The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) has named Lee Green, J.D., one of the nation’s top sports law experts from Overland Park, Kansas, as this year’s recipient of the NIAAA Award of Merit. The Award of Merit is the most prestigious award presented by the NIAAA to an individual who has shown outstanding leadership in interscholastic athletics or related areas.
Green is a professor emeritus at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, where for 30 years he taught courses in sports law, constitutional law and business law. In addition to his 30-year tenure at Baker, Green worked for the global accounting firm of Peat, Marwick & Mitchell (now KPMG) and the 700-attorney national law firm of Blackwell, Sanders, Matheny, Weary & Lombardi (now Husch Blackwell). He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and a juris doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law.
Green began his association with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the NIAAA in the late 1980s. He assisted with the development of four NIAAA Leadership Training Institute classes, and he regularly presents sports law seminars and workshops at the local, state and national levels, including the annual Sports Law Year in Review at the National Athletic Directors Conference.
As a charter member of the Publications Committee since 2007, Green has served as the legal columnist with the NFHS’ national magazine, High School Today. In addition to a feature on a legal topic of current interest, he writes a Legal Brief for each issue and altogether has authored more than 120 articles in the 10 years of the publication’s existence. Green is the author of three books on sports law — Covering All The Bases: The Athletic Administrator & Coach’s Guide to Sports Law & Risk Management; A Level Playing Field: The Athletic Administrator & Coach’s Guide to Title IX & Gender Equity in Sports; and Sexual Harassment In Schools & Athletic Programs: A Guide to Policy Development & Prevention. He is also the author of the sports law chapter in the textbook, The NIAAA Guide to Interscholastic Athletic Administration.
In addition to seminars and workshops for the NFHS and NIAAA, Green has been a presenter on behalf of other state high school associations, as well as the NAIA and NCAA, and he serves as a sports law consultant to universities and schools districts across the country.
Green retired from full-time teaching in May of last year to devote more time to sports law consulting and writing. During his 30 years at Baker, he was selected five times by the student body as the “Outstanding Professor” on campus. He also received the Distinguished Faculty Award and the Koepke Award for Distinguished Teaching. He also served 10 years as the university’s compliance officer for athletics.
