Olivet Nazarene University announced Gary Newsome was selected by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics as the 2015 Athletic Director of the Year. Earlier this year, Newsome received the same honor from the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, his second selection in as many years.

Newsome, who took over the reins of the ONU Athletic Department in 2008 after serving the previous nine years as the Tigers' head football coach, helped lead the Tigers to their sixth consecutive CCAC All-Sports Cup. Olivet also finished seventh in the 2014-2015 NAIA Learfield Sports Directors' Cup standings, having been as high as second after the winter season standings.

"This is such a well-deserved honor for Coach Newsome," said Head Volleyball Coach Brenda Williams. "I have had the pleasure of working with some of the finest athletic directors here at ONU but Coach Newsome holds a special place on my list as a man of pure integrity, a servant leader who cares for each and every program here like they were his own, and he is the glue that holds all of us together."

During this past school year, Olivet captured six CCAC regular season titles, three tournament titles, and both track and field championships. In total, 12 Tiger teams made NAIA National Tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish by men's swim and a third place finish by men's cross country. Under Newsome's leadership, Olivet had five NAIA individual National Champions and one relay team, 71 NAIA All-Americans, five NAIA National Players of the Week/Month and 69 NAIA Scholar Athletes. The Tigers also had 131 athletes earn CCAC/MFSA All-Conference honors, 172 named CCAC/MFSA All-Academic and three different coaches earn Coach of the Year honors, one earning two honors for both men's and women's track and field.

In 2014, Newsome was elected as the Mid-States Football Association Commissioner. He was also appointed by committee to the NAIA National Administrative Council and will serve on the committee for Awards and Statistics. He was also appointed to the first ever NAIA Athletic Directors Association Board of Directors.

"An award like this is not something that I would have ever expected, but I am so honored to receive such a prestigious title," Newsome said.  I am also aware that an award like this is possible because of the outstanding coaches that work for ONU, the commitment by our administration to facilities and even the care of those facilities by those that mow and paint the fields...this is an award for the entire ONU athletic community.  My name is honored, but it is truly a department award."

--Olivet Nazarene University