The SUNYAC is honored to recognize Mike Mooney with the Patrick R. Damore Distinguished Service Award. This past summer, Mooney retired from his position as the Director of Athletics and Recreation at Geneseo after 37 years of service, including 12 as Director of Athletics and Recreation.
The Patrick R. Damore Distinguished Service Award is the highest award given by the conference and honors a retired institutional or conference affiliated individual who has made a significant contribution to the conference and has served the SUNYAC for at least 10 years.
Mooney was selected to lead the Knights' athletic department prior to the 2010-11 academic year and ushered the Knights to their most successful stretch in program history. The Knights have recorded five-consecutive top-20 finishes in the Learfield Sports Director's Cup standings which measure the overall excellence of the 432 Division III athletic programs in the country, including a program-best 11th place finish in 2018. Geneseo has also won each of the last five State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Dr. Patrick R. Damore Commissioner's Cups, awarded to the top overall program in the league. The Knights won a total of 76 SUNYAC Championships since Mooney took over as Director of Athletics, including a conference record 13 out of a possible 19 SUNYAC Championships in 2017-18.
In 2019, Mooney was named the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year, presented by National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). The award highlights the efforts of athletic directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities. He has enhanced the student-athlete experience on and off the court, adding extra-curricular programming and support for student-athletes such as the Student-Athlete Resource Center (SARC) and the First-Year Athlete Mentee (FAM) Program helping student-athletes succeed in the college setting.
Mooney was responsible for overseeing the design, construction and completion of the Knights' $18 million home at College Stadium. Officially opening its gates on Sept. 1, 2015, the 2,500-seat complex features two full-sized synthetic turf fields, complete with lights, a fully equipped athletic training facility, four locker rooms and a press box with four suites, among its amenities.
"Mike Mooney has been a transformational leader for SUNY Geneseo," said Vice President of Student & Campus Life Mike Taberski. "Mike oversaw the development and completion of our College Stadium as well as many other improvement projects within our facilities, but most importantly, Mike advanced our athletic teams' success and student athlete experience through his daily leadership and mentorship."
Prior to his tenure as Director of Athletics and Recreation, Mooney led the Geneseo Men's Soccer Team for 26 seasons. The winningest coach in Geneseo men's soccer history, Mooney compiled a 262-186-47 record and guided the program to a pair of SUNYAC Championships in 2004 and 2006 as well as its only two NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2004, he led the Knights to a No. 4 final national ranking and a school-record 17-5-2 mark that included an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Semifinals following a 1-0 double-overtime upset of perennial-power Williams (Mass.).
Mooney has also coached the Geneseo Women's Tennis team since 2019, guiding the Knights to a 7-3 record and a SUNYAC Tournament appearance in Fall 2019. He coached his student-athletes to five all-conference honors in his tenure, including a pair of First-Team All-SUNYAC Selections (Natalia Krol, 2019 & Rory Tobin, 2021).
Mooney served one year as the interim director of athletics before assuming the permanent role in July of 2011 following a national search. Along with his head coaching duties, he had previously served as associate director for six years (2004-10) following a five-year stint as assistant director (1999-04) while also serving as an instructor in the department. He has served as a mentor and leader for the entire department, empowering coaches, staff and student-athletes to become civic-minded leaders.
Following one season as the head men's soccer coach at Erie Community College, Mooney was hired to lead the Geneseo men's soccer program in 1985. He also worked as a residence hall director for his first year on campus before serving a five-year term as director of intramurals and recreation (1986-91) and an eight-year stint as a facility manager (1991-99) in addition to his coaching duties.
"Mike Mooney is a pillar in the Geneseo community, both on and off campus," said Assistant Director of Athletics and Mooney's colleague for 34 years, George Gagnier. " He grew the lasting legacy left by his mentor, John Spring, and his predecessor, Marilyn Moore, and the Geneseo Knights brand is as impressive as ever."
Mooney will be honored at the SUNYAC annual awards dinner in June.
