Texas A&M University-Texarkana to Introduce the Historic First Director of Athletics, Michael Galvan
On Thursday, September 12, Texas A&M announced at a press conference to introduce the historic first Director of Athletics, Michael Galvan. A&M-Texarkana’s President, Dr. Emily Cutrer, along with Coach Galvan, provided information about the future mission of athletics at the university, but stated that announcement of the sports teams would come at a later date.
Michael Galvan has served in the capacity of Athletic Director at the University of the Southwest, a member of the Red River Athletic Conference and the NAIA, for nine years. Within this time frame the institution made strides in the athletic department with the addition of men and women’s basketball and tennis along with the construction of a new student life center equipped with a gymnasium and state of the art weight room. As the Athletic Director, University of the Southwest had their first NAIA National Championship in the spring of 2010 in the sport of track and field as a member of the team won the discus throw at the NAIA National Track Meet and the women’s soccer team qualified for the NAIA National Tournament in 2006. As the first assistant in baseball, University of the Southwest won the Western Division of the Red River Athletic Conference in 2004, and that was coming off the heels of a 2002 season that saw the baseball program reach new heights by qualifying for the Region 6 tournament for the first time in school history.
Personally, since being named Athletic Director, the department finished second two years in a row among all schools in the conference in student-athlete grade point average. For the academic year (08-09) University of the Southwest was named the top grade point average institution with a 3.06 for all sanctioned sports and also is the recipient of the sportsmanship award for all programs which included the 2009-10 academic year. Michael was also named the Athletic Director of the Year for the Red River Conference for the academic years 08-09, 09-10, 11-12, nominated for the NAIA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year on three separate occasions, and was nominated for the NAIA National Champions of Character Coach award two years in a row. In 2011, he was awarded the Lea County Pursuing Victory with Honor award which is given to an educator who has had a positive influence in the lives of young people throughout the community.
