Hall of Fame
Kurt Patberg guided the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) for six years, serving as the conference’s commissioner from 1991-1997. While at the helm of the RMAC, Patberg oversaw a development program to obtain financial sponsorship, solidified and expanded conference membership, increased the exposure for the RMAC and its member institutions to an unprecedented level and secured a full-time conference office staff.
Some of Patberg’s major accomplishments were facilitating the RMAC’s move from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II, moving the conference office to Colorado Springs, Colo., increasing the annual budget by 180 percent and expanding from a nine-member conference to 14 institutions. The expansion of the RMAC was significant in several facets. Specifically, it enhanced the opportunities for participation of student-athletes in a number of sports.
For example, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s soccer and women’s soccer became recognized as official championships in the RMAC, increasing the total number of RMAC sports from 14 to 18. Preceding the initiation of the five new member institutions, several RMAC schools and their respective sports were not eligible for NCAA competition. After the expanded RMAC, institutions and student-athletes gained access to NCAA post-season play, achieving immediate regional and national success in the Division II ranks.
The existing RMAC sports were the beneficiary of increased numbers, a higher level of competition and an exceptional amount of media exposure, therefore, refining several championship events in the conference. The expansion solidified the RMAC’s status as a true power in NCAA Division II. In fact, the RMAC earned immediate national recognition and its first ever NCAA Division II national championships in the fall of 1992 as Adams State College captured both the men’s and women’s cross country titles.
Since that fall, the RMAC’s first year in NCAA Division II, the conference has achieved 24 of a possible 26 cross country national championships. During Patberg’s tenure at the RMAC, the conference earned several NCAA Division II milestones, including a men’s basketball national crown by an undefeated (34-0) Fort Hays State team in 1996. It was the vision of Patberg, the RMAC Executive Committee, which consists of the league’s Presidents and Chancellors, and his fellow athletic administrators that has led to 30 NCAA Division II national championships and 19 national runner-ups since the league joined the NCAA in 1992.
As for the RMAC’s increased mass media exposure, Patberg developed an 20-week television program (RMAC Week-In-Review) on Prime Sports Network (PSN), formulated the 14-member RMAC radio network, of which each affiliate aired the conference’s weekly radio show (This Week in the RMAC), and brokered a television contract to air the men’s and women’s basketball championship games live on PSN each March. The RMAC set the standard for NCAA Division II conferences, becoming the only league to gain this type of mass media attention.
Prior to his time with the RMAC, Patberg spent two and a half years (1988-1991) as the Associate Director of Athletics for External Operations at American University in Washington, D.C. While at AU, the Eagles athletic department revenues increased from $40,000 to nearly $500,000. From 1986-1988, Patberg was the Director of the College Sports Division at K&K Insurance Agency. He was responsible for marketing, sales and administering liability insurance products to collegiate institutions and organizations. Prior to K&K, Patberg was the Assistant Athletic Director for fund-raising at Central Michigan University (1985-1986).
In 1997, Patberg stepped down as RMAC Commissioner to be with his wife Sue Montagne, who became the head coach of the University of Minnesota women’s soccer team. While in Minneapolis, Minn., Kurt was sought after by another NCAA Division II league, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Patberg held the post as NSIC Commissioner from 1997-2000.
In August of 2001, Patberg became the General Manager of Competitive Resources Group (CRG). CRG is a niche training/placement firm that works primarily with individuals who have collegiate athletic backgrounds. CRG works with over 30 companies and 100 collegiate athletic departments to provide prospective student-athletes with careers in sales, management and financial services.
Academically, Kurt obtained a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from the University of Minnesota in June of 2002 as his areas of study were in Higher Education and Sports Administration. Patberg’s expertise included NCAA Division I governance related issues. His dissertation is titled, Presidential Involvement in NCAA Division I Athletics since Restructuring. Patberg earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Evansville in 1981. He was a four-year letterman for the Purple Aces baseball team from 1977-1980. Patberg attained a Master of Arts degree in Sports Administration from Ohio University in 1982.