You may or may not have noticed a recent transaction in the sports section. It wasn’t as sexy as a big time head coach being hired, or a five-star recruit signing a letter of intent, or some big free agent signing taking place. But in my world it was significant on many fronts.
It said: “Kurtz Joins Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. Longtime St. Cloud State Athletics Director joins Penn State as Special Assistant – Operations”
So why was the hiring of Morris Kurtz as a consultant to our athletic department, and specifically to assist in the opening of Pegula Ice Arena, so special?
Well, go back to my article a few weeks ago called “The Margin of Excellence” and re-read the quote from Former Penguins Stanley Cup Winning Coach “Badger” Bob Johnson. He said, “Always surround yourself with people who will challenge you to be better.”
That is exactly what we have done by bringing Morris on board at this critical time in our Pegula Ice Arena Project and the launching of our varsity hockey programs. Morris has been the longest tenured AD at a school sponsoring Division I Men’s and Women’s Hockey and he has been there since day one.
Morris has two Penn State degrees, a Master’s and Ph.D. and he actually coached the Penn State hockey team from 1974-77! He will remind me every now and then that it is he, and not me, who has the best winning percentage of any PSU Coach! He was instrumental in organizing a trip to Sweden for the fledgling Ice Hockey Club back in 1975 becoming the first “club” team ever to play overseas.
He and his charming and brilliant wife Janell wanted to retire to Happy Valley and join many of the friends they have stayed in touch with over the years. So the opportunity to bring Morris onto “Team Pegula” was simply one we had to consider even if on a part-time basis. His passion, experience and loyalty to PSU will be a tremendous asset to our project!
Morris was the Athletic Director at St. Cloud State, a school in Minnesota 90 minutes north of Minneapolis, with an enrollment of 16,500. Morris “retired” from SCSU in June 2012. While at St. Cloud State, Morris lured former U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks to become the first coach of the Men’s Division I hockey program and was instrumental in building and operating the National Sports Center. The NCS is a double sheet ice rink facility that looks very similar to our Pegula Arena in design.
He also helped the women’s hockey program transition to the NCAA Division I level. St. Cloud State plays in its ninth NCAA tournament this season and earned a berth in the Frozen Four, which begins today at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. Great to see his “baby” make it to the ultimate stage in NCAA Hockey!
Before Morris retired, the arena’s office complex was named in his honor following a $1 million donation from a Minnesota-based corporation. It was a fitting tribute to recognize a career that helped change the landscape of college hockey and enhance the state system of higher education in Minnesota.
Morris is a dedicated and energetic professional with a passion for excellence and a sense of humor that endears him to everyone who meets him. I am fortunate to have him as a mentor and colleague and will lean on him for many of the details and specifics of operating a building that will be open 7 days a week, 360 days a year, for 14-18 hours and serve 1.5 million people a year! He will be a great teammate and will also assist with other projects going on in our department and many of my colleagues will also benefit from his wealth of experience and knowledge.
It’s a great homecoming for Dr. Kurtz but it’s an even better addition to our staff as we prepare to open the $90 million Pegula Ice Arena to serve the university community and the citizens of central Pennsylvania.
