Watch this thank you video to Jack and Cathy Grinold
BOSTON—Northeastern University paid tribute to longtime sports information director
Jack Grinold and his wife, Cathy, on Oct. 19 at its annual Head of the Charles rowing reception.
The university dedicated its new state-of-the-art training facility in honor of the Grinold family for their continued commitment and generosity to the Northeastern rowing programs.
"Nothing has enriched my life more than the birth of rowing at Northeastern," Grinold told the capacity crowd that gathered at the university's Alumni Center.
The overwhelming sentiment of the evening, however, was that no one has enriched Northeastern rowing more than Jack and Cathy Grinold.
"First and foremost, there is no way you can overstate
Jack Grinold's impact on Northeastern athletics and, particularly, Northeastern rowing," said men's head coach
John Pojednic. "Jack is now and always has been the number one fan of our program. He's been here since the program began."
"Jack has been a huge advocate for rowing since I've been here, and I'm going into my 23rd year at Northeastern," remarked
Joe Wilhelm, head women's coach. "He's been here through a number of different athletic administrations and has always worked very hard to keep rowing in the forefront."
Legendary NU oarsmen Bill Miller said of Grinold, "He's been a godfather to everyone who has come through the program."
Located on the second floor of Henderson Boathouse, the renovated space now provides the men's and women's rowing teams with one of the nation's preeminent college training facilities.
It is appropriate that a space in the boathouse bears Grinold's name. After all, without his efforts, there may never have been a boathouse at Northeastern.
Vincent Lembo, vice president and senior counsel at the university, recounted the uphill battle Northeastern faced in its pursuit of building a boathouse. Lembo, who spearheaded the effort and deserves much credit for making the boathouse a reality, enlisted Grinold's help in the early days. He colorfully shared stories of Grinold's countless hours of community meetings and stewardship that, after years of effort, led to legislative approval of the university's plan.
Grinold, who helped launch rowing at Northeastern, recalled the very first season, "the Cinderella," as he termed it. The Huskies, under Englishman Ernest Arlett, defeated 33 of 34 crews, with the only loss to Brown by a deck. "At the rowing of the Dad Vail Regatta, we swept all three races," Grinold reminisced. "It had never been done before and has not been done since. All with 24 novice oarsmen. We were admitted to the IRA and then headed for Henley. The Globe called it the sports story of the year. What a hell of a start."
"It's been quite a ride," he continued. "To make it all the better, I have had the historic adventure to be part of the birth of women's crew, and be witness to its growth and maturity."
One of college sports' great orators, Grinold offered a charge to the current crop of student-athletes.
"We want and expect much of you … in the classroom, in your collegial community, and especially — at least for me — on the water. That's a lot, but not the end. Out there, scattered about you oarsmen and oarswomen, are a large cast that have had your back for many decades," Grinold said, as he invoked the names of many Northeastern rowing greats. Citing both engagement and financial support, Grinold thundered home his final point: "That's what we expect of you … performance now and loyalty forever, forever, and forever more."
Grinold, now the associate athletic director emeritus, first joined the university in 1962 and is widely regarded as the dean of New England sports information directors. Over his 50 years on Huntington Avenue, he developed a wide-ranging, innovative athletic communications office. Often called "the innovator of innovators," he shaped the careers of countless sports information professionals—including many who benefitted from an internship program he established within the department.
In 1985, Grinold was elected to the Northeastern University Varsity Club Hall of Fame, becoming the first non-athlete or coach to receive the honor. And, in 1998, as part of Northeastern's centennial celebration, he was chosen as one of the 100 individuals responsible for the institution's growth and success.
Grinold has an impressive record of accomplishment in the field of sports publicity. He has been recognized several times by the national organization for college athletic communications, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He was inducted to the CoSIDA Hall of Fame in 1994, and in 1999 received the organization's Community Service Award. He has been awarded more than 25 CoSIDA Citations of Excellence for various university publications.
In 2003, Grinold was inducted to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2009 to the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame, and in 2012 to the Beanpot Hall of Fame. He was the first recipient of the New England Information Publicity Plus Award in 1971, and earned the ECAC Service Bureau Award in 1979. Additionally, in 2009, he received the ECAC Commissioner's Award, and in 2010 the ECAC-SIDA Award for Distinguished Achievement.
Grinold's impact reaches far beyond the Northeastern campus. His long-time, dedicated service includes: secretary of the New England Writers Association since 1964; chairman of the New England Writers Association football and hockey banquets since 1964; and executive director and former president of the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, now known as the
Jack Grinold Chapter. From the latter, he received the Contribution to Amateur Football Award in 1994, and in 1996 the National Foundation honored him with its Chapter Leadership Award. The New England Football Writers named their Division I-AA coach of the year award the
Jack Grinold Award.
Grinold served as chairman of CoSIDA's Committee on Committees. Additionally, he has served as a press steward for the Eastern Sprints for 33 years and was press steward at the venue of rowing and canoeing at the 1984 Olympiad in Los Angeles. He also is the secretary of Boston's celebrated Beanpot hockey tournament.
He was honored by Boston University as the first non-media person to be the recipient of the Scarlet Quill Award and was the first-ever recipient of the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston's John Baronian Award for lifetime contribution to football in 1997. In 2012, he received a lifetime achievement award from the 33 Touchdown Club.
Grinold's expertise is not limited to college athletics. He is a recognized sports historian and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows, including Costas Coast to Coast. He has appeared on SportsChannel, ESPN, NESN and WABU, discussing the early days of sports in Boston.
Away from sports, he is a proprietor of the Boston Athenaeum and has been elected to the Colonial Society of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Historical Society, where he served on the Art Committee. He served on the Community Advisory Board to the trustees of WGBH-TV, and is currently vice president of the Victorian Society of New England, where he chaired the Preservation Awards Committee for 20 years, and is a former director of the Gibson House Museum.
Additionally, he has written a history of the Hampshire House (formerly Bayard Thayer mansion) and contributed to Preview, the bi-monthly publication of the Museum of Fine Arts, and the prestigious New England Quarterly.
Grinold is a member of the Class of 1957 at Bowdoin College and the Class of 1953 at Browne and Nichols Country Day School. He also spent time in the United States Merchant Marine.
In 2008, Grinold and his wife, Cathy, established a $1.25 million endowment at Northeastern that will benefit men's rowing. Additionally, the athletics department raised $350,000 to endow the Grinold Family Scholarship for student-athletes. The press box at the university's historic Matthews Arena is now named the
Jack Grinold Media Center.
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