Football
May 10, 2024

Ricketts set to be the voice of Division III athletes

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Central College football player Greg Ricketts was recently selected to represent Division III student-athletes on the NCAA’s Board of Governors, the latest in a long line of leadership positions for Ricketts.
           
Ricketts was chosen as the Division III former student-athlete representative to the NCAA Board of Governors through a nomination process overseen by the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The nomination process included 16 candidates before Ricketts was selected. His appointment was also approved by the Division III President’s Council. He’ll serve a two-year term starting in August.
           
“I’m honored to accept this appointment,” Ricketts said. “My journey with Central, the American Rivers Conference and Division III has instilled in me a profound appreciation for the value of college athletics. I’m eager to leverage my experiences to advocate for Division III while contributing to the future of collegiate athletics.”
           
Consider the highest governing body in the NCAA, the Board of Governors has a total of 16 members, with nine voting members and seven ex officio nonvoting members. There are designated spots for graduated student-athletes from each of the NCAA’s three levels of competition. Ricketts will be replacing Isaiah Swann, a former baseball player at the University of Texas – Dallas.
           
“There’s so much uncertainty right now in collegiate athletics,” Ricketts said. “Being a part of the conversation is something that really interests me and something I’m passionate about. This opportunity was something I had to go for.”
           
It’s not the former Dutch linebacker’s first foray into NCAA leadership as he represented the American Rivers Conference as the league’s SAAC President at the January 2023 NCAA Convention in San Antonio, Texas. His journey in leadership started by joining Central’s SAAC as a sophomore, representing the football team.
           
“When I first joined SAAC at Central, I never would have imagined that it would have rolled into this,” Ricketts said. “It’s become really clear to me that people are always watching you and if you do a good job in one role, there are going to be more opportunities for you in the future.”
           
Central’s president Mark Putnam, who also was representing the league as its Presidents Council Chair at the time of the NCAA convention in 2023, has been impressed with Ricketts every step of the way.
           
“Greg epitomizes the Central College student-athlete experience,” Putnam said. “We’re so proud to have him being the voice of not just Central but all of Division III in the most important conversations surrounding collegiate athletics.”
           
After graduating from Central last spring, Ricketts joined Purdue University (Ind.) in June of 2023 as a graduate assistant in its Center for Academic Vision and Enrichment. He works a caseload of 15 student-athletes, assisting them in making progress towards their degree and staying eligible for competition.
           
Ricketts joins a list of notable Central College connections working at the highest levels of the NCAA. The late Central president Kenneth J. Weller authored the original Division III philosophy. Dick Schultz, a 1950 Central grad, also served as the NCAA’s executive director from 1987-93. Ricketts also noted the impact of his head coach at Central College, Jeff McMartin, being elected as president of the American Football Coaches Association in 2024.
           
“I’ve been reflecting on how much of a blessing it is to be a part of a college that has made such an impact on Division III and collegiate athletics as a whole,” Ricketts said. “I can never be grateful enough for everything Central has done for me and everything it has made me into. I’m excited to continue representing us moving forward.”