70th Annual NAIA Convention: Day 4-5 Recaps
KANSAS CITY -- The NAIA wrapped up its 70th annual convention here Tuesday. Below are recaps highlighting membership activity from Monday and Tuesday.
Kansas City, Mo. played host to the 70th Annual NAIA Convention, April 15-19, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center. The event attracted close to 400 delegates from nearly 300 member institutions and conferences and is the sports organization's largest gathering. Over the past 70 years the NAIA National Convention has inspired advances in the conversation and opportunity to impact the NAIA's more than 60,000 student-athletes through campus, conference and national initiatives. These benefits - opportunities to excel in college sports, a focus on values that build character, an environment where each student-athlete matters and the goal of developing future leaders - are descriptive of how the student-athlete's needs, desires and ambitions guided convention outcomes.
NAIA Business Meeting
The NAIA Annual Business Meeting took place on Tuesday, April 19, and served as the final agenda item at convention. Delegates gathered and voted on key amendments and legislation.
2011 Approved NAIA Constitution and Bylaws Amendments
National Administrative Council
The National Administrative Council (NAC) reviewed and approved new policies in relation to championship competition, rules and ratings, awards and statistics and experience and enhancement.
The NAC approved the experience and enhancement committee's proposal that the NAC will evaluate an emerging sport's first "invitational" and make recommended changes for a second "invitational" year. The NAC will have final approval between the second invitational and moving to Championship Sport status.
The NAC approved the following items presented by the rules and ratings committee: the placement of sponsorship/advertisement logos on fields and the use of NCAA baseball playing rules with NAIA modifications.
The NAC approved the following items presented by the awards and statistics committee: the national cross country runner of the week award will conclude the week before the conference deadline; the national swimmer & diver of the month award will combine both the swimmer award and diver award to one and adjust its selection dates per recommendation from the Swimming and Diving Coaches Association Executive Board; monetary fines will be added to statistical violations following the first violation warning.
The NAC approved the following items presented by the championships committee: charging the coaches' associations in swimming & diving and track & field to submit qualifying standards for 2011 - 12 for NAC review/approval by June 10, 2011; the formation of a committee to examine the qualifying standards/process for wrestling.
NAIA Awards Banquet
The NAIA Awards Banquet is in the books. The annual event was held on Monday, April 18, at the downtown Hyatt Regency Crown Center Hotel, to honor outstanding athletic administrators, coaches and student-athletes. Over 300 guests were in attendance. Council of Presidents Chair Dr. Ted Brown welcomed the crowd, and Harold "Skip" Lord provided the invocation.
Honorees recognized during the evening's program include:
NAIA Athletics Director of the Year: Gary Picone, Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho) - Gary Picone has had an exceptional career as the director of athletics at Lewis-Clark State, distinguishing himself among the outstanding athletics directors in the Frontier conference and all of the NAIA to earn this honor.
Charles Morris Award: Rick Sanders, Midwest Collegiate Conference - The prestigious honor, initiated in memory of former NAIA Associate Executive Director Charles Morris, is bestowed to an NAIA member who has made significant contributions as an administrator of intercollegiate athletics.
Wally Schwartz Award: Dr. Paul Sadler, Wayland Baptist University (Texas) - The award, initiated by the Faculty Athletics Representative Association, honors past NAIA Vice President of Legislative Services Wally Schwartz. Dr. Paul Sadler has served with distinction at Wayland Baptist for more than 20 years and has been faculty athletics representative for 15 years.
Coach of Character Award: Bryan Wilkins, Vanguard University (Calif.) - Bryan Wilkins is the head men's and women's cross country and track and field coach at Vanguard University. Teaching, mentoring and challenging student-athletes in the area of character development is something Wilkins is committed to and passionate about.
Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award: Dylan Smith, Concordia University (Ore.) - The award named after Dr. Walker, President Emeritus of the United States Olympic Committee who served as president through the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. The award, considered one of the most prestigious honors in the NAIA, recognizes Smith's athletic and academic excellence and commitment to the Champions of Character program.
Hall of Fame: John Friend, Purdue University Calumet (Ind.) - John Friend has made his mark on college athletics through his integrity, work ethic and commitment to Purdue University Calumet and the NAIA in the past 21 years. He is well respected and a volice of athletic authority regionally, state-wide and nationally.
Hall of Fame: Royal Goheen, Sunrise Conference - For the past 30 years, Royal Goheen has been actively serving the NAIA. Starting out as a professor and chairperson in 1969, and then continuing on to become an Athletics Director at the University of Maine Presque Isle. In 1997, Goheen took on the role of the commissioner at the Maine Athletic Conference and in 2002, became the commissioner of the Sunrise Conference, where he currently continues to serve the NAIA.
Hall of Fame: James Wilson, Huston-Tillotson University (Texas)
- James Wilson has a rich history with the NAIA, starting as a student-athlete where he lettered in four sports at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Texas. Wilson was named athletics director at Huston-Tillotson in 1960 and remained in that position for 44 years.