A Look At John Fuzak
10/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 28, 2005
NOTE: In honor of the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony this Saturday, Oct. 29, msuspartans.com will take an in-depth look at each of the five honorees throughout this week. Today is a look at John Fuzak.
JOHN FUZAK (FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE: 1959-79)
By Ashley Johnson, MSU Sports Information
John Fuzak was a faculty member at Michigan State from 1948-79. For someone who never attended MSU, John Fuzak is truly a representative of what it means to bleed green. He was a faculty member at MSU for 31 years and a representative to the Big Ten for 20 years, displaying a dedication to both this institution, and the athletic department.
"When I completed my doctorate at the University of Illinois I started looking around for other things, and Michigan State was pretty obvious, with an outstanding president in John Hannah," said Fuzak. "Working with him is probably a highlight of my time at MSU, the kind of highlight not many people have the opportunity for."
Fuzak became a faculty member in 1948 as an assistant professor in the College of Education. He was appointed associate professor in 1950, professor in 1956 and assistant dean in 1960.
He became the Vice President of Student Affairs from 1961-66, a position that included overseeing the intramural athletic program. Fuzak was well suited for the job due to his own athletic background as an undergrad at the University of Illinois, where he played baseball, basketball and football.
From 1959-79, Fuzak was a member of the MSU Athletic Council and was a Big Ten Faculty Representative.
"With the kind of people we had working on our athletic counsel, working with them was more significant than any such honor as the hall of fame," said Fuzak, "although this is a great honor."
From 1971-74 Fuzak was also a member of the NCAA council, and from 1975 and 1976 he was head of the NCAA. It was a difficult time for the university, with the football program under investigation, and Fuzak head of the NCAA.
"I offered to step down as NCAA president when the investigation of Michigan State got underway, but I was refused," said Fuzak in an interview with the Flint Journal on August 26, 1976. "It's been an unusual experience but not all of it unpleasant."
He was also involved with the NCAA in other ways as well. Fuzak was Chairman of the NCAA Long Range Planning Committee, the Academic Testing and Requirements Commission, and the Executive Committee at other times in his career.
"There were many, many issues, some of which they're still tangling with and it took quite a bit of time," said Fuzak. "Of course this was on top of everything else, and it was over and above my regular assignments."
Following his retirement from MSU, Fuzak served as the Associate Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and for a brief time, was the Interim Commissioner of the ACC.
In 1988 he received a Special Merit Award in recognition of his contributions to Intercollegiate Athletics. He has also been honored at Michigan State as an Honorary Alumnus, Honorary Varsity Club Member, and an Honorary Varsity Alumni Club Member.
"It's a very great honor," said Fuzak of his induction. "I spent most of my productive years at Michigan State University, and I feel a great allegiance to the university."
Players Mentioned
