Lew Perkins
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Lew Perkins (born March 24, 1945) is a former
athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches an ...
, ending his 40-year career at the
University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
. Perkins joined KU in June 2003, taking over for Al Bohl. Perkins previously held similar positions with the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...
,
University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
,
Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
and
University of South Carolina Aiken The University of South Carolina Aiken (USC Aiken, USCA, or South Carolina Aiken) is a public university in Aiken, South Carolina. It is part of the University of South Carolina System and offers undergraduate degree programs as well as master' ...
where he gained a reputation for successfully cleaning up schools suffering under NCAA violations. Under Perkins direction, the athletics program at KU had several successful seasons, including winning the
2008 Orange Bowl The 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Kansas Jayhawks on January 3, 2008, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spread bettors favored Virginia Tech by three ...
in football and the 2008 Men's Basketball Championship. His tenure, though, ultimately ended in scandal and early retirement in 2010.


Biography


Early life

Perkins is a native of Chelsea, Massachusetts, where he was inducted into the High School Athletics Hall of Fame. Following high school, Perkins played basketball at the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
from 1965 to 1967, where he was coached by former KU great Ralph Miller, a member of the Naismith Hall of Fame. He also received an undergraduate degree in education from the institution. At Iowa, Perkins pledged and activated the
Alpha Epsilon Pi Alpha Epsilon Pi (), commonly known as AEPi, is a college fraternity founded at New York University in 1913 by Charles C. Moskowitz and ten other men. The fraternity has more than 150 active chapters across the United States, Canada, United K ...
fraternity.


Administrative and coaching career


South Carolina Aiken

Perkins served as athletics director at the
University of South Carolina Aiken The University of South Carolina Aiken (USC Aiken, USCA, or South Carolina Aiken) is a public university in Aiken, South Carolina. It is part of the University of South Carolina System and offers undergraduate degree programs as well as master' ...
from 1969 to 1980, overseeing the athletics department during the university's transition from a junior college to four-year institution. He also served as the head basketball coach from 1969 to 1979. In 1975 he received a master's degree in education from the University of South Carolina. In 2005, Perkins was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Education by the University of South Carolina Aiken.


Penn

From 1980 to 1983, Perkins served as associate athletic director at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, managing the university's 28 varsity sports.


Wichita State

Perkins served as athletic director at
Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
from 1983 to 1987. Perkins took over a program that was on NCAA probation. Two years later, the NCAA cited WSU as having an "exemplary program." During his tenure as AD, the WSU football program was ended, due to mounting budget issues. During his tenure, Perkins hired
Eddie Fogler Eddie Fogler (born June 12, 1948) is an American retired college basketball player and coach. He played for the University of North Carolina from 1967 to 1970 where he played as a point guard on two NCAA Final Four teams. Fogler was an All-Cit ...
to replace Gene Smithson as head basketball coach and Ron Chismar to replace Willie Jeffries as head football coach.http://www.kansascity.com/166/story/1613421.html


Maryland

Perkins served as athletic director at the
University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
from 1987 to 1990. Perkins was brought in by Maryland to clean up the program after the investigation into the death of basketball player
Len Bias Leonard Kevin Bias (November 18, 1963June 19, 1986) was an American college basketball player who attended the University of Maryland. During his four years playing for Maryland, he was named a first-team All-American. Two days after being selec ...
revealed foul play within the organization. Perkins left the university following another NCAA investigation that took place after then basketball coach Bob Wade revealed to him that he and his staff had been violating several NCAA rules. Before leaving he hired
Gary Williams Gary Bruce Williams (born March 4, 1945) is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, the Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. I ...
to be the new head coach. Williams was previously the coach of Ohio State.


Connecticut

From 1990 to 2003, Perkins served as athletic director for the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...
, earning nationwide recognition for his efforts. Under Perkins' watch, the program won six NCAA national championships, including four in women's basketball, one in men's basketball, and one in men's soccer. Perkins was instrumental in bringing Division I-A football to the university. The football team joined Division I-A in 2000, and the Big East in 2004, after Perkins' departure. Perkins also brought drastic change to the athletics facilities. During Perkins' tenure, a $2 million hockey arena, the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum, $14 million student recreation center, a $2.5 million addition of seating to Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, a $3.5 million track and intramural facility, and the $90 million Rentschler Field football complex were all constructed. In 2000, he became the inaugural winner of the National Athletic Director of the Year Award. During his tenure, Perkins hired
Skip Holtz Louis Leo "Skip" Holtz Jr. (born March 12, 1964) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL). Previously, he was the head coach for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (201 ...
as head football coach and
Randy Edsall Randy Douglas Edsall (born August 27, 1958) is a retired American football coach, formerly the head football coach at the University of Connecticut from 1999 to 2010 and again from 2017 until his abrupt retirement in 2021. He also served as the h ...
after Holtz resigned to join his father at South Carolina.


Kansas

Perkins served as athletic director of the
University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
from June 2003 to September 2010. While Perkins was AD, the football program won the
2008 Orange Bowl The 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Kansas Jayhawks on January 3, 2008, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spread bettors favored Virginia Tech by three ...
, and Kansas basketball brought home the 2008 Men's Basketball Championship. Upon arrival at KU, Perkins became aware of potential
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
rules violations at KU and he initiated an internal investigation. After KU self-reported violations, the NCAA ruled in 2006 that KU demonstrated a "lack of institutional control" under its prior Athletic Director. As a result, Perkins added at least two new full-time compliance officers to the department. Perkins brought many facilities upgrades to the campus, and raised KU's athletics budget from $27 million to over $55 million. $10 million worth of renovations to
Allen Fieldhouse Allen Fieldhouse is an indoor arena on the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence, Kansas. It is home of the Kansas Jayhawks men's and women's basketball teams. The arena is named after Phog Allen, a former player and head coach for the Jayhaw ...
were completed in 2005–06, including a new videoboard. Another $15 million was approved for further upgrades to the facility. The Booth Family Hall of Athletics was added to the eastern side of the fieldhouse, at a cost of $5 million. The Anderson Family Football complex officially opened on July 30, 2008 adjacent to the football field at Memorial Stadium, at a cost of $31 million. In 2009, $42 million in improvements for a new basketball practice and training facility, locker rooms, donor atrium, new concourses and other upgrades to Allen Fieldhouse were completed. Additionally $8 million were spent for improvement of student athlete housing. Other facilities upgrades during Perkin's tenure included new baseball and softball facilities, and a boathouse for the rowing team. Several major deals were negotiated during Perkins tenure, including a $26.67 million deal with adidas, a $40 million deal with
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
, and an $86 million deal with
IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: * IMG (company), global sports and media business headquartered in New York City but with its main offices in Cleveland, originally known as the "International Management Group ...
. In 2008, ''
TIME magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...
'' named Perkins one of the top-35 sports executives in the world, the only collegiate executive to make the list. However, Perkins' time at KU concluded with scandal. In March 2010, KU announced that it was conducting an internal investigation into the Athletics Department ticket office. A separate investigation by the FBI and IRS ultimately resulted in federal charges against five employees of the Athletics Department and one consultant, alleging that they had stolen more than $2 million of KU tickets to be illegally resold during Perkins' tenure. Perkins was not implicated in the scheme, but many of the five employees charged with crimes were hired or promoted to their positions by Perkins. By February 2011, all five employees pleaded guilty to the charges. Separately, in May 2010, Perkins was accused by a former Athletic Department employee of personally accepting exercise equipment in exchange for giving premium basketball tickets. As a result, Perkins was eventually fined by the State of Kansas Ethics Commission for violating rules against accepting gifts. On June 10, 2010, Perkins announced that he would retire after the 2010–11 school year, effective September 4, 2011. However, Perkins soon accelerated this schedule, and one year early, on September 7, 2010, he announced his retirement would be effective immediately. KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little named Associate Athletics Director Sean Lester as interim director for Kansas athletics. Despite the early retirement, KU agreed to pay Perkins the full $2 million salary he would have earned if he had stayed through September 2011, including a $600,000 retention bonus that he would have earned for working at KU through June 2011.


Other service

* Basketball Issues Committee * Chair of the Big 12 Board of Athletics Directors * Big 12 Television Committee * Board of Directors of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame * Gatorade Board of Directors


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Lew 1945 births Living people American men's basketball coaches UConn Huskies athletic directors Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball players Kansas Jayhawks athletic directors Maryland Terrapins athletic directors USC Aiken Pacers men's basketball coaches Wichita State Shockers athletic directors University of South Carolina alumni Sportspeople from Boston Sportspeople from Chelsea, Massachusetts Basketball players from Boston American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Massachusetts