Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: S. J. Carrera, Inc.
Phillips Honored As 2018 SBJ Athletic Director of the Year
5/23/2018 8:07:00 PM | General
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Northwestern Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Jim Phillips was honored as the 2018 Athletic Director of the Year at the Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal Sports Business Awards on Wednesday evening.
Phillips, a native of Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood on the city's northwest side, has been at the helm in Evanston since 2008. The recently completed winter quarter saw the group of more than 500 Northwestern student-athletes post an average 3.32 GPA, with a remarkable 79.3 percent of Wildcats earning GPAs over a 3.0.
In November, it was announced that Northwestern earned a 97 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR), the best mark in the Big Ten and the second-best among all FBS institutions nationally. The football program's 99 percent GSR is the top score among all FBS institutions in the country and paces the Big Ten conference by 14 percentage points.
During Phillips' decade of leadership, Northwestern student-athletes have piled up 123 All-America selections, 39 Player of the Year awards, and more than 2200 Academic All-Big Ten honors. The Wildcats have also been recognized with 26 Coach of the Year awards, and won 34 conference championships.
The department also has undergone a facilities transformation, one that is ongoing, as a result of the first-ever Athletics Master Facilities Plan that Phillips commissioned upon his arrival. The first step in that evolution was a 30,000-square foot expansion of the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion, the primary recreation hub for the Northwestern community, and a first-class, multi-million dollar sailing center on the south end of campus. In succeeding years, the University introduced the new Rocky & Berenice Miller Park for baseball, Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium for soccer and lacrosse, Chap & Ethel Hutcheson Field for football, and Lakeside Field for field hockey.
In April, the department dedicated Patrick & Shirley Ryan Fieldhouse, Steve & Sue Wilson Field and the Slotnick Family Atrium on Lake Michigan. This summer, the transformational 325,000-square foot Walter Athletics Center will debut as the new home of Northwestern Athletics & Recreation, integrated into the heart of the University's incomparable campus. In November, the new Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Wildcats most used and versatile venue, will open as the home of basketball, volleyball and wrestling, with the Trienens Performance Center slated for a spring 2019 opening.
Phillips, a native of Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood on the city's northwest side, has been at the helm in Evanston since 2008. The recently completed winter quarter saw the group of more than 500 Northwestern student-athletes post an average 3.32 GPA, with a remarkable 79.3 percent of Wildcats earning GPAs over a 3.0.
In November, it was announced that Northwestern earned a 97 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR), the best mark in the Big Ten and the second-best among all FBS institutions nationally. The football program's 99 percent GSR is the top score among all FBS institutions in the country and paces the Big Ten conference by 14 percentage points.
During Phillips' decade of leadership, Northwestern student-athletes have piled up 123 All-America selections, 39 Player of the Year awards, and more than 2200 Academic All-Big Ten honors. The Wildcats have also been recognized with 26 Coach of the Year awards, and won 34 conference championships.
The department also has undergone a facilities transformation, one that is ongoing, as a result of the first-ever Athletics Master Facilities Plan that Phillips commissioned upon his arrival. The first step in that evolution was a 30,000-square foot expansion of the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion, the primary recreation hub for the Northwestern community, and a first-class, multi-million dollar sailing center on the south end of campus. In succeeding years, the University introduced the new Rocky & Berenice Miller Park for baseball, Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium for soccer and lacrosse, Chap & Ethel Hutcheson Field for football, and Lakeside Field for field hockey.
In April, the department dedicated Patrick & Shirley Ryan Fieldhouse, Steve & Sue Wilson Field and the Slotnick Family Atrium on Lake Michigan. This summer, the transformational 325,000-square foot Walter Athletics Center will debut as the new home of Northwestern Athletics & Recreation, integrated into the heart of the University's incomparable campus. In November, the new Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Wildcats most used and versatile venue, will open as the home of basketball, volleyball and wrestling, with the Trienens Performance Center slated for a spring 2019 opening.
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