A 1985 MSU alumnus, Hollis got his start with MSU athletics as a basketball team manager under Jud Heathcote in the 1980s, and has more than 25 years of athletic administration experience. Hollis returned to his alma mater in 1995 and eventually took over as athletics director on Jan. 1, 2008. During his time at MSU, Hollis has also served as a chair of the NCAA Division I Amateurism Cabinet, a member of the NCAA's Men's Basketball Issues Committee and a member of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee. 

"On behalf of the Officers and Board of Directors, I am proud to recognize Mark Hollis and Ben Sutton as our 2015 inductees to the NACMA Hall of Fame," South Carolina Associate Athletics Director/Chief Marketing Officer and NACMA President Eric Nichols said in the press release. "Both of these men helped to raise the bar and set a new standard in our industry, leading the way for today's marketing professionals in athletics departments across the country." 

Hollis has been a visionary in many ways during his time at MSU. He helped orchestrate a game aboard an aircraft carrier between MSU and North Carolina basketball teams in 2011, a Michigan State-Michigan outdoor hockey game that attracted a then-world record crowd of 74,554 at Spartan Stadium in 2001, and even the "BasketBowl" game between MSU and Kentucky in 2003, which set a then-attendance record for a basketball game at 78,129. 

"It's a great honor to be recognized for work in an area that can have a powerful impact on a student-athlete's experience," Hollis said. "It's also exciting to work in a profession that allows a staff to showcase everything that a university campus has to offer to its fan base." 

"Football and basketball get the greatest exposure and make the majority of the headlines, but it's rewarding to work with such a diverse group of young men and women," Hollis went on to say. "I'd also like to thank MSU President (Lou Anna) Simon, who has created an environment that allows us to be innovative, creative and take risks."