Tech's Mark Wilson selected Athletic Director of the Year award winner

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tennessee Tech's Mark Wilson has been selected one of four winners of the Athletic Director of the Year Award for the Football Championship Subdivision, an honor that is selected and presented by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

NACDA announced 28 winners of the Under Armour AD of the Year Award (ADOY), spanning seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS; Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges). Winners will receive their awards during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon on Saturday at NACDA's 48th Annual Convention at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Florida.

Wilson joins Bill Chaves (Eastern Washington), Bruce McCutcheon (Lafayette College) and Mario Moccia (Southern Illinois) as the FCS winners.

“I am humbled that Tennessee Tech’s faculty athletic representative, Dr. Jeff Roberts, nominated me, and I'm honored to be selected by my peers at NACDA for this award," Wilson said. "I love working hard for our student-athletes and community so they have pride in everything Tennessee Tech Athletics.”

TTU President Philip Oldham recognized the efforts that led to Wilson's selection.

“Mark Wilson’s accomplishments and leadership have earned him this award and the respect of his peers and colleagues,” Oldham said. “Most importantly, Mark measures his own successes by how well TTU student-athletes perform in the classroom and on the field. His expectations and vision for our athletic programs continue to represent the university well.” 

Upon his arrival at Tennessee Tech in 2004, Wilson embarked on an ambitious enhancement program to improve every facet of intercollegiate athletics at Tennessee Tech. Tennessee Tech’s annual team GPA improved from a 2.79 in 2003-04 to 3.16 in spring semester 2013, including an all-time high semester of 3.2 in the spring of 2010. Private fundraising has enhanced facilities for TTU student-athletes, highlighted by the construction of a 25,000 square-foot Athletic Performance Center and state-of-the-art basketball offices. He initiated a new branding and standard graphic identity program for regional and national recognition of TTU athletics and under his leadership, TTU’s teams have been highly active supporting community outreach programs such as Habitat for Humanity and Mustard Seed Ranch (a local home for disadvantaged youth).

Wilson’s hiring decisions have also paid off. Twenty-two Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) regular season and tournament championships have been won, along with the 2012 OVC Sportsmanship Award. The 2011 football team under Watson Brown won its first conference championship since 1975. Sytia Messer’s (TTU’s first female African-American head coach) and Jim Davis’ women’s basketball teams have won two OVC championships in the last three seasons. Wilson has served as chair of the OVC Board of Director of Athletics and represented the OVC on the NCAA Leadership Council. Wilson currently serves on the FCS ADA Executive Committee and the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee and Football Issues Committee.

NACDA Executive Director Bob Vecchione explains the ADOY Award is essential because it highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities.

"Since 1998, NACDA has been highlighting significant contributions made by athletics directors across all divisions of our membership," Vecchione said. "This award allows athletics directors to be recognized not only nationally, but also in their respective communities which heightens the awareness of their leadership position in the athletics enterprise."

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 48th 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 13 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 <http://www.nacda.com/> .