Gene Taylor Named 2012 Under Armour FCS Central Region Athletics Director of the Year
6/25/2012 4:01:00 PM | General
DALLAS, Texas—North Dakota State University of Director of Athletics Gene Taylor was one of 29 winners as the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced the Under Armour AD of the Year Award (ADOY) recipients.
Taylor, who received the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Central Region honor, was one of four FCS winners recognized. This is his second Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year Award, winning previously in 2008.
Taylor will receive his award during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, June 27 at NACDA's 47th Annual Convention at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas.
Taylor
has been a man on a mission and has Bison athletics on the move in the Missouri
Valley Football Conference, the Summit League and Western Wrestling Conference.
Since starting at NDSU in 2001, Taylor has successfully guided the department through a reclassification from Division II to Division I.
The
Bison football team won the 2011 FCS National Championship in their second
playoff appearance. The NDSU men's basketball, women's volleyball and softball
programs have qualified for NCAA national tournaments capped off by softball
advancing to the 2009 Super Regional.
Individuals representing the Bison women's golf, track and field, and wrestling teams have competed at NCAA championships.
At
the conclusion of the 2011-12 season, North Dakota State earned its first
Summit League Commissioner's Cup with a total of 111.5 points. NDSU also
claimed the top spot for the Dr. Helen Smiley Women's All-Sports Award. The
Bison won both the overall and women's awards after placing among the top-five
in every women's sport in which it competes. NDSU won a total of six
championships in women's cross country, volleyball, women's indoor track &
field, softball and men's and women's outdoor track & field. NDSU also took
second in men's cross country, women's soccer and women's golf.
The NDSU athletics budget has tripled from $5 million in Taylor's first year to $15 million, while the scholarship endowment has grown to $11.2 million, and Team Makers booster club support has went from $750,000 to $2.3 million.
The
athletics program is two-thirds of the way in the $32 million Building the
Competitive Edge campaign to construct the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.
Taylor came to NDSU after a 15-year stint at the United States Naval Academy in athletics administration. He recently began a four-year term on the FCS ADA Executive Committee in 2011. This is Taylor's second Athletics Director of the Year Award, winning previously in 2008.
Taylor and his wife, Cathy, are the parents of a daughter, Casey, and a son, Jared.
Winners of the 2011-12 Under Armour AD of the Year Awards are:
| Winner | Institution | Region |
| Football Bowl Subdivision | ||
| Michael O'Brien | University of Toledo | Northeast |
| Richard Giannini | University of Southern Mississippi | Southeast |
| Jim Phillips | Northwestern University | Central |
| Ian McCaw | Baylor University | West |
| Football Championship Subdivision | ||
| Jim Fiore | Stony Brook University | Northeast |
| Jeff Barber | Liberty University | Southeast |
| Gene Taylor | North Dakota State University | Central |
| Peter Fields | Montana State University | West |
| Division I | ||
| Mike Bobinski | Xavier University | Northeast |
| Norwood Teague | Virginia Commonwealth University | Southeast |
| Mike Carter | Oral Roberts University | Central |
| Peg Bradley-Doppes | University of Denver | West |
| Division II | ||
| Bill Goldring | Ashland University | Northeast |
| Fran Reidy | Saint Leo University | Southeast |
| Tom Rubbelke | Concordia University, St. Paul | Central |
| Jared Mosley | Abilene Christian University | West |
| Division III | ||
| James Nelson | Suffolk University | Northeast |
| William Klika, Jr. | Fairleigh Dickinson University, College of Florham | Southeast |
| Terry Rupert | Wilmington College (OH) | Central |
| Jeff Martinez | University of Redlands | West |
| NAIA/Other 4-Year Institutions | ||
| George Sliman | Carlow University | Northeast |
| Steven Ridder | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Southeast |
| Ira Zeff | Nebraska Wesleyan University | Central |
| Bruce Parker | Carroll College | West |
| Junior/Community Colleges | ||
| Gary Broadhurst | Mohawk Valley Community College | Northeast |
| Ken Krsolovic | Harford Community College | Southeast |
| Brenda Hampton | Iowa Western Community College | Central |
| Tim Drain | Tyler Junior College | West |
| International | ||
| Gord Grace | University of Windsor |
All NACDA-member directors of athletics in the United States, Canada
and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award. Among the
criteria were service as an AD for a minimum of five academic years;
demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes;
continuous teamwork, loyalty and excellence; and the ability to inspire
individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments. Additionally,
each AD's institution must have passed a compliance check through its
appropriate governing body (i.e., NCAA, NAIA, etc.), in which the
institution could not have been on probation or cited for a lack of
institutional control within the last five years during the tenure of
the current athletics director.
Nominators were NACDA-member
directors of athletics, institutional presidents and conference
commissioners. Special Selection Committees composed of current and
former directors of athletics, present and past NCAA and NAIA
presidents, current and former commissioners and other key athletics
administrators voted on nominees for the award. A complete listing of
Selection Committee members can be found on NACDA's Web site at
www.nacda.com.
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About NACDA:
NACDA, now in its 47th year, is the professional and educational
association for more than 6,500 college athletics administrators at more
than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and
Mexico. More than 2,200 athletics administrators annually attend the
NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers 12 professional
associations, including six for the separate business units that report
directly to the athletics directors and two foundations. For more
information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.
