CLEVELAND – Former Missouri Southern coach and athletics director Sallie Beard was named a recipient of the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) Meritorious Service award, the organization announced Wednesday.
 
The D2 CCA Meritorious Service Award recognizes a commissioner with 10 years of service once he/she leaves the position for the time and dedication they have made to Division II and is decided by the full CCA membership upon recommendation by the Awards Committee. In addition, other individuals, including but not limited to conference office staff, institutional staff members, or NCAA staff members are also eligible to be recognized with this award. The intent is to recognize these individuals once they retire or depart Division II; however, if an individual goes above and beyond in service to Division II, in particular, the CCA, they may be recognized even if they are still employed at a Division II conference office or institution.
 
Sallie Beard, Missouri Southern State University 
Sallie Beard served as both coach and athletics director at Missouri Southern State University for 37 years, starting the women's athletics program when she created and coached the first women's basketball, softball and tennis teams in 1974. Two years later, she added the women's track and field program. Beard served as the women's athletics director for 25 years before being named the AD for both the men's and women's programs in 2001, making her the first woman in the MIAA to serve in that capacity.  

Nationally, Beard served numerous NCAA Division II committees, including the Division II Management Council, as well as on the Association-wide Committee on Women's Athletics. From 1999 to 2001, she served as MIAA president, the first athletics director to be chosen for that position. Beard was inducted into the inaugural MIAA Hall of Fame class in 2010 and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. In 2014, she received the Nike Lifetime Achievement Award from Women Leaders in Sports. Beard was one of two MIAA representatives selected to the NCAA Division II Gold Award, recognizing one male and one female administrator or coach in each Division II conference who have made a lasting and positive impact in Division II. This award was part of the yearlong celebration of the division's 50th anniversary. 

Beyond her campus leadership, Beard also had a major role in updating Title IX language at Missouri Southern. A little-known fact is that Beard has had a tremendous influence on all women's sports by authoring interpretive Title IX language which created a definition of sport (requiring structured schedules, standardize scoring and so forth). The Office of Civil Rights uses this definition still today to determine the Title IX status of such activities as cheerleading, dance, shooting, equestrian, etc. Sallie Beard is a champion, a leader, and a legend in Division II. 
 
Besides Beard, Dave Brunk (Former Commissioner Peach Belt Conference and Northeast 10 Conference), Dr. Sandra Jordan (Chancellor University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA), Larry Marfise (University of Tampa), Dr. Steve Scott (Pittsburg State University), and Kim Vinson (Cameron University) were also named D2 CCA Meritorious Service award recipients. 
 
About D2 CCA: Initiated in 1992 to promote its member conferences and institutions, D2 CCA has made its mark in providing a united front for NCAA Division II athletics. Created after the break-up of the College Division Commissioners Association, the D2 CCA continues to create lines of communication and opportunities for its member conferences. The D2 CCA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 59th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.