Dec. 5, 2007

LAS VEGAS - The National Fastpitch Coaches Association honored Northern Illinois Associate Athletic Director Dee Abrahamson earlier this week with the NFCA Distinguished Service Award for her lifetime dedicated to the sport of fastpitch.

The honor places Abrahamson on an extremely short list of the award recipients.

"It's rarely used," Abrahamson said. "I'm only the second person they've honored in 24 years, so its pretty amazing."

Following an 18-year coaching career, Abrahamson became the NCAA's first secretary-rules editor for softball in 1996, a position she still currently holds. At the time, she appreciated the opportunity to stay involved in the game.

"I had only been out of coaching for two years, so I was still going through withdrawal," she said.

In her position, Abrahamson is responsible for editing the NCAA rules book, and interpreting those rules throughout the season. Because coaches are always trying to gain a competitive edge, her work never ends.

"The thing about coaching, is you try to be creative and find an edge," she said. "Whether that's a physical edge, and you're going to train differently, or a mental edge, that's what coaches do. Part of what that involves is finding a way through, around or advantaging the rules."

Her work has helped shape the game into what it is today, including the decision to allow the now-common practice of slap-hitting.

"Years ago slapping didn't exist in the game, and that's a huge part of the game now," she explained. "Well, somebody figured that out. That was a creative way that was in-between standing back and hitting the ball and bunting. Somebody had to decide, 'Is that advantaging the rules we want to put in the game, or is that something we don't want in our game?'"

Abrahamson and her colleagues bound the technique within the rules of fastpitch, leaving the door open to a variety of athletes.

"In this game, you've got the home run hitters who can sit back and hit the ball 300 feet and swing a big bat, then you've got the 110 pound little kid who can slap-and-run, and the game is great for both of them," she said. "Leaving the slap in the game, left that small, quick player in."

In addition to the on-the-field guidelines, Abrahamson serves as a liaison to bat and ball manufacturers, and has been the driving force behind implementing the NCAA bat standards and equipment certification programs that strive for increased safety in the sport.

"Bat and ball technology is a huge part of the job that I didn't expect," she said. "We've changed the standards for the ball, we've changed the standards for the bat. I was never a great physics student, and I've had to become one."

As a coach, Abrahamson headed up the Lincoln Trail College program before arriving at Northern Illinois University in 1980.

She remained at her post for 15 years, in which she won over 400 games and led NIU to a 1988 Women's College World Series appearance. Abrahamson coached players to five All-American awards and 12 CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. She also garnered conference coach of the year awards in 1989 and 1993.

Abrahamson still serves as the NCAA's secretary rules editor in addition to her duties as the Senior Woman Administator/Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Internal Affairs at Northern Illinois.

As an Associate A.D. with NIU, Abrahamson oversees internal affairs units of athletic department including personnel, facilities, events, camps, clinics, athletic business, NCAA compliance, information technology offices, in addition to oversight of several sport teams.

Abrahamson, a 2002 Northern Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, earned both her bachelors degree and masters degree from Western Michigan in 1974 and 1975, respectively.

Through over 30 years immersed in the seas of fastpitch, Abrahamson's simple love for the game remains.

"The best part of the job, is I get to go the national championships and sit and watch women play at the highest level of all three divisions," she said. "I really like what I do, so I don't think of it as work."

And while 'not working,' Abrahamson has done as much for the fastpitch world as anyone in its history.