View release from Belmont Athletics

The Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) is proud to announce Mike Strickland, former director of athletics at Belmont University, as the 2021 Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

"I am humbled and honored to be recognized in this way," Strickland said. "Previous recipients of this award comprise a distinguished and accomplished group, and I am honored to be associated with them. The accomplishments of athletic directors are due to the dedication and success of student-athletes, coaches and staff members. I am proud of all of those who achieved so much throughout my tenure, but more so blessed to have meaningful relationships with many over the years. A career in athletics is more than a job. It is a way of life. Serving as an athletic director has been a true privilege."  

Strickland comes with over 40 years in college athletics, where he had experience across various divisions. Most notably, Strickland is credited with navigating Belmont University from the NAIA to the Division I level, during his 20-year tenure there as the Director of Athletics. Prior to leading Belmont, Strickland served in the same position at Murray State University for nearly a decade.

He led the Bruins to 45 conference championships, including nine during their first four years in the Ohio Valley Conference, as well as 17 NCAA Tournament appearances. In addition, under Strickland's leadership, six sports were added, and new athletic facilities were built, most notably the Curb Event Center and the E.S. Rose Park Athletic Complex. Not only did he help navigate Belmont from the NAIA to Division I, but he assisted in the transition from DI Independent to Atlantic Sun Conference membership to finally the Ohio Valley Conference, where they remain today.  Under Strickland's watch, Belmont earned an academic conference championship 13 of his last 15 years (nine Atlantic Sun; four OVC), posted 36 consecutive semesters of a departmental grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher, and saw all 17 programs honored through the NCAA Academic Performance Program.

This Atlanta native is a graduate of Georgia Southern University where he received a bachelor's degree in political science. He then went on to the University of Georgia where he received a master's degree in public administration.

Strickland's distinguished career across intercollegiate athletics, included participation on various national, regional, and conference committees, including the NCAA FCS (previously I-AA) football advisory committee and the NCAA rifle committee. In 2009, he received the Under Armour NACDA AD of the Year Award.

"We are excited to bestow our Association's most prestigious honor to Mike," stated Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award Committee Chair and Director of Athletics at Florida Gulf Coast University, Ken Kavanagh. "Like our previous honorees, he certainly personifies what the award represents and fits in extremely well with the tremendous group of prior recipients. A valued contributor to the DI-AAA ADA's early development, Mike served our intercollegiate athletics profession with distinction for decades in a variety of roles. In turn, he positively impacted the countless Belmont student-athletes and staffers that he worked alongside daily, as well as the many others for whom he has been a terrific mentor and valued colleague."

Strickland will be formally recognized in front of his peers at the 2022 NACDA Convention in Las Vegas next June.

Members of the Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award Committee include Division I-AAA athletics directors: Ken Kavanagh (Chair), Florida Gulf Coast University; Scott Corley, Belmont University; Bob Driscoll, Providence College; Shaney Fink, Seattle University; Bill Maher, Canisius College; Ed McLaughlin, VCU; Roderick Perry, IUPUI; Kim Record, UNC Greensboro; Mike Roth, Gonzaga University; and Steve Watson, Loyola University Chicago.

About the Division I-AAA ADA: Now in its 20th year, the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance initiatives common to its Division I-AAA membership (the Division I institutions that do not sponsor football), in particular, aspects related to their flagship basketball programs. For more information on the Division I-AAA ADA, please visit www.div1aaa-ada.com. The Division I-AAA ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 56^th year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.