Basketball icons Geno Auriemma and Phil Martelli lead the 2024 class of Joe Lapchick Character Award recipients, joined by renowned official Gene Steratore and former Fordham athletic director Frank McLaughlin. This quartet will be honored on September 19 in New York for exemplifying the leadership and integrity championed by Lapchick, the Hall of Fame coach who shaped St. John’s and the New York Knicks.
Auriemma’s unprecedented 1,239 career wins at UConn include 11 national championships and a perfect 100% graduation rate among four-year players. His legacy transcends trophies, notes award committee chair Mark Jackson. He builds leaders first, athletes second.
Martelli’s 24-year tenure at Saint Joseph’s featured seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2004 Elite Eight run with an undefeated regular season. His mentorship of Auriemma dates to their 1970s collaboration at Bishop Kenrick High School.
- Gene Steratore: 21-year NCAA official & Super Bowl referee
- Frank McLaughlin: 27-year Fordham AD & Harvard coach
Steratore revolutionized basketball broadcasting with his rules analysis during March Madness and NFL games. McLaughlin oversaw Fordham’s athletic expansion while maintaining academic rigor – 85% of student-athletes graduated under his leadership.
Now in its 17th year, the Joe Lapchick Character Award celebrates those who embody the late coach’s values. Past recipients include Mike Krzyzewski and Tara VanDerveer. This year’s ceremony occurs at Manhattan’s prestigious Athletic Club, where attendees will discuss preserving sportsmanship in modern athletics.
Character isn’t taught in drills – it’s revealed through decades of choices,
remarked Martelli during the announcement. Auriemma added: Lapchick’s belief that ‘great teams mirror great communities’ guides everything we do.
