CLEVELAND – Former Gonzaga Director of Athletics Mike Roth has been named the 2022 Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award recipient the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) announced Wednesday.
"I am extremely honored and humbled by this award," said Roth. "As someone who has been a part of the selection committee since the inception of the award, I know the outstanding company that I am joining, and again, it is very humbling. Thanks needs to go out to all my peers in I-AAA for this recognition. I also need to thank all of the Gonzaga athletics department staff and student-athletes. They are the ones who did all the work and brought our collective dreams into reality. I have been truly blessed to be a part of Gonzaga University, Gonzaga athletics, and I-AAA. Thank you, all!"
The 2020-21 season marked Roth's 24th year serving as Gonzaga's director of athletics. Roth twice received Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year honors, first in 2008-09 and again in 2018-19. Under Roth's leadership, the Zags thrived with unprecedented success on and off the court, course, water, and field. His successes have been displayed in decades of NCAA appearances, all-conference performers, departmental GPA performance, NCAA Academic Progress Rate and Graduation Success Rate, All-Americans, and Academic All-Americans.
With Roth as director of athletics, Gonzaga earned 73 appearances to NCAA Tournaments or NCAA Championships and 31 student-athletes were named All-Americans. Academically, Gonzaga athletics' Academic Progress Rates and Graduation Success Rates rank at an elite level, breaking numerous historical records at GU. Dating back to fall 1998, the Bulldogs averaged a 3.0 GPA or higher in 44 straight semesters. During Roth's tenure, more than 3,500 student-athletes have been named to the President's List or Dean's List with the highest being 163 in the 2018-19 academic year. Additionally, 25 student-athletes garnered Academic All-America accolades. In addition to the athletic and academic success under Roth's leadership, Gonzaga athletics placed a significant focus on community outreach. Gonzaga student-athletes served thousands of hours of volunteer work at numerous local and regional agencies.
During his time at the helm, Roth has also overseen the upgrades and additions of multiple facilities. In 2003, the Kermit Rudolf Fitness Center opened for Gonzaga students, faculty, and staff. In 2004, GU opened the McCarthey Athletic Center, a 6,000-seat arena serving as the home of the men's and women's basketball teams. In 2005, Gonzaga opened the Harry A. Green Indoor Rowing Facility, giving GU one of the most progressive indoor training facilities on the West Coast. In 2007, the Patterson Baseball Complex and Washington Trust Field were dedicated, followed by the new Gonzaga Soccer Field, the Diedrick/DeLong Athletic Training Center, and an academic lab in 2008. The soccer field was dedicated as Luger Field in the summer of 2014, with stadium lights added in 2016. Gonzaga dedicated the baseball stadium to a former standout player and coach in 2018, renaming it the Patterson Baseball Complex and Coach Steve Hertz Field. In 2014, Roth and GU opened The Stevens Center, a state-of-the-art indoor tennis and golf facility featuring six tennis courts and an expansive golf practice facility with four simulators. Fall 2017 marked the completion of the Volkar Center for Athletic Achievement, a 51,240-square-foot facility that houses student-athlete support services, a weight room, a nutrition center, a basketball practice court, the Gonzaga Athletics Hall of Fame, and multiple meeting areas. In fall 2019, the Johnson Family Boathouse on Silver Lake opened as the home for GU men's and women's rowing.
Roth's connection to the Gonzaga community will continue as he has graciously agreed to stay on for several years to continually support and grow Gonzaga's athletics programs. Additionally, as a native of Moses Lake, Wash., Roth looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Dr. Linda Roth, and their two sons, Dr. Brad Roth and Dr. Matt Roth.
"We are excited to bestow our association's most prestigious honor to Mike," stated Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award Committee Chair and Director of Athletics at Florida Gulf Coast University, Ken Kavanagh. "Like our previous honorees, he certainly personifies what the award represents and fits in extremely well with the tremendous group of prior recipients. A valued contributor to the DI-AAA ADA's early development, Mike served our intercollegiate athletics profession with distinction for decades in a variety of roles. In turn, he positively impacted the countless Gonzaga student-athletes and staffers whom he worked alongside daily as well as the many others for whom he has been a terrific mentor and cherished colleague. There's no doubt he left an indelible mark on the Zags community and is much deserving of this significant recognition."
Roth will be formally recognized in front of his peers at the 2022 NACDA Convention in Las Vegas this June.
Members of the Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award Committee include Division I-AAA athletics directors: Ken Kavanagh (Chair), Florida Gulf Coast University; Scott Corley, Belmont University; Bob Driscoll, Providence College; Shaney Fink, Seattle University; Bill Maher, Canisius College; Ed McLaughlin, VCU; Roderick Perry, IUPUI; Craig Pintens, Loyola Marymount University; Tanya Vogel, George Washington University; and Steve Watson, Loyola University Chicago.
About Division I-AAA ADA: Now in its 21st year, the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance initiatives common to its Division I-AAA membership (the 98 Division I institutions that do not sponsor football), in particular, aspects related to their flagship basketball programs. For more information on the Division I-AAA ADA, please visit www.div1aaa-ada.com. The Division I-AAA ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 57th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.
