Plummer Named 2023 NAIA Athletic Director of the Year

September 15, 2023

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics announced today, September 15, that Grand View Vice President for Athletics Troy Plummer has been named the 2023 NAIA Athletic Director of the Year. Plummer was also the recipient of the 2022 & 2023 Heart of America Athletic Conference Athletics Director of the Year award. 

Troy Plummer joined the Grand View University staff in 1995 and he has served in various roles over the last 25 years. Plummer was an admissions counselor and assistant baseball coach from 1995-2000, and from 2000-2007 he served as the associate athletic director, when soon after he was appointed to being the head director of athletics in January of 2007. 

Under the direction of Plummer, Grand View's athletic programs have grown rapidly. Since being appointed athletics, Grand View has grown from 275 athletes in 16 sports to 861 athletes in 26 sports. The Vikings have won the Heart Commissioner's Cup the past three years (2020-21, 2021-2022, 2022-23), while also finishing third in the 2021-22 NAIA Learfield Directors' Cup, with a program high score, and finishing 2022-23 in 11th overall. Grand View won nine Heart championships this past year, including men's cross country, football, men's volleyball, men's indoor track & field, men's wrestling, women's wrestling, men's bowling, men's outdoor track & field, and women's outdoor track & field. The Vikings have also finished at the top of the conference in women's volleyball, women's basketball, and softball. Grand View also won their 11th NAIA men's wrestling National Championship as well as 3 individual champions, and one shooting sports athlete for a total of four National Champions. 

Since taking over as the athletic director, Plummer has been voted as the MCC athletic Director of the Year five times. In 2014 and 2017, Plummer was selected as the NACDA Under Armor NAIA National Athletic Director of the Year. 

Not only has Plummer brought the expectations of a high level of competition across the board, but he has also reiterated the importance of being successful in the classroom as well. In the 2022-23 academic year, the Vikings had 25 NAIA Scholar Teams, along with 180 individual NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes.