Reaction to death of NCAA President Myles Brand

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NCAA President Myles Brand died Wednesday of cancer. He was 67. Here is the obituary and some additional reaction from the sporting community.

-- Big Ten Conference Commissioner Jim Delany: ‘Myles Brand was a tremendous leader at Indiana University and an active change agent in spotlighting academic improvement as NCAA president. He made tremendous progress in moving the NCAA closer to its educational roots and transformed it into an organization concerned about the student component of the student-athlete.... Our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time.’

-- University of Georgia President Michael Adams, also chair of the NCAA executive committee: ‘Myles Brand was a dear friend and a great academic leader. He was a tireless advocate for the student-athlete. Indeed, he worked to ensure that the student was first in the student-athlete model. He will be greatly missed.�

-- National Football Foundation Chairman Archie Manning: ‘ Myles Brand was a true friend of the National Football Foundation. From attending our annual awards dinners in New York to speaking at the Play It Smart academic coach training convention, he believed in our mission, and he was always quick to lend his support to our efforts. He will be missed and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.’

-- Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters: ‘I had the pleasure of knowing and working with Myles Brand and I always had a great amount of respect for the work that he did. He was an exceptional leader who truly understood the importance of collegiate athletics in the realm of higher education. He will be greatly missed.�

-- Women’s Basketball Coaches Assn. CEO Beth Bass: ‘The WBCA is extremely saddened at the loss of Dr. Myles Brand. Our thoughts and prayers go out to [his wife] Peg and his family. His unprecedented support of Title IX, women’s athletics and especially women’s basketball has helped to pave the way and guarantee a bright future for all female student-athletes. Myles was a tremendous supporter of mine, both personally and professionally. Unless you had a benchmark prior to his arrival at the NCAA, it is difficult to understand the vast impact of positive change he had on our sport. Through his vision, he laid a game plan that will be a great road map for many years to come. Our pursuit of excellence will continue, though his advocacy, leadership and passion will greatly be missed.’

-- Chris Dufresne