Few administrators can rival C. Donald Cook’s accomplishments over a 50-year career at Sacred Heart University, the University of Hartford, and Fairfield University.
Cook retired from Sacred Heart after 21 years as director of athletics and executive director of athletics. Under his leadership, the university saw expansion in varsity sports and facilities, including the construction of the William H. Pitt Health and Recreation Center. Cook also led the Pioneers’ move to Division I, which began in 1999 as a full member of the Northeast Conference.
Cook served as athletic director at Hartford from 1986-92, where he oversaw the building of an athletics complex and the program’s emergence as a Division I institution. In May of 2014, he was inducted into the Hartford Athletics Hall of Fame.
Cook was a standout with the Fairfield baseball team where he served as co-captain in 1963. He became head coach in 1966, and directed the Stags for 19 seasons, transforming the program into a respected Division I entity. In 1971, Cook was appointed director of athletics, a position he held until 1986, where he supervised the building of the Recreation Complex, the expansion of Alumni Hall, and a renovation of Alumni Field. He was a co-founder and first president of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and was inducted into the Fairfield Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984.
Cook was an advocate of the ECAC, serving as Board President in 1990. He was honored with the 1998 ECAC Athletics Administrator of the Year Award, and received the 2013 Commissioner’s Award. Cook is also a member of the Fairfield County Sports Commission Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Northeast Conference Hall of Fame.