National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA News Archive - 2007
« back to 2007 | Back to NCAA News Archive Index
Former Arizona State AD earns Corbett recognition
The NCAA News
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics has selected Fred Miller as recipient of the 41st James J. Corbett Memorial Award.
Miller is the former director of athletics at Arizona State University, Long Beach State University and San Diego State University. He is a NACDA past president and NACDA Hall of Fame inductee who began his career in athletics administration in 1964 as the assistant director of athletics at Long Beach State. He took over the reins of the program in 1967 and remained in that capacity until 1971.
NACDA presents the Corbett Award annually to the collegiate administrator who “through the years has most typified Corbett’s devotion to intercollegiate athletics and worked unceasingly for its betterment.” Corbett, athletics director at Louisiana State University, was NACDA’s first president in 1965. The award is NACDA’s highest honor.
“The Corbett Award validates one’s life work in the honorable profession of athletics administration,” said Miller. “To be acknowledged by one’s peers makes me humble and appreciative. I will carry this with me for the rest of my days.”
Miller helped found the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (now the Big West Conference) and oversaw Long Beach State’s move from the NCAA college to university division. He also chaired Long Beach State’s athletics board of control.
He was hired as director of athletics and a professor of physical education at Arizona State in 1971. While there, he added 10 women’s varsity sports to what was an 11-sport, all-male program and initiated the private funding necessary for the renovation and development of six campus sports facilities.
Miller also initiated the development of 10 acres of practice athletics fields and the land acquisitions for the Karsten Solheim Championship Golf Course. He also coordinated the development of the Arizona State University Activity Center, the school’s $23 million recreational complex and the Sun Devil Stadium Expansion project.
In 1980, while maintaining his professorial responsibilities at Arizona State, Miller joined ESPN as a consultant and sports analyst where he acted as the primary negotiator for ESPN’s contracts with NCAA Football, NCAA championships, CFA Football and Thursday Night Football.
In 1985, Miller became the director of athletics at San Diego State.
His NCAA committee service includes the Television Committee, the Committee on Committees and the Women’s Volleyball Committee. He also chaired the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.
He earned an associate’s degree from Santa Monica City College and bachelor’s degree from the University of the Pacific, where he earned varsity letters in football, track, tennis and rugby.
After graduating in 1953, he was commissioned as an officer in the Navy and saw duty in Korea. In 1955, after receiving an honorable discharge, Miller played professional football for the Washington Redskins. He also played several seasons in the Canadian Football League before earning his master’s degree in education from the University of Southern California.
In 1963, Miller completed his doctorate of physical education at Indiana University, Bloomington.
He has been inducted into the Long Beach State and Arizona State Halls of Fame.
|
The NCAA News
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics has selected Fred Miller as recipient of the 41st James J. Corbett Memorial Award.Miller is the former director of athletics at Arizona State University, Long Beach State University and San Diego State University. He is a NACDA past president and NACDA Hall of Fame inductee who began his career in athletics administration in 1964 as the assistant director of athletics at Long Beach State. He took over the reins of the program in 1967 and remained in that capacity until 1971.
NACDA presents the Corbett Award annually to the collegiate administrator who “through the years has most typified Corbett’s devotion to intercollegiate athletics and worked unceasingly for its betterment.” Corbett, athletics director at Louisiana State University, was NACDA’s first president in 1965. The award is NACDA’s highest honor.
“The Corbett Award validates one’s life work in the honorable profession of athletics administration,” said Miller. “To be acknowledged by one’s peers makes me humble and appreciative. I will carry this with me for the rest of my days.”
Miller helped found the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (now the Big West Conference) and oversaw Long Beach State’s move from the NCAA college to university division. He also chaired Long Beach State’s athletics board of control.
He was hired as director of athletics and a professor of physical education at Arizona State in 1971. While there, he added 10 women’s varsity sports to what was an 11-sport, all-male program and initiated the private funding necessary for the renovation and development of six campus sports facilities.
Miller also initiated the development of 10 acres of practice athletics fields and the land acquisitions for the Karsten Solheim Championship Golf Course. He also coordinated the development of the Arizona State University Activity Center, the school’s $23 million recreational complex and the Sun Devil Stadium Expansion project.
In 1980, while maintaining his professorial responsibilities at Arizona State, Miller joined ESPN as a consultant and sports analyst where he acted as the primary negotiator for ESPN’s contracts with NCAA Football, NCAA championships, CFA Football and Thursday Night Football.
In 1985, Miller became the director of athletics at San Diego State.
His NCAA committee service includes the Television Committee, the Committee on Committees and the Women’s Volleyball Committee. He also chaired the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.
He earned an associate’s degree from Santa Monica City College and bachelor’s degree from the University of the Pacific, where he earned varsity letters in football, track, tennis and rugby.
After graduating in 1953, he was commissioned as an officer in the Navy and saw duty in Korea. In 1955, after receiving an honorable discharge, Miller played professional football for the Washington Redskins. He also played several seasons in the Canadian Football League before earning his master’s degree in education from the University of Southern California.
In 1963, Miller completed his doctorate of physical education at Indiana University, Bloomington.
He has been inducted into the Long Beach State and Arizona State Halls of Fame.
© 2010 The National Collegiate Athletic Association
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy