STEUBENVILLE, OHIO – Sports Faith International has named Franciscan University of Steubenville director of athletics, Chris Ledyard, their College Athletic Director of the Year. He will be enshrined in the Sports Faith Hall of Fame in Chicago on Sunday, May 24, 2015.

Sports Faith International honors world-class athletes who are known for outstanding dedication to sports and their faith.

“In Chris’ case we have found him to be an exemplary role model of living out his Catholic faith through sports,” said Angela Tomlinson, co-founder of Sports Faith International. “We see someone who gives 100 percent to spreading the faith and the formation of virtues in his players. We are very excited about his induction.”

Ledyard will be inducted alongside 11 other Catholic athletes, coaches, and teams including Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, Notre Dame Heisman Trophy winner John Lattner and five-time Olympic speed skating gold medalist Bonnie Blair.

“That’s probably the best part of it for me,” Ledyard said of being inducted next to such legends. “I want to meet them. They are the people who I watched growing up. It’s an honor to be included among them. It should be a really fun ceremony.”

In 20 years at Franciscan, Ledyard went from a recreation director at a school with two club teams and no varsity athletics to a director of athletics overseeing 16 varsity teams at the NCAA Division III level. The Baron program is now in its fourth year as a full NCAA member and has already qualified for national competition in seven different sports.

Under Ledyard, the school’s first athletic director since 1979, the Barons became the first collegiate athletic department in the country to partner with SportsLeader, a virtue-based training program for coaches. For the last two years, the department has also won the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference’s Peak Performer Award, given to the school whose student-athletes have the highest cumulative GPA.

Ledyard is also being honored for his time as a successful high school coach in the Ohio Valley. From 1990-1995 he coached track and field for Madonna High School in Weirton, West Virginia and Steubenville Catholic Central. In the early to mid-2000s, he coached wrestling at both schools. During his tenure in all four positions, Ledyard sent individual athletes to the Ohio state championships. From 2006-2011 Ledyard served as the head girl’s soccer coach at Steubenville Catholic Central, winning three Ohio Valley Athletic Conference “Coach of the Year” awards.

Sports Faith International is a Chicago-based organization that looks to inspire and transform the current sports culture though media initiatives that feature and encourage courageous Catholics in athletics.

“When you look at Pope John Paul II’s writings, he is basically saying that sports are a main vein in society and we, as Catholics, should be in that vein and affecting that culture,” said Ledyard. “I think organizations like Sports Faith International are crucial in recognizing those individuals who affect the culture in a positive and more godly way.”

The ceremony will be held at the Lincolnshire Marriot Resort in Lincolnshire, Illinois. More details and ticket information can be found at sportsfaithinternational.com.