Hart chosen as 2024-25 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year
Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 2:18 pmFrom SMUMustangs.com:
Hart chosen as 2024-25 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year
Story Links CLEVELAND (SMU/NACDA) – Rick Hart has been selected as 2024-25 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced today. It marks the second time that Hart has won the award while serving on the Hilltop, as he was also honored in 2019-20.
The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities.
Hart, who has announced this will be his last academic year at SMU, has led SMU Athletics through one of the most successful stretches in school history, both in competition and in the classroom.
SMU student-athletes excelled academically, with 70% earning cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher, over 40% boasting GPAs of 3.5 or better and 92% earning degrees. During Hart's time at SMU, over 1,600 degrees have been conferred on Mustang student-athletes.
SMU has also experienced broad success athletically over his tenure, winning 46 team conference titles across 16 sports, with all Mustang sports advancing to the postseason at least once since 2021. In 2023-24 alone, SMU had a program-record eight championship teams – a second straight National Equestrian Championship plus seven conference championships. SMU student-athletes won 28 individual or event conference championships and totaled more than 100 all-conference honors across the 17 programs. SMU had 15 teams represented in the postseason and nine SMU teams finished in the top 35 of the NCAA or national rankings. The fall of 2024 brought a CFP berth for the Mustang Football program as well as top-10 rankings for volleyball and men's soccer. These achievements are in addition to record fundraising and attendance records and ACC membership.
"NACDA is proud to usher in a new class of Athletics Director of the Year Award winners for 2024-25 and recognize these servant leaders guiding their departments into a new age of intercollegiate athletics," said Pat Manak, NACDA chief executive officer.
Joining Hart as a winner of the 2024-25 NACDA AD of the Year Awards at the FBS level are David Benedict of UCONN, Jeremiah Dickey of Boise State and Vanderbilt's Candice Storey Lee. Winners will be recognized in conjunction with the 60th Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Fla., at the beginning of the Association-Wide Featured Session on Tuesday, June 10, starting at 4 p.m.
Hart chosen as 2024-25 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year
Story Links CLEVELAND (SMU/NACDA) – Rick Hart has been selected as 2024-25 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced today. It marks the second time that Hart has won the award while serving on the Hilltop, as he was also honored in 2019-20.
The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities.
Hart, who has announced this will be his last academic year at SMU, has led SMU Athletics through one of the most successful stretches in school history, both in competition and in the classroom.
SMU student-athletes excelled academically, with 70% earning cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher, over 40% boasting GPAs of 3.5 or better and 92% earning degrees. During Hart's time at SMU, over 1,600 degrees have been conferred on Mustang student-athletes.
SMU has also experienced broad success athletically over his tenure, winning 46 team conference titles across 16 sports, with all Mustang sports advancing to the postseason at least once since 2021. In 2023-24 alone, SMU had a program-record eight championship teams – a second straight National Equestrian Championship plus seven conference championships. SMU student-athletes won 28 individual or event conference championships and totaled more than 100 all-conference honors across the 17 programs. SMU had 15 teams represented in the postseason and nine SMU teams finished in the top 35 of the NCAA or national rankings. The fall of 2024 brought a CFP berth for the Mustang Football program as well as top-10 rankings for volleyball and men's soccer. These achievements are in addition to record fundraising and attendance records and ACC membership.
"NACDA is proud to usher in a new class of Athletics Director of the Year Award winners for 2024-25 and recognize these servant leaders guiding their departments into a new age of intercollegiate athletics," said Pat Manak, NACDA chief executive officer.
Joining Hart as a winner of the 2024-25 NACDA AD of the Year Awards at the FBS level are David Benedict of UCONN, Jeremiah Dickey of Boise State and Vanderbilt's Candice Storey Lee. Winners will be recognized in conjunction with the 60th Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Fla., at the beginning of the Association-Wide Featured Session on Tuesday, June 10, starting at 4 p.m.
