Thread Of Appreciation For Sandy Barbour

I posted this in the Daily Bear Dump, Cal news link dump that we do.  But sometimes links can get lost in there when hundreds of comments start to add up.

via berkeley.edu

So, I wanted to just put this out there, because I feel that this is a truly exciting thing to happen here.  Sandy Barbour, Cal athletic director, just won the AD of the year award!

June 18, 2009

BERKELEY - California's Sandy Barbour, who oversees a 27-sport program that has won a combined 53 team and individual national championships during her tenure at the school, has been named one of four regional Under Armour Athletic Directors of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

Barbour joins Penn State's Tim Curley, Georgia's Damon Evans and Tulsa's Lawrence "Bubba" Cunningham as the Football Bowl Subdivision regional winners. She will be recognized during the 44th Annual NACDA Convention at the James J. Corbett Luncheon on Saturday, June 20, at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Fla. NACDA will honor recipients in the FBS (formerly Division I-A), Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), Division I (formerly Division I-AAA), Division II, Division III, NAIA, and Junior/Community Colleges, along with one international winner.

"Sandy Barbour's leadership of our Athletic Department has been exemplary and I know that she is a well-deserving recipient of this honor," Chancellor Robert Birgeneau said. "Throughout her time in Berkeley, she has shown that student-athletes can succeed at high levels both in the classroom and on the playing field. Sandy has helped develop a model program, and with the building of the Student-Athlete High Performance Center well underway, I am excited about the future of Cal Athletics."

NACDA Executive Director Mike Cleary said that the AD of the Year 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.

"Before the program's inception, our Honors and Awards Committee recognized a need for an award such as the AD of the Year," said Cleary. "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."

Barbour arrived at Cal in September 2004 and has helped the Athletic Department become a mainstay among the Top 10 in the annual Directors' Cup standings. The Golden Bears finished in the top 15 during each of her first four years in Berkeley and in the top 10 three times, including a high of seventh in both 2006 and '08. Cal is currently fifth in the 2008-09 Directors' Cub standings.

On the academic front, the cumulative GPA for all of Cal's nearly 900 student-athletes is 3.0, with approximately 175 earning academic all-conference distinction. Center Alex Mack won the Draddy Trophy in December, an award that is presented to the top scholar-athlete in all of college football.

During the most recent academic year, the Bears captured their first NCAA title in women's swimming, the football team earned a school-record sixth consecutive bowl appearance with an invitation to the Emerald Bowl and the women's basketball team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time. In addition, Cal earned national runner-up performances in women's tennis, men's and women's crew, and rugby. Overall, 10 programs finished among the nation's Top 10.

Cal sent a school-record 46 athletes and coaches to the Beijing Olympics last summer and they returned with a school-record 17 medals.

 

I just wanted to say "Thank you" to Sandy Barbour.  She is the running theme for all of the athletic success Cal has had over the past several years.  Success not only with revenue sports, but also non-revenue sports.  Success in managing the SAHPC project.  Success on being the face of Cal sports.  This is a prestigious honor, one that she deserves and hopefully others will join in thanking her.  I can't seem to find a public email.  If somebody finds out, put it in the comments, I'll edit it in.  Thanks to danzig (which was fairly expected, really), you can email her your thanks at athletic.director “AT” berkeley.edu.

But you can always thank her on Twitter!

Thank you, Sandy!  Thank you for your passion, for your hard work!  Thank you for jumping into that pool!  Thank you for expertly managing the tree-sitter situation!  Thank you for working those long hours!  Thank you for everything!  GO BEARS!  And Go Sandy!