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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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NACDA inaugurates hall of fame for groundbreaking administrators
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The NCAA News
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics has announced the first Hall of Fame that will honor minority collegiate and professional athletics administrators who have made a lasting impact on sport.
The inaugural “Legends Class” includes former NCAA membership president James Frank and current Ohio State University Athletics Director Gene Smith. Frank was the first college president and first African-American to be secretary-treasurer and president of the NCAA. He also was honored with NACDA’s Corbett Award in 1998. Smith, who previously served as AD at Iowa State University and Arizona State University, was NACDA’s first African-American president in 1994.
The first class also includes Wayne Embry, the first NBA African-American general manager (Milwaukee Bucks); Ozzie Newsome, the first African-American to be named a general manager in the NFL (Baltimore Ravens); LeRoy Walker, the first minority to be named president of the United States Olympic Committee; and Bill White, the first and only African-American to become president of Major League Baseball’s National League.
NACDA’s newly formed McLendon Minority Scholarship Ad Hoc Steering Committee determined the selections.
The Legends Class will be honored before the John McLendon Basketball Classic December 18. The game will feature Cleveland State University against Ohio State at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The Classic is an event created to raise funds for the McLendon Minority Scholarship Fund.
The McLendon scholarships are presented to senior-level minority students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in athletics administration.
The inaugural “Legends Class” includes former NCAA membership president James Frank and current Ohio State University Athletics Director Gene Smith. Frank was the first college president and first African-American to be secretary-treasurer and president of the NCAA. He also was honored with NACDA’s Corbett Award in 1998. Smith, who previously served as AD at Iowa State University and Arizona State University, was NACDA’s first African-American president in 1994.
The first class also includes Wayne Embry, the first NBA African-American general manager (Milwaukee Bucks); Ozzie Newsome, the first African-American to be named a general manager in the NFL (Baltimore Ravens); LeRoy Walker, the first minority to be named president of the United States Olympic Committee; and Bill White, the first and only African-American to become president of Major League Baseball’s National League.
NACDA’s newly formed McLendon Minority Scholarship Ad Hoc Steering Committee determined the selections.
The Legends Class will be honored before the John McLendon Basketball Classic December 18. The game will feature Cleveland State University against Ohio State at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The Classic is an event created to raise funds for the McLendon Minority Scholarship Fund.
The McLendon scholarships are presented to senior-level minority students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in athletics administration.
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