RRAC AD of the Year 2021-22

2022-23 RRAC ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
LUCAS MORGAN, LSU SHREVEPORT

WACO, Texas – It was another active year in the athletic department at LSU Shreveport and, at the center of it all, was their leader, Lucas Morgan. Recognized for his efforts and those of his staff, he was named the 2022-23 RRAC Athletic Director of the Year, joining Michael Galvan and Jack Hank as the only honorees to be selected two or more times. Morgan also won in 2019.  

The RRAC Athletic Director of the Year award recognizes the leader who had the best year in overall program performance, facility development, game administration, NAIA Champions of Character commitment, ability to hire and keep quality coaches, program growth in sports and revenue opportunities, contributions at the conference and national levels, and student-athlete development. The award is decided through a vote among all RRAC athletic directors.

"I'm honored to receive this recognition," says Morgan, who has been at LSUS since 2016. "We have a tremendous group of coaches, staff and student-athletes who make my job easy. This is definitely a team award!

"We also have a great group of Athletic Director leaders in our conference and I greatly appreciate their support and the relationships that I have with them. It's an honor to work with them as we move our conference forward."

Morgan's skill at hiring coaches and building a recruiting powerhouse led to three regular season championships for the Pilots across the school's six conference sports this season. LSUS took home titles in men's soccer, men's basketball and baseball, with the latter spending much of the season ranked No. 2 nationally. The men's basketball team advanced to the round of 16 at the NAIA national tournament, while a total of four teams reached national events. LSUS won RRAC tournament titles in men's basketball and men's soccer.

LSUS also successfully hosted the RRAC Baseball Championship for the 13th straight time through a partnership Morgan developed with Sterlington Sports Complex.

Continuing to build its campus, LSUS installed a turf infield at its outstanding baseball facility, Pilot Field, in time for the 2023 season and more renovations are underway for baseball and soccer venues as well as the Pilots' bass fishing program.

"Lucas has done a tremendous job over his entire career here at LSUS, and this year is no exception," says LSUS men's basketball coach Kyle Blankenship. "He has elevated our department in all areas. He provides his staff, coaches and student-athletes with all of the resources we need to be successful, and I think that is evident by the results on the playing field, in the classroom and through our community engagement."

During the year, LSUS student-athletes achieved a 3.08 GPA, topping the 3.0 threshold for the seventh straight semester. More than 63 percent of the Pilots had a 3.0 GPA or better.

Morgan contributes to national governance while serving on the NAIA Athletic Director Association Board and the NAIA Competitive Experience Committee. He was added to the Minority Opportunity Athletic Association's NAIA Committee this year, and he has been selected to NAIA National Administrative Council nex

RRAC Athletic Directors of the Year