Use the numbered orange dots to connect events on the timeline with corresponding photos. Photos and historical data are courtesy of University Archives, Syracuse University Libraries, and individual faculty and staff contributors.
2004
The sport management curriculum is approved by the New York State Board of Regents, and the bachelor of science program is officially launched.
2005
Diane Lyden Murphy is appointed Dean of the College of Human Services and Health Professions, later renamed the College of Human Ecology. Michael Veley is named Director of the sport management program, and in 2008, Chair of the Department of Sport Management. The first class of 45 sport management students arrives. A Sport Management Advisory Board is created, with Syracuse alumni David Falk ’72 and Brandon Steiner ’81 as core members, pictured here in 2015. An alumni gift establishes a Distinguished Lecture Series paving the way for the Charity Sports Auction and the Syracuse University Sport Management Club.
2006
The first Sport Management Club Charity Sports Auction is held at the Carrier Dome focusing on social responsibility in sports. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Syracuse receives $15,000 from the auction. By 2017, the annual auction collectively raises more than $412,000 for local charities. Pictured is the check presentation by the Sport Management Club to Meals on Wheels of Syracuse following the 2017 auction.
2007
Syracuse-Steiner Collectibles, a business partnership of Steiner Sports Marketing, Syracuse University Athletics, and the sport management program is created to help students develop business and marketing skills by obtaining, marketing, and selling Syracuse athletic merchandise. Key Bank’s 44 Rewards program with Syracuse University Athletics offers sport management students internships, course credit, and hands-on experience in corporate sports marketing sponsorship.
2008
The sport management program becomes the Department of Sport Management and graduates its first class. A minor in sport management is developed. To announce the establishment of the Falk Center for Sport Management, made possible by the generosity of David Falk ’72 and Rhonda Falk ’74, a panel discussion is held at Madison Square Garden entitled, “Sports in America: Is Winning the Only Thing?” David Falk ’72, pictured left, is a panelist at the event moderated by Mike Tirico ’88, pictured right.
2009
Women in Sports and Events (WISE) names Syracuse University its first collegiate chapter. The three-week European exploration of the Olympic movement course Olympic Odyssey: Future, Present and Past debuts. It explores the history of the ancient and modern Olympic Games with site visits to London, Paris, Lausanne, and Athens. Pictured are students from the 2010 trip. The Winter Olympic Odyssey immersion trip to Lake Placid debuts and becomes an annual expedition. The Kleinhandler Life Skills Program fund is created to provide innovative training to help student-athletes manage the realities of professional sports.
2011
With support from sport management parents and donors, Jeffrey and Andrea Lomasky, the Department of Sport Management takes its first experiential learning trip to Los Angeles, where 20 students meet with more than 40 industry professionals in seven days. Pictured are students at Fox Sports in 2014 during the LA Immersion experience now held annually. Syracuse University students finish second among 21 universities in the NASCAR Kinetics branding and marketing campaign. The College of Human Ecology is renamed the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics with support from David Falk ’72 and Rhonda Falk ’74.
2012
The first cohort of graduate students arrives for the master’s degree in sport venue and event management. The Department of Sport Management establishes a partnership with the New York Yankees to develop student training and employment opportunities. Women in Sports and Events hosts its first symposium, “A Word to the WISE: Leveling the Playing Field.” Panelists share a message of empowerment and practical advice on how to be trailblazers as women in the sports industry. Pictured are panelists and participants from the 2013 symposium.
2013
The Baseball Statistics and Sabermetrics Club forms. Students enrolled in the sport management course Personal and Social Responsibility sleep in cardboard boxes overnight on the Syracuse University Quad to raise awareness about homelessness. The Department of Sport Management produces the documentary America’s First Sport about lacrosse’s history in Central New York. It is one of several documentary films produced in the years to come.
2014
The Sport Professionals of Color student organization forms. As Super Bowl XLVIII approaches, nearly 100 students are enrolled in The Super Bowl and Society course. The certificate of advanced studies in intercollegiate athletic advising and support is approved by the New York State Department of Education.
2015
The Department of Sport Management celebrates its 10th anniversary and moves from its temporary office space at Drumlins Country Club into its new on-campus home in the Falk Complex, former home of the College of Law. When the Falk Complex is dedicated in 2015, the Milton Conrad Sport Technology Lab is unveiled. The Sport Management Sales Club forms.
As sport management enters its second decade, the signature element of the program, the Senior Capstone, continues. This semester-long course includes placement of students in nearly 200 organizations, including international experiences in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, and Japan, as well as all across the United States. Pictured is Jordan Rice ’17, who completed her Senior Capstone with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2017.
2016
Graduate students host the inaugural Charity Golf Classic, raising $16,000 to support Vera House and its mission to end domestic violence. Pictured is a scene from the 2017 tournament. Sport management students, from left, Olivia Lavelle ’19, Caitlin Burke ’18, Sarah Lundmark ’18, and Mallory Miller ’17 win the annual iSchool MLB.com College Challenge, the first all-female team to do so. The Sport Management Club at Syracuse University receives the Community Team Spirit Award during the Salvation Army’s 45th Annual Civic Celebration. Forbes, Time, NBC Sports, and The New York Post cover Syracuse University’s new major in sport analytics. New minors in sport analytics, sport event management, and sport revenue management and operations are created. The Sport Management Basketball Analytics Club is established.
2017
The Australia: Sport, History and Culture study abroad program is offered for the sixth time with site visits to Melbourne, Sydney, and Cairns. The first class in the sport analytics program is welcomed to campus and includes 30 students. Sport analytics majors win the 2017 SABR Diamond Dollars Case Competition at New York University. The Sport Management Football Analytics Club is created.
2018
Syracuse University Trustee and alumnus, Andrew Berlin ’83, partner owner of the world champion Chicago Cubs and its minor league affiliate, the South Bend Cubs, makes a transformational gift to support the sport analytics program.