Northwestern University Athletics
Murphy's Mark: 2003-04 Year in Review
6/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | General
June 21, 2004
Year in Review
I thought that 2003-04 was a very good year for our athletic program. We had eight teams participate in NCAA postseason competition, and our football team was invited to the Motor City Bowl. We also had three coaches earn conference or national Coach of the Year honors, and numerous student-athletes earned recognition for their athletic and academic accomplishments. The performance of our spring teams was particularly noteworthy. The women's tennis team, women's lacrosse and softball teams all turned in great performances in winning NCAA contests and advancing in their respective tournaments. The women's golf team also had a strong showing at its regional.
Ken Kraft
Fifty one years ago, Ken Kraft enrolled as a freshman at Northwestern. Since then he has remained connected with NU as a student, coach or administrator. At the end of this month he will end his formal relationship with Northwestern. In a day and age when people change jobs frequently, Ken's remarkable achievement speaks volumes about him and his loyalty to Northwestern. We have held several functions this month to recognize Ken and wish him the best in retirement. The Tribune recently ran a great article on Ken's career. If you haven't seen it, I've included the internet link to the story, NU Bids Farewell to a Grinder. We all wish Ken good luck in retirement and I personally want to thank him for all the help he provided to me this year as I've transitioned to my new position.
Nancy Lyons
We will be losing another senior administrator at the end of the month. Associate AD Nancy Lyons has accepted a position at Boston University. Nancy has done an outstanding job here for seven years, but has strong ties to Boston and wants to return to the Boston area. She has done so many great things for Northwestern. She will be sorely missed and we wish her the best in her new position.
Searches
I am often asked what athletic directors do in the summer. Although things do slow down in the summer, there is still a lot of planning to get ready for the next sports year. Also, the summer is usually the time when you conduct searches for vacant positions. We will be very busy over the next few weeks filling a number of administrative positions, including the positions vacated by Ken's retirement and Nancy's departure.
AFCA Award
We received some positive news recently when our football team won the American Football Coaches Association award for having the highest graduation rate in Division IA. Our graduation rate was 100% and we shared the award with Boston College. This was the third time we have won this award in the last six years-a wonderful accomplishment and a great tribute to Randy Walker and his coaches, our football student-athletes and our entire administration, particularly our Academic Services staff.
Bob Voigts Coach of the Year
I am pleased to announce the creation of a new athletic department award - the Bob Voigts Coach of the Year Award. The award will go to the head coach who is selected, by the other head coaches within the department, as the department's coach of the year. The award is named in memory of legendary NU Coach Bob Voigts and will be presented annually at the Benchwarmer Dinner in August.
