Tom Brown Receives NCAA Division II CCA Award of
Merit
Daniels, W.Va. – Tom Brown, the
long-time commissioner of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (GLIAC), was awarded the 2011-12 Award of Merit by the
NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association. The
presentation took place at the group’s summer meeting at The
Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, West Virginia. Brown is the
14th recipient of the award.
The DII CCA Award of Merit is the
association’s highest level of recognition. It is presented
annually to an individual who has provided extraordinary service to
the DII CCA and the NCAA.
Candidates are nominated by current
commissioners and the same group votes to determine the
year’s recipient. The previous 13 recipients consisted
of eight retired commissioners, four college presidents and one
NCAA staff member.
Brown was the longest-serving Commissioner
in the history of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference when he retired in June 2009. Brown was named to
the post of Commissioner of the GLIAC on July 15, 1992. At
that time there were 10 full members in the conference, all located
in the state of Michigan. The GLIAC currently boasts 12 full
members and two associate members spread across the Midwest in
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Most recently Brown
oversaw the addition of the third member institution from the state
of Ohio when Tiffin University was granted membership on July 1,
2008.
Brown’s association with the GLIAC
began in the early 1970’s when he helped to form the league
while serving as the Assistant to the President at then Northwood
Institute. With his assistance, Northwood became one of the
founding members of the GLIAC when it began play in the fall of
1972. Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University,
Lake Superior State University, and Saginaw Valley State University
were also founding members of the conference.
Under Brown’s leadership the
conference grew to offering championships in 20 sports (10
men’s and 10 women’s) while rising to prominence on the
national level as GLIAC teams and student-athletes have achieved
success both in the classroom and on the fields of play.
Upon hearing of Brown’s retirement
from the GLIAC, Ferris State President Dr. David Eisler had this to
say, "The GLIAC has prospered under the leadership and
guidance of Commissioner Tom Brown, becoming one of nation’s
premier NCAA Division II conferences. Tom’s unique
background and experience as an athlete, athletic director, and
university president have made him a superbly qualified and
effective commissioner."
Prior to joining the GLIAC, Brown served as
President of Northwood University from 1979-82. His presidency
capped off a long association with Northwood that began in 1963
when he joined the institute as an assistant professor of
mathematics, athletic director, business manager and men’s
basketball coach. Other positions Brown held at Northwood were
director of finance and operations (1972-74), executive vice
president (1974-76), and chancellor/chief operating officer
(1976-79).
Brown received his master’s in
Physical Education and Mathematics from Central Michigan University
in 1966. While an undergraduate at Central Michigan Brown played
basketball and baseball for the Chippewa.
Brown and his wife, Pat, reside in Linwood,
Mich. They are parents of four daughters, Suzanne, Cheryl, Carol
and Jeanette.
