ATLANTA (February 24, 2020) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today the winners of the 2020 Naismith Outstanding Contributors to Women’s and Men’s Basketball as Beth Bass and Jim Nantz, respectively. Chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Directors, Bass and Nantz will be honored at the Naismith Awards Brunch presented by Invesco QQQ at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Sunday, April 5, during the Men’s Basketball Division I Championship weekend.
First presented in 1982 to Curt Gowdy, the Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Basketball Award is presented annually to individuals whose extraordinary efforts have made outstanding contributions and created a long‐lasting positive impact on the game of basketball. The recipients display character, integrity and dignity, and have contributed to the growth, success and viability of the sport.
“I am extremely honored and beyond humbled to receive the Naismith Outstanding Contributor Award,” said Bass. “To be included in the list of all the outstanding past recipients of this prestigious award is beyond my wildest dreams. In fact, to be mentioned in the same press release as the legend Jim Nantz is a thrill of a lifetime. I have been so fortunate to have been afforded a career that I could work daily in my passion of women’s sports.”
“College basketball has been a special gift in my life. My dad and I bonded over it when I was a little boy. It was college hoops at the University of Houston that helped launch my career,” said Nantz. “For the past 35 years it has been a joyride with my CBS family, sitting courtside calling games and telling the stories of the players, coaches and their shining moments on the court. I’m so grateful to the Atlanta Tipoff Club and the Naismith Awards for this recognition. I’m truly touched.”
“Each year, we select recipients who have truly impacted the lives of so many players and fans and who bring the spirit of basketball to life,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Beth has elevated the women’s game around the world, and Jim has helped our game reach millions of television viewers. It’s an honor for us to honor them and welcome into the Naismith Awards family.”
About Beth Bass:
- Bass played college basketball at East Tennessee State where she was a 4-year letter winner.
- Out of college, she moved on to the University of Tennessee where she served as a graduate assistant for marketing and promotions in the Lady Volunteers athletic department under the legendary Pat Summitt.
- Bass served as the Executive Director/CEO of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) from 1997-2014, and she assisted in the launch of WBCA’s Think Pink campaign in support of the Kay Yow Cancer Sports Fund.
- In 2004, she received the President’s Award from the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS), and 15 years later, Bass was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a contributor.
- Currently, Bass is the U.S. Senior Manager of Collegiate Partnerships at adidas and has also worked in women’s sports marketing as an executive at Converse, Inc. and NIKE, Inc.
About Jim Nantz:
- Nantz attended the University of Houston, where he majored in broadcasting and played on the Houston Cougars men’s golf team.
- After local market stints as an anchor and sportscaster for KHOU in Houston and KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, he joined CBS Sports in 1985.
- He has served as lead broadcaster for CBS during the men’s Division I basketball finals since 1991, and in addition, he is the lead voice for coverage of football and golf on CBS.
- Nantz has been honored with the NSSA’s National Sportscaster of the Year award five times (1998, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009).
- In both 2008 and 2009, Nantz won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play, and he also is one of the youngest recipients of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy award for broadcasting.
Past winners of the Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Basketball award:
| Year | Men's Outstanding Contributor | Women's Outstanding Contributor |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jim Nantz | Beth Bass |
| 2019 | Verne Lundquist | Carol Callan |
| 2018 | Lou Carnesecca | Mimi Griffin |
| 2017 | Gary Williams | Ann Meyers Drysdale |
| 2016 | Denny Crum | Andy Landers |
| 2015 | Bill Raftery | Lynette Woodard |
| 2014 | Bobby Cremins | Nancy Lieberman |
| 2013 | Lute Olson | Pat Summitt |
| 2012 | Don Meyer | Teresa Edwards |
| 2011 | Dick Enberg | Cheryl Miller |
| 2010 | John Thompson Jr. | Marsha Sharp |
| 2009 | Billy Packer | Anne Donovan |
| 2008 | Dick Vitale | Jody Conradt |
| 2007 | Bob Knight | Kay Yow |
| 2006 | Jerry Colangelo | Val Ackerman |
| 2005 | Everett Case | Leon Barmore |
| 2004 | George Killian | Sonja Hogg |
| 2003 | Charles “Lefty” Driesell | Betty Jaynes |
| 2002 | Don Haskins | Billie Moore |
| 2001 | Tex Winter | Cathy Rush |
| 2000 | Bill Wall | Harley Redin |
| 1999 | C.M. Newton | |
| 1998 | Dean Smith | |
| 1997 | Dr. Forrest "Phog" Allen (in memory) | |
| 1996 | Boris Stankovic | |
| 1995 | Victor Bubas | |
| 1994 | Claire F. Bee (in memory) | |
| 1993 | Dave Gavitt | Margaret Wade |
| 1992 | John McLendon | |
| 1991 | Clarence “Big House” Gaines | |
| 1990 | Frank McGuire | |
| 1989 | Nat Holman | |
| 1988 | Red Auerbach | |
| 1987 | Pete Newell | |
| 1986 | Adolph Rupp (in memory) | |
| 1985 | Hank Iba | |
| 1984 | Ray Meyer | |
| 1983 | John Wooden | |
| 1982 | Curt Gowdy |
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include Citizen Watch Company, Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.
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Media Contact:
Traci Messier
Jackson Spalding for the Atlanta Tipoff Club
404-214-3596