The Division II motto, “life in the balance,” resonates with people, and has served Division II well for many years.

Within a single offseason, what was viewed by many as a grimy, shadowy industry became an acceptable, if not admired, opportunity. That wasn’t merely surprising — it was an earth-shaking, worldview-shifting moment.

This spring I will complete my two-year term as chair of the Division I Council. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional career, despite the challenges and the time commitment.

Roads started closing as they entered southwest Minnesota. So the bus turned down county roads and plowed through a deep snowdrift in an effort to reach an open road.

I have a confession: I’m a die-hard Washington Huskies fan. I have been since elementary school in central Washington, where I grew up watching Cary Conklin play quarterback for my future high school and then for the Huskies.

College sports is one of the few societal agents where people from different backgrounds can come together to reach a common goal.

I can’t tell you when I first touched a basketball. But I can tell you why I fell in love with it.

When we look back on the spring of 2018, we may remember this time for the recommendations of the Commission on College Basketball and the settlement of a significant concussion trial.

A proposal that would have altered the Division III football preseason to permanently implement important health and safety recommendations was defeated at the 2018 NCAA Convention, prompting the division’s members and governing bodies to explore the issue and emerge with a new proposal.

Each spring, my favorite March Madness memory replays in vivid detail as I watch the buzzer beaters punctuating the excitement of the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.