Jan. 31, 2011
CLEVELAND - The lone Executive Director of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Mike Cleary, has announced that he will step down from his role after the 2011 NACDA Convention and will continue to serve as Director Emeritus for the next three years. On July 1, Deputy Executive Director Bob Vecchione will become the Association's Executive Director.
Cleary, who was named to the post in 1965, has led the Association longer than any other current Division I conference commissioner, coaching association executive director or national association leader. In addition, Cleary has had the opportunity to work with all five NCAA presidents.
"I can't believe this will be my 46th Convention in June," stated Cleary. "I've had great presidents who have given our Association the leadership we have needed to reach the height that we have attained."
Cleary will continue to serve as the president for the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation and the Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
"Mike has been the Association's leader since its inception and, although we are sorry to hear of his retirement, we are happy that he will continue to serve as Director Emeritus for the next three years," stated NACDA President Dave Roach, director of athletics at Colgate University. "He is synonymous with NACDA and has been the guiding force behind the development of our profession as athletics administrators. He has been a mentor and friend to so many AD's for the last 45 years and his impact will be felt forever. We owe him more than words can ever express. On behalf of the entire membership, we thank him for his continued leadership over the years, and wish him nothing but the best in the future."
Over the course of its 45 year history, Cleary has overseen the creation of NACDA's Convention, its 11 affiliate associations, Facilities Workshop, Security Summit, the NACDA Daily Review, the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup and Athletics Administration.
As president of the McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation, Cleary has been responsible for raising more than $2 million to date. Annually, the program awards five postgraduate scholarships to minority senior-level students who are planning to pursue a graduate degree in athletics administration. In addition, the Foundation also created the John McLendon Minority Athletics Administrators Hall of Fame in 2007, to honor minority athletics administrators that have made an impact on the profession.
While serving as NACDA's Executive Director, Cleary simultaneously held the posts of commissioner of the Ohio Athletic Conference from 1973-81 and administrator of the Division 1A Athletic Directors' Association from 1986-92.
Prior to NACDA, Cleary served as the director of championship events for the NCAA, and also held the same position with the NAIA.Before entering the field of intercollegiate athletics, Cleary served as the general manager of the Cleveland Pipers in the old American Basketball League under owner George Steinbrenner. While with the Pipers, Cleary hired John McLendon, the first Black coach to head an American professional sports team. He also served as general manager of the Kansas City Steers of Abe Saperstein's ABL and Midwest scout for the New York Knicks.
A behind-the-scenes person in the field of athletics, Cleary has served on committees with the USOC; the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA); and the National Football Foundation (NFF) and Hall of Fame, to name a few. In 1999, Cleary was named to the Board of Directors of the NFF and, in 1995, he received the award for the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Additionally, in 1997, he received the St. Ignatius High School (Ohio) Distinguished Alumnus Award; in 1999, he was honored by the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA); in 2004, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the United States Sports Academy; in 2009, was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame; and in 2010, was inducted into the CYO Hall of Fame. Cleary was foreman of the Grand Jury of Cuyahoga County (Cleveland) from January through April 2000 and had previously served as a member of the Board of Regents of St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, Kansas.
About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 46th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,500 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,200 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers 11 professional associations for the separate business units that report directly to the athletics directors. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.
