Bucknell University Athletics
Selected Quotes from May 1 Celebration of Bucknell Athletics: The Bison Scholar-Athlete
5/3/2004 8:00:00 AM | General
May 3, 2004
Steffen Rogers
University President
"Our student-athletes perform at the highest level. They are at the top of their field academically, and they are at the top of their field athletically. And for that, I am personally very proud."
Charlie Pollock
Vice President for Student Affairs
"It's magnificent to have such a wonderful turnout to take stock in one of Bucknell's genuine points of pride."
"We are here to celebrate the way in which Bucknell eclipses every other college and university in the United States - that is in its embodiment of the scholar-athlete ideal."
"What cannot be measured are the key ingredients combined to produce these results: the discipline of the student-athletes, the commitment of the coaches and staff to the education and character development of the young men and women in their care, and generous support - both moral and financial - of the alumni and friends of Bison Athletics."
"Athletics makes strong statements about Bucknell. They signal our high standards and seriousness of purpose in our endeavors, curricular and extracurricular."
"Our competitive success reflects commitment of students and university alike, bringing distinction and national recognition to these 400 acres set apart."
John Hardt
Director of Athletics and Recreation
"Although athletics at Bucknell dates back all the way to 1850, there is one thing that has not changed, and that is an unwavering commitment to the scholar-athlete model."
"Even more gratifying is that we have established a history and culture of competing successfully at the NCAA's highest level, and winning the right way - the Bucknell Way."
"We do this by fully incorporating athletics into the student's overall educational experience and ensuring that our Bison athletes are academically representative of their class. We have set national standards of excellence for others to follow."
Brandi Trapasso '04
Bucknell Volleyball Co-Captain, Academic All-District Selection
"When I came to Bucknell in August of 2000 for preseason, I did not know what to expect. I did not know that my coach would make me a more determined and dedicated athlete than I ever thought possible. I never thought that I'd have teammates that would be like sisters. I also did not know I'd learn life lessons I will take with me after I graduate."
"Being a Bucknell athlete is not easy. When I came to Bucknell I took on a challenge of balancing academics and athletics at the college level."
"The Bucknell athletics program is set apart from so many other Division I programs. They want you to succeed as an athlete, that's why we have so many championships. But it goes beyond the athletics. The Bucknell athletic department wants you to succeed every day in the classroom. That's why we have so many athletes on the Dean's List, so many Academic All-Americans, and most of all why our graduation rates are the highest in the country."
David "Whitey" Berardinelli '93
Former Bucknell Football Captain, Academic All-American
"No matter how many banners hang [from the rafters], no matter how many Presidents' Cups we win, the real purpose of this athletic program is to create talented young men and women. And we do that better than any school in the country."
"There is something about being a student-athlete that makes you special and makes you different. You develop and inherently have characteristics and qualities that lead to success in life. You develop a certain dedication to yourself and others, a work ethic that is unparalleled, a sense of perseverance, calculated risk-taking, and I think most important, the self-confidence that comes from being in action on the field."
"And all of those things translate into success in life. The same skills that make you a good shooter, or a good receiver or a good midfielder also make you a good student, or a good husband or wife, or a good father or mother, or a success professionally or civically."
"Why does Bucknell have a niche producing a unique brand of those kind of people? I think there are three reasons. First, is the place itself. I obviously have a biased point of view but I think it is the most wonderful place on earth. I met my wife and best friends here, and some of my fondest memories happened here. Every time I drive up Route 15 and see Christy's Gate, I get a sense of exhilaration and pride. The second reason is the staff. Unlike at schools where when you sit down in the athletic office they want to know your 40 time, when you come to the Bucknell athletic office, they want to know about how your classes are going or how your family is doing. That is what's important here. The coaches and staff care about you as a person. Last is the students. Bucknell recruits self-starters, and self-starters like Bucknell. It is a perfect match. As long as we keep having that perfect match, we are going to keep putting up Presidents' Cup banners and maintain impressive graduation rates."
"There is something to be said about being a successful student-athlete. When you go out into the business world or apply to graduate school, people realize that it is not easy. It is not easy to do your schoolwork and keep a full-time athletics schedule. And if you are successful at doing that, people realize you are something special."
John Feinstein
Noted author whose best-selling works include The Last Amateurs
"It is particularly a pleasure to speak in a basketball arena that is not named after a bank, or a doughnut company or a hamburger chain, but - what a quaint idea - it is named after a college professor."
"What made writing The Last Amateurs so much fun for me was the kids I was around. I remember being at the Bucknell-Lafayette game that year and noting that eight of the 10 players on the floor had a GPA of 3.2 or higher. It was a terrific basketball game for 40 minutes, and I couldn't think of a place I'd rather be that night, on a cold night in January, than watching that game. It was so special to be around kids with stories to tell, who could also play."
"You have in this room athletes who can play and will go on to be successful. I congratulate all of you on this night and on this school. I know you are all very proud of Bucknell - as you should be - but retain that pride, because you didn't inherit it, you earned it."
