IOWA CITY, Iowa — Former University of Iowa men’s basketball player Lew Perkins passed away earlier this month at the age 78.

Perkins played at the University of Iowa (1965-67) for Hall of Fame coach Ralph Miller. Perkins and the Hawkeyes placed third in the Big Ten in 1966 and 1967. He earned his undergraduate degree from UI in 1967.

Perkins’ career in college athletics spanned more than 40 years. Most recently, Perkins served as Director of Athletics at Kansas University for seven years (2003-10). He arrived at Kansas after achieving nationally recognized success as athletics director at the University of Connecticut.

At Connecticut (1990-2003), his leadership influenced six NCAA National Championships. He was rewarded in 2000 as the inaugural winner of the National Athletic Director of the Year Award as selected by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

Perkins served as Director of Athletics (1969-80) and head basketball coach (1969-79) at the University of South Carolina Aiken. He received his master’s degree in education (1975) from the University of South Carolina. Perkins also served as athletics director at the University of Maryland and Wichita State, and associate director of athletics at the University of Pennsylvania.

A native of Chelsea, Massachusetts, Perkins was inducted into his high school Hall of Fame in 1989.