National Football Foundation

Fred Jacoby spent 45 productive and happy years in sports before he retired as commissioner of the Southwest Conference in June, 1993.

But empty time holds no attraction to a man who has spent his life working hard and enjoying it. So he became, and is, commissioner of the Lone Star Conference.

Whether as a coach or commissioner, the athlete and the integrity of the sport always came first to Jacoby. He is a man who cares deeply about amateur football and amateur athletics and he has made great and lasting contributions to their growth, success and stability.

Thus, tonight the National Football Foundation honors Fred Jacoby with its 1995 Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award. He is the 18th person to receive this award which was created 21 years ago.

Jacoby began his professional sports career coaching various sports at three different high schools over a ten year period. For nine years he coached high school football and compiled an outstanding 63-13 won-lost record. College coaching was the next step. In 1958 he landed a job as an assistant football coach at the University of Wisconsin. Over eight years, Jacoby became one of coach Milt Bruhn's top aides on the field and was just as valuable off the field. He took on the added duties of coordinating recruiting and working with the complex grant-in-aid scholarship program.

It was while at Wisconsin that Jacoby got his first real taste of athletic administration. After eight years of coaching, he left the school but stayed in the state to become the first commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference. It was a new job, a new challenge. He had to build something from scratch. He had to give it form and over a five year period, Jacoby not only gave it form, he gave it function.

In 1971, he was invited to move up a rung on the sports administration ladder. He was recruited to become commissioner of the Mid- America Conference. Again, Jacoby brought a new sense of direction to a new challenge. As commissioner, he guided the conference through a major expansion program that saw the inclusion of the women's intercollegiate athletic program, the addition of four new member institutions, and the certification of the California Bowl. The MAC grew and flourished through his tenure, which ended in 1982.

That was the year Jacoby became commissioner of the Southwest Conference, the position he held until 1993.

As SWC commissioner, Jacoby developed and implemented policies affecting every aspect of the conference. He directed 17 SWC athletic programs working in concert with the Council of Presidents, faculty representatives, director of athletics and senior women's administrators.

One of his most important accomplishments was integrating women's intercollegiate athletics into the conference, which was during his first year as commissioner. He also developed new compliance and education procedures on a conference-wide basis.

He encouraged SWC development in track and cross country as a national force. In 1988, 47 SWC athletes, coaches and managers took part in the Olympic Games held in Seoul, Korea. Four years later, when the Games were held in Barcelona, that figure had grown to 73 SWC participants and officials.

Throughout his administrative career he has always worked to help the NCAA. He is now on the NCAA Special Events and Post Season Football Committee. Other committees he has served on include Future Planning, Executive, Postgraduate Scholarship, Length of Season, and the Committee to Review Playing Rules.

Over the years Jacoby served as secretary/treasurer of the College Football Association.

A lot of work?

Not to Fred Jacoby. He wouldn't have it any other way.