Kollevoll Entering ECAC Hall of Fame

Former Colgate Student-Athlete, Coach and Administrator Posthumously Honored for Contributions to Organization

DANBURY, Conn. – Former Colgate student-athlete, coach and administrator Olav Kollevoll earns official induction into the ECAC Hall of Fame Friday during the organization's Gala and Induction Ceremony at the Matrix Conference & Banquet Center.

A three-sport athlete at Colgate, Kollevoll earned six varsity letters in baseball, football and ice hockey. He was a two-time letterwinner in the sport of ice hockey, serving as team captain during the 1943-44 season while also helping the squad record its first undefeated season in 1942 (11-0-0). He was a three-time letterwinner in baseball and captained the team in the summer of 1943. He lettered once in football.

After graduating from Colgate in 1945 with a degree in mathematics, Kollevoll served in World War II as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.

Kollevoll returned to the diamond after completing his military service to began a professional baseball career. He rose as far as the Triple-A level in the Boston (now Atlanta) Braves organization before retiring from the sport due to injury. He also participated in the 1947 World Hockey Championships as a member of the U.S. National Team.

Upon the completion of his playing career, Kollevoll turned his focus to coaching, working the baseball and ice hockey programs at St. Lawrence University. During his time in Canton, the Skating Saints were considered amongst the nation's elite, earning several trips to the NCAA Frozen Four.

Kollevoll returned to Hamilton in 1957, serving as head coach of the Raider ice hockey program from 1957-65. In his time behind the Colgate bench, Kollevoll amassed an 82-65-2 record and coached a pair of ECAC playoff teams. He also served as an assistant football coach and freshman baseball coach at Colgate from 1955-62.

The 1968 recipient of Colgate's Silver Puck Award, Kollevoll also served as the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Athletics under Everett Barnes. He left coaching in 1965 to assume the duties of director of athletics at Lafayette College. During his 25-year career with the Leopards, he served as president of both the ECAC and the East Coast Conference and chaired numerous ECAC and NCAA committees.

Kollevoll received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the ECAC in 1991. He was inducted into the Colgate Hall of Honor in 1995 and Lafayette's Maroon Club Hall of Fame in 1992. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 87.

Kollevoll is part of a 2016 class that represents a diverse group of former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, teams, officials and support staff from across decades. Honorees have been selected for outstanding achievements, service, dedication, commitment and contributions to the ECAC and its member institutions.

In the 76 years since its inception, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has emerged as the nation's largest Conference. The ECAC has grown considerably from its charter membership of 58, boasting over 300 member schools in Divisions I, II and III, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. In the 2015-16 academic year, the ECAC will host nearly 100 championships in 32 men's and women's sports as the sponsors of over 5,800 varsity teams and 111,000 male and female Players. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.

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