2007 LMU
VOLLEYBALL
administration UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
ATHLETICS DIRECTOR
Rev. Robert B. Lawton, S.J., was named the 14th president of Loyola Marymount University on June 1, 1999. Father Lawton leads LMU into the next millennium after serving as the dean of Georgetown College at Georgetown University since 1989. Lawton, a classicist, scripture scholar, administrator, and priest, was born in Cumberland, Maryland, and entered the Society of Jesus in July 1965. Possessing a wealth of experience in both university teaching and administration, Fr. Lawton comes to LMU after giving 20 years of service to Georgetown University. Serving as the assistant Dean from 1984-89, Fr. Lawton also taught in the Theology department as an adjunct assistant professor during that period. He started at the University in 1977 as an assistant professor of Theology and worked in that capacity until 1979. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in classics from Fordham University in 1971, graduating Phi Beta Kappa (summa cum laude). Fr. Lawton went on to attend Harvard University where he completed his doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in 1977. Fr. Lawton was a Danforth and Woodrow Wilson Fellow at Harvard. He was ordained in 1981. Following his preparation for ordination from 1979-81, Fr. Lawton traveled to Germany to conduct independent study in both German and theology. In 1982, he accepted an assistant professorship teaching Hebrew and Aramaic at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Italy, a post he held until 1984. In addition to his teaching and administrative duties at Georgetown, Fr. Lawton served on numerous campus committees examining such areas as campus planning, student life, freshman and transfer student admissions, and community relations. Outside of the University he has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Scranton and Fairfield University. Father Lawton holds the rank of professor in LMU’s Departments of Theological Studies and Classics.
Dr. William S. Husak is in his 10th year as the Athletics Director at Loyola Marymount University. Since taking over the program in 1998, LMU has reached a new level of success. While the Lions’ success has been some of the best in program history, Husak firmly believes the program has “just scratched the surface.” His administrative efforts have focused on developing a team of coaches, support staff and administrators who believe that LMU’s athletics program can be among the elite in the nation. This period of time has been marked by enhancing the support of the athletic teams through the creation of the Student-Athlete Academic Center and the Lions’ Strength and Conditioning Center, increased scholarship and operational support and enhancing the coaching and support staff. The past nine years have been some of the most successful seasons in school history as the Lions won over 57 percent of its dual competitions in that span and claimed the school’s first ever Commissioner’s Cup. Since 1998, LMU has claimed 22 conference championships and 32 NCAA postseason appearances. Off the field, the Lions have had a 50 percent increase in national scholar-athletes as 155 claimed the honor in the 2006-07 academic year. Husak attributes the current success and the future growth of the program to the staff that is in place. Since he took over the program, the coaching and administrative staffs that lend support to the more than 375 student-athletes has more than doubled in size. A full-time head coach will lead 19 of the varsity sports sponsored at LMU. When Husak took over, only nine of the programs were led by full-time coaches. In addition, support for the student-athletes was enhanced with the addition of eight brand new staff positions, which included an athletic academic coordinator, marketing/promotions manager, corporate relations manager, two assistant athletic trainers, a strength and conditioning assistant coach and an assistant media relations director. Husak comes from a long and accomplished background as an administrator, fundraiser and professor during a 19-year career at California State University, Long Beach. Between 1993-1998, he served as the Senior Associate Athletics Director and was mainly responsible for Athletics fundraising. While at CSULB between 1983 and 1997, Husak served as an assistant commissioner for the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Between 1986 and 1993 he served as chairman of CSULB's physical education department. As an associate professor of physical education at CSULB between 1979 and 1986, he established the university's Motor Behavior Laboratory. A 1972 graduate of State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland, Husak holds a master's degree and Ph.D. in Physical Education from Texas A&M University. He and his wife of 34 years, Tish, live in Long Beach and have three sons, Greg, Todd and Jon.
originof “lions” Although its origin is somewhat clouded, the Lion mascot has been synonymous with Loyola Marymount University for more than 80 years. According to the October 5, 1923 edition of the school newspaper, the Los Angeles Loyolan, the Lion mascot was suggested by an enthusiastic fan after 1919 when St. Vincent’s College became Loyola College. Noting the Loyola football players’ fierce competitiveness, that fan described the Loyola players as Lions. The name did not generate too much popularity and the Loyola athletic nickname remained “Loyolans” until 1923. At that time, the article explains, the college wished to inspire new pride in its athletes and fans. Noting the success of nicknames for other colleges, Loyola College opted to give the “Lions” nickname a rebirth. Calling the old Lion mascot “mistreated and forgotten,” the article explains that the Lion would officially find its way into all college songs and cheers. The Lion has remained firmly entrenched in Loyola lore to this day. An alternative origin story traced the nickname to the abundance of actual mountain lions which roamed Westchester when Loyola College moved here in 1927. The area remained widely unpopulated and teemed with wildlife when the school moved atop the bluffs. School officials reportedly adopted the nickname because mountain lions inhabited the area when ground was broken.
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lmufightsong Fight on Loyola, Fight to win! Roar on you Lions, Roar again! Keep up the spirit born of old, Our loyalty will ne’er grow cold! Fight on Loyola, We’re all here Backing you with a cheer! We’re beside you, Here to guide you So Fight! Fight! Fight!