June 24, 2010
Anaheim, Calif. - Tom O'Connor, director of athletics at George Mason University, was selected as the recipient of the 2010 Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA). The award was presented during the Division I-AAA ADA Meeting at the NACDA Convention in Anaheim, Calif. It is the highest award presented by the association.
"Our Association is proud to present Tom with the sixth annual Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award," stated Ken Kavanagh, 2009-10 Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award Committee chair and director of athletics at Florida Gulf Coast University. "Our Committee was once again challenged with a formidable task of selecting from an outstanding group of nominees, each of whom has made intercollegiate athletics significantly better with their decades of contributions. In turn, Tom now rightfully joins a great list of previous Cunningham LTA honorees. A former I-AAA ADA Executive Committee Member, he is an innovative, conscientious and visionary administrator who epitomizes the characteristics and contributions for which this highest award of our Association represents. Tom's bold leadership has advanced collegiate athletics--at not only GMU, but each of the four institutions' he's served, and at the national level as well."
O'Connor, NACDA's 2006-07 Southeast Region Division I Athletics Director of the Year, recently completed his 16th year as director of athletics at George Mason. His focus on academics, compliance, diversity and gender equity go a long way in proving his well-rounded focus as an athletics administrator. George Mason recently was recognized for its efforts in the area of diversity as it was one of 10 institutions nationally to earn the 2008 Diversity in Athletics Award in the category of African-American Graduation: Male Student-Athletes. O'Connor has also spearheaded an effort by the university to come into full compliance with Title IX. As a result, George Mason perennially ranks among the nation's best in the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act survey.
On the field of play, George Mason made a Cinderella run into the 2006 Men's Basketball NCAA Final Four, but numerous other Patriot teams have excelled as well under O'Connor. Among these include the 2009 baseball team tying the school record for wins and winning percentage and the 2006 nationally ranked men's volleyball team nearly missed making it to the national championship. Additionally, every athletics facility has received significant upgrades over the last decade.
On the national level, O'Connor served a five-year term on the prestigious NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Committee and served as Chair for the 2007-08 year.
Members of the Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award Committee include Division I-AAA athletics directors: Ken Kavanagh, committee chair; Ken Bothof, Wisconsin Green Bay; Peg Bradley-Doppes, Denver; Bob Driscoll, Providence; Lynn Hickey, Texas San Antonio; Tom Hickman, Winthrop; Ed McLaughlin, Niagara; Stan Morrison, California Riverside; Mike Roth, Gonzaga; and Eric Sexton, Wichita State.
