By Joe DiBari
Fordham University recognized 329 student-athletes as champions for their academic prowess at the 11th annual Breakfast for Champions in the McGinley Center Ballroom on Feb. 9.
The Rams in attendance were honored for compiling a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher at an event sponsored by the Fordham athletics department with assistance from the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and the Office of Academic Advising. The 329 in attendance represented 67 percent of the student-athletes at Fordham.
“This is one of my two favorite days of the year,” said David Roach, director of athletics. “The Breakfast for Champions and the Block F Dinner are all about recognizing your accomplishments, both on and off the field.”
Keynote speaker Nicholas A. Romano, GSB ’89, a member of the swimming and water polo squads in his undergraduate years at Fordham and now the CEO of AO Asset Management, an equity hedge fund, said he was a “mirror” of the athletes in the room. He spoke of four characteristics of student-athletes that they will fall back on for the rest of their lives: commitment, determination of goal setting, perseverance, and visualization—looking at accomplishing what you want and then seeing what it is you need to do to accomplish it.
“All of the strength and motivation I had in my life came from being a student-athlete at Fordham,” he said.
Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, called Romano “very loyal and generous to the university, a great son of Fordham.” He also thanked the athletes “for living like Fordham men and women should live, like men and women for others.”
Included in the 329 student-athletes honored were 41 who were recognized as four-year Breakfast for Champions attendees.
Devin Maloney and Nicolas Alemann, with Nicholas Romano, GSB ’89.
