Student-Athlete Advisory Committee: Tatford Serving on NCAA Division I Committee

Lafayette native serving two-year term as Sun Belt representative

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns junior football player Evan Tatford is one of 32 Division I student-athletes from across the nation currently serving a two-year term as the Sun Belt Conference representative on the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
 
The Division I SAAC consists of one student-athlete from each of the 32 Division I conferences and reports directly to the Leadership Council. The mission of the DI SAAC is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete well-being, and fostering a positive student-athlete image.
 
Tatford, a Lafayette native and former St. Thomas More High School product, will serve as the Sun Belt Conference representative through July of 2016. Currently serving as President of the Ragin’ Cajuns Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Tatford was one of 15 new members selected to the 32-person committee after he applied for the position last spring.
 
"It’s a great honor and a humbling experience to learn that I was chosen from all of the Sun Belt representatives," Tatford said. "It’s a great experience and it’s a great way to meet new people from all across the country, see their sports and see the way that their schools work."
 
The committee met during a three-day conference in July at the NCAA Offices in Indianapolis and discussed a wide variety of topics, including the new governance model that was voted on last August. "It was a great experience and I was able to meet a lot of SAAC representatives from other schools across the country," Tatford said. "It (the conference) really opened my eyes up to more of the legal side of the NCAA, that as student-athletes we do not see too much."
 
Service on the DI SAAC involves attending three in-person meetings a year (July, November and January), as well as participating on a number of conference calls throughout the year. The January meeting is held in conjunction with the NCAA National Convention, giving the SAAC an opportunity to interact directly with college athletics leaders.

"We don’t get the full array of everything that goes on with the different (NCAA) championships, the different competitions, and all the different sports," Tatford said. "It was very interesting, and a great learning experience to take in all of the new information."
 
Tatford, who carries a 3.76 grade point average in Biology, has been an active member in the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Student-Athlete Advisory Committee since transferring from Tulane after the 2012 season. Tatford has been active in many community service projects with the Ragin’ Cajuns, including visiting local hospitals at Halloween, participating in the "Big Event" and working with Special Olympics, raising money for the annual Adopt A Family for Christmas, and coordinating the annual Welcome Back Convocation for Ragin’ Cajuns student-athletes and staff.