Mike Alden Position: Director of Athletics Institution: University of Missouri

Courtesy of the University of Missouri

Leading Missouri through the evolving world of intercollegiate athletics is Director of Athletics, Mike Alden. Entering his 10th year as chief executive for the Mizzou Nation, Alden has taken a lead-by-example approach to his core principles of academic integrity, social responsibility and competitive excellence, and has guided Missouri's 20-sport program to one of its most successful all-around performances in school history. Entering his 23rd year as an athletics administrator, Alden has grown from being a special assistant to the director of athletics at Arizona State University in 1985, to earning his first director of athletics role at Southwest Texas (now Texas State) in 1996.

Alden took over the Tiger program on July 16, 1998, and has led a department renaissance that has included facility upgrades for nearly every athletics program, a tripling of the department's annual operating budget, record-setting and Big 12 Conference-leading academic success and across-the-board athletics achievement like never seen before in Columbia. Prior to entering the athletics administration field, Alden was offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator (1982-84) at the University of Evansville. He moved on to the University of Pennsylvania (1984-85) and was an assistant offensive line coach and strength coach for Penn's 1984 Ivy League championship team. Alden earned a master's degree in educational administration/supervision from Arizona State University.

He holds two degrees from the University of Evansville, where he was a starting member of the football team -- a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. In 2001, Alden was recognized by Evansville with the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award.

Alden holds strong ties to central Missouri. His family tree has been rooted on his family farm in Williamsburg, Mo., some 30 miles east of Columbia. His mother lives in Williamsburg, while his brother lives in Lamar, Mo., and several relatives reside in and around Kansas City.

A native of Chicago, Alden attended West Chicago Community High. He serves on the NCAA Woman of the Year Committee and is on the Big 12 Conference Committee for Officiating and Sportsmanship. He was recently tapped into the QEBH Honorary Society at Missouri after being named the General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletics Director Award Recipient in 2004.

He and his wife, Roxanne (Rockie), have a son, Jake (12).