University of North Texas Director of Athletics Rick
Villarreal was honored Wednesday by the John McClendon Minority Athletics
Administrators Hall of Fame. Villarreal was recognized as a 2012 Pioneer
Award winner for being the first Latino Director of Athletics in the Sun Belt
Conference.
Villarreal was one of 12 recipients of the Pioneer Award,
which included Jerry LeVias of SMU, John Thompson of Georgetown, Beverly
Kearney of Texas, Alfred White of Conference USA, Herman Frazier of the USOC,
Rudy Davalos of New Mexico, James Cash of the Southwest Conference, Carlton
Cooper of the Lonestar Conference, Evie Dennis of the USOC and Linwood Sexton
of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Villarreal has been the Director of Athletics at North Texas
since 2001 and has had numerous administrative roles with the Sun Belt
Conference and has served on several NCAA committees.
The McClendon Hall of Fame reception was held in conjunction
with the 47th annual National Association of Collegiate Directors of
Athletics convention that was held in Dallas this week.