Opening day of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association conference is history, and I can't think of a better person to have spent a good chunk of it with than NIRSA historian Paul Wilson, who dropped by the Athletic Business booth to reconnect.
Athletic Business Conference veterans will remember Paul, a longtime AB editorial advisory board member and a fixture at ABC from its inaugural year in 1977 all the way through 2002. Wilson's affiliation with NIRSA goes back even further, to his undergraduate days at the University of Oklahoma, where he eventually ascended to the position of intramural sports director.
He has served as NIRSA historian since 2004, and his appointment as such was recently extended through 2014. In his current capacity, Wilson chronicles (via digital photography and video) roughly eight events each year, including intramural championships in a variety of sports. "NIRSA is truly an organization that becomes family. People connect and stay connected throughout their entire careers," Wilson says. "And I can say the same thing about AB."
Stay connected, Paul.