LAUSANNE – Former FISU President George E. Killian was inducted in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor to the game. The induction took place on Sunday 24 November in Kansas City, Mo. Mr. Killian was one of nine individuals and one team that was inducted into the Hall of Fame, including renowned coaches Gene Keady and Rollie Massimino.
Mr. Killian became the FISU President in 1999 and served the International University Sport Movement as its President until 2011.
George E. Killian began his career in the National Junior Colleges Athletics Association (NJCAA) as the athletic director and head men’s basketball coach at Erie Community College (NY) in 1954. He was elected president of the NJCAA in 1967 and two years later was tabbed as the organization’s first executive director – a post he held until 2004. His vision, dedication and leadership helped establish the NJCAA as the second-largest national collegiate athletic organization in the United States. He was instrumental in fostering the organization’s special role in providing athletic and academic opportunities to student-athletes and lifted the NJCAA’s men’s basketball championship tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., to national prominence.
In addition to his leadership of University Sport, Killian was a key figure on the international stage. From 1990-98, Killian served as the president of FIBA, the international governing body of basketball. He also was a member of the United States Olympic Committee’s Board of Directors from 1967-2004 and had a seat on the International Olympic Committee from 1996-98.
C. Pierre, Press Officer