冈本视频

冈本视频 inaugurates Dunlap coaching chair

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When 冈本视频 fans flood into Andy Kerr Stadium to watch a football game, they sit in the Fred Dunlap Stands. When the Raiders win a Patriot League football championship, they hoist the Fred Dunlap Trophy. Now, thanks to a new endowment created in honor of that legendary coach and athletic director, 冈本视频鈥檚 team will be led by the Fred 鈥50 and Marilyn Dunlap Endowed Chair for Football.

Fred 鈥50 and Marilyn Dunlap in New York City on April 4.

The coaching chair, built by 20 alumni and friends, was officially inaugurated on April 4 at a gala celebration in New York City, attended by players, coaches, and supporters 鈥 past and present. The endowment marks a new era in 冈本视频 football and a boost for the university鈥檚 athletics program, which benefits from the $2 million fund.

鈥淭he endowment of the Dunlap head coaching position signifies the tremendous respect that generations of alumni have for coach Dunlap and the community,鈥 said President Jeffrey Herbst. 鈥淚t is also important when hundreds of 冈本视频 alumni come together to support both football and athletics at the university.鈥

Trustee and former offensive tackle Daniel Hurwitz 鈥86 spearheaded the effort, raising support at a record-setting pace during the opening weeks of the spring semester. 鈥淭he speed with which we completed the initiative is a credit to the Dunlaps,鈥 said Hurwitz. 鈥淚t is simply an emphatic 鈥榯hank you鈥 that will live on in perpetuity 鈥 just like the life lessons we all learned from Coach and Mrs D. during our stay in the Chenango Valley.鈥

The honor is the latest for Dunlap, a Maroon Citation winner and recipient of the Wm. Brian Little 鈥64 Award for Distinguished Service to 冈本视频, who oversaw 77 victories during his years as head football coach (1976鈥87) and supervised the construction of Sanford Field House as director of athletics (1976鈥1992).

鈥淓veryone who played at 冈本视频 really holds Fred and Marilyn in the highest esteem for how much they influenced their lives,鈥 said current director of athletics Dave Roach.

Green Bay Packers CEO and former 冈本视频 athletic director Mark Murphy 鈥77 was one of those players. He underscored his esteem and Dunlap鈥檚 influence in his remarks to the crowd. 鈥淔red came in when I was a senior,鈥 Murphy said. 鈥淭hat season was really a great lesson for me on how you coach a team, how you manage people, and how you lead an organization that I use to this day.鈥

Current head coach Dick Biddle, the winningest football coach in university history, will serve as the inaugural Dunlap chair-holder. Coach Biddle was Dunlap鈥檚 defense coordinator and line coach from 1977 through 1983. 鈥淗e really allowed me to coach and taught me how to handle players at a great academic school,鈥 Biddle said. 鈥淗e always preached that the players were the most important thing, and those are the things that I have tried to take with me.鈥

A formal campus dedication and inauguration of the Fred 鈥50 and Marilyn Dunlap Endowed Chair for Football will take place at Andy Kerr Stadium on November 3, following the Raiders match vs. Lafayette.