ECAC Honors Jack Powers at MSG Holiday Festival
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J. – As part of the ECAC’s partnership with the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival presented by Advanced Auto Parts, five legendary figures in intercollegiate athletics were honored at the 2014 Holiday Festival on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014. Among the notable honorees is John “Jack” Powers (Manhattan College/NIT Executive Director) who received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Powers served nine years as the athletic director at Manhattan College, followed by a position as executive director of the National Invitation Tournament from 1988 until August 2005. A 1958 graduate of Manhattan College as well, Powers is well known for his playing career as a Jasper. He completed his collegiate career with 1,139 points and was named team captain in his senior year. His athletic abilities earned him a spot as a draft pick for the Syracuse Nationals in 1958. Powers guided the Jaspers squad to a total of three postseason appearances – two NCAA tournaments and one NIT.
Powers also served on the Executive Council of the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A), while serving as president of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the Metropolitan Basketball Association and the Tri-State Soccer League.
Additionally, Powers was Manhattan's representative to the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association, the sponsoring body of the NIT. He began his career as a high school basketball coach, but returned to Manhattan as the head men's basketball coach in 1968. He led the team for 10 seasons, posting a record of 142-114. In 1973, the Jaspers won the ECAC Holiday Festival and made four appearances in the NIT.
Powers joins the ranks of notable college athletics figures such as Tom Young – the winningest coach in Rutgers men’s basketball history, Donald “Dee” Rowe – head coach at Connecticut from 1969-77, Darryl Brown – 1974 ECAC Holiday Festival Most Valuable Player, and Bill Schaeffer – Most Valuable Player of the 1972 ECAC Holiday Festival. This year’s ECAC awards were presented by Webster Bank.
About the ECAC
In the 76 years since its inception, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has emerged as the nation's largest Conference. The ECAC has grown considerably from its charter membership of 58, currently boasting over 300 member schools in Divisions I, II and III, ranging in location from Maine to South Carolina, and westerly to Missouri. In the 2014-15 academic year, the ECAC will host nearly 100 championships in 32 men's and women's sports as the sponsors of over 5,800 varsity teams and 111,000 male and female athletes. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.