The Division II Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) has selected Dr. Sue Willey (University of Indianapolis) and Matt Bassett (Le Moyne College) as the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to athletics directors who have exemplified superior achievement during their career at the Division II level.
"One of the greatest blessings of serving as a D2 ADA Officer is participating on the D2 ADA Lifetime Achievement Award selection committee and having the distinct privilege of notifying the recipients of this prestigious award. The family of Matt Bassett and the entire Le Moyne community were elated to hear that Matt would be recognized posthumously given his recent passing while Sue Willey was beyond honored, humbled, and incredibly appreciative of this special recognition from her peers," stated D2 ADA President and the Lenoir-Rhyne University, Vice President for Athletics, Kim Pate. "Both of the recipients for this year's award are deserving of this special recognition for their unmatched contributions of service, leadership, and the impact they had on countless student-athletes, coaches, and the broader Division II membership."
Dr. Sue Willey
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Dr. Sue Willey earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from the University of Indianapolis (UIndy) in 1975. In 1977, Willey went on to earn her Master of Science in Physical Education Teaching and Coaching from Indiana University (IU). In 1992 she earned her doctorate in Sports Administration and Higher Education from IU. She was an associate professor of health and physical education at UIndy and has taught in the Department of Kinesiology for nearly three decades, with a special teaching interest in sport ethics.
A 1993 inductee into the UIndy Athletics Hall of Fame, Dr. Willey earned an incredible 19 letters and 11 MVP awards in her four-year career. She was the "Female Athlete of the Year" from 1972-75. She began her coaching career at her alma mater after graduating cum laude from UIndy in 1975. The versatile Willey coached for 23 years at UIndy, directing 43 different teams in five sports. She was the GLVC Softball Coach of the Year in 1989, and her softball teams earned national academic honors in 1996 and 1997.
From 2002-2006, Dr. Willey served on the highest NCAA Committee available to athletics administrators, the NCAA Division II Management Council, and served as chair of the Council in 2004. Her Management Council assignments included the DII Budget and Finance Committee, Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee, Management Council Identity Subcommittee, Championships Regionalization Task Force, Project Team to Review Issues Related to Diversity, and the Championships Eligibility Project Team.
Dr. Willey was selected as the 2005 Division II Administrator of the Year by Women Leaders in College Sports, formerly the National Association of Collegiate Woman Athletic Administrators. She was also selected as the 2004 Pathfinder Award winner, presented in recognition of her strong commitment to provide quality sports and leadership opportunities for girls and women in the state of Indiana. Dr. Willey served a four-year (2006-10) term on both the Women Leaders in College Sports Executive Board and the DII Nominating Committee and served a four-year stint on the NCAA Division II Membership Committee. In addition, from 2016-20 she was a part of the NCAA DII Championships Committee, including serving as chair of the committee from 2019-20. She is also a graduate of the Women Leaders in College Sports Institute for Athletic Executives. Dr. Willey was named 2009-10 and 2012-13 Under Armour Division II Athletics Director of the Year.
Dr. Willey has proudly forged a path for women in athletics from the moment she was hired in 1975. Seeing firsthand how the roles of women have changed in the industry during her career, she has remained at the forefront of the fight for equal opportunity in sports. She broke barriers when she became the University's first female director of athletics and one of the first women to be a member of the President's Cabinet. Dr. Willey established UIndy as one of the top overall athletics programs in NCAA Division II. In her tenure, the Greyhounds became regular qualifiers for the NCAA postseason play and a consistent threat for conference, regional and national championships.
Matt Bassett
A native of Clifton Park, New York, Matt Bassett graduated from Excelsior College in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in Sociology. He earned a master's degree in Physical Education from Syracuse University in 1989 and a master's degree in Higher Education Administration from the University at Albany in 1991. He also graduated from the Sports Management Institute in January 2006.
Bassett began his professional career in athletics as a men's basketball coach. He was a member of the Syracuse University staff that advanced to the 1987 Final Four, served as the head coach at Green Mountain College for four years, and was an assistant coach and assistant director of athletics for student services for seven years at Quinnipiac University. He then joined Binghamton University in 1997 as the associate director of intercollegiate athletics and was elevated to senior associate director in 1999.
Among Bassett's most recognized accomplishments was the development of a deeply intentional, and shared mission-based athletics culture program, "Inside the 'L' – a distinctly Jesuit approach to intercollegiate athletics at Le Moyne College". The 'Inside the L' program has received both national and international acclaim
culminating in an invitation from the Vatican in October of 2016 where Bassett represented Le Moyne at the first-ever Global Conference of Sport and Faith - "Sport at the Service of Humanity." Bassett was the only NCAA athletics director to be invited to the global summit, which included 150 leaders from around the world to consider the role of sport in the formation of faith. For his continued efforts to advance Jesuit values and mission-based programming, Bassett was recognized in 2012 with Le Moyne's Ignatian Mission Award.
Throughout his tenure, Bassett has provided leadership at the college, conference, and national levels. He served as the second vice president and treasurer for the Division II Athletics Directors Association and served on the Board of Directors from 2013 until his retirement in 2019. He served as chair of the NCAA Division II Degree Completion Committee from 2014 - 2018 and acted as a mentor in the Division II ADA Mentoring program. He served the Northeast 10 Conference (NE10) on the Executive Officers Committee between 2011 and 2017 and held the position of chair from 2012-2016. Bassett held other positions within the NE10 Conference governance structure, including membership on the Finance Committee, the Hall of Fame Committee, and as chair of the Marketing and Branding Committee.
During Bassett's tenure leading the department, the Dolphins won four national championships and 15 NE10 Conference Championships in eight different sports. Between 2016 and 2019, the Dolphins had more student-athletes, and more teams, earn their way into NCAA championships than during any other three-year period in the College's history.
Throughout his time on the Heights, he also spearheaded a facility expansion and modernization initiative that resulted in the development of a $3.2 million turf complex, new team rooms for all women's sports, an athletics strength and conditioning facility, an administrative suite, a newly-created state-of-the-art softball complex, and a renovation of the Le Moyne Events Center, the home of the Dolphins' two basketball programs and volleyball program.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious award presented by the D2 ADA. To be eligible for this award, a person must be at least 60 years old, or have spent a minimum of 25 years in collegiate athletics, with most of those years as an athletics director. The honoree must be retired or no longer serving as an active athletics director. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes athletics directors who, over the course of his/her career, have made an exemplary contribution to Division II athletics and the student-athlete experience.
About D2 ADA: The D2 ADA is the first organization of its kind to provide educational and networking opportunities; enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of Division II athletics directors. For more information about the D2 ADA, please visit www.div2ada.com. The D2 ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 58th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.
