Rochester, New York – Over 100 members of the RIT Athletic Community gathered to inaugurate the recently completed pitch at Tiger Stadium Doug Mayfieldat a ceremony honoring the late Tigers men’s soccer coach, Saturday afternoon.
RIT President David Munson welcomed members of the May family including Doug’s brother Jim, daughter Erin and son Kevin, while other speakers included men’s soccer graduate Rob Mojsej ’89 and May’s former assistant coach and close friend Dan Hickey. Members of a group of over 70 alumni and friends who helped the department meet its goal of raising $1 million to name the field in memory of May were also on hand to participate in the celebration.
“By naming the heart of the stadium where the RIT Tigers will train and play, we applaud the spirit of excellence that has been central to Doug’s coaching and mentoring,” said Munson. “This is a great milestone in our effort to fund the new Tiger Stadium complex and we are pleased to see the strong support for our plans to provide the best experience for our student athletes, student and campus supporters, alumni and Rochester community .”
After the ceremony, the RIT men’s soccer team took on Nazareth in the first on-field competition. May also trained in Nazareth from 1996 until his death in 2004.
“It was really overwhelming and humbling,” he said Kevin May, who is also an RIT assistant men’s football coach. “My dad would laugh and shake his head at the fuss being made about him. It is a truly proud moment for our family and we want to thank everyone at RIT for this honor.”
May, the most successful coach in RIT men’s soccer history, led the Tigers to 11 NCAA tournament appearances, including four national semifinals and a runner-up finish in 1988. During his 15-year tenure from 1980 to 1995, he put in a 195 – 56-24 record, including a 57-game unbeaten streak in the 1983-87 regular season and was named 1989 National Coach of the Year.
“We are very proud that Coach May’s presence will be seen and felt at the heart of the new Tiger Stadium,” said the current RIT men’s football head coach Bill Garno. “It’s a fitting tribute to his spirit and profound influence on student athletes, RIT football and the local and national football communities.”
May mentored nine All-Americans, 47 New York State All-Stars and 106 All-Conference players during his tenure and made a lasting and lasting impact on the lives of his student-athletes, as well as his friends and colleagues.
“We are honored that our new pitch was named after a coach who had a profound impact not just on RIT Athletics but on the entire community,” said the Executive Director of Athletics Jacqueline Nicholson. “The tremendous support we have received for naming this field after Coach May demonstrates how invested our alumni have been in the continued success of our athletic programs and is a testament to the impact Coach May has had on his players.”
Saturday’s ceremony was the culmination of phase one of the total renovation of Tigers Stadium – a high-visibility, state-of-the-art venue for the men’s and women’s soccer teams and the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The field naming was part of a total $5 million fundraising goal for the stadium project, which would be built after that goal was reached. Find out more about the Tiger Stadium Project and visit rit.edu/giving/TigerStadium to make a gift.
The stadium project is also included Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness, a $1 billion university fundraiser, the largest in the university’s history. This mixed campaign seeks support from a wide variety of investors, including alumni and friends, government and corporate partners, and research foundations and agencies. The campaign has raised $920 million so far.
Comments are closed.