Current NCAA president and former University of Oregon president Myles Brand died today of pancreatic cancer. He succumbed after a year-long fight with the disease.
Here’s the general release from the NCAA:
“NCAA President Myles Brand passed away today after a nearly year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. Brand had served as NCAA president since January 2003 and had led the Association through key initiatives including academic reform, increased emphasis on presidential leadership and broad discussions on fiscal issues in college athletics. He was 67.”
At Oregon, where he was the president from 1989 to 1994, Brand worked in some of the worst financial times of the university. He was able to initiate some reforms that led to greater emphasis in undergraduate education, international curriculum and more support for graduate students. But perhaps his greatest legacy at the UO is that he started the “Oregon Campaign,” a private fundraising campaign that became the most successful in university history with it gaining $255.3 million in donations for the school.