June 26, 2006

Former Saluki Athletics Director Paul Kowalczyk was one of 29 winners of the AD of the Year Award (ADOY), presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and sponsored by GeneralSports TURF Systems.

Kowalczyk, who left SIU last May to become AD at Colorado State, oversaw a renaissance in Saluki Athletics during his six-year tenure. The men's basketball team won five-straight Missouri Valley Conference championships and earned five-straight bids to the NCAA tournament from 2002-06. Football made three-straight I-AA Playoff appearances and won three-straight conference titles. Giving, attendance and support for athletics is at an all-time high.

"I'm grateful and humbled to receive the award, because it's the result of a lot of hard work from a very dedicated and unselfish group of administrators and coaches," Kowalczyk said. "And I want to be sure to thank Chancellor (Walter) Wendler, too, for his support and guidance."

Winners received their awards last week during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon at NACDA's 41st Annual Convention in New Orleans.

Winners of the 2005-06 GeneralSports TURF Systems AD of the Year Award are:

Division I-A
Laing Kennedy Kent State University
Jim Livengood University of Arizona
Terry Don Phillips Clemson University
Kevin White University of Notre Dame

Division I-AA
Paul Kowalczyk Southern Illinois University
Francis McLaughlin Fordham University
Steve Sloan University of Tennessee Chattanooga
Larry Teis Texas State University West

Division I-AAA
Joni Comstock American University
Lynn Hickey University of Texas San Antonio
Cheryl Levick Saint Louis University Central
Pat Meiser-McKnett University of Hartford

Division II
Bill Goldring Ashland University
Lynda Goodrich Western Washington University
Dan Kenney University of North Carolina Pembroke
Michael Kovalchik Hillsdale College

Division III
Holly Gera Montclair State University
Leon Lunder Carleton College
Larry Scheiderer Denison University
Don Tencher Rhode Island College

NAIA
Bob Burns John Brown University
Jim Dennison Walsh University
Steve Knight William Carey College
Joel Schuldheisz Concordia University

Junior/Community College
Ron Case Gloucester County College
Gregg Wolfe Gulf Coast Community College
Sue Sinclair Illinois Central College
Joe Tubb South Plains College West

International
Bob Philip University of British Columbia

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 .