Former King’s Athletic Director Inducted Into CACC Hall of Fame

NEW YORK, N.Y. (February 6, 2016) — The gentleman who had the vision to call a meeting of eight schools of similar characteristics in 1961 — which resulted in the formation of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) — was honored Friday night, as the late Norm Wilhelmi was officially inducted into the CACC Hall of Fame.

The ceremony to officially induct Mr. Wilhelmi took place during halftime of the women’s basketball game between The King’s College of New York and Davis College, which was held on the campus of Baruch College in downtown Manhattan.

CACC Commissioner Dan Mara spoke to the importance of the meeting that was held in 1961 and how Mr. Wilhelmi was a champion for the CACC for several decades, along with being a leader for Christian College Athletics. Mara presented Norm’s son, Jay Wilhelmi, with a framed portrait depicting several images of Mr. Wilhelmi in action during his amazing administrative career.

Jay Wilhelmi added several personal stories about his father and how much the school and conference meant to him during his time as an athletic director. Sean Horan, who serves as the current Director of Athletics at The King’s, also spoke and shared with the crowd how much Mr. Wilhelmi served as a role model and impacted his own career.

Mr. Wilhelmi, who served as the Director of Athletics at The King’s College, brought together the ADs of seven other schools in 1961 to discuss a partnership so that all sports at those institutions could compete on equal footing. The other seven schools to be represented at the meeting included Bloomfield College, Dowling College, The King’s College, Marist College, Monmouth College, Nyack College, C.W. Post College and Southampton College. It was decided at the meeting to form the CACC and competition within the conference began in the fall of 1961.

Since 1961, the CACC has served as one of the finest conferences in America in promoting the athletic and academic accomplishments of its student-athletes. Without Mr. Wilhelmi’s vision, the success the conference experiences today would not be possible.

Wilhelmi, who was affectionately known as “Coach,” served many years as Director of Athletics, coach and teacher at King’s and later at Montreat-Anderson College in Montreat, N.C. Along with his teaching and coaching duties, he led the way in the founding of the East Coast Christian College All-Sports Tournament, the National Christian College Physical Education Association (NCCPEA), the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) and the Annual Christian College Baseball Tournament out of which developed a baseball clinic ministry teaching baseball skills and introducing Jesus to German youth. For many years, he hosted a nationwide radio broadcast that used sports stories to tell listeners about Christian colleges and mission sports programs.

Mr. Wilhelmi passed away on Oct. 24, 2012, at the age of 86.

Mr. Wilhelmi officially becomes the third inductee in the CACC Hall of Fame, joining former University of the Sciences’ coaching great Bobby Morgan and Georgian Court University women’s basketball star Carol Walters. The conference announced its inaugural class on Sept. 1, 2015, and throughout the remainder of the academic year, the conference has been or will be honoring individuals on their respective campuses. The CACC will be officially inducting Dominican College great Maryellen Massey Montera on Saturday, a day after Mr. Wilhelmi’s induction. The final two members of the class who will be recognized this spring includes former Bloomfield College Director of Athletics, the late Alfred R. Restaino Sr., and Goldey-Beacom College golfing great Michael Tobiason. Mr. Restaino will be honored at a Bloomfield baseball game this spring, while Tobiason will be recognized at the conference’s golf championship banquet in April in Wilmington, Del.

The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference composed of 14 institutions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The member institutions are Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Concordia (N.Y.) College, Dominican (N.Y.) College, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Nyack College, Philadelphia University, Post University of Waterbury, University of the Sciences, and Wilmington University.

This story was originally published on the CACC Athletics website and is used with permission. See the original story here.