NACDA Keynote Address
Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States Navy

To be in the position Admiral Mike Mullen is in, a multitude of people along the way have to make lasting impacts on every aspect of life. For him, it was a great pleasure to provide the Keynote Address to a room full of people who have entered the field of athletics in order to nurture and mentor student-athletes, because some of the people who have had the greatest impact on his life were his former coaches.

“From my perspective, what you do and the impact that you have and the young people that you touch makes a ton of a difference in our country,” Mullen shared. “Sports give a foundation that young people don’t even know they’re getting. It will serve them well the rest of their lives, create opportunities, and even save lives.”

It’s no secret that people from all walks of life draw back to the athletics experiences of their youth for guidance later in life, and that rings true even for the top officer and leader of the U.S. Military.

The most passionate message Admiral Mullen delivered on the morning was one that he vowed that he would carry out from an early age, and that is taking care of, recognizing and supporting our veterans and current soldiers.

“Those who serve overseas just want to know one thing,” Admiral Mullen said. “Are the American people behind me? When that question is answered affirmatively, they don’t have any other questions.”

Upon arrival back home, it is absolutely vital that they connect with America. Thirty-five thousand soldiers have been physically injured and tens of thousands are suffering from stress related issues due to the combat in the Middle East.

Although Admiral Mullen’s speech was incredibly insightful, the scene that took place in the hallway prior to the address was nothing short of inspirational. Members from the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), which was created to honor and empower wounded warriors while raising public awareness about the needs for these heroes, were in attendance and were greeted by Admiral Mullen upon his arrival. To stand there and watch the exchange between them was riveting. The love and respect he had for them was written all over his face, and it was evident that the WWP program is exactly what Admiral Mullen meant by embracing the real heroes of our country.

NAADD: The Future of Athletics Development
Panel: Tim Hall, Director of Athletics, University of Missouri-Kansas City
Kay Hargrave, Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Development, Auburn University
Brian Mackin, Director of Athletics, University of Alabama Birmingham
Jim Phillips, Director of Athletics, Northwestern University

Maybe more than any facet of collegiate athletics, the development department is changing seemingly on a daily basis. The popular thing to do is to blame the sporadic economy for the decrease in funds for athletics departments, but the panel offered some other reasoning for why change is so rapidly affecting the industry along with a set of solutions.

Tim Hall: As the AD at a mid-major institution, he feels that the level of expectations has trickled down to their particular level because of many mid-majors success on a national level over the last decade or so. With expectations comes the need for increased production at just about every level, and fundraising is at the forefront. His motto for success has and always will be “under promise and over deliver.”

Kay Hargrave: For Hargrave, the major reason for the change involves having more complicated donors who want to know where their money is being spent. Having more accountability as a department will go a long with in solving this new trend in handling these particular donors.

Brian Mackin: Being the director of athletics at an institution with an incredibly young alumni base presents obvious issues. Being able to generate revenue can prove to be difficult in this situation, but Mackin has found that sharing ideas and brainstorming with colleagues in similar situations, as well as going into the community and leaning on your media rights partner for revenue are avenues for overcoming this dilemma.

Jim Phillips: The Northwestern AD sees a shift in where the wealth lies within the alumni, donor and fan bases from predominantly old, mostly male shifting to a younger generation with a significant female presence. Phillips pointed out that there is no ceiling for development, and that finding a mentor, setting goals and investing in yourself will help you achieve the highest level of excellence within the field of development.

James J. Corbett Memorial Awards Luncheon

United States soccer legend Julie Foudy, who has recently retired and shifted to the television side of the business, emceed the Corbett Luncheon, which celebrated the achievements of numerous directors of athletics through the Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal AD of the Year, NACDA/NIT Athletics Director Award, Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year and the 43rd James J. Corbett Memorial Award.

Ross Nethery, managing editor of SBJ kicked things off by giving a few words on why they chose Oklahoma Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione as the recipient of their prestigious award.

“What our executive committee came to find out is that when Joe tells you he wants to help, he wants to help,” Nethery said. “When he tells you that he wants to give you his thoughts and his energy and his time, he will actually do it. We have also learned that Joes is very considerate to the issues that relate to intercollegiate athletics. He cares so much about his school, his family and most of all, his student-athletes.”

Marino Casem, the 2009 NACDA/NIT Athletics Director Award recipient, made his mark on intercollegiate athletics by guiding HBCU programs to unprecedented heights, highlighted by overseeing the Alcorn State University athletics program when its basketball team in 1979 when the Braves men’s basketball team became the first HBCU to capture a win in the NIT.

After the presentation of the 2009 Under Armour AD of the Year Award to the 29 recipients, Todd Mooradian, son of the late former director of athletics at the University of New Hampshire Andy Mooradian, accepted the 2009 James J. Corbett Memorial Award on his father’s behalf. A video was shown in his honor and featured athletics administration icons testifying to the fact that Mooradian was the nicest, fairest, most hard-working individual in the business and that his presence on the collegiate athletics scene is truly missed.