Empire 8 Commissioner Chuck Mitrano was named one of the “100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America” by the Institute for International Sport. The 100 individuals selected have been honored for making a lasting impact on the lives of young athletes and for providing a blueprint to other sports educators to do the same.
The listing is the culmination of a three-year project run by IIS aimed at honoring those who have used sport to educate and shape positive values. The organization received over 1,500 nominations with a final selection committee consisting of coaches, athletic administrators, journalists, and academicians. Mitrano is one of the first 20 individuals who will be highlighted on the IIS Web site, www.internationalsport.com, through Dec. 15.
Mitrano is the only collegiate commissioner to make the list, and is part of an elite group that includes active administrators, coaches, and athletes, as well as retired or semiretired individuals whose careers have been characterized by extraordinary contributions to sports education. The honorees range from administrators such as NCAA executive director Myles Brand to current and former coaching legends such as John Wooden, Pat Summitt, Joe Paterno, C. Vivian Stringer, and Phil Jackson. The list of athletes features such notables as Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Cal Ripken.
“I consider Chuck Mitrano to be a visionary whose inspired leadership is being felt on a national scale,” said Dan Doyle, executive director of the Institute for International Sport.
“No one could be more conscientious than Chuck in promoting the developmental values of sports,” said Empire 8 and Alfred president Charles Edmondson. “He has been an exemplary commissioner for the Empire 8 and his success emphasizing sportsmanship has enhanced not only our conference, but the quality of athletic competition throughout Division III. For those reasons, Chuck is most deserving of this recognition.”
Mitrano was the driving force which led to the creation of the Division III Commissioner's Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct Committee focusing on issues facing the members of the NCAA's largest division. He also created the nationally renowned Conduct Foul Program which is the only known tangible way to monitor unsporting behavior. The conference was the first to implement the program which was eventually adopted by Division III for use amongst its membership. Several Division I and II institutions and high schools across the nation use the program. Mitrano also conducted research on fan behavior and played a key role in the development and implementation of the Division III Fan Sportsmanship Program as well as many proactive fan education and policies within Empire 8.
Mitrano successfully lobbied the NCAA leadership and membership to sponsor a groundbreaking NCAA Hazing Prevention Summit in conjunction with the 2008 NCAA Convention. He will serve as the event's moderator/facilitator and played a major role in the organization and promotion of the event.