Tulane's Rick Dickson Receives Distinguished Service Award
Jun 22, 2006 | General
June 22, 2006
NEW ORLEANS, La. - For his hard work and dedication to the Green Wave athletics program throughout the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Tulane University Athletics Director Rick Dickson received the Distinguished Service Award from the United States Sports Academy on Thursday afternoon at the National Association of College Directors of Athletics Convention.
The Distinguished Service Award is given annually to those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to national or international sports through instruction, research or service. Dating back to its inception in 1984, Dickson becomes the first winner of the DSA from Tulane and the fourth overall from the state of Louisiana - joining legendary Grambling State football coach Eddie Robinson (1995), former LSU baseball coach and current athletic director Skip Bertman (2000) and former LSU basketball coach Dale Brown (2003).
Following the devastation caused by the largest natural disaster to ever hit the continental United State, Dickson helped spearhead an unprecedented move that saw Tulane Athletics live on throughout the fall semester and beyond. With the campus and surrounding New Orleans area receiving severe damages, Dickson helped devise a plan that saw the teams relocate to four campuses throughout the Southeast - Louisiana Tech, SMU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.
After the move, Dickson and the athletic department were charged with the task to "Carry the Torch, Be the Face and Represent the Name" of not only Tulane University but New Orleans and the entire Gulf Region by University President, Dr. Scott Cowen. As a result, the Green Wave played on throughout the fall semester, including the football team which played 11 games in 11 weeks in 11 different stadiums.
In his sixth year at Tulane, Dickson has built the Green Wave program into a model in Division I-A athletics. Under his watch, Tulane teams have won 12 Conference USA Championships and advanced to the NCAA postseason 19 times, including the 2001 and 2005 Men's College World Series. In addition, Tulane student-athletes have achieved at the highest levels in the classroom - compiling a semester grade point average of 3.0 and ranking among the NCAA leaders in graduation rates.
A native of Tulsa, Okla., Dickson came to Tulane from Washington State where he served as athletics director from 1994-2000. Prior to that, he spent six years as AD at his alma mater, Tulsa.
Past DSA winners include NFL all-time winningest coach Don Shula, the NCAA's winningest men's and women's basketball coaches Dean Smith and Pat Summitt, three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond, and Major League Baseball All-Century Team member Cal Ripken, Jr.
