POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.—Tracy King, who has been involved in collegiate athletics for nearly 20 years in various communication and administrative roles, has been named commissioner of the 11-member Division III Liberty League. The announcement came from Dr. Sharon Beverly, director of athletics & physical education at Vassar College and president of the Liberty League. King succeeds Tim Danehy, who served as the Liberty League commissioner for the past four years.
King, who served as the commissioner of the 11-member Division III Skyline Conference from 2005-10, took a one-year hiatus from intercollegiate athletics – from October, 2010 to the present – as a public relations officer with the Capital Region BOCES, located in Albany, before rejoining intercollegiate athletics. In his role, King has provided external and internal public relations and communications services for the Niskayuna Central School District through the Capital Region BOCES communication service.
As commissioner of the Liberty League, King will serve as the primary liaison between the league and the NCAA, facilitating the relationship as it relates to Liberty League programs, compliance and eligibility. King will be responsible for Liberty League planning and budget management, website development and maintenance, marketing, sponsorship development and licensing practices for Liberty League institutions.
Originally founded as the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) in 1995, the conference was renamed the Liberty League during the summer of 2004. The Liberty League includes founding members Clarkson University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the University of Rochester, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. Lawrence University, Skidmore College, and Union College. Vassar College became a full member of the league during the 2000-01 academic year and Bard College and Rochester Institute of Technology have joined in the 2011-12 academic year.
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is an associate member in the sports of football and men's golf, while Worcester Polytechnic Institute is an associate member in football. Springfield College joins as an associate member in football for the 2012 season.
"At a critical time in the Liberty League's history, we are fortunate to have found a new commissioner with the extensive and varied experiences of Tracy King," said Beverly. "The Liberty League's executive committee was impressed with Tracy's commitment and vision as it relates to moving the Liberty League forward and continuing our excellence as a premier league with outstanding member institutions."
As commissioner of the Skyline Conference for six years, King has a strong grasp of Division III intercollegiate athletics, the inner-workings of the NCAA and coordinating league championships. Those duties will bode well in the Liberty League, which hosts championships for 25 sports.
"I am honored and thrilled to be selected as the commissioner of the Liberty League," said King. "The membership of the Liberty League represents many of the finest academic and athletic institutions in the nation. I look forward to growing the Liberty League's visibility with the NCAA and in areas of marketing, sponsorship, licensing and in an exciting and ever-changing media environment."
Well versed in the media relations and communications field, King served as an assistant director of athletics and sports information director at Stevens Institute of Technology, where he coordinated the media, communications, publishing and scheduling efforts for the 24-sport Division III athletics program. Among his many accomplishments, King oversaw the redesign and launch of the athletics department website, was instrumental in securing NCAA Tournament host bids and served as CHAMPS/Life Skills coordinator.
Prior to his arrival at Stevens, King was an assistant director of athletics communications at Seton Hall University, where he assisted in the media and public relations efforts for a 17-sport Division I athletics program and was involved in all facets of the media relations office.
King had previously served as sports information director at New Jersey City University, where he promoted the sports information and media relations duties for the 13-sport Division III athletics program. He broke into the media relations business as an assistant sports information director at the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
King earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from the University of Connecticut in 1992. He is currently working towards a master's in business and professional communication from La Salle University in Philadelphia.
The King family is steeped in the communications business. Tracy's wife, Ann, who currently serves as the sports information director at The Sage Colleges, was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame in 2006 and received the CoSIDA 25-year Award this past June. The King's reside in Clifton Park, with their 5-year-old son, Robert.
