Longtime college administrator Lew Perkins dies at the age of 78

By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Longtime college administrator Lew Perkins, who played basketball at Iowa before serving as the athletic director at several universities and taking on an influential role within the NCAA, died Tuesday. He was 78. Perkins’ family announced his death in a statement issued by Kansas, where he served as the athletic director from June 2003 through September 2010. No cause was given, though Perkins had been battling the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Perkins also was the athletic director at Wichita State, Maryland and UConn before his work with the Jayhawks. He is known for his track record of hiring successful coaches, along with a ticketing scandal that led to his retirement from Kansas.