I Association Awards
Z.G. Clevenger Award
General Information
The Z.G. Clevenger Award is presented to living I-Men who, as alumni, have made outstanding contributions to Indiana
University through service to its athletic program.
Clevenger, a coach and athletic director, was characterized by his commitment to excellence, high ideals, and principles. He was devoted to his staff and worked untiringly to assist the coaches in developing their programs and establishing high ethical standards.
The award perpetuates the ideals Clevenger set forth in his many years of service as a student, athlete, coach, and athletic administrator. The honor is bestowed upon living I-Men who, as alumni, have made outstanding contributions through service to its athletic program. This is the highest honor given an I-Man by the I-Men’s Association.
Z.G. Clevenger was known as Mr. Clev to generations of Hoosier athletes, students, and friends. He was characterized by his commitment to excellence, high ideals, and principles. As an athlete, Clevenger participated in football and baseball at IU. He was captain of the 1903 football team and was named an All-American. In 1904, he was the captain of the baseball team.
Clevenger served the athletic department as baseball coach in 1905 and 1906 and basketball coach in 1905. He was our athletic director in 1906 and again from 1923 to 1946. During his 23 years as our athletic director he changed the athetics program from one that had won three Big Ten Championships in its first 23 years in the conference to a program that had 32 Big Ten titles, six National Collegiate Crowns, and two National AAU Championships before his retirement in 1946.
Clevenger’s tenure as athletic director has been considered a "golden era" in Hoosier athletics, but Clevenger himself contributed the success of his years to what he called the "five aces" of his coaching staff: Earl C. "Billy" Hayes (track), Everett Dean (basketball), Billy Thom (wrestling), Branch McCracken (basketball), and Alvin "Bo" McMillen (football).
Winners
2008 Winners
Indiana Athletics - Hall of Fame
Football 1900-1903, captain 1903
Baseball 1901-04, captain 1903
Athletic Director 1906, 1923-46
Distinguished Coach and Athletic Director at Tennessee, Kansas State, and Missouri
Clevenger Award honors made in his name at IU
Member, National Football Hall of Fame
Grotke Award
General Information
The Leanne Grotke Award perpetuates the ideals Leanne Grotke Andreas embodied in her years serving Indiana University
as a trailblazer and pioneer leader for women’s athletics. This honor is bestowed on living persons whose service has
made exceptionally outstanding contributions to Indiana University’s Women’s Athletics Program and is the highest honor
of its kind given by the university.
Leanne L. Grotke Andreas graduated from Bowling Green State University, where she played basketball and field hockey. Soon thereafter, she arrived at IU in 1967 as the coordinator of intramural and extramural women’s sports. At that time, the women’s teams shared one set of uniforms and each intercollegiate team received just $150 for the year. Leanne was a champion for improving women’s athletics. She was an outspoken advocate for the teams, which at that time included field hockey, basketball, tennis, golf, softball, volleyball, swimming/diving and gymnastics.
In 1969, Grotke played a pivotal role in establishing IWISO, the Indiana Women’s Intercollegiate Sports Organization. The foundational premise behind the IWISO was that competitive sports would enhance women’s college experience, and the organization offered competitive opportunities to highly skilled female athletes. The guidelines were simple: the program should be supervised by a faculty member in the Department of Physical Education, qualified women should teach, coach and officiate athletic contests, and that funding for women’s sports at all levels---intramural, extramural and intercollegiate---should come from the university. Under the guidance of Grotke and faculty sponsor Anita Aldrich, the IWISO grew. Regional boards developed and in 1971, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was organized. The Athletics Committee with the encouragement of IU Athletics Director, Bill Orwig brought the women’s program into the Athletics Department from the Women’s Physical Education Department.
In 1972, Title IX legislation was passed, and during the 1973-74 school year, and once again, there was Leanne Grotke, who was named the first full time Associate Athletic Director for Women’s Athletics in the Big Ten. Active in state, regional and national governing bodies for athletics, she was the Midwest representative on the AIAW Board and later became Commissioner for all AIAW’s National Championships. Her experience and presence on the national stage lifted IU women’s athletics to a newly, pre-eminent level. During that time, Leanne took the unprecedented step of hiring a female trainer, Marj Albohm, and IU became the first institution in the Big Ten with a coed training room. Better funding and visionary leadership launched Indiana University Women’s Athletics ahead. While Leanne was at IU, women’s athletics competed for many State, Regional and National championships. She was the leading advocate for women’s athletics on the national stage.
Winners
2009 Winners
2008 Winners