June 19, 2006

NEW ORLEANS - Texas State University athletic director Dr. Larry Teis is one of 29 winners of the GeneralSports TURF Systems AD of the Year (ADOY) Award as announced by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA) on Monday.

There are four geographic regions - northeast, southeast, central and west; while the membership is separated into seven categories - Division I-A, Division I-AA, Division I-AAA, Division II, Division III; NAIA; and Junior/Community Colleges. One winner was selected in each of the seven categories, along with a cross-divisional International winner for a total of 29 honorees. Winners will receive their awards during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon at NACDA's 41st Annual Convention at New Orleans Marriott and Sheraton New Orleans on Wednesday.

A member of Texas State's athletics department since 1999, Teis was the Associate Athletics Director of External Affairs before becoming Director of Athletics in 2004. Since 1999, Teis has played a major role in the improvements to the department including the reconstruction and new construction of football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, softball and volleyball facilities.

Last year, the Texas State football program captured its first Southland Conference championship and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Texas State has won the Southland Conference Commissioner's Cup three times in the past five years.

Under Teis, Texas State's Bobcat Athletic Foundation had the highest membership and revenue totals in the history of the university during the 2005-06 academic year.

Academically, during the 2005 spring and fall semesters, Texas State student-athletes average GPA of 2.69 and 2.73, respectively, were the highest in 10 years. More than 60 fall student-athletes averaged greater than a 3.00 grade point average.

In the community, Teis has been on the Hays County Heart Walk Committee, chairing the event in 2000. He also serves as vice chair of the San Marcos Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Teis has been named the AD of the Year for the Division I-AA West Region. Also recognized from Division I-AA were Southern Illinois' Paul Kowalczyk, Fordham's Francis McLaughlin and Tennessee-Chattanooga's Steven Sloan.

Other Division I winners included Laing Kennedy from Kent State, Arizona State's Jim Livengood, Clemson's Terry Don Phillips and Notre Dame's Kevin White from Division I-AA. Division I-AAA award winners were American University's Joni Comstock, Texas-San Antonio's Lynn Hickey, Saint Louis University's Cheryl Levick and Pat Meiser-McKnett from the University of Hartford.

NACDA Executive Director Mike Cleary said the ADOY Award is essential because it highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to campuses and their surrounding communities.

"Our Honors and Awards Committee recognized a need for an award such as the AD of the Year," Cleary said. "The program brings to light the exceptional jobs done by athletics directors across the country. These 29 winners exemplify that, providing us with a group of outstanding athletics directors who excel at their jobs."

All NACDA-member directors of athletics in the United States, Canada and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award. Among the criteria were service as an AD for a minimum of five academic years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments. Additionally, each AD's institution must have passed a compliance check through its appropriate governing body (i.e., NCAA, NAIA, etc.), in which the institution could not have been on probation or cited for a lack of institutional control within the last five years during the tenure of the current athletics director.

Nominators were NACDA-member directors of athletics, institutional presidents and conference commissioners. Special Selection Committees composed of current and former directors of athletics, present and past NCAA and NAIA presidents, current and former commissioners and other key athletics administrators voted on nominees for the award.

General Sports Turf Systems, headquartered in Rochester, Mich., is the only synthetic turf company headquartered in the Midwest. The company develops, designs, constructs and services synthetic sports fields. Its primary markets are small to mid-size colleges, and high schools where multiple sports are being played on a single surface and, therefore, require enhanced durability. The company markets these products under its GameDay Grass Xpe and Fusion TurfTM brands, using the world's leading materials and components.

NACDA, now in its 41st year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 collegiate athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,000 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers nine professional associations for the separate business units that report directly to the athletics director.