Crouthamel Selected for NACDA Hall of Fame
5/16/2008 1:02:11 PM | Men's Basketball, Football
Cleveland, Ohio -- Retired Syracuse University Director of Athletics Jake Crouthamel is one of eight highly-respected athletics administrators selected for induction into the NACDA Hall of Fame. Crouthamel, Frank Broyles (University of Arkansas), Joe Etzel (University of Portland), Christine Grant (University of Iowa), Willis Ham (South Carolina State University), Ted Leland (Stanford University), William Moore (Central Connecticut State University), and Ron Warnock (De Anza College) will be honored at NACDA's 43rd Annual Convention at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas on Tuesday, June 10 during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon, sponsored by Coca-Cola and the National Invitation Tournament.
Crouthamel enjoyed a long and successful tenure as Syracuse’s Director of Athletics from 1978 through 2004, and officially retired from the University in 2005. The Orange had many significant achievements during his 27 year administration. Competitively, Syracuse captured 10 national championships, including the 2003 men's basketball national championship. He also guided the Orange to 22 BIG EAST Conference championships, 15 football bowl games, as well as a string of NCAA tournament appearances in men's basketball, men's and women's lacrosse, and women's rowing. In addition, Syracuse student-athletes were honored for their volunteerism in the community on many occasions.
The most visible changes in Crouthamel's era came in grounds and facilities. It started with the Carrier Dome in 1980, which soon became one of the most recognizable athletic facilities in the country. Major renovations occurred at Manley Field House, including the addition of the Roy Simmons Sr. Coaches Center, the Stevenson Educational Center, and the Iocolano-Petty Football Wing. The surrounding land was upgraded with the Lampe Athletics Complex, which features Coyne Field, a 1,500-seat Soccer Stadium, the Joe Vielbig Outdoor Track, and practice fields. Just across the street and up the hill is the Softball Stadium at Skytop and down the road are the Hookway grass practice Fields.
Crouthamel was a driving force in the joining of the men's and women's athletics departments into one administrative structure. One of the most significant accomplishments of Crouthamel's tenure at Syracuse was the addition of intercollegiate programs in women's soccer, women's lacrosse and softball. Within three seasons of their respective startups, the women’s soccer and lacrosse squads earned NCAA playoff invitations. Softball progressed on a similar path.
“I believe in the educational values of athletics,” Crouthamel said during his Syracuse tenure. “I believe that you should treat people with dignity. But, if you are going to keep score, then it is clear what your goals are, and they are immediate goals. In our business, it only takes a couple of hours to achieve. And that’s to win.”
Crouthamel’s philosophy propelled SU athletics to the forefront. Under his direction, the program accumulated 23 NCAA bids and the 2003 championship for men’s basketball, 15 bowl berths and an undefeated season in football, nine national championships in men’s lacrosse, and post-season trips in women’s basketball, field hockey, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, swimming and diving, cross country, track and field, women’s rowing, tennis, gymnastics and wrestling.
The landscape of intercollegiate athletics underwent many changes from 1978 through 2004, and Crouthamel had a front-row seat to a number of them. Crouthamel keyed the formation of The BIG EAST Conference in 1979, a move that united many of the basketball powers in the East into a configuration that immediately became a power player with network television. The BIG EAST evolved as an all-sports league and soon became a prominent football participant. When conference shuffling surfaced in 2003, he again became a key figure in responding to the challenges faced by the BIG EAST.
He served on the highly influential NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee, was a member of the College Football Hall of Fame’s Honors Court and chaired the NCAA Football Issues Committee. In August, 2001, Crouthamel was appointed to a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Management Council. In addition to his duties as SU’s Director of Athletics, Crouthamel supervised the operation of the Carrier Dome and served on numerous BIG EAST and NCAA committees.
With Crouthamel's success came praise. In 1999, he earned the National Football Foundation’s John L. Toner Award, which is presented annually to an athletic director who has demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and particularly college football. The following year he was named National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Division I-A Northeast Region Athletics Director of the Year. In 1995, Crouthamel was honored as an honorary Syracuse University LetterWinner of Distinction. He was deservedly recognized with the 2002 Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence and, with his wife, Carol, was a recipient of the Salvation Army Community Team Spirit Award the same year.
A native of Perkasie, Pa., Crouthamel was an outstanding football player at Pennridge High School, starring on teams that won 26-of-27 games in three years. He earned three letters in track and two in basketball, and earned the school’s top athlete award.
Crouthamel attended Dartmouth College, where he won three letters in football and one in track. He led Dartmouth to a record of 19-6-2 from 1957-59, twice earning All-Ivy honors and receiving second-team All-America recognition. He was a two-way halfback and set the Big Green career rushing record that stood until 1973. He was named to the Ivy League Silver Anniversary Second Team.
Crouthamel received his B.A. in history from Dartmouth in 1960. He was the first player to sign with the NFL’s expansion Dallas Cowboys and was the last player released from training camp. He then joined the fledgling AFL’s Boston Patriots in their inaugural season, before leaving pro football to enter the Navy in 1961. There he became involved with coaching, leading the Pearl Harbor Naval team to the 1962 Armed Forces League Championship.
Following his tour of duty, Crouthamel coached at Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy in 1964 and then returned to Dartmouth in 1965 as assistant coach. He became head coach, replacing Bob Blackman, in 1971.
During his seven-year stint as head coach of the Big Green, Crouthamel’s teams compiled a 41-20-2 record, winning two league titles and sharing another. He resigned after the 1977 campaign to take the Syracuse A.D. post.
Crouthamel is married to the former Carol Swett, and they have two daughters, Lisa, a graduate of Denison University, and Christine, a graduate of the University of Vermont.
SU Athletics Accomplishments During the Crouthamel Era
• Installation of video boards in the Carrier Dome (2003)
• Construction of the Carrier Dome (1980) and complete roof replacement (1999)
• Construction of the Iocolano-Petty Football Wing (1991) and expansion (2000)
• Four million dollar renovation project at Manley Field House and Coyne Field that nearly doubled the amount of space available in SU’s locker, training and equipment areas.
• New and improved facilities, including: Roy Simmons Sr. Coaches Center, Stevenson Educational Center, Softball Stadium at Skytop, Hookway practice facility, and the Lampe Athletics Complex, which included the construction of a 1,500-seat Soccer Stadium, the Joe Vielbig Outdoor Track, three grass practice fields, and renovations to Coyne Field
• The announcement of the “Fans First” Initiative in April 2002, with the intentions of recognizing and showing appreciation to SU fans for their loyalty, and to enhance the fan experience and overall atmosphere at all SU athletics events.
• The birth of The BIG EAST Conference, first as a basketball league and later as an all-sports conference.
SU Athletics Success During the Crouthamel Era
• 2003 men’s basketball national championship
• 23 NCAA men’s basketball tournament berths
• 15 football bowl games
• Nine men’s lacrosse national championships
• 22 consecutive NCAA semifinal appearances in men’s lacrosse
• Five NCAA playoff berths in women’s lacrosse
• Five out of a possible 10 invitations to the NCAA Championship for women’s rowing
• 22 overall BIG EAST Conference championships
• The addition of women’s soccer (1996), women’s lacrosse (1998) and softball (2000) as varsity sports.
• NCAA Post-season invitations earned by men’s and women’s basketball, field hockey, football, gymnastics, men’s and women’s soccer, rowing, men’s and women’s lacrosse, women’s tennis, swimming & diving and track & field.
• Advancement from a men’s athletics and women’s athletics administrative structure to one department.
Crouthamel’s Leadership Roles
• Chair, NCAA Football Issues Committee
• Division I Management Council
• Division I Men’s Basketball Committee
• College Hall of Fame Honors Court
• Founding member of The BIG EAST Conference
Crouthamel’s Honors
• Syracuse University Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence (2002)
• National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Division I-A Northeast Region Athletics Director of the Year (2000)
• National Football Foundation John L. Toner Award (1999)
• Honorary LetterWinner of Distinction, Syracuse University (1995)
• Eight consecutive Chancellor’s Awards for Public Service, recognizing the volunteer efforts of SU’s student-athletes
• Recipient, along with his wife, Carol, of the Salvation Army Community Team Spirit Award (2002)
