University of Maine at Farmington

Roger is a 1953 graduate of the University of Illinois where he was a baseball star, leading the Big Ten in hitting with a .342 average.  After earning his Bachelor's degree in Physical Education, he spent two years in the U.S. Army as a combat platoon leader. In the summer of 1958 he married Mary Whitworth and returned to Illinois that fall to earn a Master's degree.  After two years of teaching and coaching at Somers, New York, he came to UMF in 1961 as an instructor of physical education and coach of men's basketball and baseball.  Following successful tenures in these sports, he became Athletics Director and coached men's soccer and golf. His leadership in each of the sports helped UMF gain a reputation of a high-quality athletics program recognized throughout New England.  Roger developed the soccer program from its infancy to be ranked third in New England in 1968.  The golf program has also had incredible success, considering the location of UMF.  There have been numerous state and district championships and eight appearances in the national tournaments.  He was named NAIA District Five Golf Coach of the Year five times.  Roger established the philosophy under which UMF athletics has operated for more than thirty years.  This commitment to an educationally sound approach to athletics has yielded the outstanding reputation that we enjoy today.  An Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation, Roger specialized in therapeutic recreation. His decision to step down as Athletics Director was due to his commitment to teaching upper-level courses on a desired, sequential basis for students majoring in rehabilitation services.  Roger's retirement from the Athletics Director's position after 32 years was instrumental in the inception of the UMF Athletics Hall of Fame.  It seemed right that we should honor him as the first inductee after so many years of dedicated service.