CLEVELAND – University of Maryland Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson represented the McLendon Scholarship Steering Committee as it awarded Bill Polian, one of the most accomplished front office executives in NFL history, this year's Selig Mentoring Award. The award was presented in conjunction with Polian's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on August 7.
The award was established in 2007 and named in honor of Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig and is presented biennially to a person in athletics administration who has been at the forefront in creating equal opportunities for minorities in the field of athletics. Selig has placed diversity and equal employment opportunity among his top priorities throughout the years to great effect in Major League Baseball.
Praised as both a top talent evaluator and influential executive, Polian is the first six-time recipient of the NFL Executive of the Year award from The Sporting News, an honor bestowed on him by his peers. Throughout his career in the NFL, he served on several league committees: Competition Committee, Diversity Committee, Management Council Senior Executive Committee and Chairman of the College Relations Committee.
Anderson is on the NACDA Board of Directors and served as the organization's president in 2012-13 and also previously held the title of vice president. In 2015, Anderson was newly elected by the NCAA to serve on the women's basketball and baseball committees and is also currently a member of the Honda Award committee which honors the top female athletes in intercollegiate athletics. He previously served as chair for the NACDA's McClendon Minority Scholarship Steering Committee and the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Issues Committee.
In August of 2014, Anderson was inducted into the NACDA/John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation Hall of Fame. A year later, Anderson was also honored with the Golden Anniversary Award for his work with the John McLendon Minority Foundation, a unique award recognizing those individuals, companies and organizations that have had significant impact on NACDA over its first 50 years.
About the John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Program: The John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards are presented to minority students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in athletics administration. If you have any questions regarding this program, please visit www.mclendonminorityfoundation.com.
About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 51st year, is the professional and educational Association for more than 12,500 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 6,000 athletics administrators annually attend NACDA & Affiliates Convention Week. Additionally, NACDA manages 15 professional associations and three foundations. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.
