Hall of Fame
Sandra Michael was appointed the Director of Athletics for Holy Family University in 1985. She currently oversees Holy Family’s 15 NCAA Division II sports. A Philadelphia native, Michael earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health, physical education, recreation and dance from Temple University and a Master’s Degree in education from Holy Family.
Michael has been instrumental in the growth and success of the athletics program during her tenure. When Michael took over, Holy Family had three club teams: men’s basketball, women’s basketball and softball. The school became a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
District 19 in 1986.
In 1989, men’s soccer became an official sport at Holy Family. Women’s soccer and men’s golf were added to the fold in 1997, and Michael made men’s and women’s cross country University-sponsored sports in 2000. Under Michael’s leadership, Holy Family made the transition to NCAA Division II in 2003, after completing its two-year provisional process. Women’s volleyball was added that same year. Michael also led an extensive fund-raising campaign for the construction of the Fitness Center at Holy Family, which opened its doors in 2003. Over the next two years, women’s tennis and men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track brought the team total count to 14. Most recently, Holy Family added women’s lacrosse, which began play in 2009.
Michael is a two-time recipient of the NAIA Female Athletics Administrator of the Year award and was recognized in 2002 and 2009 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics as Athletics Director of the Year. In 2009, for her many contributions to athletics at Holy Family, Michael was inducted into the Holy Family University Athletics Hall of Fame as a part of its inaugural class.
In addition to her responsibilities as Director of Athletics, Michael has served in leadership roles on numerous committees including: NAIA Chairperson for District 19 (1989-1993), president of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) (2004-2006), chairperson of the NCAA Northeast Regional Division II Women’s Basketball Committee (2004-2006), national chair of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee (2006-2008).
Currently, Michael is serving a four-year term as a member of the NCAA Division II Management Council and is chair of the NCAA Division II Membership Committee. She also is an active participant on the NCAA Committee on Women’s Basketball Issues, and serves as chairperson of the CACC Ethics Committee.
Michael lives in Philadelphia with her husband of 34 years, Bob Michael. They have two children, Brian and Julie.
