Longwood University’s Dr. Tim Coffey has been named the Faculty Athletics Representative Association’s (FARA) 2025 NCAA Division I Faculty Athletics Representative of the Year—a prestigious national honor that recognizes the critical role he plays advocating on behalf of student-athletes.
A faculty athletics representative (FAR) is a faculty member at an NCAA member institution who serves as a liaison between the institution and the athletics department, and as a representative of the institution in conference and NCAA affairs. They ensure the institution maintains the appropriate balance between academics and intercollegiate athletics. Coffey has served as Longwood’s FAR since the 2018-19 academic year.
Longwood is truly fortunate to have a leader who champions a culture of support, accountability and academic excellence—one that elevates our Lancers in every part of their college journey.
Tim Hall, vice president for intercollegiate athletics
“Dr. Coffey has been instrumental to our student-athletes’ success, inspiring them to meet and exceed expectations both in the classroom and in competition,” said Tim Hall, Longwood vice president for intercollegiate athletics. “Longwood is truly fortunate to have a leader who champions a culture of support, accountability and academic excellence—one that elevates our Lancers in every part of their college journey.”
Coffey, who has represented the Big South Conference on the NCAA Division I (DI) Council, received the award last month at the FARA annual meeting in Indianapolis. He said he was honored to be recognized for his efforts in advocating for student-athletes and that, more than anything, the award reinforces the importance of the FAR’s mission on campus.
The FAR role is uniquely fulfilling because student-athletes are always the focal point—from their experiences in the locker room and competitive arenas to their academic journeys.
Dr. Tim Coffey, associate professor of exercise science and faculty athletics representative
“This award is a meaningful affirmation from my peers that championing student-athletes and their academic experience is a core duty for FARs, no matter the setting,” Coffey said. “The FAR role is uniquely fulfilling because student-athletes are always the focal point—from their experiences in the locker room and competitive arenas to their academic journeys.”
The most recent DI winners of the FAR of the Year were from Wofford College, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Indiana University, Bloomington, Jacksonville University and Norfolk State University.
Longwood’s student-athletes have a strong track record of excelling in the classroom as well as on the field and court. In the past decade, four of the university’s valedictorians have been student-athletes, including multiple winners of the prestigious Big South Conference Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence, Academic All-America and Academic All-District honors. For the 2024-25 academic year, Longwood’s teams posted a 3.41 grade point average, surpassing the department’s previous record high set in 2023 and tied in 2024.
“I look at my role as the FAR as another opportunity to help our students succeed long term,” said Coffey, who is an associate professor of exercise science in the Health, Recreation and Kinesiology department in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services.
Until the recent NCAA DI governance restructuring, Coffey served on the DI Council, where he was a member of the Council Coordination Committee and chaired the Strategic Vision and Planning Committee. In that role, he played an important part in guiding the transition to the new governance structure. Coffey has also served on the Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport (CSMAS) and the CSMAS Research subcommittee. Those roles opened the door for Coffey to serve as a featured speaker at the NCAA Performance Technology Summit this past May, and Coffey will also present some of his research on wearable/performance technology use in collegiate athletics at the annual NCAA Convention in January.
Coffey previously worked in student affairs before moving to the academic side of college life as a faculty member. He said one of the main reasons he relishes his FAR role is that he gets to work with student-athletes.
“The most rewarding part of the role is getting to know student-athletes in a different way outside of the classroom and getting a feel for what’s important to them,” he said. “I get to watch them rise to the challenges of participating in DI athletics. I am grateful to have a chance to play a role in that part of their lives.”