Colgate Honors Late Professor with Game at Kentucky

When Colgate takes on Kentucky on Wednesday, the event will be more than just a regular non-conference game for one local family.

Watching from the seats of Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., will be the family of Ephraim Woods, the late Colgate chemistry professor and men’s basketball faculty liaison who passed away on Feb. 13, 2023 following a battle with brain cancer.

Woods, a native of Ashland, Ky., was a lifelong Wildcats fan who developed a love for Raiders’ basketball after he began teaching at Colgate in 2002. As liaison, he became a regular at practices while building friendships with coaches and student-athletes. 

One thing he never got to experience was watching his two teams play each other, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying on Colgate’s end.

Each year, Colgate books a few non-conference games against top programs to expose its student-athletes to some of the best competition in the country. Several efforts were made in recent years to schedule a game with Kentucky, but the two programs couldn’t make it work until this season.

Nevertheless, Woods’ family is thrilled.

“My family and I thought it was incredible that head coach Matt Langel arranged this,” said Aidan Woods ’23, the son of Ephraim Woods. “We weren’t completely surprised when we received the news, as Matt has mentioned the possibility before, and we knew that he would do everything he could to make it happen for dad.”

Aidan Woods said he and his family are traveling with the team to watch the game. He said his dad would have felt a mix of emotions watching his two beloved teams go head-to-head.

“As a lifelong Kentucky basketball fan who committed himself to the Colgate team such that he felt like part of it, he would be watching the two most important teams in his life face each other. However, although he supported Kentucky since childhood, what he felt for Colgate was more personal because he knew the players and coaches personally and cared about them.”

As faculty liaison, Ephraim Woods did more than attend men’s basketball games. He visited the team during practices. He bonded with coaches and student-athletes, and grabbed a basketball to take a few jump shots.

“He came around enough to make sure he knew the team and the team knew him,” Langel said. “With some individual players, he built a more personal relationship. But everybody knew who he was.”

The Colgate faculty liaison program provides Colgate student-athletes with the opportunity to develop working relationships with Colgate faculty members outside the classroom or formal advising environment in an effort to enhance their academic and athletic experience.

Faculty liaisons can function in many roles, including providing additional academic guidance for student-athletes and coaches, educating student-athletes about educational expectations and policies, and providing a link between academic faculty and the Colgate athletic program. 

The program also establishes a formal connection between each head coach and a member of the academic faculty. Ephraim Woods found many ways to make an impact with the team outside of his traditional role.

By watching the Raiders and being around the student-athletes, Ephraim Woods had a special ability to recognize critical points in the season and articulate those moments with the team, Langel said. 

“Coaches are always trying to do that,” Langel said. “But to have someone else who wasn’t in the locker room every day, who was recognizing those things and sharing those things, I cannot express the value that that added for me personally and I’m sure for our players.”

The Raiders and Wildcats will square off at 8 p.m. on Wednesday on ESPN 2. 

While Langel will be thinking about the game, Ephraim Woods’ memory will also be on his mind.

“Any time there’s a chance to reflect on all he accomplished, on the impact he had on my life and others’ lives, I like to do that,” Langel said. “In playing Kentucky, I’m sure taking the trip down there will be for me emotional in a good way, just a chance to reflect and remember all the lessons I learned from him.”