Athletics Hall of Fame
Dick Sakala was the Athletic Director at Union from 1977 until his retirement in 2000. He returned to serve the department during a transitional period in 2004-05. During his tenure, Sakala was the architect of one of the most successful NCAA Division III programs in the East. Union's football and swimming & diving teams were national contenders, while the field hockey, women's volleyball, men's lacrosse, baseball, softball and women's lacrosse teams enjoyed postseason success within the ECAC and NYSWCAA. Union's men's ice hockey team was considered one of the finest in the ECAC and the nation at the Division III level before moving into Division I in 1991. A former president of the ECAC, Sakala served on the ECAC Executive Council and also was a member of the NCAA Division III Football Committee. Sakala was a driving force behind the formation of the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (now "Liberty League") in 1995. He oversaw the renovation of numerous Union athletic facilities, and was presented with the Alumni Association's Faculty Meritorious Service Award in 1984. Sakala, a 1962 Columbia graduate and former star quarterback for the Lions, resides in Saratoga Springs, NY.
