CLEVELAND - The National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) is proud to announce Gary Karner, former commissioner of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), as the recipient of the 2023 Richard A. Rasmussen Lifetime Achievement Award.

This award, which is named after past NADIIIAA Executive Director Dick Rasmussen, is presented to someone who has had a significant impact on Division III throughout the course of his/her career.

Dr. Karner was named commissioner of the WIAC in June 1996 following eight-years as a member of the NCAA national office staff. In August of 2020, he retired as the longest serving commissioner in conference history. The most immediate task undertaken by Karner upon starting in 1996 was to merge the men's (Wisconsin State University Conference) and women's (Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) conferences into a single conference resulting in the formation of the WIAC in July 1997. 

During Karner's tenure, the WIAC captured 76 NCAA Division III National Championships—a number that surpasses the total number of championships won by all but one of the other 43 division III conferences in their respective histories, and over 500 WIAC student-athletes captured NCAA individual titles over the past 24 years.

Equally as impressive are the hundreds of WIAC student-athletes who earned Academic All-American recognition, 16 NCAA Elite 90 Award winners, and the conference's commitment to community service, particularly in support of Special Olympics. From 1996-2020, five of the seven NCAA Top Ten Award honorees from the State of Wisconsin were WIAC student-athletes.

Karner served on both the NCAA Division III Interpretations/Legislation and Baseball committees, as well as an innumerable number of NCAA and Division III commissioner ad hoc committees, task forces and working groups. He formed what is believed to be the first regional coalition of Division III conferences for the purpose of sharing best practices and collaborating on matters of mutual interest. 

Other notable accomplishments by Karner was the establishment of the following WIAC initiatives - a Corporate Partner Program that generated over $1 million in revenue for the conference during his tenure, Hall of Fame, the Centennial Celebration, the Foundation, the Student-Athlete Leadership Institute, the annual men's and women's basketball exhibition games versus the Wisconsin Badgers, and the Administrative Internship Program—a program that has provided invaluable practical experience to nearly 60 students aspiring to become athletics administrators.

Karner served as the president of NADIIIAA in 2002-2003 and established the NADIIIAA Community Service Awards presented to recognize outstanding community service activities performed by Division III student-athletes. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) from 2000-2003.

Some of Karner's recognitions include being selected as an Outstanding Commissioner of the Year by the All-American Football Foundation in 2007 and receiving the Meritorious Service Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award as presented by the DIIICA in 2011 and 2020, respectively. He also received two Distinguished Service Awards from NADIIIAA in 2003 and 2011. Plus, he was also named a Sports Ethics Fellow in 2005 by the Institute for International Sport. Then, on top of it all, he was named to the WIAC Hall of Fame in 2022.

In addition to his work as commissioner, Karner also served as an adjunct faculty member at both the University of Wisconsin and Edgewood College, and he also served on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation and Special Olympics Wisconsin. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1975 and his master's and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin in 1978 and 1984, respectively.

About NADIIIAA: NADIIIAA is comprised of athletics administrators from over 360 institutions and conferences competing at the NCAA Division III level. The Association encourages the continued development of athletics programs focused on the student-athlete and based on sound educational principles and the Division III philosophy. NADIIIAA is administered by NACDA, which is in its 58^th year. For more information on NACDA, the 18 professional associations and/or four foundations it manages, please visit www.nacda.com.