May 31, 2005

May 31, 2005

Cleveland, Ohio -- The Officers and Executive Committee of the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD) have selected their award recipients for the 2004-05 year.

Award recipients include Jack Thompson of Georgia Tech as the Fund Raiser of the Year; Al Deniz of Fresno State as the University Division Volunteer of the Year; Dennis Craig of California State University San Bernardino as the College Division Volunteer of the Year; Murray Goodman of Lehigh University as the University Division Donor of the Year; and The Miller Family of Pittsburg State University as the College Division Donor of the Year. Additionally, Tom Carroll of St. Mary's College of California received the NAADD Postgraduate Scholarship.

Carroll will receive a $2,000 grant to be used toward postgraduate studies. He was required to have a minimum GPA of 3.0, be a full-time senior and be planning to pursue a graduate degree in intercollegiate athletics administration with an emphasis on collegiate fund raising.

Award winners will be recognized at NAADD's 12th Annual Convention, June 15-18 at Disney's Coronado Sprints Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

NAADD is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities, enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics, and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of athletics development and fund raising.

NAADD is administered by NACDA, which is now in its 40th year. NACDA serves as the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 college athletics directors, associates, assistants and conference commissioners at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. Through its series of management seminars, clinics and workshops and publication of the bi-monthly magazine Athletics Administration, NACDA offers educational opportunities to its members. More than 2,000 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, the Association operates the Sports Academy Directors' Cup program, which honors the all-sports champion in each of the NCAA Divisions -- I, II, III -- and the NAIA, for a total of four trophies.

A brief biological sketch of each of the honorees follows:

Fund Raiser of the Year
Jack Thompson, Georgia Tech
Jack Thompson, senior associate athletics director for development, has been a member of the Georgia Tech athletics department for 37 years, joining the staff in 1968. He was the founder of the Alexander-Tharpe Fund and currently serves as its executive vice president and executive director. The fund-raising arm of the Georgia Tech Athletic Association, the Alexander-Tharpe Fund raises $15 million annually under Thompson's leadership. Additionally, the athletics endowment has grown to $64 million under his watch. Georgia Tech has a 14-year record of being at the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the nation in per capita fund raising, with gifts and pledges totaling more than $75 million in the past three years. During his career, Thompson has led successful campaigns, including the $20 million Olympic campaign from 1995-99 and the $50 million BCA campaign from 2001-04. A respected mentor and leader in the field, Thompson is a NAADD past president. Additional positions of service include vice president of the Georgia Tech Charitable Life, and a member of the board of Midtown Alliance, Intown Chamber of Commerce and American Community Service Network.

University Division Volunteer of the Year
Al Deniz, Fresno State
Fondly referred to as Mr. Bulldog, Al Deniz has volunteered more than 30 hours per week selling priority seating and procuring more than $4.5 million from more than 2,500 donors in personal seat licenses since his retirement from Montgomery Wards in 1998. The 71-year-old volunteer has established himself as the top fund raiser for the past two years, raising $419,000 in memberships during the five-week spring fund drive. Deniz is the only volunteer to reach the $300,000 mark in the 54-year history of the Bulldog Foundation. In 2004, Deniz renewed 180 members and recruited 29 new members, totaling $25,000 in new membership revenue. In 35 years of service to the Bulldog Foundation, Deniz has $2.7 million in memberships including $1.6 million in donations and $1.1 million in associated ticket benefits. Due to his desire to build relationships with every member he recruits, he holds the highest membership retention rate among the 500 volunteers who have served the Bulldog Foundation. The donations raised by Deniz have provided 315 full-ride scholarships for Fresno State student-athletes.

College Division Volunteer of the Year
Dennis Craig, California State University San Bernardino
Earning the respect and admiration of his fellow volunteers and California State University San Bernardino athletics department since joining the Coyote Athletic Association (CAA) in 2003, Dennis Craig quickly became one of the top fund development campaigners. In 2004, he volunteered to chair the annual Dave Stockton Coyote Golf Classic, the department's single largest fund-raising event. His new ideas, enthusiasm and leadership led to the recruitment of new committee members representing a broader base of support and a net increase of more than $30,000. He has recently stepped into the interim role of CAA president, in which he sparked new interest among key donors and volunteers. An active member of the greater San Bernardino-Highland community, Craig is a member of the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce, the Arrowhead United Way and the YWCA board of directors.

University Division Donor of the Year
Murray Goodman, Lehigh University
A graduate of Lehigh University, Murray Goodman has established a legacy of generosity, contributing more than $20 million in gifts to his alma mater over the past 20 years. Most recently, Goodman committed $5 million to endow the position formerly titled "Director of Athletics" and renamed as "Dean of Athletics." This initiative illustrates his commitment to the extraordinary value of the central role that athletics plays in the education and development of young people, and his desire to see the leaders in the athletics program at Lehigh be recognized as educators. In the early 1980s, Goodman provided endowment gifts that enabled the maintenance and subsequent development of the athletics campus that, in tribute to his generosity, would later be named the Murray H. Goodman Campus. Additional contributions have led to the construction of the Murray H. Goodman Stadium, Lewis Tennis Center and creation of the Murray H. Goodman Basketball Coaching Chair. Goodman serves as a Lehigh trustee emeritus and has guided the university in its campus expansion efforts and the acquisition of several real estate properties. He received an honorary degree from Lehigh in 1988 and is a Hall of Fame inductee. Goodman founded the Goodman Company in 1960, a successful real estate development firm.

College Division Donor of the Year
The Miller Family, Pittsburg State University
The Miller Family has committed more than $4.15 million to the Pittsburg State University athletics department to enhance the student-athlete experience and make a positive contribution to the campus community. Richard Miller serves as vice president of the Pittsburg State Board of Trustees, co-chair of Phase I, the current $120 million capital campaign and is a member of the Centennial Commission. Additionally, he served as the fund-raising chair for the $6.5 million renovation and expansion of historic Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium. The family donated $1.35 million to the project and guaranteed the sale of $500,000 club seats. Although he is a graduate of Missouri, Richard's loyalty for Pittsburg State is evident, as he has made significant contributions to both institutions. Dick and Faith Miller Coleman are the single largest men's basketball program and Annual Athletics Scholarship Fund Drive donors. Dotty and the late Bill Miller are the founders of Miller's Professional Imaging and have a true understanding of the importance of philanthropy and have instilled this principle in their children. Dotty and Bill purchased a Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium skybox and donated it back to the university to foster donor and university relations.

Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient
Tom Carroll, St. Mary's College of California
Currently enrolled in the St. Mary's College of California's health, physical education and recreation graduate program, Tom Carroll was a four-year member of the baseball team. He earned his degree in May 2004 with a 3.34 GPA. He was on the Dean's List four years and received West Coast Conference All-Academic honors. He served as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president and West Coast Conference SAAC representative. Additionally, he was a member of the St. Mary's Athletics Review Task Force. Currently, Carroll serves as the interim director of student support services, as an intern in the athletics department and as a game-day operations assistant. As an undergraduate student, he was the housing director for the St. Mary's summer camp program and was a student assistant in the athletics department. Carroll devoted his spare time as a volunteer for the Special Olympics, St. Mary's Carnival for Kids and the National Dr. Seuss Day.