McCrady was an American sports pioneer, changing the face of professional sports forever. He began as a standout on the Tiger football and basketball teams and continued his career at Hastings College. After his playing days, he became coach and athletic director at HC, winning 23 conference titles in three sports over just nine years. He would be head football coach at South Dakota State and athletic director at Kansas State before moving to pro sports. He was instrumental in starting two professional sports leagues as director of officiating and assistant commissioner of American Football League (1959-1967) and executive director of American Basketball Association (1967-1974). Teams and innovations from those leagues live on today in the NBA and NFL. He is a member of Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.