UAs Long Named Finalist for SportsBusiness Journal Award
by March 30, 2012 3:59 pm 80 views
University of Arkansas vice chancellor and director of athletics Jeff Long has been named one of five finalists for the 2012 SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily athletic director of the year award.
The winner will be announced and recognized at a May 23 ceremony at the New York Marriott Marquis at Times Square in New York City. The other finalists are Bill Bradshaw (Temple University), Dave Brandon (University of Michigan), Mark Hollis (Michigan State University) and Ian McCaw (Baylor University).
Long is in his fourth year at Arkansas, and in that time, Razorbacks teams have won 10 con-ference championships and advanced to 56 postseason competitions. That includes the school’s first Bowl Championship Series game.
Additionally, Arkansas has drawn more than a million fans annually to on-campus sporting events during Long’s tenure. In the fall of 2011, he instituted the Razorback Seat Value Plan, which resulted in more than $6.5 million in additional annual support.
Arkansas recently was recognized as one of 22 Division I programs that are financially self-sustaining and operate without state funding or rely on a student-athletic fee. In November, Arkansas was named by Forbes magazine as the eighth-most valuable college football team in the nation, with a value of $89 million.