The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics has selected Gary Cunningham, director of athletics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, as the recipient of the 37th James J. Corbett Memorial Award.

The Corbett Award is presented 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 the highest honor NACDA presents.

In addition to receiving the Corbett Award, Cunningham will receive an honorary degree from the Sports Management Institute, an educational institute sponsored by NACDA; the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the University of Notre Dame; the University of South Carolina, Columbia; the University of Southern California; and the University of Texas at Austin.

Cunningham's career in intercollegiate athletics has spanned almost 40 years. The former basketball player for coach John Wooden at the University of California, Los Angeles, later served as his assistant coach. In that 10-year span (1965 to 1975), the Bruins won eight national and nine Pacific-8 championships. Cunningham was later named the head coach (1977-79) and posted a two-year mark of 50-8, winning two Pac-8 championships.

Moving into administration, Cunningham served as the director of athletics at Western Oregon State College (1979-81); the University of Wyoming (1981-86); California State University, Fresno (1986-95); and UC Santa Barbara (1995-present).

At UC Santa Barbara, Cunningham has been the driving force behind additions and improvements to the athletics department's facilities. Construction began late last year on a new facility devoted exclusively to intercollegiate athletics, which will house all of the offices for coaches and athletics personnel, as well as a new weight room, training room and hall of fame. Four years ago, the department opened the Gino Filippin/
Investec Athletic Strength Center, the first true intercollegiate athletics weight facility in UC Santa Barbara history.

At Fresno State, Cunningham oversaw the school's transition from the Big West Conference to the Western Athletic Conference. He spearheaded the 10,000-seat expansion of the school's football stadium. He also led the fund-raising efforts for construction of a new softball facility, women's locker room and a new weight room.

Cunningham was inducted into UCLA's Hall of Fame in 2001. He also received the NACDA/NIT Athletics Director Award in 2000 and was named the NACDA Division I-AA/I-AAA Athletics Director of the Year in 1998-99. He received the All-American Football Foundation General Robert N. Neyland Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998.

Cunningham was NACDA's president in 1988-89 and currently chairs the finance and management committee and the long-range planning committee.

His NCAA committee service includes having chaired the Division I Business/Finance Cabinet (1997-99), the Men's Committee on Committees (1993-95) and the Committee on Basketball Officiating (1990-94; service on the committee began in 1984). Cunningham also was a member of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee (1988-94).

Cunningham received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from UCLA.

Boone also honored

NACDA also announced former University of Richmond director of athletics Chuck Boone as recipient of the 22nd NACDA/NIT Athletics Directors Award.

The award is sponsored by NACDA and the National Invitation Tournament.

Boone will receive his award June 14 during the NACDA convention in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Boone has been associated with Richmond for more than 40 years. Beginning as a student-athlete in 1956, Boone played football and baseball and served as captain of both teams in his senior year. After graduating, Boone spent six years with the New York Yankees as a player and coach.

In 1967, Boone returned to Richmond as director of athletics promotions. He was promoted to assistant athletics director in 1972, with responsibilities in fund-raising, ticket sales and club sports. He also served as baseball coach. He was named the school's director of athletics in 1977 and served for 23 years until his retirement in 2000.

Boone's tenure at Richmond was highlighted by a successful $60 million athletics endowment fund drive, a football program that participated in the Division I-AA playoffs and a men's basketball program that went to six NCAA and four NIT tournaments. The 1987-88 squad reached the NCAA's Sweet 16.

Boone served as executive director of the Yankee Conference; chair of the Division I-AA Football Committee; and member of the NCAA Executive Committee, and the NCAA 2000 Committee that worked on the relocation of the Association's national headquarters. He also was a founding member of the Colonial Athletic Association and served as the league's first president. Additionally, in 2000, Boone was honored as a NACDA/Continental Airlines AD of the Year.

Past Corbett Award recipients

2002 -- Roy Kramer, commissioner, Southeastern Conference

2001 -- Jack Lengyel, director of athletics, U.S. Naval Academy

2000 -- Cedric Dempsey, president, NCAA

1999 -- Chuck Neinas, former executive director, College Football

Association

1998 -- Jim Frank, commissioner, Southwestern Athletic Conference

1997 -- Gene Corrigan, commissioner, Atlantic Coast Conference

1996 -- Carl James, commissioner, Big Eight Conference

1995 -- Elizabeth (Betty) Kruczek, director of athletics, Fitchburg

State University

1994 -- Richard Schultz, executive director, NCAA

1993 -- LeRoy Walker, president, United States Olympic Committee

1992 -- Homer Rice, director of athletics, Georgia Tech

1991 -- Joe Kearney, commissioner, Western Athletic Conference

1990 -- George King, director of athletics, Purdue University

1989 -- Scotty Whitelaw, commissioner, Eastern College

Athletic Conference

1988 -- Mike Lude, director of athletics, University of Washington

1987 -- John Toner, director of athletics, University of Connecticut

1986 -- Carl Maddox, director of athletics, Mississippi State University

1985 -- Cecil Coleman, commissioner, Midwestern City Conference

1984 -- Bud Jack, director of athletics, University of Utah

1983 -- Wiles Hallock, executive director, Pacific-10 Conference

1982 -- Edgar Sherman, director of athletics, Muskingum College

1981 -- Bill Flynn, director of athletics, Boston College

1980 -- Stan Bates, commissioner, Western Athletic Conference

1979 -- Harry Fouke, director of athletics, University of Houston

1978 -- Bill Orwig, director of athletics, Indiana University, Bloomington

1977 -- Bob Kane, president, United States Olympic Committee

1976 -- Walter Byers, executive director, NCAA

1975 -- Jesse Hill, executive director, PCAA

1974 -- Al Twitchell, director of athletics, Rutgers University

1973 -- Ernie McCoy, director of athletics, University of Miami (Florida)

1972 -- Bill Reed, commissioner, Big Ten Conference

1971 -- Tom Hamilton, commissioner, Pacific-8 Conference

1970 -- Dick Larkins, director of athletics, Ohio State University

1969 -- Asa Bushnell, commissioner, Eastern College Athletic Conference

1968 -- Fritz Crisler, director of athletics, University of Michigan

1967 -- Bernie Moore, commissioner, Southeastern Conference