Bacow Earns Distinguished Achievement Award

Tufts President Recognized for Commitment to Athletics

Tufts president Lawrence S. Bacow, whose leadership has included the enhancement of Athletics and wellness programs during his decade at the university, received the 2010 Distinguished Achievement Award (DAA) presented by the Jumbo Athletics Department on Friday, October 1.

The DAA was established to recognize extraordinary contributions to sports by individuals with Tufts and/or New England identities. President Bacow joins an outstanding list of DAA recipients. Boston Celtics legend Red Auerbach was the first to receive the honor in 1987. New England Patriots and Revolution owner Robert Kraft was the 2003 honoree. Bacow is the 27th individual to receive the DAA.

Recently, as the event has become more of a celebration of Tufts, the DAA committee has broadened its definition of athletic achievement and looked for a stronger Tufts connection. Bacow will be among other Jumbos who earned the award such as master swimming coach Don Megerle and alumnae filmmakers Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern.

In 2003, President Bacow established the annual President’s Marathon Challenge (PMC) to connect the Tufts community in a healthy living activity while raising funds for university programs. It is the largest known collegiate marathon program in the United States, fielding a team of 200 each year to run in the Boston Marathon. To date, over 1,000 individuals have completed the marathon and raised more than $2.5 million to support research on nutrition, obesity, hunger and famine, and to sustain health and wellness programs across the university and within Tufts’ host communities of Medford, Somerville and Boston’s Chinatown. The PMC has also attracted two $5 million gifts in support of nutrition, medical research and education.

The renovation and expansion of athletics facilities during President Bacow’s tenure has been unprecedented at Tufts. Three major projects have been completed, and another is in the planning stages. Bello Field, the first turf field on campus and the site of field hockey, soccer, and lacrosse games, opened in 2004. Tufts’ Shoemaker Boathouse on the Malden River, home of the Jumbo crew teams, was built in 2006. In 2009, during the economic recession, the university moved forward on a major renovation of venerable Cousens Gymnasium. Planning that is currently underway to improve Tufts’ general athletic facilities will result in the new Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center.

“President Bacow has shown tremendous support for athletics during his tenure,” said Director of Athletics Bill Gehling. “He genuinely understands and appreciates the impact our Athletics programs and staff have on the student experience and that means the world to us. Of course academics come first. That is a given. He has shown that it is possible to celebrate the contributions of sport without continually debating its relative importance.”

As a competitive athlete himself, President Bacow was a collegiate sailor at MIT and has also finished five marathons. He will be stepping down as President of Tufts in June 2011.

The Tufts Athletics’ Annual Awards Ceremony also features the presentation of the Athletics Department’s Annual Awards to the top athletes of the 2009-10 year.

Cousens Gym is a new site for the event. Cohen Auditorium has hosted the festivities in previous years. Cousens, however, a shining example of the commitment President Bacow made to Athletics, stands as the perfect place for the event this fall.

Editor’s Note: Medford resident and Tufts alum Steve Eliopoulos produced a video honoring Bacow for the award ceremony- click here to view it.

– Information from Tufts University