John J. “Jack” Kitchin, former managing partner in the Kansas City law firm of Swanson Midgley and longtime NCAA general counsel, died Monday after an 18-month battle with cancer.

Kitchin, 75, served the Association as general counsel in the 1960s and 1970s before the function became housed within the staff. Kitchin represented the Association in more than 225 cases in trial and appellate courts during his 12 years as general counsel.

He was involved in two especially notable cases, one relating to whether the Association was subject to state-action due-process requirements of the U.S. Constitution and another involving whether the Association possessed the right to test student-athletes for performance-enhancing drugs. The Association prevailed in both cases.

Kitchin also was actively involved in NCAA television contract negotiations during his tenure.

He joined Swanson Midgley in 1961 after a four years as a captain in the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Air Force. He was a graduate of Rockhurst University and gained his law degree from the St. Louis University Law School.