“There’s no better representative of equality and inclusion in sports than Donna Lopiano,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert, who will present the NCAA Gerald R. Ford Award to Lopiano during the Convention’s opening business session Jan. 17 in Grapevine, Texas. Lopiano, an educator, former coach, longtime director of women’s athletics at the University of Texas at Austin and former chief executive officer of the Women’s Sports Foundation, has devoted more than four decades advocating for equality in college athletics, particularly on behalf of increased opportunities for women. The Ford Award, named in recognition of Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States and a member of two national-championship football teams at the University of Michigan, honors an individual who has provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics over the course of his or her career. It was established in 2004 by the late NCAA President Myles Brand. Click here for the full press release.
