Bio

Joe Lang, a former Director of Athletics at Georgetown University, was appointed as the University of the District of Columbia Athletic Department's Compliance Coordinator in March, 2010.

In his role as Compliance Coordinator, Lang manages the day-to-day operations of the athletic department's compliance office. He works with administrators, coaches, support staff and student-athletes to ensure compliance with NCAA and East Coast Conference (ECC) Rules and Regulations; serves as a liaison to the Office of University Counsel as well as a Faculty Athletics Representative in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid and Student Accounts; monitors initial and continuing eligibility, National Letters of Intent, financial aid equivalencies, playing seasons, extra benefits, recruiting and student-athlete employment; and coordinates the rules education program for the department, student-athletes and university staff when necessary.

Lang also created a compliance handbook where he implemented and continues to monitor compliance procedures, creates and submits NCAA waivers, interacts with NCAA and ECC when rule interpretation questions arise, investigates and reports rule violations, and regularly attends the NCAA convention, Rules Seminar and ECC Compliance meetings. He has also worked with the NCAA Faculty Representative to ensure his role and presence is visible within the department and implemented "green initiatives" to reduce paperwork and costs.

A 2008 Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Lang served at Georgetown with distinction for 32 years. He first joined GU as an assistant track coach in 1972 following his own championship level efforts as a runner and coach at St. John's University (where he is also a member of the St. John's University Athletic Hall of Fame). He then served as Head Cross Country/Track & Field Coach at Georgetown from 1974 to 1983. During his coaching career at Georgetown, he produced 27 All-Americans, 9 IC4A Champions, a Boston Marathon Champion and one U.S. Olympic Team performer. He was named NCAA District II Coach of the Year twice. Joe was the distance coach for the U.S. team at the 1981 World Cup and coached the Junior National Team in 1983.

Moving from coaching into athletic administration, Lang began serving as a sport administrator for a variety of programs while continuing his multiple roles as a counselor, calculus tutor, academic advisor and fundraiser for athletics. As the department grew in size and achievement, his responsibilities expanded into all areas of athletic administration. When long-time athletic director Frank Rienzo stepped aside in 1995, Lang was ready to take charge.

Under Lang's leadership, athletics on the Hilltop grew and thrived. He played a central role in helping to raise $50 million for athletics as part of the Third Century Campaign. To provide balance in athletic opportunities, he added women's golf and put in place plans to add softball. He secured a new facility for the baseball team and laid the groundwork for the Ellington track and the multi-sport facility.

Lang held himself and his student athletes to a lofty standard, keeping graduation rates and grade point averages high while consistently earning Big East and NCAA championships. He led Georgetown to a top-20 national ranking for athletic departments by U.S. News and World Report. In 2000, the ECAC recognized Georgetown as the institution for that year that best exemplified the highest standards of collegiate academics and athletic performance.

A member of the Big East executive committee and chair of the conference's legislative and equity committees, Lang's crowning achievement may have been his work in 2003 when he worked tirelessly to preserve the Big East as a viable league for non-BCS conference members. He would retire on July 1, 2004.

In 2005, Lang received the Patrick Healy Award, the highest honor given to a non-alumnus by the Georgetown Alumni Association.