FROM THE EDITOR, Rick Leddy
Changing of the Guard Just a few months ago, in early July, the NABC announced the appointment of Craig Robinson as the fifth executive director in the history of the association, formed in 1927 by legendary University of Kansas coach Phog Allen. Robinson’s appointment closed out the 29-year tenure of outgoing executive director Jim Haney, whose omniscient leadership guided the NABC in a transformational era. I was fortunate to be there from the beginning of that period, having worked for seven years as the NABC board secretary and media consultant with Joe Vancisin, the former Yale coach who preceded Haney as executive director and was retiring. The NABC board during that time, headed by Johnny Orr, George Blaney and George Raveling, sought to use the opportunity of transition to move the NABC headquarters, then located in Branford, Conn., to the Kansas City area. The coaches firmly believed that the move would allow improved communication and access to the NCAA staff at its headquarters in Shawnee Mission, Kan. My first meeting with Jim, Carol and their son, Jimmy, was at a meeting of the NABC board, the NCAA men’s basketball staff and CBS in Newport, R.I. It was a time when the groups gathered with families while also meeting to review the past NCAA championship and setting course for the years ahead. While I joined Jim and Carol in the meetings, my wife, Nancy, took our three children along with Jimmy Haney, to see the sights around the beautiful port city. It was the perfect time to connect. Soon thereafter, Jim embarked on acquiring space for the new headquarters in Overland Park, Kan., in close proximity to the NCAA. He then built a staff
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of professionals to grow the membership, develop marketing strategies and became immersed in engaging the community. The first major marketing coup for the NABC was the creation of Fan Jam in 1993 during the NABC Convention and NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. The interactive event, patterned after the NBA Jam Session, was a huge hit, sponsors were added, and Nike came on board as the title sponsor. Not long after, the NCAA saw the great success of the NABC marketing efforts under Haney and purchased Fan Jam, which has had some name changes and is now the NCAA Fan Fest, enjoyed by all during the NABC Convention and Final Four. Following the relocation of the NCAA headquarters from Kansas to Indianapolis in 2000, Haney’s inroads forging strong relationships in the Kansas City community paid dividends for the NABC. The association headquarters relocated to downtown Kansas City, Mo., in 2004 with big plans for men’s basketball. As Kansas City built a new arena – the Sprint Center – Haney knew that this was an opportunity to celebrate basketball, its history and honor its coaches and players. The College Basketball Experience (CBE), one of the nation’s top attractions including numerous experiential fan events, shares a common lobby with Sprint Center (now T-Mobile Center) and opened in the fall of 2007 and is home to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. This also opened the door for me to join the NABC staff on a full-time basis, retiring from my position as associate director of athletics at Southern Connecticut State University after 36 years. Jim graciously offered me the position of public relations director as Kevin Henderson and John Gravino moved over from the NABC to manage the CBE. In many ways it was a lifechanging moment for me. NABC
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