May 5, 2009

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Former University of Washington director of athletics Barbara Hedges will be included into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame this summer at the organization's annual convention.

The 2009 Hall of Fame class includes: Bill Baird, Rhode Island College; Bob Burns, John Brown University; Jim Copeland, Southern Methodist University; Hedges; Bobby May, Rice University; Orby Moss Jr., Georgia State University; Phil Roach, Rollins College; and Bill Rowe, Missouri State University.

The inductees will receive their awards at NACDA's 44th Annual Convention at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Florida on Friday, June 19 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup Awards Luncheon, sponsored by NCAA Football.

Other former Husky athletic administrators in the NACDA Hall of Fame include Harvey Cassill (1980), Kit Green (2000) and Mike Lude (1988),

Hedges served as the director of athletics at Washington from 1991-2004. In 1996-97, Hedges became the first female President of NACDA and in 1998 she was the first female to be named to the Board of Directors of the National Football Foundation.

Among her accomplishments, Hedges' led the Washington "Campaign for the Student-Athlete," which raised more than $100 million for capital improvements.The campaign provided monies for the renovation of the basketball arena (Hec Edmundson Pavilion-Bank of America Arena), created a Husky Hall of Fame, built a $29 million indoor practice facility and a $18 million academic and crew facility (completed in 2005). She also helped secure a $1 million gift from the Seattle Seahawks to install FieldTurf in Husky Stadium.

Hedges was also committed to gender equity, making the Washington campus one of the national leaders in providing equal opportunities for both male and female student-athletes. With a focus on the future success of student-athletes, Hedges started the "Total Student-Athlete Program," which was devoted to leadership training, mentor programs, career opportunities and community service. She also introduced the "U-Wired" program, which allowed student-athletes access to laptop computers while traveling for intercollegiate competition.

During her career, Hedges served on numerous committees and boards and has been the recipient of awards in athletics and in the community

About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 44th year, is the professional and educational association for more than 6,500 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,300 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers 11 professional associations that come under the umbrella of the Athletics Director. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.