TUCSON, Ariz. — The Tucson Roadrunners player Curtis Douglas was named the team’s Man of the Year. Douglas is now one of 32 finalists for the AHL's Yanick Dupré Memorial Award.
This nomination highlights everything Douglas has done off the ice for Southern Arizona.
As someone who has struggled with mental health himself, Douglas started his March Mullets 4 Mental Health fundraiser, taking it all the way from Canada to right here in Tucson.
“With regards to mental health, I honestly just felt like it wasn’t talked about enough," Douglas said.
For the fourth March in a row, Douglas got the mullet hair cut and raised money for mental health awareness
“After the first year, I just decided it was going to be my calling card," Douglas said. "I hope to do it every month of March for the rest of my career.”
This past season, Douglas raised almost $5,000 CAD for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada’s largest mental health hospital.
"Not only I went through it, but I know other people that went through it and through that I’m able to be someone to listen and support which usually goes very far and farther than you think with someone," Douglas said.
Douglas’s commitment to others doesn’t stop there. On Wednesday, he spent his day with patients at the Diamond Children’s Medical Center.
"To be able to try and make a difference is something I try not to take for granted," Douglas said. "Sometimes, you just get stuck in your daily loop, but this just snaps you out of it and you're able to sit and figure out what's important and what's really not."
It’s these acts that earned Douglas ‘Roadrunner’s Man of the Year.’
“It was pretty special," Douglas said. "It’s obviously not the goal when you’re doing stuff. Honestly, I didn’t even know it was a thing but it’s pretty memorable to be honored for that.”
The winner of the Yanick Dupré award will be announced later this month.
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Erin Patterson is a reporter for KGUN 9. She's agraduate of the University of Alabama with a Bachelor’s in News Media with a Sports Concentration. Erin recently obtained her Master's Degree in Sports Journalism from Arizona State University at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, where she gained experience a sports reporter, anchor and producer. Share your story ideas and important issues with Erin by emailing erin.patterson@kgun9.com.
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