BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Northampton Community College Director of Athletics Troy Tucker has been named one of four junior/community college recipients of the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Award announced on Tuesday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).



The 28 honorees covering seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, Division II, Division III, NAIA and Junior College/Community Colleges) will receive their awards during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon on Saturday June 15th at NACDA's 48th Annual Convention at the World Marriott Resort in Orlando, Florida.



Tucker was named Director of Athletics at Northampton Community College on June 2, 2008. A member of the Executive Committee of the National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA), Tucker is responsible for the oversight and management of the College's 11 intercollegiate sports, in addition to the Physical Education, Intramural and Recreation programs. 



Since his arrival at Northampton, Tucker spearheaded the transition to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), launched www.nccspartans.com, added four intercollegiate sports, renovated several facilities, including a new softball complex and secured the bid for Northampton to be the host site of the 2015 NJCAA Division III women's basketball championships.  In just four years since joining the NJCAA, each of Northampton's teams have advanced at least to their respective Regional Final Four, with five teams earning national top-10 rankings, two teams capturing Region XIX championships and four finishing as Region runners-up. Northampton has had 91 student-athletes named to the All-Region Academic Team, 57 student-athletes named All-Region, nine have earned NJCAA Academic honors and eight have achieved NJCAA All-American status. 



Tucker is a member of the six-person Executive Committee of Region XIX, which oversees the operations of the 34 NJCAA member colleges in the region, serves as the Chair of the Baseball Committee, Assistant Chair of the Region XIX Basketball Committee as well as the Standards & Ethics Committee and was instrumental in the development and day-to-day upkeep of the Region's website; www.Region19.org.  In March of 2012, Tucker was elected as the inaugural President of the newly formed Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (EPAC) which is comprised of 14 member institutions located in Region XIX of the NJCAA.



Tucker is also involved with a number of other organizations; serving on the advisory boards for two national publications; College Athletics & the Law and Athletic Management (he is the only two-year college administrator on either board), volunteering with the Moore Township Athletic Association and serving in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors of Via of the Lehigh Valley, a non-profit human service agency benefiting children and adults with disabilities.

 

Prior to his arrival at Northampton, Tucker served as the Associate Director of Athletics at the University of Maryland from 2004-2008.  During his tenure in College Park, the Terps captured four NCAA National Championships (Men's Soccer, Women's Basketball and Field Hockey (twice). Tucker oversaw the Media Relations unit, seven varsity sports, student-athlete discipline and the Facilities & Operations unit, in addition to serving on several ACC committees.

 

Before his time in College Park, Tucker served as the Director of Athletics at three institutions; Jamestown-Olean Community College (1992-96), D'Youville College (1996-99) and Herkimer County Community College (1999-2004). 

 

Under Tucker's direction Herkimer earned three-consecutive top-10 finishes in the Region III Director's Cup and finished 2003-04 ranked 5th among junior college athletic programs in the nation by the NATYCAA Pepsi Cup. Three teams won five NJCAA National Championships. His teams also earned eight NJCAA Academic Team of the Year Honors.  Tucker also served as the Head Men's Basketball Coach from 1999-2003, earning Coach of the Year Honors in 2001-02.

 

Tucker served as the Director of Athletics and Head Men's Basketball Coach at NCAA Division III D'Youville College in Buffalo, NY. While there, he headed the expansion of the athletic program from three to 11 teams and was named National Athletic Director of the Year in 1998.

 

A native of Scio, NY, Tucker began his collegiate career as an administrator at Jamestown-Olean Community College, where he initiated the college's athletic program and served as the Head Men's Basketball Coach.

 

Tucker resides in Danielsville, PA with his wife Rhonda and three children; Griffin (12), Haley (10) and Mason (7).



All NACDA-member directors of athletics in the United States, Canada and Mexico who met the criteria were eligible for the award. Among the criteria were service as an AD for a minimum of five academic years; demonstration of commitment to higher education and student-athletes; continuous teamwork, loyalty and excellence; and the ability to inspire individuals or groups to high levels of accomplishments. Additionally, each AD's institution must have passed a compliance check through its appropriate governing body (i.e., NCAA, NAIA, etc.), in which the institution could not have been on probation or cited for a lack of institutional control within the last five years during the tenure of the current athletics director.