More than just a casual observer of progress, Myles Brand was actively committed to advancing fairness and equal opportunity throughout intercollegiate athletics.

Brand was credited with much of the NCAA's recent success with diversity as he openly called for more patient and thorough hiring practices for athletics administrators and coaches. He frequently was asked to address the dearth of ethnic minority football head coaches leading Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

"One of the most egregious instances of this lack of access is the low number of African-American head football coaches and offensive and defensive coordinators in Division I-A," Brand said during his 2003 State of the Association speech. "The current situation is simply unjustifiable."

Describing the status quo as "unacceptable (and) unconscionably wrong" in an April 2007 NCAA News editorial, Brand strongly encouraged institutions to open their doors to talented, qualified ethnic minority coaches. However, he resisted calls for a collegiate version of the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires teams filling head coaching vacancies to include a person of color among their interviewed candidates or face stiff penalties. Instead, Brand stressed the need for more hires, not more interviews.

"I am frustrated that in the midst of progress in so many other areas, higher education and intercollegiate athletics continue to exercise a hiring practice in college football that is embarrassing and simply would not be tolerated elsewhere on campus," Brand wrote in a December 2008 Huffington Post blog.

However, Brand did more than talk about diversity. He backed his words with action.

Brand created the office for diversity and inclusion at the national office in August 2005. The unit was assigned responsibility for leading efforts to develop and implement strategies, policies and programs that promote diversity and inclusion throughout the NCAA, such as the Diversity Education Program, the Football Coaches Academy, the Expert Coaches Forum, and the Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females.

Brand also was the architect behind the Diversity Leadership Strategic Planning Committee, a panel of about 40 athletics administrators representing all three divisions that was tasked in 2006 with charting the Association's roadmap to achieving a culture of diversity and inclusion. The committee, which spent a year compiling research before presenting its recommendations at the 2007 NCAA Convention, focused on fostering diversity among student-athletes; promoting a climate of inclusion within intercollegiate athletics; enhancing equitable career opportunities for underrepresented coaches, officials and administrators; and strengthening the support, integration and promotion of women's sports.

Brand's focus on diversity also extended to his work with university and college presidents. As part of its charge, the Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Intercollegiate Athletics, which was launched in 2005, examined diversity issues as well as academic values and standards; fiscal responsibility; presidential leadership of internal and external constituencies; and student-athlete well-being.