Hiram Adds Women's Golf

Edited: January 31, 2008

NORTH COAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE COMMITS TO DIVERSITY HIRING;
SETS INITIATIVE TO HONOR OWU ALUM, BRANCH RICKEY

GRANVILLE, OH -- In 1947, Branch Rickey, Ohio Wesleyan University alumnus and then general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, made social history in the United States when he signed African-American Jackie Robinson to a major league baseball contract - making Robinson the first black to play pro baseball in the modern era.

This historic act predated the official desegregation of the U.S. Military Forces by President Harry Truman in 1948, the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision of 1954 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed by President Lyndon Johnson.

While the 10 member colleges of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) won't make social history today, they do hope to energize the hiring of persons of color and women to their athletic staffs with the creation of the Branch Rickey Initiative, to be announced today by Douglas Bennett, President of Earlham College and the NCAC, at the Conference's Hiring Workshop for Women and Minorities in Granville, Ohio.

To that end, the NCAC colleges commit to promoting the hiring and retention of coaches who bring racial diversity to the staffs of both men's and women's athletic teams.

Conference members will undertake extensive recruitment measures to expand the numbers of prospects from under-represented populations for open coaching positions and will endeavor to observe "best practices" in creating diverse hiring pools, according to Marvin Krislov, President of Oberlin College and a member of the Branch Rickey Initiative Committee. Specific steps may include but are not limited to:

* Creation of internship opportunities for diverse populations
* Promotion of the Conference's commitment to inclusive hiring
* Evaluation and analysis of member schools' efforts to promote diversity in light of national trends
* Recognition of exceptional efforts by member schools and programs

"The Branch Rickey Initiative will honor Mr. Rickey's historic commitment to break the color barrier in pro sports, but it also recognizes the historic commitment of the NCAC institutions to promote inclusion in its athletic programs and staff," President Bennett noted.

Approximately 50 North Coast administrators and presidents will participate in today's Hiring Workshop. Experts in Diversity & Inclusion and Title IX will relay strategies to help the NCAC launch this important initiative.

Today's Workshop Panel includes: Clint Bryant, Director of Athletics at Augusta State (GA); Bridget Belgiovine, Director of Athletics and Recreation at Wellesley College (MA); Stan Johnson of Stan Johnson & Associates (KS); and Valerie Bonnette, Title IX expert and president of Good Sports of San Diego, CA.

Branch Rickey History
The NCAC proudly honors the leadership of Rickey, whose connections to the Conference run deep. He earned a BA degree at Ohio Wesleyan in 1904 following a distinguished academic and playing/coaching career. His first job following graduation from OWU was at Allegheny College, where he was the football and baseball coach and athletic director.

Following his stint at Allegheny he coached the University of Michigan baseball team, while earning a law degree at the University of Michigan Law School. He then entered professional baseball in 1905, serving as a player, general manager and president of the St. Louis Cardinals (the Gas House Gang), president of the Brooklyn Dodgers and finally, president of the Pittsburgh Pirates, ending in 1955.

He is a 1967 inductee of the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY and is widely recognized as one of the most important baseball executives in the sport's history. Rickey died in 1965 at age 83, following 50 years in major league baseball as a player and administrator.

NCAC Leadership
Garnett Purnell, the Director of Athletics at Wittenberg University, and a member of the NCAA Management Council for Division III, chaired the conference's Diversity & Inclusion committee, which created today's event - another in the list of proactive steps for the Branch Rickey Initiative. Both Purnell and Dennis Collins, NCAC Executive Director were both members of the NCAA's Special Committee of Diversity and Inclusion, which met over the past 24 months and encouraged actions like these.

Richard Cook, President of Allegheny College and Roger Ingles, Director of Athletics at Ohio Wesleyan University, co-chair the Branch Rickey Initiative Committee for the NCAC.