Colorado's Rick George named Athletic Director of the Year

An outstanding honor for the Buffs' boss that brought the "Prime Effect" to Boulder

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado's Rick George was named the Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the association announced Wednesday.

George was named the sixth athletic director in CU history in 2013, and returned to Boulder for his second stint after being part of Bill McCartney's football staff. He has been exceptional for CU over the past 11 years. 

Outside of hiring Deion Sanders in 2022 and being a co-originator of the "Prime Effect" in Boulder, George has spearheaded upgrades on facilities around Folsom Field that included the indoor practice facility and Champions Center. "His leadership early in his career was critical in guiding CU through a 100-year flood in his first year on the job, a global pandemic and the most tenuous era in the history of college athletics," according to a statement by CU. 

In 2019, he was one of 30 named to the prestigious National Football Foundation’s “Team of Excellence,” and also won the individual achievement award recognizing his leadership in the sports sustainability programs he developed in the athletic department by the Pac-12 conference. 

George served on the College Football Playoff selection committee during the height of the pandemic for three years, and also helped construct the basis for NIL (name, image and likeness) to become a reality. 

Sanders was courted by George, who made it official and made the most underrated hire in CU history. The duo immediately put Colorado Football back on the map. CU sold out its spring game, all six home games for the first time in program history, 11-of-12 games on the season, and had five of the 14 most-watched games in the college football regular season, leading the nation in viewership until the final week of the regular season.  

The center of the sporting world for the first month of the football season, CU hosted FOX's Big Noon Kickoff three times and College Gameday once, the first pregame show appearances in Boulder in 28 seasons.