WACO, TX — Baylor University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mack B. Rhoades has been selected as a recipient of the Under Armour AD of the Year Award for 2019-20, announced today by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
The award spans seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges). Winners will be recognized June 9 during NACDA’s 55th Annual Convention at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“The future of our industry continues to look bright with athletics leaders like these at the helm of departments across the country,” said Bob Vecchione, NACDA’s chief executive officer. “Out of our 28 ADOY winners, 22 are receiving this honor for the first time in their careers. It is exciting and inspiring to see the new faces coming up through the ranks and earning well-deserved recognition for their efforts on their campuses.”
The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities.
Rhoades has led Baylor’s department of intercollegiate athletics since July 2016. His service to Baylor is centered on his vision of “Preparing Champions for Life,” which seeks to enrich the student-athlete experience by focusing on the areas of academic achievement, athletic success, character formation and spiritual growth.
“Mack has achieved remarkable success in leading our athletics program to arguably its greatest heights in school history, and his example of values-based leadership has aligned with our University mission and uplifted the entire Baylor community,” said Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. “During the almost four years Mack has served as our vice president and director of athletics, he has been the guiding force behind the incredible success of our entire athletics department and an exceptional member of my leadership team.”
Under Armour is now in its 12th year of sponsoring the award and over 276 different athletics directors have been honored with the award during that time. Rhoades is joined by his peers at two other Texas-based institutions, Southern Methodist University and Texas A&M University-Commerce, as winners of this year’s Under Armour AD of the Year Award.
