West Haven, Conn., March 21, 2007 - University of New Haven (UNH) Director of Athletics Deborah Chin will receive the Gold Key Award from the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance at the 66th Gold Key Dinner on April 22, 2007 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, Conn. The Gold Key Award is the highest sports honor in the state, recognizing those who have made significant contributions to athletics in Conn.
Chin has been both a coach and pioneer for women's sports at the University of New Haven, has served as Director of Athletics since 1993, and has been one of the most active athletic administrators in the Northeast. She was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Hall of Fame in Dec., 2006. A 1968 graduate of SUNY-Cortland, she came to UNH in 1975 as coordinator of women's athletics, responsible for building athletic programs for women, including four that she coached: volleyball, basketball, tennis and softball. In 1979 she was promoted to associate director of Athletics, stepping down as coach of basketball, tennis and softball, and became the athletics director in 1993.
Internationally known for her clinician skills in volleyball, Chin was a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2006. She was 578-179 (.764) in 18 seasons as coach at UNH (1975-93). At the time of her retirement as coach her winning percentage was ranked among the top five all-time. She led the Chargers to 10 NCAA Division II tournaments (and three AIAW tournaments), and UNH was ranked in the top five four times. Chin's teams won 30 or more matches 12 times, including six straight years. Six times she was named Northeast Region coach of the year, and eight times she was named New England College Conference coach of the year.
In 10 of her final 11 seasons, Chin led the Chargers to at least the Sweet Sixteen, including four trips to the Elite Eight. She has also served as an official at the national level numerous times. Chin served as commissioner for volleyball for the 1995 Special Olympics World Games held in New Haven, and has served on the NCAA Division II baseball committee and NCAA Northeast Regional football committee and chair for the national NCAA Division II volleyball committee. She was the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Northeast Athletic Director of the Y 1998-99, and was appointed the Connecticut Post Woman of the Year in 1993, and is a member of both the Connecticut Women's Basketball and Connecticut Volleyball halls of fame. She oversees 17 athletic programs at UNH.
During the award ceremony in April, the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance will also honor Doc Hurley (Weaver-Hartford administrator), Jim O'Neill (New London, Waterford administrator) and Charlie Bentley (Warren Harding-Bridgeport boys basketball coach). Past Gold key Award recipients include former UNH baseball coach Frank "Porky" Vieira, baseball great Connie Mack, boxing legend Willie Pep and former President George H. W. Bush. Last year's award winners were former NHL All-Star Ron Francis, NBA player Charles Smith, East Lyme softball coach Judy Deeb and Masuk-Monroe girls basketball coach Dave Strong.
A leader in experiential learning, the University of New Haven provides its students with a unique combination of solid liberal arts and real-world, hands-on professional training. A private University founded in 1920, UNH has a full-time undergraduate enrollment of more than 2,400 students-with 70 percent residing on its 80-acre main campus-and a Graduate School enrollment that exceeds 1,700. The University offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees through its four colleges, in innovative fields such as sports management, nutrition and dietetics, forensic science, music and sound recording, engineering, computer science, fire science and criminal justice. University of New Haven students study abroad through a variety of distinctive programs.
xxx
