Charlotte ‘tomboy’ knows sports – inside and out

Sherri Jung knows a thing or two about sports.

She’s from Buffalo, N.Y., and was one of six children. She was the third of three girls. Three brothers followed.

“I was pretty much a tomboy growing up, and my father called me ‘Harry’ because of it,” Jung said. “My dad was a diehard Notre Dame football fan, and I learned about football early on.

“He also supported the Buffalo Bills and had season tickets.”

Jung’s father owned a Chrysler dealership and would award the Buffalo Bills ‘Player of the Week’ with a new car to drive for the week.

Most often, O.J. Simpson was that player.

Jung would drive the shiny new car over to War Memorial Stadium and right onto the field for the lucky winner.

“My dad golfed with the team doctor, and our family got to know the team pretty well,” Jung said.

Joe DeLamielleure also was on the team with Simpson. Jung hadn’t seen the former offensive lineman in years until she moved to Charlotte and ran into him.

“It was great reconnecting with Joe after all those years,” Jung said. “Joe even invited me and my husband, Jack, to Canton, Ohio, to watch him get inducted into the NFL Hall Of Fame.”

Jung and her husband were high school sweethearts.

“My husband was inducted into the University of Rochester Hall of Fame for baseball and football, so you can see I’ve been around sports a lot,” Jung said.

Jung is a graduate of the University of Buffalo, with a degree in physical education.

Through the years, she has taught elementary physical education and infant swimming, and been a coach of cheerleading, swimming and track.

Jung began working at the Harris YMCA in 1991 as the preschool gymnastics coordinator. After 19 years, she became the director, a position Jung held until she retired almost a year ago.

Jung and her husband have been in Charlotte 36 years and are parents to two daughters and a son. The empty-nesters live in the Sardis Forest area.