By Craig Chrest

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) began in 1937 with the formation of the National College Basketball Tournament. The tournament was founded by a group of local Kansas City business men and Dr. James Naismith, the creator of basketball, who wished to provide the community with an exciting opportunity to witness an amateur competition. The Tournament would also provide a way for colleges to determine a national basketball champion. At its inception, the Tournament included 8 teams, but expanded to 32 the following years. In 1940, the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) was formed to manage the tournament. The NAIB began sponsoring additional sports in 1952 and became officially known as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Socially progressive, the NAIA made history by opening its intercollegiate postseason to African American students in 1948. In 1953, the organization invited black colleges to become members. In 1980, the organization opened itself to female athletes. More recently, however, the NAIA has shifted its focus to encourage higher level of academics in athletes. In 2008, the organization changed its structure so that athletes missed fewer classes.

Today, the NAIA is home to more than 600,000 student athletes and grants millions of dollars in student aid. The NAIA strives to find ways to enhance the student-athlete experience through promoting a philosophy that features five key values: respect, responsibility, servant leadership, sportsmanship, and integrity.

About Craig Chrest: A former professional football player, Chrest attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he played as a starting wide receiver in the NAIA Division I. Today, he runs an executive recruiting firm in Houston, Texas, The Top Gun Executive Group.

In addition to his work as Principal of The Top Gun Executive Group, Craig Chrest enjoyed a long and successful career in football. After earning top honors at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UW) and capturing a place in the UW Hall of Fame, Chrest signed on with the Green Bay Packers following the 1981 supplemental B draft. One of the most successful franchises in the history of professional football, the Packers have captured 13 league championships overall, more than any other team in the NFL. The Packers are also unique in that they are the last community-owned NFL team and one of the last remaining small-market teams.

Since the founding of the team in 1919, the Packers have operated under the ownership of the public. This factor has almost certainly contributed to the fact that the team has never moved from Green Bay, a relatively small town of just over 100,000 people. The team has enjoyed considerable support in both Wisconsin and the Midwest throughout its history, even electing to play three games in Milwaukee until moving all home games to Green Bay during the 1995 season.

Although there is nothing restricting the sale of the Green Bay Packers to a corporate entity or individual, a clause in the Green Bay Football Corporation’s Articles of Incorporation required that all leftover money after completion of the purchase be donated to the local Sullivan Post of The American Legion. The clause, recently changed to identify the Green Bay Packers Foundation as the primary beneficiary in the event of a sale, effectively eliminates any financial incentive for interested parties, and it has kept ownership of the team in public hands for nearly a century.

The Packers operate under the leadership of a 45-person Board of Directors, governed in turn by an Executive Committee of seven. The primary functions of the Executive Committee are approving major expenditures of funds, managing corporate concerns, establishing policies, and monitoring the performance of management. The Packers also maintain the Green Bay Packers Foundation, which assumes an active role in supporting programs in health services, youth programs, civic affairs, human services, and education. To learn more about the organizational structure of the Green Bay Packers, visit the team website at www.packers.com.