JACKSON, Miss. – The Jackson State University Athletic Department won the 2010-11 Southwestern Athletic Conference Dr. James Frank Commissioner’s Cup Award for all-sports competition, the university’s fifth in six years. The award is given to the athletic department for demonstrating excellence among its sponsored sports programs.
JSU also won the women’s Barbara Jacket/Sadie Magee sports award and the men’s C.D. Henry sports award. The 2010-11 season marks the sixth time JSU has won the Commissioner’s Cup since the award was first presented in 1991-92.
JSU won the Commissioner’s Cup four consecutive times from 2006-07 to 2007-08. The Lady Tiger programs have won 10 women’s sports awards (Jacket/Magee award) and the men’s programs have won 21 C.D. Henry awards.
The Commissioner’s Cup award is named for Dr. Frank, the former SWAC Commissioner (1983-1998, April 2001-December 2002) who was also the first African-American President of the NCAA while serving as president at Lincoln (Mo.) University.
The women’s sports award is also named after pioneers. Jacket was the head track and field/cross country coach at Prairie View A&M (1966-1991), winning 22 SWAC titles and 12 national titles. In 1992 she became just the second African-American woman to coach the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team. Magee is the winningest basketball coach in Jackson State history and also served as assistant athletic director and coordinator of women’s sports. Magee won two SWAC women’s regular season basketball titles and four Conference tournament titles.
The men’s sports award is named for C.D. Henry, who was an athletic administrator who among his career achievements was chairman of Grambling State’s College of Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department (1958-74) and was the executive officer and secretary-statistician for the SWAC from 1968-73.
Jackson State will receive the Commissioner’s Cup and the men and women sports awards during the 2011 SWAC Spring meetings, which will be held in Houston, Texas June 7-9.
