HAROLD CROCKER HONORED BY ALMA MATER TO RECEIVE KAISER ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD

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THE PRESENTATION WILL TAKE PLACE ON OCTOBER 5
AT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY FOR THE CLASS OF 2023

Harold Crocker ’74, CCSU Football alumnus, will receive the Kaiser Alumni Service Award of Outstanding Achievement. The presentation of the award will be at the 2023 Central Connecticut State University Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, October 5, 2023.

Crocker enjoyed a long coaching career and is the winningest coach in Iona College football history. He was a three-time coach of the year with the Gaels, before moving on to a career as a regional scout for the New York Giants and as Director of Athletics at The College of New Rochelle and Ramapo College.

Crocker turned around a dormant football program at Iona into the Division I-AA MAAC champions, further cementing his legendary status in New Rochelle, NY which started as a Little League all-star, captain, and All-League member of the New Rochelle High School football squad, head football coach at New Rochelle High School and then staying local at Iona (now University).

As Head Football Coach of New Rochelle High School, he led the Huguenots to an undefeated season and a New York State Championship (1980). For his efforts he was named Coach of the Year, an award he repeated three times before “graduating to coach across North Avenue” at Iona, repeating that feat three times as a college coach.

At CCSU, he was a member of the Blue Devils football team, earning All-Conference for the 1973 team that posted a 9-1 record and won the Eastern Football Conference with an undefeated record. He graduated from CCSU in 1974 with a BS in Physical Education. A football team captain, Crocker was also a member of the track and field team. He was signed to a free agent contract by the NFL Buffalo Bills after graduating in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. In 1978 Crocker earned a master’s degree in special education from The College of New Rochelle and soon after earned his Professional Diploma in School Administration and Supervision from Iona College in 1993. He also holds New York State certifications in physical education, special education, and school district administration.

Crocker has served as the vice president of the Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference and in 1994 was inducted into the City of New Rochelle’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

It’s no surprise that success followed him from the playing field to the coaching sideline and eventually as an administrator serving as a highly regarded Director of Athletics at the College of New Rochelle and Ramapo College where many teams and Athletes had unprecedented success, in fact, his tenure was the one of the most successful in RCNJ athletics history!

Now retired and residing in North Carolina with his bride of many years, Diane, the couple have two children Jill and Sean.

Crocker is the 53rd recipient of the Kaiser Alumni Service Award.

Below are several of Crocker’s accolades:

•          1993 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year

•          1993 ECAC Intercollegiate Football Conference Coach of the Year

•          1989 Liberty Football Conference Coach of the Year

•          1980 New York State High School Coach of the Year

•          Author of Five Published articles in Scholastic Coach and Administrator

•          2014-Inducted in the Iona College Athletic Goal Club Hall of Fame

•         1994- Inducted into the City of New Rochelle Sports Hall of Fame

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Dave Torromeo has served as the head of the Sport Business Management Program at Manhattanville College since its inception in July 2006. He has over 30 years of experience in sports business, including serving as VP of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, (NFF), 15 years in collegiate athletics and as an industry consultant. He has worked in nearly every capacity of the sports world, from a minor league team, to a D-I athletic program and the Football Foundation. He is also a consultant to the sports industry and the founder of Sports Business Advocates, LLC which manages the Sports Business Institute and Future Sports Business Executives. As the architect of the graduate sport and entertainment business management program, he assembled the entire curriculum, hired all adjunct professors from the sport business field and installed a top-notch advisory board with senior executives from the sports industry. He devised and implemented a graduate level internship program, brought in outstanding guest speakers including senior executives from the sports world, provided on site field study at major sports venues and created a solid mission. At the NFF he played a crucial role in awarding Jackie Robinson the Gold Medal Award, the highest honor that Foundation bestows. He was instrumental in spearheading the program that allowed athletes from colleges other than major college football entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame (players from Divisions I-AA, II, III and the NAIA) and was a catalyst behind the Foundation's "PLAY IT SMART" program; an educational program that works to turn football teams from inner city environments into learning teams, while overseeing the scholar athlete program (and a 10M endowment) that honored players from all levels and included people such as Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, Tiki Barber, Josh Bloom, Peyton Manning and many others. Before joining the NFF, Torromeo served as a Sports Information Director (SID) and Assistant Athletic Director for Communications, Marketing, Promotions and Fund Raising for over 10 years including six at Iona College where he also received a Master's Degree. He earned his undergraduate degree(s) from the University of Rhode Island and lives in New Canaan, CT with his wife Laurie. They have two children, Stephanie a Colgate University graduate and Jarrett a graduate of Gettysburg College (and "Shea" yellow lab). Dave is a lifelong New York Mets, Jets, Knicks and Islanders fan--but don't hold that against him--it just proves he is loyal!) https://sportsbusinessadvocates.org/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh4gLO9xOeU7jI-isbB2z4Q https://www.latinbusinesstoday.com/author/dave-torromeo/

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