Myles Brand loses battle with cancer

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INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA says Myles Brand has died after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 67.

The university president turned NCAA chief who pushed for tighter academic standards in college sports and took on Bob Knight announced he had cancer in January at the NCAA convention and continued to run the organization's day-to-day operations.

He became the first university president to run college sports' largest governing body, and worked to change the perception that wins supersede academics in college athletics.

It's the first time a sitting NCAA president has died.

"Myles Brand was a dear friend and a great academic leader. He was a tireless advocate for the student-athlete," said Michael Adams, president of the University of Georgia and chair of the NCAA Executive Committee. "Indeed, he worked to ensure that the student was first in the student-athlete model. He will be greatly missed."