UIndy's Sue Willey and the late Jerry Hughes of Central Missouri were named recipients of the Division II Gold Award for their outstanding contributions to the division during their long careers in athletics.
The Gold Award, which was created as part of Division II's 50th anniversary celebration, honors two individuals (one male and one female) who have made a positive impact in the division. Nominees, who could be current or former student-athletes, coaches or administrators, were individuals who have distinguished themselves in the areas of athletics or professional achievement, service and leadership.
More than 200 nominations were submitted. Conference offices reviewed the nominations from their member schools and selected 45 finalists. The NCAA Division II Management Council Identity Subcommittee reviewed the finalists and selected the two winners, who were recognized Friday during the Division II keynote session at the NCAA Convention in Phoenix.
Willey was recognized for her influential 45-year career in intercollegiate athletics as a student-athlete, coach and administrator at UIndy. She spent the last 17 years of her career as vice president of intercollegiate athletics before retiring at the end of the 2019-20 academic year.
UIndy Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Greg Shaheen called Willey's impact on the institution "a legacy that will carry forward with our student-athletes for years to come."
"Her time as a student-athlete, coach, administrator and industry leader established a standard to which we aspire every day," Shaheen said. "We are thrilled for Sue's many years of contributions to be recognized with the NCAA Division II 50th Anniversary Gold Award for her multigenerational impact on intercollegiate athletics."
Jerry Hughes served as Central Missouri's vice president for intercollegiate athletics from 1983 until his death in January 2023. Under his leadership, Central Missouri achieved enormous success in regular-season, conference championship and NCAA championship competition and produced student-athlete leaders in the classroom and in many career fields.
"The influence of Jerry Hughes reverberates throughout Division II," said Central Missouri President Roger Best. "We remain grateful for his leadership in shaping so many of the initiatives and structures we take for granted that benefit all members of the NCAA. The University of Central Missouri is a better institution today because of his life's work to make intercollegiate athletics better for all students, coaches and staff, and we are proud of this incredible recognition of Jerry's many contributions to Division II and beyond."
Both Willey and Hughes also chaired or were members of several NCAA and Division II-specific governance committees and oversaw decisions during their tenures that either created or fortified policies and procedures to help member institutions offer optimal experiences to their student-athletes and improve the Division II championships program.
Division II Vice President Terri Steeb Gronau offered congratulations to all the finalists, as well as the other nominees, for their contributions in improving the division over time.
"Their accomplishments certainly made for a challenging task to choose only two overall recipients," she noted. "Having said that, though, Sue Willey and Jerry Hughes are so worthy of the award based on their involvement with the division for many years and their passion for advancing not only Division II but also the thousands of student-athletes with whom they have interacted and mentored during their time in athletics. They have made everyone around them better, and we are proud to recognize them with this award."
Sue Willey
- Spent 45 years in athletics at UIndy as a student-athlete, coach and administrator before retiring at the end of the 2019-20 academic year.
- A 1993 inductee into the UIndy Athletics Hall of Fame, Willey earned 19 letters and 11 MVP awards in her four-year career and was the Female Athlete of the Year from 1972-75.
- Willey began her coaching career at her alma mater after graduating cum laude in 1975. Over 23 years, she directed 43 teams in five sports.
- Under her leadership as athletics director, the number of varsity teams increased to 23, and the total number of student-athletes grew to nearly 700.
- Chaired the Division II Management Council in 2004 and the Division II Championships Committee in 2019-20, and she served on the Division II Membership Committee and the Division II Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee, along with several others.
- Selected as the 2005 Division II Administrator of the Year by Women Leaders in Sports and was named the Division II Athletics Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in 2009-10 and 2012-13.
- Selected as the Division II Athletics Directors Association 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
Jerry Hughes
- Served as Central Missouri's vice president for intercollegiate athletics from 1983 until his death in January 2023.
- In that time, Central Missouri won 179 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championships and 10 national championships.
- Served on the NCAA Executive Committee (when that body oversaw all three divisions) and chaired the Division II Championships Committee.
- Also served a term as NCAA vice president of Division II and was a member of the NCAA Council (both before the NCAA federated its governance structure in 1997), making him the only person to twice hold the highest-ranking office available to athletics administrators in Division II. After federation, Hughes chaired the Division II Management Council.
- Graduated from Central Missouri in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in physical education, having lettered in golf as an undergraduate, and received his master's degree in secondary school administration from the university in 1979.