West Chester AD, Dr. Edward Matejkovic, Announces His Retirement

WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Long-time West Chester University athletics director, Dr. Edward M. Matejkovic, announced his retirement this morning effective at the end of June 2017.
 
Dr. Matejkovic, the longest tenured AD in West Chester University history, is in his 22nd year as the director of athletics at the NCAA Division II institution having built the Golden Rams' program into one of the most successful in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), as well as the NCAA Atlantic Region. He is in his 47th year overall as an educator.
 
"This has truly been one of the most difficult decisions of my life," Matejkovic said. "I have spent a large part of my life here, both as a student and an employee, and I love this place. It has come to define who I am. It is, in my view, the best job in America."
 
West Chester University's athletic program has won three Eugene F. Dixon Trophy titles, handed out to the top overall athletic program in the PSAC, while earning five national championships, 23 NCAA regional crowns, and an astounding 60 PSAC titles over Matejkovic's 22-year reign. Add to that 25 more PSAC Eastern Division crowns, five conference titles in women's rugby's 13-year history and a pair of Atlantic 10 Field Hockey regular-season titles and an ECAC Division II Men's Lacrosse championship, and one can see why the trophy cases on South Campus are crowded with hardware.
 
"I have had the distinct honor of working with a great administrative staff, which is very dedicated, and an outstanding coaching staff, which always amazes me with the success that they have achieved with less than optimal resources," Matejkovic continued. "They do more with less than any coaching staff of which I am aware.
 
"It is very difficult to leave a program that has been so successful. But it is time to step away with some wonderful memories while working with some great professionals. I am just a small part of a group of great people, who work hard and care, and I know that they will continue to attain the same level of success in the future."
 
West Chester's athletics program has taken home at least one conference title in each of Matejkovic's 22 years, including back-to-back seasons with five PSAC crowns (2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns) that also contained a national championship (Women's Lacrosse in 2008). The Golden Rams' three Dixon Trophy titles have come over the last four years while three of the school's five national titles occurred in the last six seasons.
 
West Chester's athletic program has won at least three conference titles in 10 of the last 12 seasons, dating back to 2004-05.
 
However, Matejkovic's more than two decades as AD will also be remembered for the student-athlete's success in the classroom. West Chester University's student-athletes continually posted a cumulative grade-point average higher than that of WCU's student body. Of the nearly 575 student-athletes at West Chester University, more than 350 made the AD Academic Honor Roll each semester dating back to 2010. In fact, this past fall, 400 of those 575 were AD honor roll recipients.
 
Among the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) institutions across the Commonwealth, West Chester has put the most student-athletes on the PSAC Academic Honor Roll in each of the past six years.
 
"I have mixed feelings about the announcement of Ed Matejkovic's retirement.," said West Chester University president Dr. Chris Fiorentino. "I know that he is excited about moving to the next phase of his life, and I am very happy for him. But, we will miss his strong leadership of West Chester University athletics.  West Chester's long tradition of athletic excellence has grown during his tenure, and he will be a difficult person to replace."
 
Matejkovic spearheaded a facility upgrade movement at the university that has resulted in the construction of Vonnie Gros Field with new lighting and bleachers, along with the installation of Hockey Gold surface by FieldTurf – the first such installation of the state-of-the-art elliptical fiber product in North America.
 
West Chester's soccer facility had its natural grass surface replaced with field turf in 2013 while Hollinger Field House received a face-lift in the summer 2013 as well. Along the way, Farrell Stadium had field turf installed for the first time in 2006. That turf was replaced in the summer 2016 with FieldTurf Revolution 360. The softball field has had bleachers installed, the 12 tennis courts on South Campus were re-surfaced and the rugby pitch received bleachers and fencing installed around its perimeter.
 
Matejkovic, who earned his bachelor's degree from West Chester University in 1969, his master's degree from WCU in 1975 and doctoral degree from Temple University in 1983, leaves as one of the most decorated athletic directors in PSAC history as well as one of the most involved, both on the conference and national levels. He was named to the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Executive Committee in 2011 and was the NACDA Division II Northeast Athletic Director of the Year in 2009.
 
"In just my short time working with Dr. Matejkovic, it is apparent that WCU athletics ranks right up there with family," said Dr. Zebulon Davenport, Vice-President of Student Affairs at West Chester University. "It is evident that he has developed a strong athletic program with a reputation that is indicative of his leadership over the years."
 
The Coatesville, Pa., native was the president of the PSAC Executive Committee for four years and continues to serve the PSAC on numerous other committees. He has also served as a member of the ECAC Board of Directors, the ECAC Finance Committee and the ECAC Membership Committee. He served as president of the ECAC during 2002-03.

An active member of NACDA, Matejkovic is a past president of the D2 Athletic Director's Association (ADA), a chapter of NACDA. He has also served on the NCAA Student Athlete Reinstatement Committee, the NCAA DII East Region men's basketball championship selection committee, men's golf super regional committee and has served on the Board of Directors of the Division II ADA in various capacities for 10 years. He was also recently appointed by the NCAA to the Football Task Force – a committee reviewing scholarship allocations in the sport.
 
Matejkovic spent 11 years at the State University of New York College at Brockport (SUNY Brockport) from 1984 to 1995 where he coordinated the sport management program (1984-90), served as head football coach (1986-94) and finally served as the school's athletics director from 1990-95. He was the school's track & field head coach during the 1984-85 campaign in which he was named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year, mentoring a pair of All-Americans.
 
Matejkovic led the football team to its first playoff appearance in 1993 and left the institution as its all-time wins leader (39) while coaching 22 All-Americans. He was responsible for the growth of the college's athletic program in the mid-1990s and was athletics director when Brockport won its last national championship (1992 in wrestling). Additionally, he oversaw improvements and upgrades to the athletic facilities and the addition of women's lacrosse as a varsity sport.
 
The University will take the next few weeks to determine the next course of action in a search for Dr. Matejkovic's replacement.
 
 
REACTION TO DR. MATEJKOVIC'S ANNOUNCEMENT
 
"Dr. Matejkovic has been the consummate professional. A kind and caring man, serving and helping all teams achieve success in the PSAC and NCAA. Rest assured that the blood flowing thru is heart is and always will be purple and gold. He will always be a Golden Ram."
                                                                                                                                Betty Ann Kempf Townsley
                                                                                                                                Women's Soccer Head Coach
                                                                                                                                West Chester University
 
 It has been an honor and a privilege to coach under Dr. Matejkovic's leadership. He has been a great mentor and friend. I will always be grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to be the football coach here at West Chester. His wisdom and insight in the world of Division II athletics will certainly be missed. He has accomplished so many things as an athletics director and has been so instrumental in our athletic department achieving the great successes that we have enjoyed during his tenure. He has touched many more lives than he will ever know, and I wish him all the best in his retirement. I am sure we will still see Ed around here for years to come as he truly bleeds purple & gold.
                                                                                                                                Bill Zwaan
                                                                                                                                Football Head Coach
                                                                                                                                West Chester University
 
 ""I will certainly miss my working relationship with Ed.  He has done a tremendous job in building a quality athletic program at West Chester, and we have become good friends over the years.  I wish him and his wife Ro much happiness as they move into the next phase of their journey together."
                                                                                                                                Paul Lueken
                                                                                                                                Dir. of Athletics
                                                                                                                                Slippery Rock University
 
 "Ed has been a guiding light for the PSAC and many within the PSAC. Whether he was leading as the Chair of the Athletic Administrators, or mentoring many of the individuals across the campuses, Ed was always the consummate professional and revered for his knowledge, experience and advice.  I'm sure West Chester and the PSAC will miss his style and his love for both."
                                                                                                                                Roger Maisner
                                                                                                                                Former Dir. of Athletics
                                                                                                                                Mansfield University
 
"Ed has been a great asset to the conference during his tenure.  Not only is it clear that he bleeds purple & gold, but he is truly always been a conference-first guy. When he arrived on campus, the athletic programs at West Chester were not at the level that the history and tradition of the university typically expected. He created stability, hired great coaches, managed budgets and has turned the program into one of the best in the PSAC.  He has helped make the PSAC better, and for that I am indebted to him."                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                Steve Murray
                                                                                                                                Commissioner
                                                                                                                                Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference