Verona Resident Named Administrator of the Year

The East Coast Athletic Conference will honor Cedar Grove native Mark Griffin Sunday night.

Griffin, who lives in Verona, will be recognized as the East Coast Athletic Conference Josten's Male Administrator of the Year.

He is the athletic director at Rutgers-Newark and will be honored at the organization’s 24th annual convention and trade show in Groton, Conn.
“I’m flattered to receive this award and I think it really reflects on some of the great people I work with,” said Griffin. “Without their contributions, none this would be possible.”

Griffin was nominated by Michael Alvarez, the Assistant Director of Athletics at Rutgers-Newark and awarded the honor by a five-member committee chaired by Rutgers-Newark Director of Championships Ben Layton.

Griffin attended Montclair State University and was named an All-America javelin thrower in the early ‘80’s and was also named an All-America in water polo in 1984. He has been Director of Athletics at Rutgers University-Newark since 2004 and a member of the ECAC Executive Board since 2009.

During his tenure at Rutgers, Griffin has helped the program grow from 10 Division III sports to 16 as well has overseen additions of a fitness center, a new turf field, new gymnasium floor and expanded locker rooms.

He has also provided the university with a steady stream of new revenue including facility rentals, memberships, marketing. He has even started an annual golf outing.

“When I first got here we used to joke that Rutgers-Newark was the best kept secret,” he said. “I haven’t heard that in many years and I think that's because our department has done a great job in getting the word out.”

For more information on attending the honors dinner, call ECAC Director of Communications, Roger Crosley at (508) 771-5060, ext. 230.