Doyle to receive Dan Lennon Award
Jack Doyle will be the eighth recipient of the Dan Lennon Award when he is honored on March 30-31, 1998. Doyle served as Director of Athletics at USD from 1983-1998 and was head basketball coach for the Coyotes. During his tenure as A.D., Dole made major improvements in the DakotaDome, including a new eight-lane 200-meter track, a new artificial football surface, addition of a Bose public address system and the installation of the Daktronics Scoreboard. In addition, the west side of the DakotaDome was upgraded, including expansion of the weight room along with a regulation basketball and volleyball court. While A.D., the Coyotes won 18 NCC championships, seven region titles and participated in various NCAA playoffs. USD advanced to the 1986 NCAA DII Football Championship game and made consecutive appearances in the NCAA DII Elite Eight Basketball Tournament in 1993 and 1994. In addition, USD won its second national championship when the men's cross-country team claimed the 1997 NCAA DII title. A native of New York, N.Y., Doyle was named athletic director at USD in April 1983 after serving as the acting athletic director in 1982. A high school graduate of Power Memorial (N.Y.), Doyle was a three-year letter winner in track at the University of Wyoming before graduating in 1957. He earned his Master's degree from Wyoming in 1966 and joined the USD staff after a successful 14-year coaching career in South Dakota high schools, including stops at Lead and Faith. He joined USD in 1971 as an assistant basketball coach. He was named the school's 13th head coach in 1973. He assumed the dual position of executive assistant athletic director in charge of fundraising in 1981. He led the Coyotes basketball team for nine years before resigning in March 1982. He departed the basketball program with the third most victories by a coach in school history. Doyle served as chairman of the NCAA DII national basketball committee from 1995-97. The chair of the North Central Region advisory committee in basketball, he also served on the NCAA President's Commission Liaison Committee. He is a former member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. After leaving USD as A.D., he took a position with the USD Foundation Office. He and his wife, Lois, had seven children.