Duryea Named Director of Olympic Festival in L.A.

Earl Duryea, whose most recent position was president of the Harlem Globetrotters, Friday was named executive director of the 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival in Los Angeles.

In making the announcement, Harry Usher, chairman of the L.A. Festival’s board of directors, said he believes Duryea, 51, can help Los Angeles “recapture the spirit and enthusiasm” of the 1984 Olympic Games.

With a proposed budget of $8 1/2-$10 million, in contrast with the $500 million of the 1984 Games, and athletes from only the United States, Usher acknowledged that the Festival is on a considerably smaller scale than the Olympics.

But he and Duryea said they believe Los Angeles will support the Festival, which is scheduled for July 12-21, 1991.

“Events associated with the Olympics are unique. They have a certain mystique,” Duryea said. “There’s still an amateur idealism associated with them.”

That may be more true of the Festival than the Olympics, which are allowing an increasing number of professionals to compete. In many of the 36 sports associated with the Festival, competitors are developing athletes. About 3,500 athletes are expected to participate at Los Angeles.

Most of the competition will occur on the UCLA and USC campuses, Usher said.

He said he expects ticket sales to generate about $4 million. The rest of the budget will be financed privately, he said, primarily through corporate sponsorships. If there are profits, they will be donated to the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“There won’t be a deficit,” Usher said. “We promise you that.”

The L.A. Festival will be the 11th. The 1989 Festival is scheduled for July 21-30 at Oklahoma City. The 1990 Festival has been awarded to Minneapolis.

Duryea has managed several sports arenas, including San Francisco’s Cow Palace, Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace and Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum. He also was a vice president of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

He said he became interested in the Olympic movement after hearing speeches by several Los Angeles Organizing Committee officials, including Usher, in 1987.

“I remember telling myself that I wish I had been involved in that,” Duryea said. “If the opportunity ever came up again, it was something I wanted to do. Of course, the Festival is not on the same level with the Olympics. But they have the same ideal.”