Bill Cords Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports

The 2001-02 school year represented the 15th year that Bill Cords has served as athletic director at Marquette University. The native of Butte, Mont. enjoyed a seven-year high school teaching and coaching career in Montana before leaving in 1971 for Washington State University. During his 11 years at WSU he served as head freshman football coach, assistant varsity football coach, director of intramurals, academic advisor, assistant athletics director and associate athletics director while earning a master's degree and completing doctoral work in education administration.

In 1982 he became the athletics director at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). During that five-year tenure, a strong broad-based program was developed with a rapidly improving football program, development of a women's athletic conference, a very successful men's basketball program, and highlighted by the elimination of a previous $1 million deficit.

In 1987 Cords accepted the position of director of athletics at Marquette. From that time Marquette moved from independent status to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) in 1988-89, a charter membership in the very successful and widely-respected Great Midwest Conference from 1990-95, to charter membership in the nationally prominent and prestigious Conference USA in July 1995.

The mission of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports is to strive for excellence in academics, athletics and leadership through service to others. Marquette student-athletes, teams and coaches across the broad spectrum of the program continue to achieve academic, athletic and professional prominence at the conference, regional and national levels.

"We are very proud of our students and coaches. They take great pride in representing Marquette University and do so striving to be the very best they can be as people, students and athletes," remarked Cords.

Attendance at men's basketball games continues to rank nationally. Women's basketball attendance continues to improve along with that of volleyball and men's and women's soccer.

Marquette has hosted conference championships in men's and women's basketball, cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and outdoor track and field. In 2000, Marquette hosted its first-ever NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament game and served as the host for the 2001 C-USA Women's Soccer Tournament. Marquette hosted extremely successful NCAA Men's Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds in 1992, 1996 and 1999. In 2002, Marquette served as the host institution for the NCAA Women's Basketball Mideast Regional.

"This steady and positive growth is a direct result of solid support from our administration, staff, supporters of the program and fans, combined with the hard work, commitment and dedication of our students, coaches and staff," stated Cords.

Beginning July 1, 1993, he assumed responsibility as director of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports which combined the activities of intercollegiate athletics, intramurals, club sports and open recreation. This allowed the department to provide more services to the community, in particular the inauguration of the summertime National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) designed to benefit underprivileged youth in the Milwaukee area, while encouraging community use of Marquette facilities such as the Valley Fields Complex, Rec Plex, Helfaer Tennis Stadium, Helfaer Recreation Center and Marquette Gym.

Cords was honored nationally by his peers as the 1999 NACDA/Continental Regional (Central) I-AA/I-AAA Athletic Director of the Year. Cords is a member of the NCAA Men's Soccer Committee.