Herman Frazier won a gold medal in the 4x400-meter relay at the 1976 Olympics
Frazier Chairs Bowerman Advisory Board
12/14/2011 4:54:40 PM | General, Track and Field
Herman Frazier, an Olympic gold-medalist and current Deputy Athletics Director at Syracuse, returns to his track & field roots as the Chair of the Bowerman Advisory Board. The Advisory Board, comprised of NCAA collegiate administrators, national and regional media personnel and track & field statisticians help decide the winner of the Bowerman Award, given to the top male and female track & field athletes, which will be presented on December 14.
"The room will be set up in theater style," Frazier said. "There will be somewhere between 1,000-1,200 people in attendance, so it's a big deal for track and field."
An eight-time All-American track & field performer at Arizona State University, Frazier was the leadoff runner for the 1976 Olympic Gold Medal-winning 4×400-meter relay, and he earned a Bronze Medal in the 400 meters. Frazier also qualified for the 1980 Olympic team in the 4×400-meter relay but was unable to compete due to the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games.
After retiring from competitive track & field, Frazier served the U.S. Olympic team in a leadership capacity. He served as an Assistant Chef de Mission for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, a Vice Presidential Representative of the U.S. Olympic committee in the 2000 games in Sydney, and the Chef de Mission for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
"I was elated when Sam Seemes, the President and CEO of the USTFCCCA, first had the idea for this presentation (The Bowerman Award)," Frazier said. "They asked me to chair it. I think that shows how they felt about my knowledge of the sport, and I'm honored to be part of it."
The award, now in its third season, is named after track and field pioneer Bill Bowerman, who coached the University of Oregon track and field teams from 1949-72 and served as a pioneer to the sport. A cofounder of Nike, Bowerman remained active at Oregon and in the coaching world as his company grew into a global sports giant.
Bowerman served as the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association's (NCTCA) vice president in 1958-59 and took the helm of the organization as its president in 1959-60. The NCTCA is one of several predecessor organizations that now form the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Bowerman also served as head track and field coach for the 1972 Olympic Team and played a leading role in Eugene's successful bids to host the 1972, 1976, and 1980 Olympic trials.
"I knew Bowerman," Frazier said. "Bowerman is the guy who made the first waffle Nike shoe. I knew him as a man and what he meant to track and field when he was at the University of Oregon, and I competed against athletes that he coached. It was natural to put his name on this award."
Frazier joined the Syracuse staff in 2011 as a deputy athletics director/chief of staff with 34 years of experience in athletics administration, including eight years of experience as an athletics director. In his role, he oversees the daily operations of all facets of Syracuse University. Most recently, Frazier was the senior associate athletics director for sports administration at Temple University. Prior to joining the Owls' staff, the Philadelphia native served six years as the director of athletics at Hawai'i. Frazier was also the director of athletics at the University Alabama-Birmingham.
"The room will be set up in theater style," Frazier said. "There will be somewhere between 1,000-1,200 people in attendance, so it's a big deal for track and field."
An eight-time All-American track & field performer at Arizona State University, Frazier was the leadoff runner for the 1976 Olympic Gold Medal-winning 4×400-meter relay, and he earned a Bronze Medal in the 400 meters. Frazier also qualified for the 1980 Olympic team in the 4×400-meter relay but was unable to compete due to the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games.
After retiring from competitive track & field, Frazier served the U.S. Olympic team in a leadership capacity. He served as an Assistant Chef de Mission for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, a Vice Presidential Representative of the U.S. Olympic committee in the 2000 games in Sydney, and the Chef de Mission for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
"I was elated when Sam Seemes, the President and CEO of the USTFCCCA, first had the idea for this presentation (The Bowerman Award)," Frazier said. "They asked me to chair it. I think that shows how they felt about my knowledge of the sport, and I'm honored to be part of it."
The award, now in its third season, is named after track and field pioneer Bill Bowerman, who coached the University of Oregon track and field teams from 1949-72 and served as a pioneer to the sport. A cofounder of Nike, Bowerman remained active at Oregon and in the coaching world as his company grew into a global sports giant.
Bowerman served as the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association's (NCTCA) vice president in 1958-59 and took the helm of the organization as its president in 1959-60. The NCTCA is one of several predecessor organizations that now form the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Bowerman also served as head track and field coach for the 1972 Olympic Team and played a leading role in Eugene's successful bids to host the 1972, 1976, and 1980 Olympic trials.
"I knew Bowerman," Frazier said. "Bowerman is the guy who made the first waffle Nike shoe. I knew him as a man and what he meant to track and field when he was at the University of Oregon, and I competed against athletes that he coached. It was natural to put his name on this award."
Frazier joined the Syracuse staff in 2011 as a deputy athletics director/chief of staff with 34 years of experience in athletics administration, including eight years of experience as an athletics director. In his role, he oversees the daily operations of all facets of Syracuse University. Most recently, Frazier was the senior associate athletics director for sports administration at Temple University. Prior to joining the Owls' staff, the Philadelphia native served six years as the director of athletics at Hawai'i. Frazier was also the director of athletics at the University Alabama-Birmingham.
Highlights | Women's Lacrosse at #4 Northwestern
Friday, March 13
Regy Thorpe Postgame Press Conference vs. #4 Northwestern
Friday, March 13
Press Conference | Men's Lacrosse at Air Force
Friday, March 13
Highlights | Syracuse at Air Force
Thursday, March 12
