Case attracts new athletic director from Division I
A new era for Case Western Reserve University athletic department begins with Eastern Michigan AD, former St. Bonaventure boss
April 26, 2005 | For more information: Creg
Jantz 216-368-6517
CLEVELAND—Dave Diles, director of intercollegiate
athletics at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) and
former vice president and director of athletics at
St. Bonaventure University, has been named director
of athletics at Case Western Reserve University .
"We are delighted that Dave Diles has accepted our offer to provide leadership to Case athletics," said vice president for student affairs Glenn Nicholls. "His exceptional athletic and educational experience, and record of excellence, fit perfectly with our commitment to outstanding academic and athletic programs."
Diles replaces David Hutter, Ph.D., who has been the Spartans' interim athletic director since July of 2004, when then-interim Kristin Hughes left Case to become the head women's basketball coach at Colgate University . Prior to Hughes, Hutter served as the school's director of athletics and chair of physical education from 1985 until 2003, when he retired.
Diles, a Detroit, Mich, native, will head a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III intercollegiate athletic program that fields 19 sports (10 men's, 9 women's) and participates in the University Athletic Association (UAA). Diles' other responsibilities on the University Circle campus include the oversight of the recreation program and physical education department.
He will assume his new post on May 9, 2005.
"I am certainly honored by the appointment," said Diles. "Both Glenn Nicholls and Dean Patterson, the chair of the search committee, provided an enlightening process and represented Case extremely well. The academic orientation of the institution and the affiliation in the University Athletic Association make this an unparalleled professional opportunity. They correspond perfectly with my personal values and theory of the role of athletics in higher education."
Diles has served as Eastern Michigan 's director of athletics since 1999. Since taking over, the EMU athletic department improved its overall athletic grade point average (GPA) to more than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and increased the graduation rate 24 percent during a six-year period (1994-2000). The department was one of 12 recipients of the USA Today NCAA Academic Achievement Awards during the 2001-2002 school year.
While enjoying new-found success in the classroom, Eastern Michigan also excelled on the playing field under Diles. The school won two NCAA individual championships in 2001-2002, the first two Division I titles in the school's history. EMU also won 17 Mid-American Conference championships during his first four years, the greatest number of championships in any four-year period at the university.
Diles also secured the five largest athletics gifts in Eastern Michigan history worth a total of nearly $1.5 million. In 1999 he sealed the deal on $300,000 in gifts ($100,000 for baseball stadium lights and $200,000 as an-endowment for baseball). In 2000 he brought in $1,010,000 ($30,000 for the school's hall of fame and $980,000 as a bequest for sports medicine), and then in 2002 he acquired another $100,000 donation (track endowment).
"I've certainly done a lot of work on the external side, but my primary goals and vision for athletics in higher education have always been student centered, having programs where student athletes thrive athletically and have the opportunity to meet all the educational goals and objectives," explained Diles.
At St. Bonaventure University (1994-1999) Diles raised $1.5 million for capital improvements to athletic facilities. From 1997 until he left St. Bonaventure, he took on the added duties of vice president, an executive-level position that was part of the president's cabinet.
St. Bonaventure won more Atlantic 10 conference championships during Diles's tenure than had been won in all the years prior to 1994 combined. Upon his departure the graduation rate was at 87 percent and the grade point average was 2.97 during the 1997-1989 season.
His career in intercollegiate athletic administration spans 16 years, beginning as an assistant athletic director at Central Michigan University from 1989-1991. He moved on to serve in the same capacity at Auburn University from 1991-1994 before St. Bonaventure and Eastern Michigan . Diles also served as the director of athletics at Dexter Community Schools (1987-1989), was an administrative assistant at the University of Michigan (1985-1987), an assistant director of public relations for the National Football League's New York Jets and was a ticket and marketing intern for the NFL's New England Patriots in 1984.
Diles (6-23-61) and his wife, Suzanne, have two children - Matthew (9-28-90) and Mitchell (4-23-92). He is the son of longtime national sports broadcaster and writer Dave Diles Sr.
DILES DEGREES . Diles earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Ohio University . He was a cum laude journalism undergraduate in 1983 and earned summa cum laude honors with his master's degree in sports administration in 1984. He completed his doctorate in education at the University of Michigan in 1988.
HISTORIC HIRES . Diles is the fourth full-time (not including interim) athletic director in school history, following David Hutter (1985-2003), J. William Grice (1974-1985) and Philip K. "Nip" Heim (1970-1974). Prior to Western Reserve University (WRU) and Case Institute of Technology (CIT) joining in 1967 to form Case Western Reserve University , WRU had seven athletic directors: Edward W. Lewis (1968-1970), Edward L. Finnigan (1951-1968), William M. Councell (1946-1951), Roy A. Clifford (1945-1946), Karl Davis (1936-1945), Gordon C. Locke (1929-1931) and Frank A. Yocum (1926-1929). CIT had six: Philip K. (Nip) Heim (1962-1967), Arthur P. Leary (1954-1962), Ray A. Ride (1931-1955), Claude B. Sharer or C. L. Eddy (1929-1931 - archives sources do not agree on who it was), Robert H. Fletcher (1924-1929) and Humbert F. "Pat" Pasini (1917-1924).
ABOUT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY . Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University , Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland , Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences.
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