CLEVELAND -- The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced the Association's Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The list of inductees includes: Jim Abbott, Oklahoma City University; Art Becker, Scottsdale Community College; Bob Bowlsby, Stanford University; Bob Driscoll, Providence College; Carl Heinrich, Johnson County Community College; Marilyn McNeil, Monmouth University; Lynn Thompson, Bethune-Cookman University; and Perk Weisenburger, Ferris State University. The group of deserving individuals will be honored in conjunction with the 58th Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Fla., at the beginning of the Association-Wide Featured Session on Monday, June 12, starting at 4 p.m.

Jim Abbott, Oklahoma City University
Jim Abbott served as director of athletics at Oklahoma City University (OCU) for 19 years before retiring in December 2021. He has worked in athletics and higher education administration for over 30 years, including a previous stint at OCU as assistant athletics director from 1991-94.

The OCU Stars flourished during Abbott's tenure, capturing 48 team national championships, including at least one team national championship every year. Abbott endeavored to provide a championship experience for Oklahoma City student-athletes athletically, academically and socially.

The OCU Stars flourished during Abbott's tenure, capturing 48 team national championships, including at least one team national championship every year. Abbott endeavored to provide a championship experience for Oklahoma City student-athletes athletically, academically and socially.

Abbott oversaw the growth of the OCU athletics department through the implementation of several new sports on campus. OCU added men's and women's cross country and track & field, volleyball, men's and women's rowing, men's and women's wrestling, competitive cheerleading, competitive pom/dance and STUNT under his guidance, bringing OCU's athletics offerings to 22 varsity intercollegiate programs. New facilities and renovations for OCU baseball, soccer and wrestling including the Ann Lacy Softball Stadium, the Devon Boathouse, the Knight Strength and Conditioning Facility and the Jim Wade Athletic Office Suite. Abbott also spearheaded efforts of the Champions Club, OCU's athletics booster club, and the department's largest annual fundraising event, the Sports Spectacular dinner and auction.

Abbott was recognized twice as the NAIA National Athletics Director of the Year (2008-09, 2016-17), was a three-time NACDA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year (2009-10, 2014-15 and 2017-18), and was named the Sooner Athletic Conference Athletics Director of the Year on six occasions, the last time in 2018-19. In 2017-18, he was inducted into the OCU Athletics Hall of Fame.

During his time in the AD chair, Abbott's committee service included: the NAIA Membership Committee, Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Executive Council, chairman of the NAIA Hall of Fame Selection Committee, member of the Greater Oklahoma City Sports Consortium, and a Board member for Chi Alpha Sigma National Student-Athlete Honor Society. Abbott previously served as President of the NAIA Athletics Directors Association, was a member of the NAIA-ADA Board of Directors, and a member of the NAIA National Administrative Council. He was a member of the NACDA Executive Committee from 2015-19.

Since 2012, Abbott has overseen The Business of Small College Athletics (BOSCA) to provide professional development opportunities and consulting to administrators working in small school athletics departments.

Art Becker, Scottsdale Community College
Art Becker initially came to Scottsdale Community College in 1975 as the men's basketball coach and adjunct faculty member. Becker led the team until 1981 and then again from 1993-96. He also served as the head men's tennis coach from 1981-83. In 1984, Becker became the school's men's athletics director, a position he held until 2012.

During his tenure, Scottsdale CC won six national championships in men's golf, finished third in the NJCAA National Baseball Tournament and developed a competitive football program.

In 24 years with the NJCAA, Becker served as the men's director of Region 1, national tournament representative, officer, chaired several national committees and hosted several national tournaments. In 2004, Becker was elected NJCAA Vice President for men and was elected President one year later. After Becker served out his first term as NJCAA President, he was reelected to the position in 2008. Becker's lasting mark on the NJCAA can be found in the organization's Code of Conduct and Sportsmanship Policy as he led the charge on both endeavors. He was honored with the NJCAA Service Award in 2013.

Becker played basketball at Arizona State University (ASU) from 1962-64 where he earned first team academic All-America honors and led his team to the NCAA Elite Eight during his senior season. After a successful career with the Sun Devils, Becker went on to play in the ABA for six seasons where he was a two-time All-Star. In his first season in the league, Becker led the Houston Mavericks in scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. In the 1970 playoffs, Becker averaged 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as his Indiana Pacers won the ABA championship. In 1989, he was inducted into the ASU Hall of Fame.

Becker served as a member of the NACDA Executive Committee from 1986-90. Considered a founding father of NATYCAA, Becker received the Association's prestigious L. William Miller Award in 2004 after serving as President in 2003-04. He was recognized as a NACDA Athletics Director of the Year (ADOY) in 2001-02 and 2008-09 and was inducted into the NATYCAA Hall of Fame in 2016.

Bob Bowlsby, Stanford University
After more than 40 years of serving in leadership roles in intercollegiate athletics, Bob Bowlsby announced his retirement in April 2022.

Bowlsby began his career in athletics as assistant director of recreational services at the University of Iowa from 1978-81, before serving as assistant director of athletics for facilities at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) from 1981-83. In 1984, Bowlsby became athletics director at UNI, directing the Panthers' 19-sport program and serving as administrative head of the UNI-Dome. He managed UNI's entry into the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and increased the program's fundraising by 400 percent.

A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Bowlsby became the University of Iowa's 10th men's athletics director in June 1991. He directed the merger of the Hawkeye men's and women's athletics programs into a single unit in 2000, supervising 24 sports. In addition, he oversaw the planning, construction, and renovation of more than $100 million in campus projects, including the refurbishing of Kinnick Stadium. He served on the NACDA Executive Committee from 1994-98 during his time at Iowa.

In 2002, President George W. Bush chose Bowlsby to be a member of the Commission on Opportunities in Athletics, which reviewed the first 30 years of Title IX. In 2005, Bowlsby finished a five-year term on the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament Committee, serving as the chairman in 2003-04. Additional professional experiences include serving as an ex officio member of the NCAA Executive Committee, a member of the United States Olympic Committee, chair of the NCAA Management Council, and serving on NCAA committees on Financial Aid and Amateurism, the Special Committee to Review Amateurism Issues and the Special Committee to Review Financial Conditions in Athletics. Bowlsby also chaired the NCAA Wrestling Committee, the NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee and the Big Ten Championships and Awards Committee.

Bowlsby became director of athletics at Stanford University in 2006, a position he held for six years before he was named the fourth commissioner of the Big 12 Conference in 2012. He oversaw several major changes in Big 12 membership, including the addition of UNI as an affiliate member for wrestling in 2017. Bowlsby played a key role in the formation of the College Football Playoff (CFP) that began in 2014-15, the first postseason playoff in the history of collegiate football. Additionally, under his leadership, the Big 12 Football Championship Game was reinstated beginning in 2017. During his tenure, Bowlsby finalized one of the most lucrative television deals in college athletics and oversaw the expansion of the existing ESPN rights agreement with the 2019 debut of Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Bowlsby was honored as a NACDA Athletics Director of the Year in 2001-02 and was inducted into the UNI Hall of Fame in 2004. This year, he was also announced as a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's induction class of 2023, as well as the recipient of the AFCA's highest honor, the Tuss McLaughry Award.

Bob Driscoll, Providence College
Bob Driscoll announced his retirement as athletics director at Providence College in January 2021 after serving the college for 21 years and working in college athletics for 47 years.

Driscoll transformed Providence College's athletics program during his tenure. He established a vision of student-athlete success in the classroom and in the community, while competing for championships. Driscoll maintained focus on leading, fostering and mentoring one of the nation's most respected athletics programs.

One of the biggest impacts Driscoll had on the Providence athletics department, and the college as a whole, was with facility development, construction, and renovation. Kicking off Driscoll's vision for the improved athletics facilities footprint at Providence College, the Concannon Fitness Center opened in August 2007, adjacent to Lennon Family Field (Astroturf facility), which was completed in August 2005. A new Astroturf surface was installed on Lennon Family Field in the summer of 2017 in addition to a new videoboard in the summer of 2018.

Other facility upgrades that highlighted Driscoll's tenure included an $80 million renovation of the Dunkin' Donuts Center, which serves as the home venue for Friars men's basketball. The project was the result of Driscoll working strategically with lead officials in the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island. The renovations enhanced the game-day experience by adding 20 luxury boxes, new seats, a video scoreboard, sound system, updated restaurant and concession stands, team store, locker rooms and new weight training/fitness areas. These renovations have enabled Providence College to serve as host for the First and Second Rounds of the 2010, 2016, and the future 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.

Driscoll established the athletics fundraising philosophy and the Friars Athletic Fund, led by its fundraising and development staff, which was instrumental in making program upgrades possible. The athletics department exceeded fundraising goals on a yearly basis, exceeding $7 million in cash donations annually. During his 21 years at Providence, the department fundraised more than $100 million and annual donations increased by 700 percent.

Throughout his career, Driscoll served on the NCAA Division I Management Council, the NCAA Ice Hockey Championship Committee (chair, 2010-11) and was the chair of the BIG EAST Athletics Directors in 2011-12. He was also an NCAA Fellows Programs Executive Mentor and served on the BIG EAST Finance Committee with the league's other presidents and the ECAC Board, in addition to serving as chair for the Hockey East Board of Directors and the BIG EAST Planning Committee. Additionally, Driscoll represented the BIG EAST's athletics directors on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), served as a mentor for the DI-AAA ADA mentoring program and served on the Hockey East Television Negotiations and Marketing Committees.

Driscoll joined the Providence community after 14½ years in athletics administration at the University of California, Berkeley, culminating in service as the acting executive director for intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports.

A two-time NACDA Athletics Director of the Year honoree (2007-08 and 2015-16), Driscoll served as President of DI-AAA ADA in 2014-15 and received the Association's Builders' Award in 2020.

Carl Heinrich, Johnson County Community College
Carl Heinrich served community college athletics for over 41 years, both as a coach and an administrator. He made his mark for 26 years on the campus of Johnson County Community College (JCCC), serving in several capacities including assistant baseball coach, head baseball coach, academic director for physical education and athletics, program manager for athletics, program coordinator for student activities and as a career counselor before becoming athletics director in 2000.

In his 16 years as leader of JCCC's athletics program, the college achieved unprecedented academic, athletics and administrative success. The Cavaliers claimed nine of the program's 11 national championships, along with 76 region titles, 80 conference titles, and 197 national tournament berths with 61 top-five finishes. Additionally, Johnson County had achieved a top-10 finish in 11 of the 13 years the NATYCAA Cup was awarded under his watch, including three third place finishes, two runners-up and a national cup championship in 2007-08, making Johnson County the only program in its conference to earn that distinction.

During his tenure at JCCC, Heinrich served as NJCAA Region VI women's director for 10 years and spent time as a member of several national committees, including the NJCAA Division II Men's Soccer Committee and NJCAA Women's Wrestling Committee. Heinrich also served six seasons as assistant baseball coach and one as head baseball coach at JCCC. He began his college coaching career as head coach at Highland Community College in 1980. He also served five seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Scotties' football team. Before becoming head coach at Highland, he played professionally for the Class A McAllen Dusters of the Lone Star Texas League.

Heinrich was recognized as an Athletics Director of the Year (ADOY) by NACDA in 2007-08 during his term on the NACDA Executive Committee from 2005-09. He served as NATYCAA Treasurer for three years and spent one year as 2nd Vice President before his term as the Association's President for the 2009-10 academic year. In 2011, Heinrich received the NJCAA George E. Killian Award of Excellence, which is given to individuals that have demonstrated the ideals of voluntarism, achievement, service, leadership and excellence as exemplified by its namesake. In 2013, Heinrich earned NATYCAA's L. William Miller Award, which recognizes a member of the Association who demonstrates excellence in leadership, service and integrity in an athletics program at a two-year college or organization.

Heinrich retired as athletics director in June 2017 to become the assistant commissioner of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC). He was named the conference's commissioner in 2018, succeeding former NJCAA President Bryce Roderick, and will retire from the position officially at the conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year.

Marilyn McNeil, Monmouth University
Marilyn McNeil retired from her 53-year career in collegiate athletics on June 30, 2021. During that time McNeil was a student-athlete, coached at the collegiate level, served as an administrator, and spent 28 years as Monmouth University's director of athletics.

McNeil elevated Monmouth to one of the premier mid-major Division I programs in the country. During her tenure, the Hawks won 119 regular season conference championships while making 38 team appearances in various NCAA Tournaments. The Hawks claimed 11 overall Commissioner's Cups in the Northeast Conference (NEC) and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and finished lower than second just once (third in 1998-99) during her time in West Long Branch. On a national scale, McNeil's contributions to Title IX cannot be overstated. The Hawks added seven sports during McNeil's tenure, five of which added collegiate opportunities for women.

A well-respected member of the athletics administration community, McNeil held several national prestigious positions. She served on the Division I NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics and the Management Council as well as held the office of President for Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA), the same Association that named her 2001 Division I-AAA Administrator of the Year. McNeil also served a five-year term on the Division I NCAA Women's Basketball Committee, where she was named chair for the 2010-11 season. She also spent time as President of FCS ADA.

McNeil has dedicated her life to gender equality in athletics. A champion of Title IX, she was the first female athletics director at any New Jersey college or university when she was hired at Monmouth in 1994. She went right to work instituting change, not only on the local level but at the national level, too. In her first year at Monmouth, she brought what was the first all-female Division I voting delegation with her to the NCAA Convention. She worked tirelessly to make sure the budgets, staffing and hiring practices were reflective of her own commitment to equality while always lending her expertise to women looking to start or further a career in college athletics. Under her leadership the university was awarded an "A" grade by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sports for the number of women head coaches at Monmouth.

Facility highlights during McNeil's watch included the 2009 addition of the OceanFirst Bank Center, home to Monmouth's basketball and track and field programs, as well as the massive 2017 renovation of Kessler Stadium, where football, lacrosse and track and field compete. Hesse Field on The Great Lawn added lights in 2011, allowing the soccer programs to host night games, and field turf in 2014. Monmouth field hockey's So Sweet A Cat Field was dedicated in 2007 and received upgrades in turf (2018) and a new scoreboard (2019), while the Hawks added an Outdoor Tennis Complex in 2009 and the Patrice Murray Tennis House five years later. Monmouth's bowling team secured a permanent on-campus home in 2014 with the addition of the Cinello Family Bowling Center adjacent to Boylan Gymnasium. All of Monmouth's teams have benefitted from the facelift of the varsity weight room which opened in January 2020.

In November 2021, the Monmouth University Board of Trustees announced the dedication of Dr. Marilyn A. McNeil Arena in recognition of McNeil's longstanding service to the university and her profound impact on countless student-athletes.

McNeil is the mother of two, Tasha and Derek, and the grandmother of three, Annie, Amelia and Oliver, which she considers her greatest achievement.

Lynn Thompson, Bethune-Cookman University
Lynn Thompson retired as vice president for intercollegiate athletics at his alma mater Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) in 2021 after 30 years at the university.

Thompson's lengthy and impressive resume at B-CU included serving as the first African American to chair the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee and as a member on the NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee and the NCAA Football Issues Committees, creating policy for intercollegiate athletics on a national level. He also served the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) as chairman of the MEAC Basketball, Softball, Track and Field and Baseball Tournaments, and was selected five times as an NCAA Peer Reviewer for the athletics certification process.

Thompson served on the NCAA Committee on Academics, overseeing the academic standards of intercollegiate athletics, the recent NCAA APR 2.0 Task Force, and is a Board member of the Florida Sports Foundation.

A former football student-athlete at Bethune-Cookman, Thompson earned his bachelor's degree in 1980. He added a master's degree from Clark Atlanta in 1984. In 1991, Thompson was named director of athletics at B-CU, and in 2015 he was elevated to the position of vice president for intercollegiate athletics.

The longest-tenured director of athletics in NCAA Division I at the time of his departure from Daytona Beach, Thompson led the Wildcats to a combined 71 championships – 54 of which were in the MEAC – and spearheaded the launch of the CatEye Network. He was recognized as an Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year (ADOY) by NACDA in 2019-20.

In addition to his career in athletics administration, Thompson has written, hosted and produced various television and radio shows throughout the mid-Florida region highlighting Bethune-Cookman athletics. He was inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2016.

Thompson joined the MEAC staff as senior advisor in January 2021. In this role, he researches strategic objectives with the commissioner and conference leadership team, serves as co-liaison to the Strategic & Long-Range Planning Committee, provides guidance and assistance to the Strategic Communications, External Affairs, and Corporate Partnerships departments and assists with the further development of the MEAC Digital Network. He recently served as co-writer and narrator of the recent Los Angeles Rams short film/documentary called Kingfish: The Story of Kenny Washington, the saga of the NFL's first black player to re-integrate the National Football League (NFL) in 1946, which premiered in February, and has written A Chance for Redemption, a drama for the stage which is in full development and set to premiere in Florida this fall.

Perk Weisenburger, Ferris State University
Perk Weisenburger retired as athletics director at Ferris State University (FSU) in October 2021 after guiding Bulldog athletics to historic championship success during his 11-year tenure in the AD chair and following more than 40 years of high-level achievements and service as an administrator in intercollegiate athletics.

Weisenburger took over the Bulldog program in the fall of 2010 and helped lead Ferris State athletics to many major accomplishments, including 23 conference regular-season titles, 17 conference tournament championships, eight NCAA regional crowns, six national semifinal appearances, three berths in a national title game and the school's first national championship. Overall, all 17 of the Bulldogs' varsity athletics programs had representation in NCAA postseason competition at least once during the Weisenburger era.

Among the many highlights under Weisenburger's direction include the school's first-ever national championship in NCAA Division II men's basketball in 2018 along with the Bulldogs' first NCAA Division I Frozen Four showing and national championship game appearance in men's ice hockey in 2012. Although he retired in the middle of the Bulldogs' historic run to the 2021 NCAA Division II football national championship, Weisenburger was on hand for the game and is as proud of that victory as the many others. FSU also earned a berth into the football national championship game in 2018 and the Bulldogs made three national semifinal appearances on the gridiron in four years while making six consecutive Division II playoff berths.

Numerous other programs also made championship runs under Weisenburger's watch, including the men's tennis squad, which made back-to-back Division II Elite Eight showings in 2015 and 2016, highlighted by one Final Four trip. The men's golf team captured the regional title and reached the national quarterfinals in 2017. Among the school's many conference titles in his tenure, volleyball captured six-straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) Championships from 2014-19 with the men's basketball team capturing four consecutive league tournament titles from 2015-18. In the spring of 2021, the Bulldogs claimed the school's first-ever GLIAC Women's Soccer Championship and won league titles in men's tennis, women's tennis and men's golf.

Along with the many accomplishments and honors received by Bulldog student-athletes since 2010, the Bulldogs also set department records for sales revenue, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and royalties over the course of Weisenburger's time as the athletics director, while also developing key partnerships with major entities such as Under Armour, BSN Sports, Pepsi, Meijer, Buffalo Wild Wings, Affinity Licensing and more.

Weisenburger also played a lead role in several major facility upgrades, highlighted by the new $15.3 million Center for Athletics Performance (CAP) that opened in the fall of 2022, equipping FSU's student-athletes with championship-caliber training and conditioning facilities for years to come. The Bulldogs also opened the new South Athletic Complex and installed new synthetic turf surfaces in three venues with Weisenburger at the department's helm.

Weisenburger served in prominent leadership capacities on numerous GLIAC, Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) committees during his tenure at Ferris State, was a NACDA Executive Committee member (2011-15) and was a founding member of NAADD, serving as the Association's President in 1995-96 while at Wake Forest.

Prior to Ferris State, Weisenburger spent more than five years (2005-10) as the associate athletics director for external operations at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). In addition to his time at UNLV, he also spent five years as the athletics director at Illinois State University (1999-04) and previously worked in athletics administration at several other NCAA Division I institutions including Wake Forest, Central Michigan, Washington, Houston and Michigan throughout his illustrious career.

A Mount Pleasant, Mich. native, Weisenburger attended Central Michigan University (CMU) where he played baseball and was a three-year letterwinner for the Chippewas, serving as captain of CMU's 1980 MAC Championship team. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from CMU and went on to receive a master's degree in sports administration from Ohio University. Weisenburger, and his wife Buffy, have two sons, Joe, who is studying construction management at Ferris State, and Jack, a promising pitcher in the Oakland A's organization.

About NACDA: Now in its 58th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 22,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,200 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 18 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts six major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.