Three past and present Maine high school athletic administrators were honored during the 43rd annual National Athletic Directors Conference held recently at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Retired Gorham High School athletic administrator Gerry Durgin was inducted into the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association’s Hall of Fame, while recently retired Brewer High School athletic administrator Dennis Kiah was the recipient of a National Federation of State High School Associations Citation.
And current Yarmouth High School athletic administrator Susan Robbins was presented a 2012 Distinguished Service Award as given by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
Durgin was a teacher, coach and athletic administrator at three schools in Maine for 38 years and has given countless hours to the athletic administration profession at the local, state and national levels.
From 1993 to 2011, Durgin was athletic director at Gorham after 10 years at Fryeburg Academy and 11 years at Telstar of Bethel.
He was a founding member of the Western Maine Conference and served as its secretary, vice president and president. He also was a member of numerous committees of the Southwestern Maine Activities Association and was director of the Western Maine Classes A & B basketball tournament.
Durgin served on the Maine Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association board of directors for 15 years and was assistant executive director from 1997 to 2005. In 1993, he was named Athletic Director of the Year by the MIAAA and in 2010 the MIAAA established the Gerry Durgin Leadership Award.
Durgin was a fixture with the national athletic administrators organization for more than 20 years, serving a four-year term on the NIAAA board of directors and as the organization’s president in 2007.
Durgin received the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 1999, the NIAAA Distinguished Service Award in 2000 and the NFHS Citation in 2002. In 2010, he received the NIAAA Award of Merit for outstanding leadership in interscholastic athletics.
In 2011, Durgin began work as assistant executive director of the Maine Principals’ Association.
Kiah devoted more than 40 years to Maine secondary education, beginning his career as a teacher and coach at Foxcroft Academy in 1970 before moving to Brewer in 1977.
Kiah was named Maine Baseball Coach of the Year while at Brewer in 1988 before becoming assistant principal in 1990. In 1993, Kiah became Brewer’s athletic administrator until his retirement in 2011.
Kiah served eight years on the MIAAA Executive Committee, including a year as president in 2004-05. He also is a former president of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference and served on several MPA committees.
Kiah has been recognized numerous times for his excellence in athletic administration, including the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 2007 and the KVAC Distinguished Service Award in 2010. In 2011, he was named Bob Lahey Athletic Administrator of Year by the MIAAA, and in 2012 was honored with the Gerry Durgin Leadership Award. Also in 2012, Kiah was inducted into the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honors.
NFHS Citations are presented annually to outstanding athletic directors in recognition of contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels. State associations nominate athletic directors for citations, and the NFHS board of directors approves recipients.
Robbins is a 15-year veteran of high school administration, including the past eight years at Yarmouth High School and Harrison Middle School in Yarmouth.
Robbins has served as president of the Western Maine Conference and Campbell Football Conference and was soccer liaison of both the WMC and the Triple C Conference.
Robbins has held leadership roles for the MIAAA, is chairman of the MPA Field Hockey Committee, and was the site director for the 2009 and 2011 MPA Field Hockey State Championships. She also is vice chairman of the NIAAA awards committee.
Robbins received the MPA Unsung Heroine in Maine Sports Award and the MIAAA Keith Lancaster Professional Development Award in 2010. Last year, she was the recipient of the Gerry Durgin Leadership Award.
