Manhattan-Rutgers Ticket Information
DANBURY, Conn. – Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Board of Directors Chair Gene Doris and ECAC President and CEO Dr. Kevin T. McGinniss announced that former Manhattan College student-athlete, head coach and administrator John “Jack” Powers along with Donald “Dee” Rowe (Connecticut) will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2014 Holiday Festival.
Powers will be honored at the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Holiday Festival presented by Advanced Auto Parts on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014.
"Jack Powers has been instrumental in the development of the college basketball brand on the national stage," said Manhattan College Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Noah D. LeFevre. "He has not only dedicated his career endeavors to serving Manhattan College, but to NCAA basketball as a whole. He has been a terrific friend and mentor to me personally and the ECAC should be commended on extending him the well-deserved lifetime achievement award."
This year's event will once again showcase four ECAC institutions, as Manhattan will take on Rutgers University in the opener at 12 p.m. before St. John's University and Fordham University will take the court at 2 p.m. Powers and Rowe will be recognized at halftime of the second game while the ECAC will also present a Coaching Excellence Award to Tom Young (Rutgers). Additionally, the ECAC will recognize Darryl Brown (Fordham) and Bill Schaeffer (St. John's) with Special Achievement Awards. This year's ECAC Legends Awards will be presented by Webster Bank.
Powers served as executive director of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) from 1988 until August 2005, after spending the previous nine years as the athletics director at his alma mater, Manhattan College. During his tenure, Powers also served on the Executive Council of the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A), and was the president of the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) 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 while guiding the Jaspers to the ECAC Holiday Festival Championship in 1973 and four NIT appearances.
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.
