The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC), which consists of 10 institutions in its senior college division and five institutions in its community college division, was first conceived in the early 1970s. It was during this period that the athletic directors representing the senior colleges began to meet as a group. Their meetings initially focused on matters pertaining to scheduling, but it soon became apparent that their programs had many other significant factors in common. Of particular note, for example, was the similarity in the academic goals of respective institutions, athletic philosophies, geographic proximity of their campuses and large numbers of student-athletes already involved in inter-campus competition.
This underscored the need for greater unification among CUNY athletic programs. So in 1972, the CUNY Athletic Directors Association was formed. The major thrust of the Association was to bring the existing athletic activities into an organized conference structure. In the next few years, along with men’s basketball (which began in 1966), CUNY Championships in men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, softball and baseball were contested. In 1978, the athletic directors of the ten charter member institutions (Baruch, Brooklyn, City College, Hunter, John Jay, Lehman, Medgar Evers, Queens, College of Staten Island, and York) ratified a constitution which informally brought the CUNY Athletic Conference into being.
In the years that followed, Brooklyn and Queens Colleges withdrew from the conference to establish membership in NCAA Division I and II, respectively. Spearheaded by the work of Dr. Roscoe Brown, then President of Bronx Community College, the CUNY Board of Trustees passed a resolution in 1987 which formally sanctioned the existence of the CUNYAC for the eight remaining charter members and expanded it to include a five-member community college division (Bronx, BMCC, Kingsborough, New York City Tech, and Queensborough). The late Michael Steuerman, the Athletic Director at Bronx, was named the first-ever conference commissioner and served in that post until 1991. During Steuerman’s tenure championships in women’s and men’s tennis and men’s volleyball were added to the senior college slate, while complemented by men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, men’s soccer and baseball for the two-year schools. He also oversaw the development of the various events as well as increasing the corporate support for the CUNYAC Championships.
In 1996, CUNYAC welcomed back Brooklyn College from a 12-year hiatus. In 1999, New York City Technical College received NCAA approval to upgrade their program from a two-year junior college to a four-year senior college institution. That, in effect, bolstered the senior college division of the CUNYAC to 10 members. At the same time, CUNYAC continued to work on encouraging implementation of intercollegiate programs at Hostos Community College, with the Bronx school coming on board in September 2002.
After years of hard work, perhaps the greatest achievement of CUNYAC took place as the 20th century came to a close. The conference was granted automatic qualification berths to the NCAA Division III Championships in men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and softball. In addition to those “AQ” berths, CUNYAC also secured the same opportunity for men’s and women’s tennis student-athletes in the 2006-07 campaign, bringing the number of CUNY champions that will make a trip to the NCAA Division III Championships to seven.
The past decade have also brought some additional changes to the CUNYAC office. Long-time Associate Director Zak Ivkovic was promoted to the Executive Director’s post, and added two additional full-time Assistant Director positions in the process. Next, the CUNY Athletic Conference relocated, leaving the Apex at Lehman College in the Bronx after 13 years for the friendly and impartial confines of Queens College in Flushing. Besides the Executive Director, CUNYAC currently boasts four full-time positions and a handful of part-time posts; a huge improvement from twenty years ago when only the top spot was full-time.
Equally significant has been the work of CUNYAC’s corporate sponsors over the years. Even before the CUNY Board of Trustees envisioned a formal recognition of the athletic conference within the CUNY system, Con Edison jumped on board to support the annual gathering of the top local talent within the Big Apple that the company serves. That support has continued and grown substantially through the years, with this year’s championship marking the 34th year of collaboration. For the first 20 years one person was there all along - Ellis Bullock, Jr., the former Manager of Con Edison’s Community Relations. Although Mr. Bullock retired from his post in 1995, his legacy of reaching out to the community on behalf of Con Edison continues under the new leadership today.
A number of other sponsors have joined the CUNYAC corporate partnership family, including Hospital for Special Surgery, Modell’s Sporting Goods, Dell, Pepsi and new sponsor EmblemHealth, while the University Student Senate continues to aid their athletically inclined student body. The CUNY Athletic Conference has enjoyed a tremendous amount of national success in recent years as the Conference has raised its profile nationally.
Success has come through hard work and determination across the board- both on the fields of play and behind the scenes. Up front, everyone sees the fruits of these labors, the championships, the titles, the wins and losses. It’s easy to see the student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators, but do not see the medical support staff, administrators, academic support staff and school presidents.
The triumphs have come in many sports, both with men’s and women’s teams encompassing every CUNYAC member institution, and in both the senior and the junior college divisions. Spoils include both individual and team honors, including All-America, Academic All-America, All-Region, national statistical leaders, All-State, team regional and national rankings, Regional Championships, Final Four appearances and National Championships. Sports include basketball, swimming, wrestling, indoor and outdoor track and field, baseball, cross country, soccer, volleyball, fencing, softball and tennis. The CUNY Athletic Conference is proud of our success, and is not shy about letting people know. But the focus must be on more than just athletic achievements. After all, the City University of New York is here to educate the people of the five boroughs. That mission cannot be understated.
Academically, several schools are among the nation’s best and most competitive. Our student-athletes continue to make use of their opportunities, graduating and becoming good citizens of this great city. Our student-athletes support this mission daily, as is evidenced by the numerous community service programs. Whether hosting events on campus to promote cancer awareness and research or collecting food and clothing for the needy, our student-athletes understand this City, and are here to continue to make it great!