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Tracy Huth

Position: Director of Athletics Experience: 27th year Alma Mater: Oakland, 1985

When one thinks of Oakland University athletics, one of the first names that comes to mind is that of Director of Athletics Tracy Huth. After all, Huth has been involved with Oakland University athletics as a student-athlete, coach and administrator since the 1980-81 academic year.

Huth was appointed Director of Athletics in October 2007 after serving as the interim director for one year, and immediately put in motion an ambitious plan to enhance the overall Oakland University athletics experience, both for student-athletes, staff and friends of the university. The result thus far has been a more fan-friendly atmosphere at all OU events, increasing student-athlete success both athletically and academically, and the introduction of the first-ever strategic plan for the department.

Oakland has led The Summit League in academic all-league selections in six consecutive years and more than 50 percent of its 300-plus student-athletes achieved a 3.0 or higher grade point average. Huth was instrumental in the development of the athletic department's mission of producing graduates, champions and friends of the university.

Under his administration, the Golden Grizzlies have made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances in men's basketball, attained their highest-ever finish in The Summit League's Commissioner's Cup, finishing second in 2010-11 by just a half-point, and hosted several Summit League Championships. OU will serve as the host of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Second and Third Rounds at The Palace of Auburn Hills in March, and the Grizzlies hosted their first-ever NCAA Championship on campus when the 2010 NCAA Great Lakes Men's and Women's Cross Country Regional Championships were held on Katke-Cousins Golf Course.

Among his responsibilities for the athletics department, Huth serves as a member of The Summit League Joint Council, the league's Budget Committee and Competition Committee and chairs the Swimming and Diving Sport Committee. He is a member of the President's Executive Council and numerous campus-wide committees (Homecoming, Grizz Madnezz).

Prior to making the move into the athletic director's office, Huth served over nine years as an Associate Athletic Director and Assistant Athletic Director, including a one-year stint OU's Senior Associate Athletic Director where he was in charge of supervising the department's operations. While an assistant director, Huth's primary responsibilities were in the areas of program supervision, student-athlete services and compliance.

During his time as a departmental administrator, Huth has been involved in several league and national committees. In March 2006, Huth was appointed to a four-year term on the NCAA Swimming and Diving Committee. He has also served on the NCAA's Academic/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet (2001-05) and served as the tournament manager for the first and second-round games in the 2006 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament hosted by Oakland at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The strides made by the athletics program during Huth's tenure should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with his track record as a coach. Huth spent 11 years as the head coach of OU's women's swimming and diving program, establishing the Oakland program as the premier program in the country at the Division II level. His teams finished in the top three nationally in nine consecutive seasons, winning five consecutive national championships and three straight runner-up finishes from 1990-97. Huth was named the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year three times for his team's accomplishments.

Only Kenyon College (17 consecutive Division III titles from 1984-2000) and Truman State University (six consecutive Division II titles from 2001-06) have posted more consecutive national championships in women's swimming and diving, while only Texas (five consecutive Division I titles from 1984-88) and Stanford (five consecutive Division I titles from 1992-96) have matched the total of five straight, which stood as a Division II record until 2006.

Huth began his coaching career at Oakland in 1985 as an assistant coach with the men's swimming and diving program, a position he held for two years before taking the reins of the women's program. Huth remained as the women's head coach until 1998, when he stepped down to focus on his position as Assistant Athletic Director as OU made the transition to Division I.

But before Huth became well-known as the highly-successful coach of OU's women's swimming program, he earned recognition as one of the top swimmers in the nation. Arguably the most accomplished student-athlete in OU history, Huth earned 24 All-America honors, claiming 13 individual national championships. He is a four-time national champion in the 200- and 400-yard individual medley events and was named NCAA Division II Swimmer of the Year three times. He remains the only swimmer in NCAA history to have won both the 200 and 400 IM in four consecutive seasons.

In 2002 Huth had the unique honor of being selected to the Oakland University Hollie L. Lepley Hall of Honor for a second time. He and is the only member to be enshrined as a student-athlete and coach. Huth was originally named to the Hall of Honor in 1990 for his swimming accomplishments.

A native of Yakima, Wash., Huth is a member of the North Oakland Family YMCA Advisory Board and the March of Dimes "Walk America Troy site committee. He earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from Oakland in 1985 and in '96, Huth earned his master's degree in sports administration from Wayne State University.

He is married to Jenny Huth, current assistant women's basketball coach at UCLA. His daughter Kara is a nursing student at Oakland University and his son Chance is a junior at Clarkston High School.