Curley named NACDA veep

Tim Curley, Penn State Director of Athletics, has been asked to serve intercollegiate athletics nationwide with two recent appointments.

    

At the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention, Curley was elected First Vice President. Elected a NACDA officer in 2002, he is in rotation to serve as president of NACDA in 2005-06.

    

NACDA serves as the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 college athletics directors, associates, assistants and conference commissioners at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA offers numerous educational and networking opportunities to its members.

      

Curley has been asked by NCAA President Myles Brand to participate in the next Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics meeting, which will be held Saturday, June 26 at NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. The veteran Penn State administrator is among a small group of athletic directors who will meet with the COIA leadership, selected NCAA staff and faculty athletics representatives to discuss issues of mutual concern. The initial meeting was held in January. Saturday's meeting will focus on fiscal responsibility and student-athlete welfare.

       

The appointments are the latest in what has been an even busier initial six months of the year for Curley, who is in his 11th year directing Penn State's 29 varsity sport program. In addition to guiding the 800 Nittany and Lady Lion student-athletes and approximately 300 athletic staff members, Curley has been asked to serve on two other NCAA committees in 2004.

       

In March, he was asked to participate on a special NCAA task force that reviewed Division I recruiting bylaws. The task force paid specific attention to paid campus visits and submitted recommendations to the Division I Management Council in April.

Last month, Curley was appointed to the NCAA Division I Football Issues Committee. The committee is charged with oversight of all issues pertaining to NCAA Division I-A and I-AA football. The committee works closely with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) on legislation and other issues, as well as the National Football League. His appointment is through September 1, 2006

   

Curley previously has served as chair of the NCAA Postseason Bowl Certification Sub-Committee and was a member the NCAA Championship and Competition Cabinet.

  

A State College native, Curley has been a full-time member of the Penn State athletic staff since being named a graduate assistant football coach after earning his degree in 1976. His rise within Intercollegiate Athletics culminated on December 30, 1993, when he was named to succeed Jim Tarman as Director of Athletics.

       

During his initial 10-plus years of leading the Lions' varsity program, as well as recreational and intramural sports, Curley has seen Penn State capture 11 NCAA Championships, along with 18 national semifinal (Final Four) appearances. Penn State also has won 25 Big Ten regular season championships and nine conference tournament crowns under Curley's leadership, including four in 2003-04. Penn State also has earned seven top 10 finishes in the NACDA Directors' Cup during the survey's initial 10 years.

     

Academic performance by Penn State student-athletes continues to keep pace with achievements on the field under Curley's direction. The most recent annual NCAA federal graduation rate report showed that 80 percent of the class that entered in 1996-97 graduated within six years. The national average for all institutions was 62 percent, according to the 2003 NCAA report. The graduation rate for Penn State students also was 80 percent.