CLEVELAND - The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) has announced Montana State University (MSU) as its 2023 Unity Award recipient.

"We are honored to receive the NACMA Unity Award for the No More Stolen Sisters/No More Stolen Relatives games bringing awareness to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples epidemic," said MSU Director of Athletics Leon Costello. "Thank you to Kola Bad Bear, the MSU Athletics Marketing team, MSU American Indian Council, and the MSU community as a whole for making this important initiative a huge success."

With inspiration from Kola Bad Bear and members of the Bobcat women's basketball program in 2020-21, the MSU women's program staged its first No More Stolen Sisters game. Bad Bear, a member of the Crow tribe, and her teammates and coaching staff embraced bringing to light that more than 5,000 Native American women disappeared or were murdered in 2016 alone. 

The initial No More Stolen Sisters game took place in 2020-21, and in 2022-23 the men's basketball program – featuring star forward RaeQuan Battle of Washington's Tulalip Tribe – joined the cause. Throughout its course, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples game has grown to include educational outreach moments, personal testimonials, and in-game features such as the Bobcat Singers, which include former Bobcat football star Leo Davis, of Lakota and Blackfeet Tribes.

In its second year, the Unity Award recognizes the efforts in creating a marketing campaign or initiative that is associated with diversity and inclusion. Montana State was selected for the 2023 Unity Award from a group of three finalists, including University of Arizona and University of Oklahoma.

"On behalf of NACMA, I am honored to recognize Montana State University with the 2023 Unity Award," said NACMA President Carrie Blankenship. "The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples game created the opportunity for the Bobcat athletics department to utilize their platform to bring powerful awareness surrounding this epidemic within their community. I am thrilled that NACMA is able to spotlight the work of the team at Montana State for their efforts in creating a greater good for their students and community."

Montana State University was announced as the winner during the 2023 NACMA Convention presented by Venue Edge on June 12.