Motivational speaker and former professional basketball player Corie Blount is the featured speaker for the annual Napoleon Hill Day at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise on Monday, Oct. 29.

The event is part of the College’s annual commemoration of the birthday of Napoleon Hill, the Wise County native and author of “Think and Grow Rich” and other motivational books.  Blount’s lecture, which is free and open to the public, begins at 11 a.m. in the David J. Prior Convocation Center.

Blount was named the California Player of the Year and the National Jr. College Player of the Year.  He played at the University of Cincinnati and he helped the team reach the Final Four in 1992 and the Elite Eight in 1993.  The Chicago Bulls drafted him in1993. Blount was the 25th pick in the NBA draft that year. He spent 11 seasons in the league with various teams. Blount retired from the league in 2004.

After retiring, he became an assistant basketball coach for the men’s team at the University of Cincinnati, and he enrolled to pursue his degree in criminal justice.  He was the first of his family to receive a degree from a four-year university.

Blount was so inspired by his achievement and graduation that he founded Gradu8 Inc.  After a few minor set backs, Blount is on a mission to tell his story of success and failure so that he can increase awareness of the choices and consequences that define character.

The Napoleon Hill Foundation is sponsoring Blount’s visit to UVa-Wise.  Headquartered on the UVa-Wise campus, the Napoleon Hill Foundation is a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to promoting Hill’s philosophy.

Napoleon Hill was born in poverty in a one-room cabin on the Pound River on Oct. 26, 1883.  From these humble beginnings, the Wise County native became an advisor to presidents. During the early 20^th century, Hill interviewed the nation’s most successful business leaders, including Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford.  From those interviews and more conducted over 20 years, Hill compiled his eight-volume set “The Law of Success,” a collection of the philosophy of individual achievement.  He later condensed his research to compile “Think and Grow Rich,” often called one of the most important motivational books ever written.

First published in 1937, “Think and Grow Rich” has sold millions of copies worldwide and continues to appear on the list of top business books.  In this classic on personal achievement, Hill introduced the concept “whatever the mind can conceive and believe the mind can achieve.”  Seventeen principles form Hill’s philosophy of personal achievement include cultivating a burning desire, faith, and persistence in the attainment of goals. Hill’s writings are still must-reads for business professionals.

For more information, contact the Napoleon Hill Foundation at 276-328-6700.