Sept. 8, 2005
As we begin another academic year, our thoughts and prayers are with the people who have suffered so much as a result of Hurricane Katrina. We are reminded again of the fragile nature of life and the importance of taking nothing for granted.
Closer to home, we in the West Coast Conference have high expectations again this year for our student-athletes, both academically and athletically. Division I competition is highly intense, with significant time demands placed on our student-athletes. In that context, it is particularly rewarding to work with a group of institutions whose values are compatible with each other, and for whom the alignment of their collective institutional actions with their respective institutional missions should continue to result in solid graduation rates.
I find it interesting that conferences that do not sponsor football are often incorrectly viewed by some members of the media as being somehow undeserving or unable to compete with football institutions in other sports. During my time as commissioner, I've been privileged to watch WCC institutions capture national championships in the conference sports of baseball, men's golf, men's soccer and women's soccer, as well as producing individual national champions in the sport of men's and women's tennis. Two seasons ago, six of our eight members participated in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships, a ratio of championship participants to total conference members that was the best in Division I. We have reached the Sweet Sixteen in women's basketball and the Elite Eight on two occasions in men's basketball.
The WCC has never been a conference in which the student-athletes simply show up and play. We strive for excellence, whatever the sport, and this year is no exception. I hope our supporters, whether they be graduates of WCC institutions, relatives, friends or classmates of our student-athletes, or simply fans of intercollegiate athletics, again will watch and appreciate the high level of intensity and enthusiasm that typically goes hand-in-hand with WCC competition. I hope that as you watch our teams compete, you will share my belief that the purity of competition on display demonstrates the value of providing opportunities for young men and women to excel, whatever the forum for that opportunity.
So I'd invite everyone reading these words, whether or not you've ever been to a sporting event at a WCC institution, to come check us out this year. You'll see hard-working coaches and intensely competitive student-athletes, and if you're like me, after the contest you'll have the impression that the young people you've just seen perform are going to have an impact on their communities long after they graduate.
Thank you for your interest in the WCC. We do appreciate it.
About Commissioner Gilleran:
Michael Gilleran, the league's first full-time commissioner, is in his twenty-second season with the West Coast Conference, having started in January of 1984 after an eight-year stint in the enforcement department of the NCAA. The Seattle native, has instituted progressive improvements ranging from the formation of a women's league to instituting post-season basketball tournaments complete with national television coverage to expansion of the conference office staff. The league has gained national prominence in its 13 sports, including annual appearances in the NCAAs and regular shots at national championships. Prior to joining the WCC, Gilleran served as an enforcement representative and later as assistant director of enforcement for the NCAA. During his time with the national governing body he personally conducted investigations and supervised a part-time staff of 25 former FBI agents. Gilleran is a 1971 journalism graduate of Seattle University, where he played varsity basketball. After earning his Law degree at the University of Puget Sound in 1975 he had a stint playing pro basketball in France.