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DePauw to name field in honor of Nick Mourouzis on Oct. 12
The new field being installed at DePauw University's Blackstock Stadium will be named to honor Nick Mourouzis, an icon of the school's athletics program and its all-time leader in football coaching victories, the university announced Wednesday.
Dedication ceremonies for Nick Mour-ouzis Field will take place during DePauw's homecoming, Old Gold Day, on Saturday, Oct. 12. The Tigers will face Oberlin College on the gridiron that day with kickoff at 1 p.m.
"Coach Nick" will be on hand for a halftime tribute as the field is formally dedicated in his name, thanks to an anonymous gift.
"As DePauw football enters an exciting era with a new coach and upgraded facilities, it is also time to celebrate and honor a coach whose impact on this program is unquestioned," DePauw athletic director Stevie Baker-Watson said. "We are deeply grateful to the donor who made this possible. It should be a very special day."
Current head coach Bill Lynch believes it is a perfect tribute to a coaching legend.
"I can't think of a more fitting way to honor a man who led this program for 23 years and has had an indelible impact on thousands of young men who are now proud alumni of DePauw and its 126-year-long football traditions," said Lynch, who like Mourouzis is a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.
"Nick continues to coach our kickers and instills Tiger Pride in today's student-athletes," Lynch added. "Ours is a program with a number of legends, and Nick is a big part of who we are and why DePauw is such a special place to compete on the field and study in the classroom."
Baker-Watson said that work on the new field, which is part of Phase One of DPU's comprehensive Athletics and Recreation Facilities Master Plan, is progressing well.
"Our students, alumni and fans will be very proud of what they see at Blackstock this fall," she said. "It's going to be a beautiful place to watch football."
Mourouzis led the DePauw football program from 1981 through 2003, compiling a record of 133-82-4. He was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2000 after leading the Tigers to a three-way share of the league title. Mourouzis was named the Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1990.
Beginning his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Bill Hess at Ohio University from 1959-61, Mourouzis then spent a year at Ohio's Kettering Fairmont High School, where he was assistant football and head track coach.
From there, he moved back into college coaching with assistant coaching stints at Ball State (1962-63), Ohio University (1963-65), Indiana (1965-73) and Northwestern (1973-81), before coming to Greencastle to succeed Jerry Berndt.
As a college player, Mourouzis earned three varsity letters and quarterbacked Miami, under the direction of head coach John Pont, to a Mid-American Conference championship in 1958. He was part of three conference championship teams in his four years. In those four years, Miami compiled a 28-7-1 record.
Professor emeritus of kinesiology at DePauw, Mourouzis is also a member of Miami University's "Cradle of Coaches" and was inducted this summer into the Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. "Coach Nick" received the 2010 "Spirit of the Monon Bell" award.
In 1996, he founded Chi Alpha Sigma, the nation's first collegiate scholar-athlete honor society. In February 2001, Mourouzis earned the Distinguished American Award from the central Indiana chapter of the National Football Foundation for his lifetime commitment to football and for making significant contributions toward bettering amateur football in the U.S.
In 2004, Mourouzis was selected by students to deliver the commencement address to graduating seniors.
"If you have passion and pride for what you do, you will always love your life's work," he told the graduates. "I always told my players that if you find a job or a career that you like so well like it's a hobby to you, then you'll never have to work a day in your life."
Crews have been busy this summer installing AstroTurf GameDay Grass 3D52 Xtreme at Blackstock Stadium, which has been the home of the DPU football team since 1921. The Tigers opens their 2013 season Sept. 7 at Sewanee (University of the South).
Old Gold Day was first celebrated at DePauw in 1907. Other events planned for the 2013 celebration include men's and women's soccer games versus Ohio Wesleyan and recognition of DePauw's 2003 women's soccer team, which advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four 10 years ago.