Jim Phillips added another award to his trophy case last week.
The Northwestern athletic director was given the 2011-12 Under Armour Central Region AD of the Year Award by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Phillips will be recognized for the award on Wednesday at NACDA’s 47th Annual Convention.
“We are extremely proud of the phenomenal year Northwestern Athletics enjoyed across the board in 2011-12 as we continue to reach new heights athletically, academically and socially,” Phillips said in a press release. “I am honored and humbled to receive this award on behalf of all the student-athletes, coaches and staff at Northwestern who have made our success possible.”
Phillips just finished his fourth complete season as athletic director and had overseen a major revival in Wildcats athletics. The football and men’s basketball programs made the postseason for a fourth consecutive year, a school record, and the men’s soccer team won its first Big Ten regular season and tournament title. Women’s sports also had success under Phillips with the women’s tennis team winning at least one Big Ten title every year and the lacrosse team winning its seventh national championship in eight seasons. This year alone, 12 of NU’s 19 varsity sports played in the postseason.
In addition to the success on the field of play, NU student-athletes have succeeded in the community and in the classroom. A school-record 206 student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and eight teams earned perfect scores in the multi-year Academic Progress Rate released last month. Football led all of the Football Bowl Subdivision in APR with a score of 995, which also tied it for the best of any NCAA football team across all divisions. In the community, the Cats logged more than 6,000 hours of community service and NU staff and coaches joined in the fun as part of a new initiative Phillips implemented this year.
NACDA hands out awards in four regions around the United States in seven different competition levels. Athletic directors, presidents and conference commissioners nominated their peers for the award and a special committee comprised of current and former athletic directors, NCAA and NAIA presidents and commissioners in addition to other athletic administrators had the final vote for the winners.
“Before its inception, our Honors and Awards Committee recognized a need for an award such as the AD of the Year,” NACDA Executive Director Bob Vecchione said in a press release. “The program brings to light the remarkable jobs done by athletics directors across the country. These 29 outstanding winners epitomize that, providing us with a group of exemplary athletics directors who excel on campus and in their communities.”
Phillips served as NACDA’s 3rd Vice President in 2011-12 and will become the first Northwestern athletic director to become president of the NACDA in 2014-15.
