STARKVILLE –Scott Stricklin is becoming known as one of the best athletic directors in the country.
On Wednesday, he received national attention for the work he has done at Mississippi State.
The MSU Director of Athletics was named the winner of the 2015-16 Under Armour Athletics Director of the year Award by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
“The honor is due to MSU’s tremendous students, coaches, staff, alumni and fans for working together and creating a consistent level of success that has been recognized nationally by others,” Stricklin said in a school release. “Mississippi State is an incredibly fun place to be because there are so many talented people who are passionate about this university and refuse to let our challenges prevent us from achieving greatness.”
The award recognizes athletic directors at all levels for their commitment to student-athletes, campuses and the surrounding communities. He will officially receive the honor June 15 at NACDA’s 51st Annual Convention in Dallas, Texas.
Since taking over for Greg Byrne in May 2015, Stricklin has helped the athletic department grow from a fund raising standpoint and fan attendance. He has also helped invest $140 million in facility projects, including the $11.7 million Mize Pavilion at Humphrey Coliseum, the $5 million Leo W. Seal Jr. Football Complex, a $75 million expansion and renovation of Davis Wade Stadium, a $6 million renovation and expansion of the softball and tennis complexes and the $2.2 million Mississippi State Golf Center at Old Waverly which is expected to be finished this spring. A $40 million upgrade to Dudy Noble Field is in the works.
“Scott Stricklin’s leadership of Mississippi State University’s athletics has been marked not only by unprecedented growth and success in many sports, but by significant and steady improvement and sophistication in our facilities and our gameday experiences,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum said in a school release. “Scott is certainly most deserving of this recognition by NACDA and I offer my sincere congratulations to him and his wonderful family.”
A 1992 graduate of MSU, Stricklin has worked with several athletic departments, including Auburn, Tulane, Baylor and Kentucky.
Stricklin and baseball coach John Cohen have known each other for a while. From 1990-92, Stricklin served as the media contact for the Bulldog baseball team. Cohen played at MSU from 1988-90.
From 2003-08, Stricklin served as the Associate AD for Media Relations at Kentucky. Cohen coached the Wildcat baseball from 2004-08 before being hired by Byrne and MSU.
“He’s just smart and it’s hard to teach smart,” Cohen said. “It’s hard to teach an intuitive understanding of collegiate athletics and he’s got that. Scott makes really good decisions. Every time we have a discussion, I feel like I learn something from him. I think he’s one of the smartest, if not the smartest athletic director in America. I think we’re really fortunate to have him here at Mississippi State.”
Stricklin has proven he can get hire the coach that fills the need. He hired legendary coach Ben Howland this past March to lead the men’s basketball team, women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer, softball coach Vann Stuedeman and volleyball coach David McFatrich.
Some of the criteria for the award include serving as an AD for a minimum of five years, commitment to higher education and student-athletes and the ability to inspire individuals and groups to high levels of accomplishments.
Each AD’s institution was required to pass a compliance check through it’s appropriate governing body.
Stricklin is the first MSU AD to receive the honor and one of five current Southeastern Conference ADs who have been a recipient in the award’s 17-year history. Stricklin was one of four selected at the FBS level this year, joining Iowa’s Gary Barta, Northwestern’s Jim Phillips and San Diego State’s Jim Sterk.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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