JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Dr. James Frank, a Lincoln alum and the first African-American president of the National Collegiate Athletics Association, has passed away.

A 1953 graduate of Lincoln University, Dr. Frank served as the 14th President and only alumnus to serve in that position. Dr. Frank received his commission in 1953 from Lincoln University Army ROTC and was inducted into the Lincoln University Army ROTC Hall of Fame in 1975. He was also inducted into the Cadet Command Hall of Fame in 2016. 3rd ROTC Brigade, The Black Hawk Brigade U.S. Army Cadet Command (ROTC).

Dr. Frank first came to Lincoln from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, in 1949 on a four-year basketball scholarship.  As a Blue Tiger, not only was he the team captain of the basketball squad, he was also the Director of Intramurals and president of the Sphinx Club, an organization for potential members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
 
In 1953, Dr. Frank, a four-year letter winner in basketball, graduated with a B.S. in Education and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.  Dr. Frank completed an active tour of duty in the Army Corps of Engineers and earned his master's degree, before returning to Lincoln in 1956 as an assistant professor and assistant basketball coach.
 
It didn't take him long to move up the basketball ladder, as he earned the title of Head Men's Basketball in 1959. He would go on to lead the team to three winning seasons, as well as qualifying for the NCAA Regional Tournament each year.
 
Over the years, Dr. Frank continued to excel as a leader in both academia and collegiate athletics. In 1973, he once again returned to his alma mater, this time to serve as President, marking his place in history as the first and only LU graduate to hold the position. In addition to his duties at LU, Dr. Frank also served as the secretary-treasurer, and later president, of the NCAA, making him the first university president to hold that latter position.
 
Dr. Frank has received numerous accolades for his accomplishments.  He is currently listed in a total of nine Halls of Fame, five of them sports related, including the Lincoln University ROTC Hall of Fame, the National Black College Hall of Fame, the Lincoln University Alumni Hall of Fame and now the Lincoln University Athletic Hall of Fame. He has also received the James Corbett Award, the highest award given by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics; the NCAA's President Gerald R. Ford Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the St. Louis Gateway Classic Foundation, the Distinguished American Award, presented by the National Football Foundation and was named one of the 100 most influential athletes during the past 100 years by the NCAA in 2006.

An athlete at heart, Dr. Frank was extremely devoted to collegiate athletics, serving with the NCAA during his time as President of Lincoln University. The Dr. James Frank Center at The LINC, a wellness facility collaboration between Lincoln University and the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation, is named in his honor.