By ERIC BAILEY Sports Writer on May 3, 2012, at 6:49 PM Updated on 5/03 at 6:49 PM
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Steadman Upham will retire as Tulsa’s president on June 30.
Upham has been an ambassador of Tulsa’s athletic department as evident by the accomplishments listed below.
The university introduced its next president on Wednesday. Geoffrey Orsak will become the school’s 18th president.
The big question: Will Orsak place an emphasis on athletics similar to Upham?
I asked Upham this question last December: How important is it for the next President to have an open mind about athletics at an academic-rich school like Tulsa?
“Intercollegiate athletics is in the DNA of the university. If you talk to our alums, going way back, athletics has always been a key ingredient in the collegiate experience. It’s certainly a key ingredient in what we do today.
“If you look at our campus, we’re blessed by having all new athletic facilities for every one of our sports. We’re working on one in golf, which is coming together at the Patriot. All of our other facilities, including rowing, have had beautiful new facilities. Rowing has an indoor facility on campus as well as a boathouse on the Verdigris River. We just finished a softball building which will make recruiting that much easier.
“I think with the next president, it will be a requirement that they have an attention directed toward athletics. It’s expected.”
Here are Tulsa’s athletic accomplishments under Steadman Upham since he became the university’s president in June 2004:
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
19: Academic All-Americans
166: Academic All-Conference Selections (MVC, WAC, C-USA)
1,211: C-USA Commissioners Honor Roll Recipients (+3.0 GPA)
316: C-USA Academic Medal Winners (+3.75 GPA)
89: C-USA Academic All-Conference Selections
16: C-USA Scholar Athlete of the Year Award Winners
12: C-USA Sports Academic Team Awards
ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENTS
6: Football Bowl Game Appearances
66: NCAA Appearances
2: NIT Basketball Appearances
1: College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Championship
49: All-Americans
42: Conference Championships (WAC, C-USA)
40: C-USA Championships
520: All-Conference Selections (MVC, WAC, C-USA)
422: C-USA All-Conference Selections
* Received top-100 national ranking six of seven years in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings
* Ranked No. 2 nationally in Newsweek’s Top-25 Schools for Sports Nuts, Sept. 2010
* Ranked No. 1 nationally in Newsweek & The Daily Beast’s Top-25 Best Colleges for Athletes, Sept. 2011
* Ranked No. 89 nationally in NSCA Collegiate Power Rankings (based on academic and athletic standards), Sept. 2011
* Received Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings highest ranking in school history of No. 51 nationally in 2010-11
FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS
Jack Zink Indoor Rowing Center (March 2006)
J. Bird Sr. Shell Nest (March 2007)
Case Athletic Complex & Academic Center (June 2007)
High Definition Video Conversion for Athletic Video (Summer 2007)
Mabee Gym FieldTurf installation (February 2008)
H.A. Chapman Stadium renovation (September 2008)
Men’s Soccer Meeting Room renovation (Summer 2010)
Mabee Gymnasium Volleyball Practice Facility renovation (Summer 2005)
Men’s Basketball Offices & Locker Room renovations (November 2008)
Women’s Soccer Locker Room renovation (June 2010)
Women’s Basketball Offices & Locker Room renovation (Summer 2011)
Harwell Field Football Practice Field enhancement (Summer 2011)
Women’s Basketball Team Room construction (December 2011)
Reynolds Center ONEOK Video Board and Sound System installation (December 2011)
Collins Family Softball Complex (February 2012)
Digital Historical Graphic enhancements for Athletic venues (On-Going)
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