Steve Yianoukos ’72 is retiring in June as one of the longest-serving collegiate athletic administrators in the country and in the unique role of serving both DI and DIII sports. The University held a special recognition ceremony with President Tony Collins, ECAC Commissioner Steve Hagwell, alumni
Yianoukos, who started working in the department in 1984, was named Clarkson University’s Director of Athletics in August 2005. The Potsdam, NY native, became the University’s eighth athletic director and has been actively involved with Clarkson’s Department of Physical Education, Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation since his undergraduate days at the University in the early 1970s. Prior to taking the helm in 2005, Steve served as the Associate Director of Athletics and before that was the executive officer of Physical Education/Recreation at the University from 1984 to 1997.
During his tenure the department has seen unprecedented growth. Most notably he has overseen the rise in women’s sports with three National Championships from Women’s Hockey, Four Elite 8 appearances in Women’s Volleyball, and he was instrumental in adding softball to the list of varsity athletic offerings at the University.
Under his direction the Athletic Department has had 26 NCAA Tournament Appearances, hosted five NCAA Volleyball Regional Tournaments and three NCAA Women’s Hockey Tournament games, and the teams have won five USCSA Championships for Nordic and Alpine Skiing. Since 2005 the men’s and women’s hockey program have earned five regular-season ECAC Championships and three ECAC Tournament Championships. Cheel Arena has hosted two ECAC Women’s Hockey Tournament Championships in 2017 and 2018, and Clarkson has won the past three in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Over the past fifteen years both the Division I and the Division III programs have produced 34 different student-athletes achieving All-American status, some with multiple honors, with Jamie Lee Rattray ’14 winning the Patty Kazmaier Award for Women’s Hockey, in 2013-2014, and John Coleman was chosen as a 2016 Today’s Top 10 Award Winner by the NCAA among 530,000 student-athletes for both his academic and athletic accomplishments in baseball and basketball.
Throughout his fifteen years at the helm, Steve has continually looked at ways to enhance the overall student-athlete experience. Steve has been an advocate for the #LetsCUGive campaign, which has raised over $400,000 in the past three years and has helped to cultivate a culture of giving among not only alumni but current students, staff and community members. Steve has also been instrumental in getting the Cheel Renovation project off the ground, which is set for completion in Fall of 2019.
If you wish to make a gift in honor of Steve and his years of service at Clarkson, please click here.
Click here to view a photo gallery and learn more about Steve’s tenure at Clarkson.
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