June 9, 2004

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Frank Windegger, former director of athletics at TCU and past NACDA president, has been chosen as the recipient of the 23rd NACDA/NIT Athletics Director Award, the organization has announced.

Windegger will receive his award at the 39th Annual Convention of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), June 11-14. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 12, at the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon. The Convention is being held at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

Windegger's career in collegiate athletics began the first day he set foot on the TCU campus as a freshman, more than 40 years ago. While at TCU, Windegger excelled at baseball and was the university's first baseball player to have his number retired. After a two-year stint in the Army, Windegger returned to TCU and joined the coaching ranks. In 1959, he was selected as assistant ticket manager and assistant baseball coach. Three years later, he was named ticket manager and head baseball coach. As its coach, Windegger led the Horned Frogs' baseball team to four Southwest Conference (SWC) championships and six second place finishes. In 1972, he was honored as the SWC and NCAA District VI Coach of the Year.

While serving as baseball coach, Windegger also held the position of business manager of athletics (1965-74) and assistant athletics director (1967-74). A year after stepping down as baseball coach, Windegger was named athletics director in 1975, a position he held until his retirement in 1998.

Over the years Windegger served on numerous councils and committees including a term as president of NACDA in 1990-91. He was also on the NCAA Baseball Committee (1970-72), NCAA Voting Committee (1979-82), NCAA Men's Final Four Basketball Committee (1981-88) and the NCAA Council (1990-93), where he was the first and only athletics director to represent the Southwest Conference. Windegger was also involved with the College Football Association (CFA), Division 1A Athletics Directors Association, Final Four Foundation, College Basketball Issues, College Football Issues, Division I-A Athletics Directors Television Committee, SWC Executive Committee and the SWC Men's Basketball Tournament Committee.

Windegger has continued his involvement as a past president of NACDA, and as a member of the Association's Finance-Management, Honors and Awards and Site Selection committees.

"To receive this award from my peers and colleagues puts an exclamation point on my career," says Windegger. "My involvement with NACDA has been one of the most rewarding episodes of my athletics life. The selection being endorsed by the NIT further enhanced my appreciation."

Past winners of the NACDA/NIT Athletics Directors Award include:

2003 - Chuck Boone, director of athletics, University of Richmond
2002 - Fred Jacoby, Conference Commissioner
2001 - Arnie Ferrin, director of athletics, University of Utah
2000 - Gary Cunningham, director of athletics, University of California-Santa Barbara
1999 - Jack Lengyel, director of athletics, U.S. Naval Academy
1998 - Frank Rienzo, senior director of athletics, Georgetown University
1997 - Glen Tuckett, director of athletics, Brigham Young University
1996 - John Kaiser, director of athletics, St. John's University
1995 - Carl James, commissioner, Big Eight Conference
1994 - Scott Whitelaw, commissioner, Eastern College Athletic Conference
1993 - Tom Butters, director of athletics, Duke University
1992 - C.M. Newton, director of athletics, University of Kentucky
1991 - Bill Flynn, director of athletics, Boston College
1990 - Pete Carlesimo, executive director, National Invitation Tournament
1989 - Carl Maddox, director of athletics, Mississippi State University
1988 - Bob Woodruff, director of athletics, University of Tennessee
1987 - Ken Norton, director of athletics, Manhattan College
1986 - Bill Orwig, director of athletics, Indiana University
1985 - Ben Carnevale, director of athletics, College of William & Mary
1984 - Ray Meyer, director of athletics, DePaul University
1983 - Walter McLaughlin, director of athletics, St. John's University
1982 - Bud Jack, director of athletics, University of Utah