Providence College Athletics
Bob Driscoll Selected As the Recipient Of The John Thompson, Jr. Award
9/1/2022 10:35:00 AM | Athletic Department
Driscoll served as the first athletics director representative on the BIG EAST DEI Working Group.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It was announced today (September 1, 2022) that former Providence College athletics director Bob Driscoll, who retired on June 30 after serving the College for 21 years, has been chosen as the winner of the second annual John Thompson Jr. Award, which recognizes significant efforts within the BIG EAST Conference to fight prejudice and discrimination and advance positive societal change. Today's announcement comes on the eve of what would have been Thompson's 81st birthday.
A selection committee made up of members of the BIG EAST Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Working Group and a representative of the Thompson family selected the winning nomination. The award considered efforts undertaken during the 2021-22 academic year. The Villanova and St. John's athletics departments were also cited for their comprehensive DE&I efforts, and both received finalist consideration from the selection committee.
The John Thompson Jr. Award was created in October 2020 to annually recognize a BIG EAST athletic department, team or individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, perseverance and creativity in promoting an environment of inclusiveness or championing the end of discrimination, racism and bigotry.
Thompson, who died on August 30, 2020, was the head men's basketball coach at Georgetown from 1972 to 1999. He led the Hoyas to 24 consecutive postseason appearances in 27 seasons, six BIG EAST Tournament titles, and three NCAA Final Four berths, including the 1984 National Championship. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999. Beyond his basketball accomplishments, Thompson was a national leader and fierce advocate for racial equality and social justice. He was also a 1964 graduate of Providence College.
"In addition to serving as the architect of Providence College's many successes and advancements in the athletics realm, Bob Driscoll was a tireless proponent for the principles of racial and gender equity and helped set the standard for how a school can thoughtfully and proactively further the hiring, education and awareness goals foundational to any effective DE&I plan," said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. "His moral framework has inspired many of us within the conference and lines up with the principles Coach Thompson so passionately espoused."
"I am so humbled to earn the John Thompson Jr. Award," Driscoll said. "I can't think of a more distinguished award as my career comes to an end. It is divine Providence! Not only was John Thompson a former Providence College student-athlete but, most importantly, he symbolized all that is good in college athletics. His vision and values impacted the BIG EAST and college sports - all of which can still be felt today. On a personal level, he influenced me in many ways. One of my initiatives at Providence College was for our athletic department to be a leader in Diversity Equity and Inclusion. Twelve years ago, we took an important step in this process by hiring Ed Cooley as the first Black basketball coach at Providence College. Ed's success as a leader and a coach has been instrumental in promoting our DEI initiatives. I appreciate Val [Ackerman] and the BIG EAST for presenting me with this great honor."
"During his time as Vice President/Athletics Director, Bob Driscoll consistently showed an unwavering support for equity and inclusion. Faithful to the mission of Providence College, he created a culture in our Athletics Department in which student-athletes, coaches and staff members felt valued, appreciated, and respected as individuals created in the image of God. Bob set an example for many of us on campus to follow. I cannot think of a more worthy candidate for the John Thompson Jr. Award," Rev. Kenneth Sicard, O.P., Ph.D. Providence College President.
Driscoll, who served as the athletics director at Providence for 21 years, forcefully advocated for diversity, equity and inclusion within the PC athletic department and the college at large and pushed to make DE&I a major component in both strategic plans.
Following an outside DE&I assessment of the athletics department, Driscoll created a climate possibilities committee to develop recommendations for presentation to student-athletes, coaches and staff, who subsequently brought forward comprehensive action steps. Since that time, the department has held more than 40 workshops and conducts monthly meetings to cover topics that include allyship, micro-aggressions, language and the Black athlete, anti-racism and issues specific to women in sports. Driscoll also created a DE&I subcommittee within the PC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, whose annual initiatives now include a Unity Week and the Dialogue, Inclusion and Democracy (D.I.D.) Wall Project.
Driscoll spearheaded efforts, the first within the BIG EAST, to establish and fill a full-time position within the PC athletics department to focus on DE&I training and development. He also directed the creation of educational programs and awareness campaigns on campus that were developed jointly by student-athletes and staff. The latter included the launch of the annual #FriarsInBlack campaign, held in conjunction with Black History Month each February, that honors the achievements of current and previous Black student-athletes at PC. Under Driscoll's watch, 100% of eligible PC student-athletes were registered to vote for the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
Driscoll served as the first athletics director representative on the BIG EAST Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Working Group, a conference-wide body formed in 2019 to create a strategic roadmap for the DE&I efforts of the conference and its member schools. He was also an active participant in NCAA Inclusion Week and supported the Black Student-Athlete Summit.
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