BOARD OF CONTROL

The Connecticut Association of Athletic Director’s awards program recognizes, honors, and promotes the outstanding work of our deserving colleagues at the local, state and national levels. CAAD’s awards program acknowledges and gives thanks to athletic administrators and others for their generous sacrifice, labor, and dedication on behalf of interscholastic athletics and the youth of our state.

To assist the awards committee in identifying our colleagues and others who deserve to be recognized by CAAD, the committee respectfully requests that you place into nomination any and all individuals that you feel are worthy of such recognition. Listed below is an explanation of the various awards presented by CAAD and NIAAA. Nominations should be submitted no later than September 1. Nominations should be forwarded to CAAD’s Awards Committee Chairman Dave Johnson.

Description of Awards

CAAD State Awards

- CAAD “Distinguished Service Award – CAAD’s most prestigious award, this award is presented annually to an athletic administrator who has made significant contributions at the local and state levels.

- CAAD “Community Service Award” - This award is presented to someone other than an athletic director who has had a profound and lasting positive impact on interscholastic athletics in Connecticut. **Note: this award might not be presented every year. This award will only be presented in years when there is a viable, worthy candidate.

- Robert Duncanson “Meritorious Service Award”. This award, named in honor of one of the primary founders of CAAD, is presented annually to an individual who has served as an athletic administrator for a minimum of twenty years and has demonstrated the highest ideals of sportsmanship, integrity, and leadership in the performance of their duties. This award also considers the nominees record of service and contributions to high school athletics.

- CAAD Past President Award. Presented by CAAD every other year at the annual awards banquet to the individual who served as CAAD President the previous two years in recognition of their leadership and dedication to the organization.

- NIAAA State Award of Merit. This is the highest honor available to a NIAAA member based strictly on the member’s service, leadership and contributions at the local and state levels. To be eligible for this award, an athletic director must be a current member of CAAD and the NIAAA with at least one full year of membership.

- NIAAA Service Award. NIAAA Service Awards are presented to NIAAA members who have completed 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 years as athletic administrators. These plaques are presented every year at the Annual CAAD Luncheon Meeting on the first day of the Annual CAAD Statewide Conference.

NIAAA National Awards

- NIAAA Distinguished Service Award. This award, which is presented annually in December at the NIAAA and National Federation Conference of High School Directors of Athletics, is presented to a limited number of individuals in recognition of their length of service, special accomplishments and contributions to athletic administration at the local, state and national levels. States may nominate NIAAA members or individuals from outside the field of athletic administration.

- NIAAA HALL OF FAME. The NIAAA Hall of Fame is organized as a means of recognizing interscholastic athletic administrators, promoting the vocation of athletic administration and preserving the heritage of the foundation. This honor is the highest an athletic administrator can receive from the NIAAA for his/her contributions and accomplishments at the local, state and national level. Further, this award sets the standard for athletic administrators to emulate. For further information on this award, go to www.niaaa.org.

- NFHS Citation – The NFHS Board of Directors selects eight athletic administrators (one from each of the eight sections) to receive the NFHS Citation. Recipients of the NFHS Citation are selected from persons nominated by their respective state athletic director associations. This award recognizes athletic administrators from across the nation who have excelled in the profession.

- Frank Kovaleski Professional Development Award is presented annually to an NIAAA member who has made significant contributions and demonstrated excellence in professional development at the local, state and national levels. The board selects a recipient from among the eight section nominees each year.