UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY NAMES DR. LEE McELROY, JR. DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AND RECREATION

For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian DePasquale
Thursday, July 6, 2000
(518) 442-3072

ALBANY, N.Y. � Dr. Lee A. McElroy, Jr., who has nearly 30 years of experience in athletic and educational administration, has been named Director of Athletics and Recreation, as University at Albany President, Dr. Karen R. Hitchcock, announced today. McElroy, who previously was the director of athletics at American University in Washington, D.C., will provide leadership for Albany�s NCAA Division I 19-sport intercollegiate athletics program.

"We are delighted to have a leader who has a national profile combined with deeply infused academic values," Dr. Hitchcock said. "Lee McElroy has an extensive background in intercollegiate athletics, as a participant, administrator, and national leader in the NCAA and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). He is exceptionally well prepared to manage a comprehensive athletics and recreation program. We welcome Lee and his family to the University community and the Capital Region."

McElroy, who played football at UCLA in the late 1960s, has spent the last four years as American University�s director of athletics. American is a Division I school competing in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). During McElroy�s tenure, the AU athletic department has upgraded to 19 sports, expanded corporate partners by 400 percent, and planned capital projects for a fitness facility, intramural field and soccer stadium. McElroy founded Eagle Club, the department�s fundraising arm, and developed a program rated as one of the top ten in the nation in its compliance with NCAA gender equity requirements. During the last three years, the Eagles, under McElroy, reached NCAA championship play in men�s soccer, women�s basketball, women�s volleyball and wrestling, the most appearances in the intercollegiate program�s 106-year history.

Dr. McElroy has gained national prominence for his roles with numerous professional organizations and NCAA committees. He is currently involved in the NCAA Degree Completion Program and the Financial Aid Committee. McElroy previously served on two prestigious NCAA Committees: Athletics Certification, a select group of university presidents, athletic administrators and faculty athletic representatives who oversee the certification of more than 300 NCAA Division I institutions, and the NCAA Special Committee on Agents and Amateurism.

In 1998, McElroy was named to the NACDA Executive Committee for the University Division, and chair of the Sears Directors Cup Committee. NACDA is in its 34th year and serves as the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 college athletics directors, associates, assistants and commissioners at more than 1,600 institutions in North America. The Sears Directors Cup is the only national award and academic scholarship program to recognize all NCAA and NAIA championship sports for women and men.

"Dr. McElroy has solid professional credentials," said Vice President for Student Affairs James P. Doellefeld, who chaired the University�s athletic director search process. "He has experience in management and fundraising, and a proven record as an administrator and educator with regard to athletic, scholastic and equity achievement. His national network with NCAA member institutions will lend itself well to advancing the University�s athletics program."

Previous to taking his post at American, McElroy was the director of athletics at California State University-Sacramento from 1989 to 1996. He led the program�s transition from Division II to Division I and engineered a move to the Big Sky and Big West conferences. He also implemented a strategic plan that developed a corporate partners plan, created an effective fundraising and marketing program, redesigned academic support services, improved the athletic facilities complex, and provided for campus and community outreach programs.

McElroy also worked at the University of Houston from 1981 to 1988 as an assistant director of men�s and women�s sports and as an associate director of athletics, and for one year as the director of athletics at The University of the District of Columbia. Before joining the Houston staff, he taught in the public school systems of Santa Monica, California and Beaumont, Texas, and was a high school principal in Beaumont.

Along with his duties for the NCAA and NACDA, McElroy has testified before congressional committees on issues in college athletics, such as gender equity, the welfare of the minority student-athlete, and the academic/athletic balance. McElroy serves on the boards of the National Consortium of Academics and Sports, Athletic Business magazine, and the National Minority Golf Association. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Ethics and Sportsmanship at the University of Rhode Island.

McElroy, who is married to the former Karen White, earned his bachelor�s degree in education from UCLA in 1970. He later received a M.Ed. from the University of Southern California, and an Ed.D. from the University of Houston.

Biography

Full Name:  Dr. Lee August McElroy, Jr.

Date of Birth:  March 19, 1948

Age:  52

Place of Birth:  Beaumont, Texas

Education:

  • University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), B.S. in History and Political Science, 1970
  • University of Southern California (USC), M.Ed. in Education, 1973
  • University of Houston, Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, 1983

Professional Career:

  • Director of Athletics, American University, 1996-2000
  • Director of Athletics, California State University-Sacramento, 1989-96
  • Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics,
  • University of The District of Columbia, 1988-89
  • Associate Director of Athletics, University of Houston, 1981-88
  • High School Principal, Beaumont, Texas
  • Public School Teacher & Coach, Santa Monica, Calif. & Beaumont, Texas

Professional Achievements and Affiliations:

  • Chair, Sears Directors Cup Committee (1998 � present)
  • NACDA Executive Committee, University Division (1998 � present)
  • NCAA Degree Completion Program (1999 � present)
  • NCAA Financial Aid Committee (1999 � present)
  • NCAA Athletics Certification Committee
  • NCAA Special Committee on Agents and Amateurism
  • NACDA McClendon Scholarship Committee
  • Board of Directors, National Consortium of Academics and Sports
  • Editorial Advisory Board, Athletic Business magazine
  • Board of Directors, National Minority Golf Association
  • Institute of Ethics and Sportsmanship Fellow, University of Rhode Island
  • American Council of Education, Elected President
  • Washington, D.C., Drug Education Task Force

College:  University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Football:  Linebacker, Three Varsity Letters (1967-69)

High School:  Hebert High School, Beaumont, Texas

Football:  All-State linebacker and offensive lineman (twice)

Basketball, Track & Field

Family:

  • married to the former Karen White
  • oldest in a family of 12 children
  • two brothers have been successful in professional and collegiate football � Reggie was a 15-year offensive lineman with four NFL teams, and a 1982 second-round draft pick of the New York Jets, while Leeland was a 1995 Heisman Trophy candidate at Texas A&M University and a �96 second-round draft choice of the Arizona Cardinals. Leeland recently signed as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts.

University at Albany