Gualberto Cremades

It is with heavy hearts that we share with you the passing of one of sport psychology's champions, Dr. J. Gualberto Cremades. Gual, or Dr. C as his students called him, passed away on August 9, 2016 after fiercely battling brain cancer for the past 13 years. An internationally recognized contributor to the field, Gual was recently conferred an AASP Fellow and just finished his service to the organization as an Executive Board member in the capacity of Public Relations and Outreach Division Head. Within his role to AASP, Gual contributed to the association's reach through social media, and he also centralized the importance of the International Relations Committee within our recent strategic plan.

 

Gual's scholarly contributions consisted of peer-reviewed journal articles on a variety of topics such as the effects of imagery perspective, the impact of parental involvement and gender differences in collegiate athletics, and the development of sport psychology in Spain. Most recently, he co-edited two books focused on providing a global perspective on applied practice and supervision/training. Further, at the time of his passing, he was working on editing yet another book with Angus Mugford in pursuit of enhancing the evidence-based, applied practice of Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology.  In the last few years of his life, Gual had become increasingly passionate about instilling a globalized approach for the field as well as continuing the advancement of applied practice and the training of future practitioners.   

 

As a practitioner, he had worked since 1994 with exercisers as well as youth, high school, collegiate, professional, and Olympic athletes in a variety of sports. He was very passionate about working with children and most recently had formed an academy in Miami teaching sport psychology and life skills principles to youth through soccer. 

 

His legacy to the field is also the result of his development of the Master's in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology at Barry University. His vision created a program that provides an exceptional foundation of knowledge for students, the availability of a wide range of applied experiences and opportunities, and the pursuit of quality thesis research projects. His efforts have not only led to a thriving graduate program, but also the formation of an undergraduate bachelor's and minor program. Always the enthusiastic, dedicated, and passionate teacher and mentor, he undoubtedly left his mark on both former and current students. Upon hearing of his passing, several students wished to offer their perspectives on the impact he had on them:

 

 

 

 

Gual was a loving husband to his wife Carolina, a cherished brother to his sister María, and an extremely proud and devoted father to his two children, Marco Luis and Maite Isabella. He loved spending time with his children, often sharing his photos and discussing his experiences of taking his children to Bruce Springsteen concerts, coaching them in soccer, helping his son develop a passion for chess, and even producing a rap video with them.

 

For those who knew him, he will be remembered for his unwavering passion for and dedication to the field.  As his colleagues, we feel deeply grateful for having had the opportunity to work with him, know him, and learn from him. We will always remember the great conversations, his way of challenging you that made you better for it, and his smile and laughter that were contagious. His legacy will live on within his colleagues, students, friends, family, and the field.