Erber To Leave Muhlenberg For Post At Cornell
STEVE ERBER, director of athletics at Muhlenberg College for the last six-plus years, has announced his resignation effective March 31 to accept the position of associate director of athletics at Cornell University. Muhlenberg will conduct a national search for a replacement.Thursday, March 13, 2003 02:47 PM
STEVE ERBER, director of athletics at Muhlenberg College for the last six-plus years, has announced his resignation effective March 31 to accept the position of associate director of athletics at Cornell University. Muhlenberg will conduct a national search for a replacement.
“Muhlenberg is a terrific place, and, for me, it is always the people that make it so,” said Erber. “We have an excellent coaching and support staff that has attracted quality student-athletes. That’s what has enabled us to build a successful program. I hope the program is at least a little better than it was when I arrived here. Cornell is a great school, and I am excited about the opportunity to work there.”
Appointed Nov. 1, 1996, Erber was responsible for considerable growth and success in Muhlenberg’s 22-sport varsity intercollegiate athletics program. During his tenure, the College constructed Scotty Wood Stadium, a state-of-the-art AstroTurf facility, and added two varsity sports, women’s golf and men’s lacrosse. Muhlenberg also won Centennial Conference championships in nine different sports and sent teams or individuals to the NCAA Division III Championships in 12 sports.
Erber also represented Muhlenberg at the national level, serving on the NCAA Amateurism Task Force since 1999 and the NCAA Wrestling Sports Committee since 2001. In August 2002, he was the only Division III athletic director invited to testify before the Secretary of Education’s Commission on Opportunity in Athletics.
“Steve made dramatic improvements to Muhlenberg’s athletic programs in every area,” said Dean of Students Rudy Ehrenberg. “He was always an ardent advocate for our scholar-athletes and a great ambassador for Muhlenberg College.”
The move to Cornell represents a return to New York for Erber, who came to Muhlenberg after 14 years in athletics administration at Binghamton University. He was assistant director of athletics from 1982 to 1990, associate director of athletics from 1990 to 1995 and director of athletic development from 1995 to 1996.
A 1965 graduate of Penn State, Erber received the State University of New York Athletic Conference Distinguished Service Award, the Conference’s highest honor, in 1996.
Erber founded Binghamton’s wrestling program in 1967 and coached it for the next 22 seasons, reaching national prominence with 152 wins, 34 NCAA All-Americans, four individual NCAA champions and six top-10 NCAA team finishes. He was inducted into the NCAA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Binghamton University Hall of Fame in 1999.
