CIAA Mourns Passing of Bowie State Vice President Doughty
Photo by Mattysc / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY -SA 3.0
CHARLOTTE, NC – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association mourns the passing of Clyde Doughty Jr., Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation at Bowie State University, Chair of the CIAA Management Council, and one of the most beloved figures in the conference’s history. Doughty passed away unexpectedly Monday evening at the age of 66.
Doughty served as Chair of the CIAA Management Council from 2017 through 2021 and again during the 2025 through 2026 term. In those roles, he helped guide the conference through growth, change, and challenge, always with a steady voice and a people first approach. He saw the CIAA not just as a conference, but as a family, and he treated it as such.
Despite serving as Vice President, Management Council Chair, and one of the most accomplished administrators in the conference, Clyde never led with an ego. He led with joy, humility, and authenticity. He often reminded people that no matter the title, he was still “little old CD.” That grounding spirit is what made him one of a kind and why his loss is felt so personally across the conference.
Doughty joined Bowie State University in 2015 and quickly became a transformative leader on campus. Under his guidance, Bowie State experienced historic competitive success, including multiple CIAA championships across football, softball, bowling, and men’s basketball, along with a women’s basketball NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. His advocacy led to significant facility improvements that enhanced the student-athlete experience and strengthened Bowie State’s role as a championship destination within the CIAA.
“Clyde Doughty was the heart of so many rooms he walked into,” said CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams Parker. “He had a rare gift of making people feel seen, valued, and encouraged just by being himself. Clyde embraced the journey, honored the moment, and cared deeply for the people sharing it with him. His leadership lifted all of us, and his absence leaves a space that cannot be filled. Clyde is, and will always be, CIAA For Life.”
Before Bowie State, Doughty spent 38 years at the New York Institute of Technology as a student-athlete and athletics administrator. He earned multiple degrees from NYIT and was pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Bowie State at the time of his passing, still committed to learning, growing, and becoming better.
Doughty is survived by his wife Pamela, his children Brandon, Jessica, and Andre, and an extended family that includes the countless administrators, student athletes, alumni, and colleagues whose lives were touched by his spirit.
