Bob Frederick, who hired Roy Williams and helped build the Big 12, dies after cycling accident

Former Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick dies

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bob Frederick, an accomplished college athletic administrator who took lots of heat for hiring an obscure assistant named Roy Williams, has died.

The 69-year-old Frederick sustained head injuries in a bicyling accident on Thursday near the University of Kansas campus, where he lived.

He died at University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan., according to family spokeswoman Kelly Hale.

In 1989, as athletic director at Kansas, he passed up dozens of experienced basketball coaches and took a chance on Williams, who was the No. 2 assistant at North Carolina.

Frederick’s family issued a statement thanking all their family and friends for their support.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A family spokeswoman says former Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick is in critical condition following a bicycling accident.

Kelly Hale told The Associated Press on Friday that Frederick’s condition hasn’t changed and that “the family appreciates the thoughts and prayers that everyone is sending their way.”

Police say the 69-year-old Frederick was biking on a city street Thursday evening when he hit a pothole, flew over his handlebars and struck the pavement. He was taken by helicopter to the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kan.

Frederick served as KU’s athletic director from 1987 to 2001, a span that includes the 1988 NCAA men’s basketball championship won by a team led by Danny Manning.