MSUB Hires Men’s Golf Coach (8/23/06)
BILLINGS, MT – Athletics Director
Dr. Gary Gray announced Wednesday that Jesse Valdez has
been hired as the new head men’s golf coach at Montana
State University-Billings. Valdez becomes the program’s
fourth head coach, replacing Jim Coleman.
“We’re happy to have Jesse accept
our offer to coach our men’s golf team,” said Gray. “He
has a great deal of experience, and I believe he will be
an outstanding mentor to our men’s golf
student-athletes.”
Valdez is currently a pro shop
assistant at The Briarwood Golf Course, the home course
of the MSU Billings golf teams. The previous three
years he was a groundskeeper at The Briarwood. For the
past two summers he has also worked as a demo specialist
for Acushnet Company, maker of Titleist and Cobra golf
equipment.
Valdez is a native of Gary,
Indiana. He graduated from Calumet High School in
1970. For 30 years Valdez was a supervisor at the
Conoco Refinery in Billings. During his tenure with
Conoco he oversaw the construction and startup of a new
refinery in Malaysia.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Valdez
said of taking over the MSU Billings men’s golf
program. “I love the game of golf and have always
wanted to give something back. I have always liked the
teaching aspect of the game. What better way to give
back to the game than help people with their game. I’ve
been following the MSUB golf team and have taken an
interest in those kids. I just want to see what I can
add to the program. Roger Burckley did a great job of
getting things started, and then Jim Bob did a great job
of recruiting this year. I think we could be pretty
good.” |
