DALLAS, Texas – UNC Greensboro Director of Athletics Nelson Bobb was named the Division I Southeast Region Athletic Director of the Year on Monday when 29 Athletic Director’s from across the nation were honored as part of the AstroTurf AD of the Year Awards.
The awards were announced as a part of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention in Dallas. There are four geographic regions - northeast, southeast, central and west; while the membership is separated into seven categories - Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A); Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA); Division I (formerly Division I-AAA); Division II; Division III; NAIA; and Junior/Community Colleges. One winner was selected in each of the seven categories, for a total of 29 honorees. Winners will receive their awards during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon at NACDA's 43rd Annual Convention at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Tuesday.
“It is a great honor,” said Bobb, who is just completing his 25th year as the Director of Athletics at UNCG. “There is nothing more flattering, more special than to be honored by your peers. Thank you to the Selection Committee for this wonderful recognition.”
“I am delighted that Nelson has received this honor,” said UNCG Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan. “He has guided UNCG athletics for a quarter of a century and excellence has been a hallmark of our program. This award is well-deserved, and I am proud of the work that Nelson has done here.”
Bobb, a native of Gahanna, Ohio, first arrived at UNCG in July 1983, taking over a program that fielded eight teams on the NCAA Division III level. The University authorized the shift to Division I in February 1987 and he guided the program through the unprecedented change in competitive status in only five years. UNCG is one of only a dozen institutions to ever compete in all three divisions. However, no other institution has made the complete shift of all teams from Division III to Division I in that short of a time frame.
During his tenure, he has watched over the construction or renovation of all of the Spartans’ athletic venues. He began that process by serving on the committee that built Fleming Gymnasium and the HHP Building in 1989. He then moved onto the transformation of Campus Field in 1991 into what is today UNCG Soccer Stadium ? one of the premier venues in all of college soccer. In 1999, he oversaw the construction of the UNCG Baseball Stadium and the renovation and lighting of the UNCG Tennis Courts. Most recently, he added to the list the transformation of UNCG’s softball facility to become a top-of-the-line stadium venue, and the reconfiguration of seating in Fleming Gym, which added chairback seating on both sides and additional stands under one of the baskets.
Under Bobb’s guidance, Spartan student-athletes have consistently graduated at a rate equal to or higher than the general student population at UNCG. Each of the last three academic years, more than 40 percent of UNCG’s student-athletes earned a 3.0 GPA or better. In the spring of 2007, 52 percent of student-athletes earned at least a 3.0 GPA in the semester, equaling the record set the previous spring. As of June 2007, nearly half (46 percent) of UNCG’s 225 student-athletes held cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or better.
During his tenure, UNCG teams have won 36 conference tournament titles, 27 as an NCAA Division I member. They have also won 66 conference regular season titles, 40 of those since moving to NCAA Division I.
Bobb has served in various conference and NCAA appointments, including serving on one of the first NCAA Certification teams. From 1995-2000, he served on the Certification Team for four such events. Most recently, Bobb served on the Division I Men’s Soccer National Committee and had a two-year term as the chair of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules Committee.
On campus, Bobb is a member of the Chancellor’s Executive Staff and has been part of many governing bodies both inside and outside of athletics during his tenure. He is one of the original members of the Greensboro Sports Commission, having served in the body since 1989. He has also been a member of the Greensboro Sports Council since 1983. He has presented twice each to the NCAA Convention and the NACDA Convention.
Bobb, who was inducted into UNCG’s Athletics Hall of Fame this past February, oversees a staff of more than 50 full and part-time employees with administrative divisions of administration and business, student welfare, facilities and operations and integrated public affairs within the department.
Before coming to UNCG, Bobb served as an assistant athletic director at Cornell University for five years. He also served as an assistant football coach at Cornell for nine seasons.
A 1970 graduate of Kent State (OH) with a bachelor’s degree in education, Bobb also holds a master’s degree in secondary education from Kent. As an undergraduate, he was a three-year letterwinner on the football team as an offensive guard and earned All-Academic recognition from the Mid-American Conference as a junior. He was an all-conference choice his senior year.
NACDA Executive Director Mike Cleary explains the ADOY Award is essential because it highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to campuses and their surrounding communities.
“Our Honors and Awards Committee recognized a need for an award such as the AD of the Year,” said Cleary, who oversaw implementation of the program to allow all NACDA Officers and Honors and Awards Committee members to participate in the awards process, should they be elected. “The program brings to light the exceptional jobs done by athletics directors across the country. These 29 winners exemplify that, providing us with a group of outstanding athletics directors who excel at their jobs.”
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.