KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Mike Slive, one of the most influential leaders in collegiate athletics for close to four decades, is the 2018 recipient of the Cliff Wells Appreciation Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Slive, who served as commissioner of the Southeastern Conference for 13 years before retiring in 2015, will receive the award at the annual NABC Guardians of the Game Awards Show on Sunday, April 1, during the NABC Convention in San Antonio, held in conjunction with the NCAA® Final Four®. The event will be held at the Lila Cockrell Theater in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
“The impact Mike Slive has had on the landscape of intercollegiate athletics is immeasurable,” said NABC Executive Director Jim Haney. “His vision, combined with his expertise as a lawyer and his willingness to take on numerous leadership roles while directing one of the premier college conferences, is remarkable.”
“Men’s college basketball has benefitted significantly from Mike’s influence while serving as a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and the NCAA Management Council,” said Haney. “Most recently, he has served with me as a co-chair of two NABC ad hoc groups where his perspective and experience have been invaluable.”
A Dartmouth College graduate who earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia Law School, Slive was the founding commissioner of two college conferences, the Great Midwest Conference and Conference USA. He was named SEC commissioner in July of 2002 and the conference enjoyed unprecedented success under his leadership including the launch of a conference network and expansion from 12 to 14 members.
Slive was appointed by President Bush in 2002 as a member of the Commission on Athletic Opportunity (Reviewing Title IX) and has headed both the Collegiate Commissioners Association and the Division I-A Commissioners.
He was also a founder of the Slive-Glazier Law Group in Chicago and Kansas City, a legal practice specializing in representing colleges and universities in athletics-related matters.
Slive to Receive NABC Cliff Wells Appreciation Award
Mike Slive, one of the most influential leaders in collegiate athletics for close to four decades, is the 2018 recipient of the Cliff Wells Appreciation Award from the NABC.
