SCHINER TO RECEIVE MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD
JERSEY CITY, NJ…LAWRENCE R. SCHINER (Manalapan, NJ), the Director of Athletics at
New Jersey City University since 1977, who is celebrating his 40
th year at the institution, including 30
th as A.D., will be honored by the New Jersey Sports Writers Association with its
Meritorious Service to New Jersey Collegiate Athletics award, at the organization's 71
st Anniversary Banquet on Sunday, January 28.
Schiner will receive his award for four decades of outstanding service to college athletics at the NJSWA annual banquet, held at The Pines Manor on Route 27 in Edison, NJ, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
“To be recognized by the New Jersey Sports Writers is quite an honor and certainly one of the highlights of my 40 years in college athletics in the state of New Jersey,” said Schiner. “It was totally unexpected but greatly appreciated. I'm very excited about receiving the award, especially in the company of all of the other outstanding recipients to be honored that day.”
The NJSWA will honor a number of distinguished individuals from the professional and amateur athletic ranks on January 28, including New York Mets Executive Vice President and General Manager Omar Minaya; Rutgers University Head Football Coach Greg Schiano; New York Mets First Baseman Carlos Delgado; New Jersey Devils President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello; Villanova University Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Wright; and Rutgers University Heisman Trophy nominee Ray Rice.
In 30 years as Director of Athletics at NJCU, Schiner has been the chief architect of unprecedented growth and improvement in Gothic Knight intercollegiate sports.
During his tenure, Schiner has spearheaded development of the John J. Moore Athletics & Fitness Center, supervised the development of the Thomas M. Gerrity Athletic Complex, initiated the athletic department's extensive community outreach projects and services program, launched the athletics Hall of Fame, and served with distinction on New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) committees.
Schiner was named director of athletics in 1977 after serving as head men's basketball coach and assistant athletic director under Tom Gerrity. During his nine seasons as head basketball coach, he became the winningest coach in the program's history with 133 wins. Two of his teams were selected to participate in the NCAA College Division Championship Tournament. Five of his Gothic Knight teams reached post-season play and the 1973 and 1974 squads claimed back-to-back New Jersey State College Athletic Conference (NJSCAC) titles. He earned NJSCAC Coach of the Year honors in 1968 and 1973, and was inducted into NJCU's Athletic Hall of Fall as a coach in 1980. In 1982, he was presented with the Jersey City State College Honorary Alumni Award. He also served as NJCU's men's tennis coach for three seasons (1968-70), after being hired at the college in September 1967.
In October of 1995, Schiner had the double honor of being inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame as a basketball player and being bestowed the Garden State Award by the Collegiate
Athletic Administrators of New Jersey (CAANJ) for his substantial and enduring contributions to intercollegiate athletics in the state.
On November 30, 2000, Schiner was honored with the General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletic Director/All-American Football Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award at the All-American Football Foundation's Banquet of Champions for decades of contributions to the sport.
He was selected as the 2003 Jostens-ECAC Male Administrator of the Year—presented annually to athletics administrators from ECAC member schools in recognition of outstanding or meritorious service to the ECAC.
More awards were bestowed upon Schiner during the 2003-04 academic year, as he was selected as the 2003-04 Division III Southeast Region NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) AD of the Year.
He was co-founder and past president of both the CAANJ and the New Jersey Collegiate Basketball Coaches Association (NJCBCA), performing a term as president of the NJCBCA in 1976-77 and of the CAANJ in 1986-87.
Schiner was instrumental in the formation of the New Jersey Athletic Conference and served as its first president from 1985 through 1987. He served as president of the NJSCAC (New Jersey State College Athletic Conference), the precursor of the NJAC from 1982 until the inception of the NJAC in 1985.
Active on the national and regional levels, Schiner served on the NCAA Council/Division III Steering Committee from 1993-97 and was a member of the Division III Task Force that reviewed the NCAA membership structure and Division III philosophy statement. He also served on the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee (1991-97), the NCAA Division III Championships Committee, and both the NCAA Nominating and Interpretations Committees. From 1991-97, he was chair of the Mid-Atlantic Division III Men's Basketball Committee. Additionally, he was a member of the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame Committee.
Presently, Schiner is a member of the ECAC Championships Committee and Eastern Regional Football Selection Committee. He served on the ECAC Eligibility Committee from 1987 through 1992, chairing the committee in 1991-92. He recently completed a three-year term on the ECAC Board of Directors, and has served on numerous other ECAC committees. Schiner is also an active member of the NACDA, and was a member of NACDA Kickoff Classic Host Committee for the annual Kickoff Classic College Football game at the Meadowlands which concluded following the 2002 season.
Tickets for the NJSWA event are $50.00 and can be purchased by mail. Checks should be made payable to the New Jersey Sports Writers Association and mailed to P.O. Box 200, Metuchen, NJ 08840. More information can be obtained by calling (877) 257-0798 or by visiting the organization's web site at
www.njsportwriters.org.
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
