BRONX, N.Y. – Fordham Athletics Hall of Famer Frank McLaughlin will receive the 2025 Lapchick Character Award, it has been announced by the organization.
 
McLaughlin, who dedicated parts of six decades to his alma mater as a student-athlete, coach and athletic director, will be honored at the 2025 Lapchick Award Luncheon on Sept. 19, 2025, at the New York Athletic Club.
 
McLaughlin is part of a four-person class for the prestigious accolade alongside Geno Auriemma, Phil Martelli and Gene Steratore.
 
Created in 2008 to honor the legacy of former St. John's Head Coach Joe Lapchick, The Joe Lapchick Character Award Foundation is committed to encouraging and promoting good character in the sport of basketball. Each September, the foundation recognizes a group of iconic basketball figures, from all levels of men's and women's basketball, who have demonstrated honorable character throughout their careers.
 
A 1965 Fordham Prep and 1969 Fordham graduate, McLaughlin captained the Rams as a senior before being selected by the New York Knicks in the 10th round of the NBA Draft.  Fordham turned in winning records during all three of McLaughlin's varsity seasons, including 23 consecutive victories at the Rose Hill Gym.
 
Following one season as an assistant coach at Holy Cross, McLaughlin returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach under Richard "Digger" Phelps in 1970-71, guiding Fordham to its finest season in program history with a record of 26-3, an NCAA Tournament appearance and a national ranking as high as no. 9 in the Associated Press poll. 
 
McLaughlin followed Phelps to Notre Dame before assuming the head coaching role at Harvard in 1977.  He spent eight seasons in Cambridge, where he currently ranks fifth all-time in wins, before returning to the Bronx in 1985 to become Fordham's athletic director. 
 
During his time at the helm of the department, McLaughlin saw Fordham Athletics grow exponentially, guiding the Rams through their transition to the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1995.  In addition to hiring some of the most successful head coaches in Fordham history, McLaughlin also oversaw the hiring of numerous full-time assistant coaches and administrators.
 
He was promoted to Associate Vice President of Student Affairs for Athletic Alumni Relations and External Affairs/Athletic Director Emeritus in 2012 and served in that role until 2022.  He then served as a special advisor to the director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports before retiring from the University in December of 2023.
 
In November of 2022 during a men's basketball win over Harvard, Fordham officially dedicated the floor in the Rose Hill Gym as the Frank McLaughlin Family Court, honoring McLaughlin's lasting legacy at his alma mater.
 
McLaughlin has served as the president of the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association (MIBA), which was responsible for the preseason and postseason National Invitation Tournaments. He was also very active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Bronx Special Olympics and was also a member of the Fordham University Kiwanis Club. On the national level, McLaughlin served on the Kickoff Classic committee.
 
A Bronx native, McLaughlin has been inducted into numerous Hall of Fames, including the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame, the Fordham Prep Hall of Honor, the ECAC Hall of Fame, the Westchester County Sports Hall of Fame and the Catholic High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.