Tribe’s Huge named to NCAA Division I Council
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recently announced the appointment of William & Mary Director of Athletics Samantha K. Huge to its Division I Council beginning on July 1, 2019.
The Division I Council is a high-level group responsible for the day-to-day decision making for Division I. The council is comprised of practitioners who work daily in Division I athletics, and it has primary legislative authority for Division I.
"On behalf of the entire Colonial Athletic Association membership I would like to congratulate Samantha on being selected to serve as the Conference's next representative on the NCAA Division I Council, as well as her appointment to the Football Oversight Committee," said CAA Commissioner Joey D'Antonio. "Samantha's vast experience in so many facets of intercollegiate athletics makes her the perfect fit for this position. The administrators, coaches and student-athletes of the CAA, as well the entire NCAA membership, will benefit from Samantha being in this leadership role."
The committee develops and debates new and past ideas and recommends whether they should be introduced as pieces of legislation. Athletic directors, athletic administrators, senior women administrators, faculty athletics representatives and student-athletes serve on the council. Every Division I conference is represented on the council, and its work is subject to review by the NCAA Board of Directors, which monitors the legislation to ensure it does not conflict with the division's policies and goals.
Additionally, as part of Huge's duties on the Division I Council, she will serve on the Division I Football Oversight Committee. In this role, Huge will join a group of 20 committee members comprised of representatives from each divisional subgroup that sponsors football.
The committee is charged with maintaining appropriate oversight of football for both the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision, enhancing the development of the sport and making recommendations related to regular-season and post-season football. The committee will prioritize the enhancement of the student-athlete educational experience (academically and athletically), and in doing so, promote student-athletes' personal growth and leadership development. It will work in conjunction with appropriate governance entities to provide solutions to issues impacting the health and safety of football student-athletes.
This appointment is Huge's second in as many years, as she was named to the NCAA's Division I Men's Basketball Competition Committee in the summer of 2018. In this role, she helps ensure that appropriate oversight of men's basketball is maintained. The group is also charged with enhancing the development and public perception of the sport and make recommendations related to regular-season and post-season men's basketball.
Over her career, Huge has served on multiple conference and national committees, including the SEC Commissioner's Working Group on Championships and the SEC Commissioner's Working Group on Compliance, Enforcement and Governance; the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee; and the NCAA Division I Committee on Academic Performance. As an active member in Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA), she has presented at its national convention.
In just under two years, Huge has moved the W&M Athletics program forward in a wide range of areas. Included in her achievements are the reorganization of the department's senior leadership team, several head coaching hires and the start of a strategic planning process.
Additionally, Huge created the first comprehensive position responsible for all facets of student-athlete high performance, negotiated the department's first media rights partnership with Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment and spearheaded a successful re-branding initiative that introduced a revitalized set of athletics logos that have enhanced the department's national visibility.
