COBLESKILL ATHLETICS TO HOST“AN EVENING WITH JACK LENGYEL”
On Friday March 28th the SUNY Cobleskill Athletic Department will be hosting “An Evening with Jack Lengyel” beginning at 6:30 PM at the college’s Bouck Theater. The program will serve as a salute to the colleges past history as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and to recognize the school’s impending move to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) next year.
A nationally renowned college athletic administrator and football coach; Lengyel’s greatest accomplishment as a coach was the rebuilding of the football program and community at Marshall University after the fatal airline crash involving the entire team, athletic department staff, boosters and community leaders in November of 1970. This story served as the basis of the successful Warner Brothers Studios motion picture: “We Are Marshall” starring actor Mathew McConaughey in the role of Coach Jack Lengyel.
Following his coaching career, Lengyel moved into the intercollegiate athletics administration subsequently serving as the Director of Athletics at Fresno State, which won the men’s basketball NIT Championship in 1984 and at the University of Missouri as Director of Athletics in 1986 thru 1989 where he had previously served as an Associate Director of Athletics.
Lengyel was then named as the Director of Athletics at the United States Naval Academy. He remained at Navy for 14 years from 1988 to 2001and was responsible for major sports facility new construction and renovations. During his tenure at Navy, Mr. Lengyel received a Lifetime Service Award from the Annapolis Touchdown Club (2001), was appointed to the US Naval Academy Foundation Board of Trustees (2001) and had the athletic training facility named in his honor.
Professionally Lengyel has served in leadership positions in: the National Association of College Directors of America (NACDA), the Division I-A Director of Athletics Association, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, the United State Sports Academy, the College Football Association and the NCAA Membership Committee.
On the day prior to the event the SUNY Cobleskill Athletic Department will host a free screening of the movie “We Are Marshall” at the Bouck Hall Theatre beginning at 7:00 PM for students, faculty & staff and the general public
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A limited number of tickets for “An Evening with Jack Lengyel” will be made available on a first come/first serve basis beginning on Monday March 17th thru the athletic department during regular business hours. Cost of the event will be $5 per-event and $10 at the door depending on availability. Additionally SUNY Cobleskill students, faculty & staff will be admitted free provided that they reserve their tickets prior the event with a limit of one per person. For further information on the event interested parties may contact the SUNY Cobleskill Athletic Department at (518) 255-5127.
Members of the media wishing to arrange an interview with Mr. Lengyel can contact the SUNY Cobleskill Office of Sports Information at (518) 255-6244 or e-mail the office at tomasmj@cobleskill.edu for information.
