College Sports Information Directors of America

Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award
Presented to an individual who, or an organization which, has made a lasting contribution to intercollegiate athletics, has demonstrated a long and consistent commitment to excellence and has been a loyal supporter of College Sports Communicators and its mission. Voted on by the Executive Board of Directors only when worthy candidates are nominated.

Pat Manak — National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Chief Executive Officer

By Jeff Hodges, University of North Alabama / CSC Special Awards Committee Chair

Pat Manak, Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award from College Sports Communicators.

The award will be presented at the CSC Unite 2026 annual convention on June 8 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas during CSC’s All-Star Night of Honors.

The Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award is presented to an individual who, or an organization which, has made a lasting contribution to intercollegiate athletics, has demonstrated a long and consistent commitment to excellence and has been a loyal supporter of College Sports Communicators and its mission.

Manak will be the 20th recipient of the Jackson award. Jackson, the award’s namesake, was its first winner in 1998. Other past recipients include legendary announcers Dick Enberg (2001), Dick Vitale (2008) and Holly Rowe (2025), Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt (2013), ESPN College GameDay (2019) and former NCAA President Myles Brand (2009).

Manak assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of NACDA on January 1, 2023 and has served NACDA for nearly three decades. Starting with an internship in 1992, Manak worked his way up through the organization, holding a variety of roles including Deputy Executive Director before being promoted to Senior Executive Vice President in 2019.

"Pat has been a tremendous partner over the last decade and a half as CSC's relationship with NACDA has grown," said CSC Associate Executive Director Will Roleson, who has worked closely with Manak since the two organizations began a hybrid relationship. "When CSC and NACDA first began holding a joint convention in 2013, Pat was my counterpart as NACDA's convention manager and was instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition with the many logistics involved. More recently, he was elevated to chief executive officer with NACDA and he has continued to foster a sense of camaraderie and inclusiveness between our two associations that goes far beyond our annual conventions. Pat is most deserving of CSC's Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award, and we look forward to working with him and his team for many years to come."
 

Manak oversees NACDA and the 18 professional Associations, one affiliate and four Foundations that fall under its umbrella, each representing either an athletics director association or business unit reporting to the athletics director.

In addition to the seven athletics directors associations -- NACDA, the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) ADA, Division I-AAA ADA, Division 2 ADA, NADIIIAA (Division III), NATYCAA (Two-Year Colleges) and NAIA-ADA -- NACDA also manages the following organizations: CABMA (business managers), CEFMA (event/facility managers), D2 CCA (Division II commissioners), DIIICA (Division III commissioners), ICLA (licensing), MOAA (minority advancement), N4A (academic advisors and student-athlete development), NAAC (compliance), NAADD (development), NAATSO (ticketing) and NACMA (marketing), and has a unique hybrid relationship with CSC (sports communicators), which hosts its annual convention concurrently with NACDA and its affiliates.

“I’m sincerely honored to receive the CSC Keith Jackson Eternal Flame Award," said Manak. "To be recognized in connection with Keith Jackson’s enduring legacy, as well as to be mentioned alongside those who have received this award in the past, is truly humbling. I’m deeply thankful to CSC for this recognition.” 

In addition to working with CSC on the annual combined conventions, NACDA annually issues invitations to CSC leadership to attend the annual NACDA Mid-Winter Meeting, in addition to regular in-person and virtual meetings with NACDA staff members, and facilitates collaborative educational programming with various affiliate groups.

As CEO, Manak directs the planning and execution of six events annually that provide networking and professional development opportunities for NACDA & Affiliates members. In addition to the national convention, these events include the NACDA FBS Leadership Summit, held in conjunction with the College Football Playoff National Championship, NACDA Mid-Winter Meetings, the NCAA Men's Final Four Pre-Game Reception, NACDA Spring Symposium and NACDA & Affiliates Fall Forum.

He manages a staff of 17 full-time employees, six of whom are also former NACDA interns, and three to four interns on an annual basis.
 

Prior to his appointment to CEO, Manak was instrumental over the last 30 years in growing the NACDA & Affiliates Convention to become the largest gathering of athletics administrators in the country. Over 7,000 athletics administrators at all levels of competition and stages of their career annually attend the convention held in alternating years in Orlando and Las Vegas. Manak led NACDA’s efforts to sign long-term agreements with both cities and their host hotels through 2029, the World Center Marriott Resort and Mandalay Bay, to accommodate a larger-scale, all-inclusive version of the convention that provides an enhanced experience for members, sponsors and exhibitors.

Following his NACDA internship, Manak served a brief stint as Sports Marketing Assistant at Wake Forest University from 1992-93, before returning to the National Office in Cleveland under NACDA’s first Executive Director, Mike Cleary. After Cleary’s retirement in 2011, Manak continued to grow the association with Bob Vecchione at the helm, assisting with strategic and future planning, financial management, personnel decisions and marketing and communications for NACDA & Affiliates.

Manak is a member of the FBS AD Association Board of Directors and the Mike Cleary Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

A Cleveland native, Manak resides in Bay Village, Ohio, with his wife, Denise, also a former NACDA intern and employee. Their son, Jack, is a graduate of Bowling Green State University (BGSU), and their son, Luke, is a junior at Miami University (Ohio).