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Ira Zeff (Spirit of the Plainsmen) worked on the Nebraska Wesleyan campus for 24 years as the athletic director. Zeff managed 68 coaches and employees in a department of 21 varsity sports. The Prairie Wolves achieved success during Zeff's leadership in the classroom and their sport. Two national titles, the 2006 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship, and the 2018 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball National Championship, were the result of the teams' competitive performance. Before Zeff's arrival, Nebraska Wesleyan had never claimed a national championship in any sport. More than 50 conference titles were won by the Prairie Wolves during his tenure, and they won the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) All-Sports Trophy six times. NWU has elevated its reputation as one of the nation's top universities for academic success under Zeff's leadership. With at least one CoSIDA Academic All-American in each year of Zeff's career and 124 since 2000, Nebraska Wesleyan is ranked 10th in the country. The university received two-thirds of its awards for NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships during Zeff's tenure. Nebraska Wesleyan's 42 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships rank third in NCAA Division III and sixth overall among all colleges and universities. Zeff led initiatives to expand the athletic department, bringing back men's wrestling in 2015 and adding men's and women's swimming in 2014. Prior to joining the American Rivers Conference (formerly the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference), Nebraska Wesleyan was the nation's only NAIA-NCAA dual-affiliated university. After the change, NWU became Nebraska's only NCAA DIII institution. Zeff also contributed to the university's construction efforts with a new wrestling facility. Other facilities improvements from Zeff's career include the installation of lighting and turf at Abel Stadium, renovation of the press box, two new video boards, resurfacing Woody Greeno track and the floor of Knight Fieldhouse, and lighting at Harold G. Chaffee Practice Field. Zeff's work on national committees increased NWU's national exposure. He presided over the West Region Advisory Committee and chaired the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee. He was chosen to serve on the NCAA Division III Championships Committee and served as its chair. In 2007, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) presented him with its Outstanding Service Award. NWU has hosted numerous NCAA and conference championships. In particular, the 2002 and 2006 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships and the 2014 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships were hosted by NWU.
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