BRONX, N.Y.- In a ceremony nearly five years in the making, the Fordham Athletic Department formally dedicated the Frank McLaughlin Family Court inside the Rose Hill Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon in honor of a man who has devoted nearly six decades to his alma mater.
 
The dedication was held at halftime of the Rams' 68-60 win over Harvard.
 

"I'm so thrilled that we were finally able to formally recognize Frank and his family for all of their contributions to Fordham over the years," said Athletic Director Ed Kull.  "Frank's guidance of the department resulted not only in numerous championships, but thousands of student-athletes going on to become respected leaders in their chosen fields over the course of three decades.  We thank Frank for all of his contributions and look forward to the guidance that he will continue to provide in the years to come."
 
After graduating from Fordham Prep in 1965, McLaughlin enrolled at the University, where he was a standout on the hardwood under head coaches John Bach and Ed Conlin and led the Rams to winning records in each of his three varsity seasons. After serving as a team captain during his senior campaign, McLaughlin was drafted by the New York Knicks in the 10^th round of the 1969 NBA Draft. 
 
"I want to thank my Fordham family," McLaughlin said during remarks made at halftime with dozens of his family members flanking him. "When we played in the late 60s, our team was ranked in the top 20 in the country and our junior and senior year, we never lost a game at Rose Hill, 23 in a row. I think good things are in our future."
 
After graduation, he spent one year as an assistant coach at Holy Cross before returning to his alma mater for the 1970-71 season, a campaign that saw the Rams finish 26-3 with a no. 9 national ranking.  He then followed Head Coach Richard "Digger" Phelps to Notre Dame, where he remained on staff until taking the head coaching job at Harvard in 1977.  McLaughlin led the Crimson for eight seasons before returning to Fordham to assume the role of athletic director in 1985.  He held that position until 2012 when he was promoted to associate vice president of student affairs for athletic alumni relations and external affairs/athletic director emeritus.
 
In addition to his duties at Fordham, McLaughlin, a Bronx native, also served as the president of the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association, which was responsible for putting on the preseason and postseason National Invitation Tournaments.  He and his family were also very active in numerous local charitable endeavors.
 
McLaughlin and his wife, Susan, have three daughters, all of whom are alumnae of Fordham: Tara, Mary and Colleen.