Athletic Directors Association honors former Winthrop AD Hickman; Frost receives CoSIDA award
Tom Hickman, Winthrop's retired director of athletics, was presented the Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association 2017 Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor given by the association, on Monday.
Hickman, who served as Winthrop's athletics director for 20 years following a seven-year stint as the associate AD, received the award at the NACDA Convention being held this week at the Orlando World Center Marriott.
The Gary Cunningham Lifetime Achievement Award is the third prestigious honor received by Hickman since January 26 when he was inducted into the Winthrop Athletics Hall of Fame. On June 1 he was inducted into the Big South Conference Hall of Fame.
“What a great honor it is to be receiving this award. The fact that it is being given by my peers and colleagues makes it very, very special,” said Hickman. “It is indeed humbling to join the group of former honorees. I am proud to have been a part of the Division I-AAA ADA and wish to thank them for this honor.”
Hickman was appointed athletics director at Winthrop in July 1996 and served in that role until his retirement in July 2016. He served as associate athletics director for seven years for the Eagles' program after moving to Winthrop from Ferrum College in Virginia where he served as athletics director and chair of physical education and recreation from 1986-89.
A longtime member of NACDA, Hickman was heavily involved in collegiate athletics throughout his career. He is a former member of the NCAA Division I Championship/Sports Management Cabinet, the NCAA Division I Management Council, the NCAA Legislative Review and Interpretations Committee, and the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee. He was also very involved in the Big South Conference, serving on multiple committees throughout his tenure at Winthrop.
Frost receives CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award
Jack Frost, Winthrop's retiring assistant athletic director for media relations, received a 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award on Monday during the annual CoSIDA Convention being held at the Orlando World Center Marriott.
Frost has spent 33 years in the sports information field, including the last 27 at Winthrop. He came to Winthrop in 1990 as the sports information director and was later promoted to assistant AD. He previously served as assistant SID at Eastern Kentucky University for six years. His 45-year professional career also included eight years in public information at EKU and four years as news editor for the Richmond (KY) Daily Register.
"I am very honored and humbled to be recognized for this award by CoSIDA," said Frost. "I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to serve at two great institutions doing a job that I love. I have had the opportunity to serve many outstanding student-athletes and dedicated and hard-working coaches. I want to thank my assistants, former interns and graduate assistants that have been so instrumental in the sports information and media relations office through the years. I now look forward to the next chapter in my life, but college athletics will always remain a passion."
Frost, a native of Richmond, Kentucky, earned a Bachelor's degree from EKU in 1972 and received his Master's degree in 1977. During his college days, Frost served as sports editor, managing editor and editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. He also worked in the EKU sports information office as an undergraduate student.
This story was originally published June 12, 2017 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Athletic Directors Association honors former Winthrop AD Hickman; Frost receives CoSIDA award."