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Amateur Athletic Union
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The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.
AAU was founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sport. During its early years the AAU served as a leader in international sport representing the United States in the international sports federations.
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Encyclopedia
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer, sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.
History
The AAU was founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sport. During its early years the AAU served as a leader in international sport representing the United States in the international sports federations. The AAU worked closely with the Olympic movement to prepare athletes for the Olympic Games.
The AAU became the subject of criticism, notably by outspoken track star Steve Prefontaine, over the living conditions for amateur athletes under the AAU, as well as arbitrary rules, such as a prohibition on women participating in running events. Congress adopted the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 in response to such criticisms, effectively removing the organization from any governance role. The AAU now continues as a voluntary organization largely promoting youth sports.
Programs
Programs offered by the AAU include: AAU Sports Program, AAU Junior Olympic Games, AAU James E. Sullivan Memorial Award, and the AAU Complete Athlete Program. In addition, the President's Challenge program is administrated on behalf of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The AAU has 33 national committees to organize its activities in particular sports.
In 1996, the AAU joined forces with Walt Disney World. Later that year, the AAU relocated its national headquarters to Orlando, Florida. More than 40 AAU national events are conducted at the Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. Disney's Wide World of Sports features a double-deck 7,500—seat baseball stadium and baseball quadraplex, a fieldhouse that accommodates up to six hardwood courts, a softball quadraplex, two youth baseball fields, a track and field complex, and four multi-purpose performance fields sized for soccer tournaments."
AAU operates under a 501c3 tax-exemption letter granted by the federal government in 1966.
AAU Governance
President and CEO: Robert Walker "Bobby" Dodd
Bobby Dodd first became involved with AAU in the early 1980s as a promoter of "travel ball" basketball tournaments widely known for attracting college scouts and professional agents. While serving as national AAU President, Dodd continues to manage his local club, the Youth of Memphis Competitors Association, Inc. (YOMCA).
YOMCA served as a feeder program for Memphis State University during the tenures of
of Dana Kirk and Larry Finch, whose natonally-ranked teams featured local talent.
The power of the AAU presidency has grown considerably during Dodd's tenure. With consent of the AAU Congress, Dodd has passed amendments adding the title of CEO, extending the term of national officers from two years to four and abolishing term limits for officers. He also enjoys extensive appointive powers. The three dozen members of the national board of directors, sport chairmen and varous committee chairs, serve at his pleasure while overseeing the national officers. (See the AAU Codebook) Dodd has served longer than any other AAU President.
First Vice President: Louis Stout
The first African-American executive director of the National Federation of High School Athletic Associations (NFHS, known coloquially as "the Federation" Stout played collegiate basketball for Joe B. Hall at Regis College in Denver. Before his breakthrough as an administrator, Stout served in the vanguard of sports integration as a Kentucky high school player, coach, and official. The AAU Codebook assigns no specific duties to vice presidents, although the president may delegate tasks to him.
Second Vice President
Henry Forrest, Arkansas.
Treasurer: Ronald Gene Crawford
Ron G Crawford, like Bobby w. Dodd, began his affiliation with AAU as a youth basketball coach and tournament promoter. His club, the Arkansas Wings, has won five titles in national competitions and hosts tournaments that serve as talent showcases for college coaches and pro scouts. A self-made businessman, Mr. Crawford has transformed Southland Metals, an Arkansas metal casting firm manufacturer into an import-export consortium in partnersip with a mining comappany deep in Brazil's Amazon basin.
Secretrary
Roger Goudy, Ohio.
Legal Counsel:
Byron Scott Southern, Little Rock, Arkansas. Southern is a longtime business partner
and attorney for treasurer Ron G Crawford. Although this is an extraordinary arrangement for a large national charity, AAU policy does not consider it to be a conflict of interest.
External links
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- Coaching High-Profile AAU Youth Teams in Brooklyn--Brooklyn Paper]
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