KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The National Association of Basketball Coaches named Schreiner University Director of Athletics Bill Raleigh one of this years Guardians of the Game. Raleigh is joined by Tarleton State University head coach and athletic director Lonn Reisman.
Raleigh is earning the award for advocacy, while Resiman is being recognized for leadership.
Serving as a coach and administrator in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference since 1996, Raleigh has been a staunch advocate for college basketball, the coaching profession and the NABC throughout his career.
“Bill Raleigh’s involvement in NCAA Division III and the NABC has been selfless and he epitomizes what this award stands for,” said Charlie Brock, head coach at Springfield College and first vice president of the NABC.
Raleigh is currently a member of the NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee, and has also served as a congressman for the NABC in Division III, a member of the NABC Division III All-America Committee and has played an integral role with the Division III All-Star Game Committee.
Raleigh began his tenure in the SCAC after accepting his first head coaching position at the University of Dallas in 1996. He accepted the same position at Southwestern University in 1999. In his career, Raleigh has earned two SCAC Coach of the Year awards.
“Bill’s coaching and life philosophy are in tune with the Division III philosophy. He is a true competitor but life issues are most important to him,” said Pat Cunningham, a member of the NABC board of directors and head coach at fellow-SCAC member, Trinity University.
Raleigh retired from coaching in 2014, but remained at Southwestern as assistant director of athletics. He was named the director of athletics at Schreiner University this past August.
This marks the second time a head coach or administrator in the SCAC has earned the award. Trinity head coach Pat Cunningham was recognized in 2011 as an advocate.
Guardians of the Game is a national awareness and education program of the NABC. The goal of the program is to focus attention on the positive aspects of basketball and the role coaches play in the lives of student-athletes, in addition to the contributions coaches make to their communities. The Guardians of the Game program emphasizes four core values: advocacy, education, leadership and service.
