Former Kansas AD, NCAA Official Bob Frederick Passes Away At 69

Frederick Passes Away From Injuries Sustained In Bicycle Accident

Former Univ. of Kansas (KU) AD BOB FREDERICK, a "national leader in college sports during his tenure," passed away Friday at the age of 69 from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident on Thursday, according to Blair Kerkhoff of the K.C. STAR. Frederick "flew over the handlebars and struck the pavement," and he was "taken by helicopter to University of Kansas hospital, where he died around" 8:00pm CT Friday. Frederick "will be remembered as the [AD] who gave Roy Williams his first head coaching job, and men's basketball thrived in his tenure" from '87-01. Frederick's "influence on college basketball was wide-reaching," as he was a member of the NCAA Special Television Committee that "negotiated a $1.725[B] contract with CBS" for TV rights to the NCAA D-I men's basketball tournament. Kerkhoff noted nationally, Frederick also was "among the most respected administrators in college sports," as he "served on the NCAA Division I men's basketball committee for six years, the final two as" Chair, and also served as NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship & Ethical Conduct Chair (K.C. STAR, 6/13).

REMEMBERING THE MAN: In K.C., Joe Posnanski wrote Frederick "made his stands" in serving as Chair of the men's basketball committee and in cancelling a "home-and-home basketball series with Notre Dame after the Fighting Irish abandoned college football and set up their own television deal with NBC." Posnanski: "He stayed true to what he believed" (K.C. STAR, 6/14). In Kansas, Chuck Woodling wrote about a month before he resigned as KU AD in April '01, Frederick "encouraged the athletic board to reject moving the Kansas-Missouri football game to Arrowhead Stadium and to scrap a donor-seating plan for Allen Fieldhouse." Those two decisions were "either his biggest mistakes or the greatest accomplishments of his tenure," but regardless they are "shining examples of his legacy" (LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD, 6/13). Also in Kansas, Matt Tait writes every KU team, "from the men's basketball team right down to the rowing team," should wear "black patches with the letters 'BF' on them" during the '09-10 athletic season. Tait: "Every team benefited from Frederick's devotion to the university" (LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD, 6/15).