BROCKPORT , NY Robert Ellsworth Bob Boozer passed away on Sunday, Oct. 1, after a brief battle with cancer. He was 94.
One of the most beloved staff members in the history of SUNY Brockport, Boozer was the first coach of the football team, starting the program from scratch in 1947. But, it had taken a while to get to that point.
In the first half of the 20 th century, the students of what was then the Brockport State Teachers College continually lobbied the administration for a football team, writing letters and staging rallies. It took several years, but their efforts finally paid off. In the fall of 1947, the Golden Eagles began to play football under their new coach, a man from Dubois, Pennsylvania, who would become known as the Father of Brockport football.
That fall, Bob Boozer began a tradition at the College. He took men who had just come off the battlefields of World War II and enrolled as students at the College and turned them into a solid football team. The program grew under his respected leadership. He led the Golden Eagles for 13 years. His 1957 team went 4-2-1, the first winning season in school history, and set several defensive school records that stood for nearly half a century. That squad included three All-Americans: Phil Ciarico (1958), Bill Linkner (1959), and Leo Torre (1957 and 1958).
In the fall of 2002, after a fund-raising campaign spearheaded by his former players, the field at the Colleges Special Olympics Stadium was named Bob Boozer Field.
Boozer also coached the hugely successful track and field team for more than 20 seasons, leading Brockport to two of the first three SUNYAC mens outdoor titles, and was a staff member in the Department of Physical Education and Sport from 1947 to 1979.
Hundreds of Boozers former students and athletes went on to local and national prominence as educators, coaches, and community leaders. Many sent their own children to Brockport because of the great experiences they had, especially under Boozers mentorship as teacher and coach.
A former member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Brockport Athletics (FOBA), Bobs name is permanently attached to the Colleges end-of-the-year golf tournament each spring. The Bob Boozer Golden Eagle Open, which will celebrate its 30th playing in May 2007, raises money for the Colleges athletic program.
The following was read to the Homecoming crowd in 2002 when the field was named in his honor:
He was dedicated to his student-athletes, always caring, honest, loyal, compassionate, kind, fair, and sincere. A true gentlemen with great integrity is the description that fits him best.
The Father of Brockport football coached that sport for 13 seasons. He coached Brockports powerful track and field program for more than 20 years. He was a well-loved professor in Physical Education.
Bobs legacy of greatness has extended far beyond the wins and losses by the Golden Eagles. A fixture in the Brockport community since moving to the Village more than 55 years ago, he has literally watched his program grow from its modest beginnings to its current standing as a national powerhouse. Down on the track, surrounded by his family, friends, former players and athletes, and the people he loves so much, is Bob Boozer, for whom we gather today to continue his legacy in perpetuity. We are here to honor this man by announcing the completion of a $100,000 fund-raising effort to name the football field at the College in his honor. It is more than well-deserved; it is necessary.
And so, we ask that you please direct your attention to the scoreboard at the north end of the stadium. From this moment forward, all football games at the State University of New York College at Brockport will be played at Bob Boozer Field at Special Olympics Stadium. Congratulations, Bob. Thank you for bringing this program to life.
Boozer is survived by two daughters, Carol Barnard and Cheryl Brown. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, Oct. 5, starting at 2 pm at the First Presbyterian Church on State Street in Brockport.
