• All-Time Thurston Banks Award Winner
Dr. Karl Hussung of Murray State University and
Dr. Rich Tiner of Belmont University have been named the recipients of the 2018 Ohio Valley Conference Thurston Banks Award for Distinguished Academic Service.
The award, selected by the OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives (FARs), was established in 2013 to recognize individuals (e.g. academic advisor, professor, tutor, etc.), with at least five years of service at one or more OVC member institutions, for their outstanding contributions to OVC student-athletes' academic success, learning and development as well for his or her overall commitment to the institution's athletics program.
The award is named after Dr. Thurston Banks, who served the Tennessee Tech Department of Athletics for 31 of his 34 years on the faculty and served as the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) for 25 years before stepping down in 2006. He was inducted into the OVC Hall of Fame in 2007.
The inaugural awards were presented to Austin Peay's Dr. Bruce Myers and Eastern Illinois' Dr. Gail Richard in 2013. Since then Tennessee Tech’s Andrew Smith and Belmont’s Betty Wiseman (2014), Austin Peay’s Dr. Gaines Hunt and Morehead State’s Dr. Peggy Osborne (2015), UT Martin’s Dr. Nell Gullett and Southeast Missouri’s Dr. Tim Rademaker (2016) and Austin Peay’s Lawrence Baggett and Eastern Kentucky’s Dr. Janna Price (2017) have been honored.
Hussung and Tiner will be presented their awards at the 2018 OVC Honor Brunch as part of the OVC Spring Meetings in May.
Hussung served Murray State University for 39.5 years as a Professor in the Department of Chemistry after graduating from the university in 1953. Hussung, who was a member of MSU’s basketball team while in school, later got his Doctorate from the University of Louisville. He would later serve as Murray State’s Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) from 1969 through 1998.
In his role as FAR, he chaired the Athletic Scholarship Committee, monitored satisfactory progress for all student-athletes, determined and certified eligibility, administered the NCAA Coaches Certification Examination and serving on numerous search committees for Directors of Athletics and head coaches.
A member of the Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame, Hussung has been honored as the MSU Distinguished Professor of the Year, served as the President of the Kentucky Academy of Science and was the first recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award for the College of Science. Following his retirement in January 2000, Hussung has remained a loyal supporter of Murray State, including attending many Racer sporting events.
Tiner joined the Belmont faculty in 1996 as a Professor of Media Studies and currently serves as the director of the mass communications program. In that role he has assisted in the oversight of an award-winning area of study, that equips students with the skills necessary to begin careers in a variety of media-related professions. His students also help produce and facilitate the streaming of events on the OVC Digital Network.
He was honored with the 2012 Chaney Distinguished Professor Award which recognizes excellence in teaching. Tiner has also been the recipient of the Leadership in Christian Service Award and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Faculty Inspiration Award. At the conclusion of the 2014-15 academic year, the department’s Altruism Award, given annually to a student-athlete who embodies the Belmont University Mission Statement, was named in his honor.
Tiner also serves as Belmont’s Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) and for nearly 20 years has lent his voice to the play-by-play duties for the Belmont women’s basketball program. Tiner has served on numerous committees at Belmont, including the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate, and as the former chair of the Faculty Budget, Compensation & Welfare and Faculty Appointment committees. In February he was named to a two-year term on the prestigious NCAA Division I Council.