July 12, 2007

DeFAZIO NAMED INTERIM ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT NJCU

WILL ALSO SERVE AS NJAC PRESIDENT IN 2007-08

Alice DeFazio, who in her first 16 years at New Jersey City University has served as head women’s basketball coach, senior women’s administrator, assistant director of athletics, and most recently as associate director of athletics, has been appointed as the Interim Director of Athletics at the University. DeFazio will also represent NJCU as President of the New Jersey Athletic Conference for the 2007-08 academic year.

DeFazio succeeds Lawrence R. Schiner, who retired on July 1 after 40 years of service to the University, including the last 30 as athletics director. DeFazio is only the fourth athletics director in NJCU history, following Les Fries (1934-59; 25 years), Thomas M. Gerrity (1958-77; 19 years) and Schiner (1977-2007).

“I am looking forward to the challenge of leading the NJCU athletics department,” said DeFazio, who officially assumed duties as A.D. on July 1. “I am both excited and confident that we will continue to move forward, and am anxious to lead our coaches and student-athletes.”

The 2007-08 year will be her 17^th at NJCU overall. She served 14 years over two stints as head women’s basketball coach, and is the winningest coach in school history.

She was originally appointed assistant athletics director and senior women’s administrator in August 1995, before being elevated to the associate athletics director role on August 26, 2003. In that role she was NJCU’s eligibility and compliance officer. Other administrative responsibilities included assessment and department reports and purchasing, in addition to serving as the liaison for all head coaches and chairing committees.

On March 5, 2007, she received the Outstanding Associate Athletic Director/SWA Award from the All-American Football Foundation.

She has served on the NCAA Regional Selection Committee and ECAC Metro Selection Committee for women’s basketball.

DeFazio has been involved for years in the furthering of women’s athletics. A long-time member of the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NJAIAW), she served as President for two years from 2004-06. With the NJAIAW, she is involved with nominating a deserving NJCU athlete for the organization’s Woman of the Year awards program. She was on the executive board of the Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), serving as secretary from 1999-2003, and was the basketball liaison for the WIAC.

DeFazio completed her final year as NJCU’s women’s basketball coach in 2004-05, guiding the Gothic Knights to a 14-13 record and an appearance in the Association of Division III Independents Northeast II championship game. She collected 108 wins in her 14-year career at the helm of the women’s program, before stepping down to concentrate on her role as an athletics administrator.

Overall, DeFazio is a member of three athletic Halls of Fame. On September 28, 2006, she was inducted into the Jersey City Sports Hall of Fame in honor of her outstanding high school and collegiate basketball career. She was inducted into the Hudson County Sports Hall of Fame in January 1998 and the Montclair State University Athletic Hall of Fame on April 17, 1994.

As a collegiate women’s basketball player, DeFazio finished her career as Montclair State’s all-time leader in both assists and steals. She still is the all-time leader in assists with 630 from 1977-80, nearly 100 more than the second-place player (Wykemia Kelley, 537).

But what she will be most remembered for as a player is her role as a sophomore starting point guard in 1978, on a team that featured all-time great Carol Blazejowski. That year, she helped the Indians to the first Final Four in the history of women’s college basketball.  Montclair State fell to eventual champion UCLA by just eight points at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA on March 23, 1978 before claiming a 90-88 overtime victory over Wayland Baptist the next day in the consolation game for third place in the nation. The silver anniversary of that Montclair team was celebrated before an NJCU/MSU game on February 05, 2003.

In June 1980, she was selected in the second round of the Women’s Professional Basketball League draft by the New York Stars. When the Stars folded, the talented playmaker was signed as a free agent by the San Francisco Pioneers, and was subsequently traded to St. Louis, where she finished the 1980-81 season.

At St. Anthony’s High School in Jersey City, she earned All-Hudson County honors three times and to the Prep All-America team as a senior. She was twice a team captain, and earned All-State distinction in her senior season when she became a 1,000-point scorer (1,096 total).