CLEVELAND – FGCU Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh was honored as a 2018-19 Under Armour AD of the Year, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced Wednesday afternoon.
 
There were 28 winners overall from seven collegiate 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 June 11 at NACDA's 54th Annual Convention at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando.
 
The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities.
 
This is the third time Kavanagh has been bestowed the honor (2008, 2013).
 
"With so many other deserving peers, I am truly humbled by this recognition," Kavanagh said. "In turn, it simply personifies how blessed I am daily to work with such wonderful student-athletes, coaches, staff and donors who have generated our many overall collective program successes."
 
Kavanagh, who came to FGCU after 13 years at Bradley University, was appointed to his position on May 7, 2009, by FGCU President Dr. Wilson G. Bradshaw.
 
Over his first nine years in Southwest Florida, Kavanagh has helped FGCU reach new levels of success on the field, in the classroom and in the community, while overseeing record fundraising and attendance thresholds for the Green and Blue. The Eagles have won a combined 36 ASUN regular-season titles, 22 ASUN tournament titles and eight Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) championships (swimming and diving).
 
Under Kavanagh's guidance in just eight+ years of Division-I postseason eligibility, FGCU has sent 23 teams to NCAA Championship events, while men's golf (2012-13, 2015), swimming (2012-18) and men's tennis (2014) have had individuals participate in their respective NCAA Championships, bringing the total NCAA appearances for FGCU to an astonishing 34 since 2011-12.

"Ken is a wide bandwidth AD. He cares deeply about the academic success of our student-athletes. He seeks to be competitive in all sports, and he ensures the integrity of our program in all ways," FGCU President Dr. Mike Martin said. "Ken is fully committed to our community and fans. And he is a fully engaged member of our university leadership team. This recognition is earned in full."
 
Under Armour is now in its 11th year of sponsoring the award and more than 248 different athletics directors have been honored with the award during that time.
 
"The Athletics Director of the Year Award acknowledges the positive impact top athletics directors across all levels have had at their respective institutions, and the leadership they provide to their student-athletes," said Suzanne Williams, Under Armour's director of collegiate sports marketing. "Under Armour is proud to partner with NACDA to honor those individuals who continue to excel and set the standard for leaders in college athletics."
 
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, as well as other respected intercollegiate athletics administrators. Special Divisional Selection Committees composed of current and former directors of athletics, 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 website at www.nacda.com.
 
About Under Armour, Inc.: Under Armour, Inc., headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, is a leading inventor, marketer and distributor of branded performance athletic apparel, footwear and accessories. Designed to make all athletes better, the brand's innovative products are sold worldwide to consumers with active lifestyles. The company's Connected Fitness™ platform powers the world's largest digitally connected health and fitness community. For further information, please visit about.underarmour.com.
 
About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 54th year, is the professional and educational Association for more than 15,700 college athletics administrators at more than 1,700 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 6,500 athletics administrators annually attend NACDA & Affiliates Convention Week. Additionally, NACDA manages 17 professional associations and three foundations. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.
 
Winners of the 2018-19 Under Armour AD of the Year Awards are:
 

Winner	Institution
	Football Bowl Subdivision
Patrick Chun	Washington State University
Jamie Pollard	Iowa State University
Danny White	University of Central Florida
Deborah Yow	North Carolina State University
	Football Championship Subdivision
Grace Calhoun	University of Pennsylvania
Barry Collier	Butler University
Earl Hilton	North Carolina A&T State University
Matt Larsen	North Dakota State University
	Division I-AAA
Jim Donovan	California State University, Fullerton
Ken Kavanagh	Florida Gulf Coast University
Bruce Rasmussen	Creighton University
Mike Roth	Gonzaga University
	Division II
Anita Barker	Chico State
Mike Cerino	Limestone College
Pete Meyer	Florida Southern College
Carolyn Stone	Palm Beach Atlantic University
	Division III
Nan Carney-DeBord	Denison University
Erin McDermott	University of Chicago
Mike Mooney	SUNY Geneseo
Jason Verdugo	Hamline University
	NAIA
Kiki Barnes	Dillard University
Mike Hermann	Kansas Wesleyan University
Mike McCaffrey	University of Saint Francis
Darin Wilson	Georgia Gwinnett College
	Junior/Community College
Kanoe Bandy	Taft College
Gary Broadhurst	Mohawk Valley Community College
Jeremy Capo	Iowa Western Community College
Marci Henry	Northeastern Junior College

 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 74 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 34 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring, 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runner-ups for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
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