SALT LKAE CITY — Even more than five years after her retirement, former Salt Lake Community College athletic director Norma Carr’s impact is felt.
On Wednesday, she was awarded the National Junior College Athletic Association Appreciation Award for her work in providing “superior contributions to the Association.”
“I loved working with the NJCAA and helping to make things better,” Carr said in a SLCC news release. “The NJCAA is a great organization and I am so honored to be receiving this award. I am extremely surprised and honored to be receiving this award as those who have previously received this award are NJCAA icons whom I greatly respect.”
Carr retired as SLCC’s AD in 2014. Her replacement, Kevin Dustin, praised the foundation of success Carr established for the Bruins.
”Norma Carr is now and always will be synonymous with Salt Lake Community College. Her contribution to the college, its coaches and players cannot be overstated,” he said in the news release. “Sports was Norma’s calling and we are so glad that SLCC continues to benefit from her long shadow to this day.”
Carr served as the Bruins’ athletic leader for 25 years — she was the first woman to ever oversee both men’s and women’s athletic programs in the state of Utah — and she spent 45 years as a teacher, coach and administrator in her career. During that time, she served as NJCAA Region XVIII Women’s Director and NJCAA DI Softball Committee chair from 2002 until 2014.
When Carr took over as AD in 1989, SLCC had just two athletic programs — men’s and women’s basketball. At the time of her retirement, the school also competed in women’s volleyball, softball and baseball and has since added beach volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer. The Bruins men’s basketball team won the NJCAA national title in 2009 under her leadership.
“Due to the success of the athletic teams and great coaches, the tradition of competitive excellence continues at SLCC,” she said. “Salt Lake is still the program that is an icon within the Scenic West Athletic Conference and in the NJCAA. (Dustin’s) warm, welcoming and supportive relationship with myself and what has happened previously at SLCC has made for a comfortable, strong Bruin tradition that is continuing to grow.”