BUCKNELL TRUSTEE BILL GRAHAM NAMED NAADD DONOR OF THE YEAR

1962 Alum Has Provided More than $7.7M for Bison Athletics

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bill Graham '62, a member of the Bucknell University Board of Trustees who has committed more than $7.7 million to Bison Athletics, has been named the University Division Donor of the Year by the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD), the organization announced on Tuesday. 

Of Graham's generous gifts, $7.6 million has gone toward the reestablishment of Bucknell's varsity wrestling program and the enhancement of Bison women's athletics programs. Graham's support helped Bucknell become one of the first institutions to find a solution to restoring a wrestling program to varsity status that had previously been reclassified due to Title IX compliance. 

Not only did the wrestling team return to the mats in 2006-07, it did so in record-setting fashion as the all-freshman Bison team won a school-record 12 dual meets and qualified three student-athletes - Eric Lapotsky, David Marble and Andy Rendos - for the NCAA Championships. Head coach Dan Wirnsberger has a second straight nationally ranked recruiting class on the way next season. 

In addition to the success of the wrestling program, numerous other Bucknell teams have directly benefited from Graham's generosity. Chief among them was the women's rowing squad, which was able to apply Graham's gift toward boosting the important novice program as well as enhancing the coaching staff. Head coach Steve Kish and the Bison then parlayed the additional resources into two straight Patriot League championships. The Bison field hockey and women's lacrosse teams will enter their third seasons playing at Graham Field, the university's AstroTurf playing facility that bears his name. And the women's volleyball team will share the benefit of the new state-of-the-art scoreboards being installed this summer in Davis Gym, funded by Graham. 

Overall it was another banner year for women's sports at Bucknell, as four Bison women's teams won Patriot League championships and two others won regular-season titles. Bucknell set a league record for margin of victory in winning the Women's Presidents' Cup Trophy for the 13th time in 17 years. Bucknell also captured its 13th overall Presidents' Cup title.

"Bill Graham exemplifies what it means to be a former student-athlete who gives back to those who come after him, and we appreciate the NAADD recognizing the great generosity he has shown the University's athletics programs," said Bucknell President Dr. Brian C. Mitchell. "Bill has built a remarkable career, and we appreciate that a person of such character and vision would express this deep confidence in our student-athletes and the exemplary performance they bring to the classroom and the world of college sports."

"Bill Graham is most deserving of this prestigious honor, and I sincerely thank the executive committee of NAADD for considering him for the award," said John Hardt, director of athletics and recreation. "On behalf of all the Bison student-athletes and coaches, we can not thank Bill enough for his incredibly generous support. It was especially gratifying to see first-hand many of the fruits of his generosity this year."  

A former Bucknell wrestler himself, Graham is chairman and chief executive officer of The Graham Company in Philadelphia, one of the nation's largest insurance brokerage firms. He received the National Wrestling Coaches Association Meritorious Service Award in 2005. 

The NAADD award winners will be recognized at the organization's convention June 7-10 in Orlando, Fla. NAADD, which is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), provides educational and networking opportunities, enhancement of acceptable operating standards and ethics, and establishment of the overall prestige and understanding of the profession of athletics development and fundraising. 

Bucknell is a highly selective, privately endowed liberal arts institution with an enrollment of approximately 3,350 undergraduate students. It is a charter member of the Patriot League and is the national leader in graduation rates over a four-year period. Recently, 17 Bison programs -- the fifth-most in Division I -- earned NCAA Public Recognition for having Academic Performance Rates in the top 10 percent nationally in their respective sport. In addition, Bucknell ranks fourth in Division I in the total number of CoSIDA Academic All-America selections, with 113 national Academic All-Americans since 1970.