John Lobon, 1973 (Football)
A 1971 football letterwinner, John Lobon is one of the 'Syracuse 8,' a group of nine Syracuse University football team members who showed extraordinary courage and commitment by calling for the equal treatment of student-athletes and a diverse coaching staff. When their calls for action were not honored, the group boycotted the 1970 football season. Lobon and Greg Allen '73 are the only two members of the group who returned to the Syracuse team.
A 1973 graduate with a bachelor's degree in history, Lobon worked at Mechanic Savings bank as an assistant branch manager from 1972-76. He then moved to Connecticut National Bank, where he moved through the ranks, working as a branch manager, area manager and assistant vice president until 1982.
In 1982, Lobon returned to the gridiron, securing his first coaching position as the assistant at Weaver High School. In 1987, he was named assistant coach at Bloomfield High School, where he coached until 1991.
Lobon joined the Connecticut Department of Economic Development as a development agent in 1984 before becoming the senior vice president of the Connecticut Development Authority in 1992. Today he manages the $5 million Urbank Program, which is designed to promote the creation and retention of small business jobs in Connecticut. The Urbank Program has leverage the fund to assist more than 500 small businesses to access more than $50 million in loans from their Lending Partners. Lobon conducts workshops and seminars around the state discussing the program and has made special appearances on multiple radio and television programs, such as the Black Perspective Show WVIT-TV, WCUM-AM radio, WMRD radio and CPTV Documentary on Cities.
Lobon has served many roles on a long list of organizations and committees throughout his career, including the NAACP, Bloomfield Building Committee, Spanish American Center, Bloomfield Inland-Wetland & Water Courses, Outstanding Young Americans, The Knox Foundation and CT Commission on Children. He currently sits on the board of the Special Olympics of Connecticut, Doc Hurley Scholarship Foundation, Inc, Community Partners in Action and Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, and is a member of the Metro Hartford Economic Development Council.
Since 1992, Lobon has been an active alumni. In 1998, he was a panelist on "The Eggers Years" and was awarded the Chancellor's Medal for Extraordinary Courage in 2006, along with the rest of the 'Syracuse 8.' Lobon became a member of the Varsity Club in 1995.
