throughout the 1980s at the national and world levels. She began her career in 1982 with the Condors, transitioning to ultimate after an accomplished career as a member of the California-Santa Barbara crew team. 

Joanie was always on the field when it mattered and was relied upon to cover the "tall game," which she played with grace, fierce competitiveness and tenacity. Joanie had a very well-rounded game; she could throw with precision and depth and sky with the best of them. With a wingspan of about six feet, along with her quickness and coordination, Joanie was an incredible marker and would consistently hand block the best of the best. Her defensive acumen, powerful throwing capabilities and ability to "go up" with the tallest women in the world enabled Joanie to contribute in a big way to the Condors’ great success. Joanie’s teams won five UPA National Championships in the club women’s division and three WFDF World Championships. 

In addition to her playing skills, Joanie has been an example of fair play and Spirit of the Game.

Brian "Biscuit" Morris was best known for his exceptional athleticism. Quick, fast and able to out-jump everyone at just 5’11", Brian was the guy the other teams did not have an answer for. As an elite player for over a decade, Brian played at UPA Nationals in the club open division 12 times on prominent Bay Area teams Firestorm, Double Happiness and Jam, with three appearances in the finals. His greatest accomplishment was leading Double Happiness to a WFDF World Championship in 1995. Brian could shut down the best offensive players in the game and get open and catch bombs against the best defenders. He was fiercely competitive and insisted on that same standard for his teammates. At the same time, Brian was known to be gracious and respectful with his opponents and a player and person of high character.

Allan "Al-Bob" Nichols was an exceptional all-around player who was regarded as the hidden glue of the highly successful Vancouver Furious George teams of the late 1990s and mid-2000s, teams that won three UPA National Championships in the club open division and two WFDF World Championships. Al was an elite shut-down defender who matched up against the opponent’s top cutters. But he was also an elite offensive player with a full range of throwing skills and the ability to play either behind the disc or downfield. Given his versatility and high ultimate IQ, Al was regarded as the most consistent big-game player on Furious. While a fierce competitor, Al played with integrity and sportsmanship, earning the respect of his opponents and teammates.

Michele was one of the first women to play on a men’s ultimate team in the early days of the sport. She was instrumental in pushing the founders of ultimate to establish a women’s division at Nationals in 1981. She started the Santa Barbara Condor Women’s Ultimate team which eventually grew into the most dominant women’s team of the 1980s. Her leadership enabled the Santa Barbara women to develop into a highly competitive team that succeeded in winning five UPA National Championships in the club women’s division and one WFDF World Championship during Michele’s tenure.

Michele welcomed all those interested in playing ultimate and imbued her teammates with the values of respect, friendship, perseverance and fun. Michele had an extremely strong work ethic and, above all, set the standard for the Spirit of the Game. Michele was a skilled player who could be counted on for solid play in the toughest of games. Under Michele's leadership, bringing your best to practice and playing with integrity were as much a focus as winning in competition.

Michele was also recently inducted into the FPA Freestyle Hall of Fame and was an accomplished Overall competitor in the mid- to late-1970s and into the early 1980s.

Michael has coached and inspired several generations of young ultimate athletes since becoming Head of Ultimate Programs at Paideia School in Atlanta in 1994, with dozens of players he coached going on to leading roles on national championship teams, as well as receiving Callahan/Pufahl/Farricker awards in recognition for their spirited play. Countless others picked up a love for the game, and many have gone on to give back to the sport by serving in coaching or administrative roles. In addition to being the head coach for the Paideia Middle School (coed) and Paideia High School (varsity boys), which were High School National Champions in 2001 and 2002, he founded Paideia Ultimate Summer Camp for nine-14 year-old children in 1997.

On the national stage, Michael volunteered as National Youth Director of the UPA from 1999-2001 and was on the Youth Advisory Council from 2002-2005, which established long-range plans for youth development; designed a coach training and certification program (now known as CDP); and created a new full-time Director of Youth Development position. He was the U-19 U.S. Open National Team Coach (with Tiina Booth in 1998, 2000, 2004, and sole head coach in 2006), winning three gold medals and one bronze, and was head coach of the U-19 YCC Champion ATLiens in 2013. He was also co-author of "Essential Ultimate: Coaching, Teaching, Playing" published in 2008.