The University of Georgia gymnastics program announced the creation of the Doug McAvinn Gymdog Experiential Learning Fund.

 
“I feel very honored and humbled by the recognition of Gymdog alumni, family, friends and fans who made contributions to this fund,” said McAvinn. “My hope is that the Gymdog Experiential Learning Fund will enable the student-athletes to get better jobs immediately out of school as they will be able to demonstrate real-world skills and benefit from workplace experience in addition to the top-notch education they receive at the University of Georgia.”
 
 
The fund, named after the former gymnastics assistant coach of 27 seasons, is the first of its kind at the University of Georgia. To date, 71 donors have pledged a total of more than $112,000 to the fund designed to honor McAvinn and his legacy at the University of Georgia. The fund will allow gymnasts to participate in hands-on learning opportunities that include study abroad, internships, service learning, research, and other methods of education outside of the classroom.
 
 
McAvinn was an integral part of Georgia’s NCAA-leading 10 team national championships, overseeing vault lineups that were consistently among the nation’s best. He coached four Gymdogs to six individual NCAA championships and produced 64 All-America honors in the event. He was the first-ever NCAA National Assistant Coach of the Year for gymnastics, an award he earned in 1998, and he was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Region 8 Hall of Fame in 2011.