GLASSBORO, NJ  – Rowan University athletics will have a memorial service for Coach Richard Wackar on Saturday, October 22 at 10:30 a.m.  The remembrance will be held at the University's stadium, which is named in his honor.  Coach Wackar passed away on August 15.
 
After the service, there will refreshments under the tent next to the athletics patio.  Guests are invited to stay for the Rowan football game versus Wesley College at 1 p.m.  Individuals that plan to attend can register at this link http://alumni.rowan.edu/wackarmemorial.
 
Coach Wackar served as a health and physical education professor and coach at then-Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) for 32 years from 1956-88. He enjoyed great success throughout his career, including being the only coach in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) to ever win conference championships in four different sports—football, golf, basketball and cross country.
 
Coach Wackar was instrumental in building Rowan's football presence. The football team was founded in 1947.  Due to a lack of players during the Korean War and afterwards, the football program was discontinued in 1950 until 1963. Coach Wackar resurrected the program and led the Profs from 1964-80, the longest stint of any head coach at the school.  The University's stadium was dedicated in his honor in fall 2009.
 
Lovingly known as "Coach" by his students, athletes and peers, he coached four different sports. Coach Wackar was Glassboro State's golf coach for 25 years (1965-88), amassing more than 200 wins and leading the Profs to seven NJAC championships. His student-athletes collected 14 individual championships, three of his golfers were All-Americans and seven went on to play professionally.

As football coach (1963-80), Coach Wackar guided the Profs to five conference titles and one Eastern Conference championship. Four of his players received All-America honors, and one played professional football.
 
Coach Wackar was the men's basketball coach at Glassboro State from 1956-62. His teams won three state championships and finished second three times. He led the Profs to a 100-53 record during his seven seasons as head coach. Responsible for starting the sport at Glassboro State, Coach Wackar coached the men's cross country team from 1957-62. He guided the Profs to two NJAC championships, two district titles and one appearance in the national cross country championship.

An outstanding teacher at the undergraduate and graduate levels, Coach Wackar was recognized for his expertise in health education. He helped establish the health and physical education undergraduate major and graduate program at the University. Coach Wackar's input led to the development of several athletic facilities at Glassboro State.

He was a mainstay in the University and athletic community after retirement. Coach Wackar was an active member of the University's Brown and Gold Gridiron Club. One of the organization's founding members, he was a role model and mentor for alumni and current players. Coach Wackar's presence in the club bridged the gap between players of the past, present and future. He also hosted tailgate parties during home football games on Glassboro State's old football field, located behind the current scoreboard. Coach Wackar funded the gatherings with his own money, serving coffee and sandwiches to faculty, alumni and friends.

In 1993, Coach Wackar was inducted into the Rowan-Glassboro State Athletics Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the South Jersey Football Coaches, Lion (Middletown North High School), Gloucester County, South Jersey Chapter of the National Football Foundation and South Jersey Coaches Halls of Fame.

In 1982, he received the Professional Achievement Award from the New Jersey Association for Health and Physical Exercise Research and Development. Coach Wackar was the Touchdown Club of Southern New Jersey's Man of the Year in 1978. He was named Co-Coach of the Year by the New Jersey College Football Writers Association in 1977.

Prior to Glassboro State, Coach Wackar was a teacher and coach (football and track) in the New Brunswick School District from 1951-56. He earned his bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in 1951 and completed his master's in 1955. At Rutgers, Coach Wackar lettered four years in football and track and two years in basketball. In football, he was an All-East selection and played in the North-South Shrine game in 1950. A co-captain on the track team his senior season, Coach Wackar competed in the shot put, discus and hammer. He played center and forward on the basketball team.

Coach Wackar attended Middletown Township High School in Leonardo, N.J., and graduated in 1945. He played football, basketball, baseball and track, compiling 12 varsity letters. Coach Wackar was captain of the football, basketball and track teams. His senior year, he was class president and the recipient of the Rutgers Upson Scholarship.