PARKVILLE, Mo. - Park University Director of Athletics Claude English was inducted into the McLendon Minority Athletics Administrators Hall of Fame June 23 in Anaheim, Calif., representing the NAIA in a group of seven individuals who will be honored for their service as minority administrators by the John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation.

The Foundation supports the John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards is presented to senior-level minority students who intend to pursue a graduate degree in athletics administration.

"I'm finally on Coach McLendon's team," English said. "As a kid, I always watched his teams at Tennessee State and I wanted to play for him when I was a young player. He's touched so many lives, and in a way, that has touched my life."

English began his affiliation with Park University in the 1992-93 men's basketball season, coaching the Pirates through the end of the 2004-05 campaign. For his final 10 seasons at the helm of the Park men's basketball program, English also assumed the duties of Director of Athletics, a position he will continue into his 15th year in the 2010-11 academic year.

"Any time you're inducted into a hall of fame, it's on the shoulders of other people," English said. "I have been blessed with great coaches, great staff and great student-athletes at Park. Our success has been a collective effort, and I'm proud to be a part of this family."

English is the winningest coach in Park University men's basketball history, compiling 182 wins to push his overall win total to 227. From 1981 to 1984, English was the head men's basketball coach at his alma mater, Rhode Island, where he was named Atlantic-10 Conference Coach of the Year in the 1981-82 season.

His coaching tenure at Park was highlighted by the Pirates' run to the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament semifinal round in 1997-98, which ended with a school-record mark of 27-8. English was honored at the national tournament with the Charles A. Krigel Award for outstanding sportsmanship, while his team was awarded the Dr. James Naismith-Emil S. Liston Sportsmanship Award for the team recognized as most sportsmanlike at the tourney.

After a stellar collegiate playing career for Christian College in Dallas, Texas, and the University of Rhode Island, English was selected in the NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers where he played the 1970-71 season. English also played in the Eastern Basketball Association for the Hartford Capitals, the affiliate team for the Philadelphia 76ers. In 1973-74, English won the Eastern Basketball Association Championship with the Capitals. He was a three-year captain at Hartford.

As Director of Athletics at Park, the Pirates have captured 47 conference championships, and in each of his 14 previous seasons as athletics director, at least one Park program has advanced to NAIA postseason play each year.

Also during his run as Director of Athletics, 77 student-athletes have been named NAIA All-Americans, and 161 student-athletes have earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete honors. In 2008-09, Park University's department of athletics carried an overall grade point average better than 3.0, and the Pirates earned a school record seven NAIA scholar teams, marking more than half of the department's programs posting a team GPA of 3.0 or better.

English will be honored with his induction into the McLendon Minority Athletics Administrators Hall of Fame June 23 in Anaheim, Calif., in conjunction with the 2010 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention at Anaheim's Marriott Hotel. Following the event, a photo gallery and recap of the event will be available at www.parkathletics.com.