By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech director of athletics Mark Wilson and faculty athletics representative Dr. Jeff Roberts have been appointed as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Championships Subdivision (FCS) Oversight Committee. Wilson will serve a four-year term on the newly formed FCS Oversight Committee, representing the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association, while Roberts will serve a four-year term representing the Faculty Athletics Representatives Association (FARA).
Previously, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and FCS were combined into one committee. Wilson previously served as the Chair of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee (2015-16) and on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee. Roberts is currently in the final year of a four-year term serving on the FARA Executive Committee as the Division I FCS Representative.
Wilson and Roberts join a team of administrators tasked with enhancing the development of FCS football with a focus on prioritizing a well-rounded student-athlete experience, student-athletes' personal growth, and leadership development. The Oversight Committee works in tandem with other NCAA governance agencies to provide solutions to issues impacting the health and safety of football student-athletes; it oversees the selection procedures for the FCS Championship; and it reviews recommendations from the Championship Committee.
"I've had the honor of serving on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee before, so to have the opportunity to do so again on one that focuses solely on the FCS level is a tremendous opportunity," Wilson expressed. "I look forward to sharing the insight I have gained in my previous roles across the NCAA Football Oversight Committee and the NCAA Division I Football Championships Committee and representing the Big South-OVC Football Association to the best of my abilities."
The Oversight Committee consists of 15 voting members, comprised of FCS athletic directors and conference commissioners, along with one head coach and one current student-athlete. Missouri Valley Football Conference commissioner Patty Viverito is the chair of the committee and Stony Brook AD Shawn Helbron is the vice chair.
"I was honored that my FARA Executive Committee colleagues asked me to serve on the FCS Oversight Committee," Roberts said. "The first meeting was fascinating and productive. I feel we offered appropriate structure to the transfer portal windows in particular while discussing a variety of issues of importance to student-athlete welfare and the overall integrity of the sport."
Photos by Emily Armstrong & Thomas Corhern
