Integrity Award

Jean Freeman, the first ever Golden Gopher Women’s Swimming coach at the University of Minnesota was awarded the inaugural Frank Kara Integrity Award. Under her guidance, the women’s swimming team was a model of athletic and academic excellence. She retired from coaching in 2004, but continued to serve as a special assistant to the athletics director.

As head coach, Jean took the program to new heights and national prominence during her 31-year tenure, producing 27 winning seasons and Big Ten Championships in 1999 and 2000. She also produced two national champions, 14 Big Ten champions and 175 All-Americans.

Among her many honors and accolades, Jean was named Big Ten Coach of the Year four times (1984, 1986, 1996, 1999). She also collected 20 American Swimming Coaches Certificate of Excellence Awards, was inducted into the Minnesota Swim Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1992 and received the 1999 National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy.

Jean was also a student-athlete at the University where she played volleyball, basketball, ran track and swam for the Gophers from 1968-72. She went on to serve as an assistant coach with the swimming team for one season before being named as the program’s head coach in 1973.

She is still involved with Golden Gopher Athletics as she is currently the President of the University of Minnesota’s M Club. As President, Jean works in partnership with the Athletics Department to help create positive lifetime relationships with both alums and Minnesota letterwinners.

About the Frank Kara Integrity Award


The University of Minnesota Athletic Department and Office of General Council established the Frank Kara Integrity Award to honor his legacy. The award will honor an individual annually involved with University of Minnesota athletics who demonstrates the integrity in athletics that were characteristic of Frank during his time as director. The purpose of the award is to identify and reward acts of integrity and to encourage a culture of compliance that is intended to be one of the hallmarks of University of Minnesota Athletics.

Frank Kara Leadership Award

Another award in Frank’s honor but at the national level is the Frank Kara Leadership Award. The National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC) created this award to recognize athletics compliance officers who demonstrate outstanding leadership in their field.

The first winner of NAAC’s most prestigious honor is Amy Folan, an associate athletics director for compliance at The University of Texas.

Amy was instrumental in initiating and supporting the restructuring of the NAAC, formerly known as the National Association for Athletics Compliance Coordinators, and for extending the influence of NAAC with other key stakeholders within intercollegiate athletics.

Under her guidance, Austin was selected as the host site of the 2007 NAAC Convention, and The University of Texas served as the major sponsor of the event.

Frank played an integral role in creating the annual NAAC convention, which Minnesota hosted in 2006.