2008 Woodie Awards
Judge Retires after 34 Years
Dan Racciopo
Issue date: 10/31/05 Section: Flyer Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
It would take only a look at the mountain of pictures of student athletes on his desk, dating back to at least 1990 and beyond, to know that Neil Judge viewed his athletes as his own children. He has often referred to them as "his kids."
The pictures were like a canvas that took up his entire wall, with a stack of pictures getting ready to find a new home in what is now his old office.
After 34 years of service to Mercy College as Athletic Director (AD), Judge has decided to step down and retire.
He is the only AD in the history of Mercy's program. Throughout his nearly three and a half decade tenure, he has coached most of the teams. As AD, he did everything from scheduling games, to making sure that they followed the NCAA rules, to getting equipment.
Director of Sports Information, Steve Balsan, worked hand-in-hand with Judge. "It is easy to point out obvious accomplishments, like getting Mercy into Division II in 1981, the New York State softball championship in 1987, or the volleyball team winning the region and going to the National Elite Eight in 2001."
Despite all of those achievements, Balsan added "The big thing is the way the program has been run and the foundation he has left behind. The dedication to integrity, academic success, and to the students is something I expect would continue in the progam."
Another part of Judge's job as AD was making sure that the student athletes could handle the pressure. If students did not live up to their potential academically, he would have to step in and assess the situation.
Judge was a man who put the students' academic standing before their sports career. He said that athletics was an "offshoot," so if they didn't succeed in the sports world, the students would still have something to fall back on.
"In my own experience, Neil (Judge) is the epitome of what Mercy is and should always be about. Integrity, the personal touch, and a genuine desire to see all of our students do well both in college and in life in general. It's something you can't put a dollar figure on, but it's definitely a foundation that can be built on for many years to come," added Balsan.
The pictures were like a canvas that took up his entire wall, with a stack of pictures getting ready to find a new home in what is now his old office.
After 34 years of service to Mercy College as Athletic Director (AD), Judge has decided to step down and retire.
He is the only AD in the history of Mercy's program. Throughout his nearly three and a half decade tenure, he has coached most of the teams. As AD, he did everything from scheduling games, to making sure that they followed the NCAA rules, to getting equipment.
Director of Sports Information, Steve Balsan, worked hand-in-hand with Judge. "It is easy to point out obvious accomplishments, like getting Mercy into Division II in 1981, the New York State softball championship in 1987, or the volleyball team winning the region and going to the National Elite Eight in 2001."
Despite all of those achievements, Balsan added "The big thing is the way the program has been run and the foundation he has left behind. The dedication to integrity, academic success, and to the students is something I expect would continue in the progam."
Another part of Judge's job as AD was making sure that the student athletes could handle the pressure. If students did not live up to their potential academically, he would have to step in and assess the situation.
Judge was a man who put the students' academic standing before their sports career. He said that athletics was an "offshoot," so if they didn't succeed in the sports world, the students would still have something to fall back on.
"In my own experience, Neil (Judge) is the epitome of what Mercy is and should always be about. Integrity, the personal touch, and a genuine desire to see all of our students do well both in college and in life in general. It's something you can't put a dollar figure on, but it's definitely a foundation that can be built on for many years to come," added Balsan.