Passionate supporters of the Chargers, Dr. Lawrence and Mary Lou DeNardis have been instrumental in the success and growth of the Department of Athletics for more than two decades and are being inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame with the Distinguished Award of Merit.
A native of New Haven County, Dr. DeNardis retired as the University’s President in 2004 after serving in that role for 13 years. He remains a distinguished professor at the University while currently serving as a member of the Board of Regents for the Connecticut State Colleges and University system.
Prior to his presidency at New Haven, Dr. DeNardis served as an Associate Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at Albertus Magnus College, while pursuing a political career as a Connecticut State Senator from 1970-79. He went on to serve one term in the United States House of Representatives from 1981-83 and continued his public service after leaving office, serving as the Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services under President Ronald Reagan from 1985-87.
Dr. DeNardis was inaugurated as the University’s fifth president in 1991, and under his leadership, New Haven transitioned from a commuter college to a residential University – a transition that has made the University of New Haven what it is today, a top tier University in the Northeast.
While president at the University of New Haven, Dr. DeNardis and Mary Lou never missed any of the 30 NCAA postseason appearance across nine different sports and were often part of each team’s success throughout the regular season. The DeNardis’ passion for athletics was infectious, highlighted by his hurdling the sideline fence following a 14-13 football victory over the UConn Huskies in 1992.
During his tenure at New Haven, the Department of Athletics saw the expansion of women’s athletics with the addition of women’s soccer in 1993, women’s cross country and track and field in 1997 and women’s lacrosse in 2001. The Chargers success included the baseball team making a pair of runs to the NCAA World Series and volleyball advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight seven times. The Chargers football team also saw incredible success during DeNardis’ tenure with three NCAA berths, including a pair of appearances in the semifinals and a run to the national title game in 1997.
In addition to serving as University President, Dr. DeNardis was a member of the NCAA Division II President’s Council and played a critical role in the development of the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (now the ECC). The DeNardis’ truly embrace the importance of the student-athlete experience and the value that high-level athletic competition has in transforming the lives of young people.
Since his retirement, Dr. DeNardis has served as a chairman for the Institute for New Democracies, a nongovernmental organization that advises evolving democracies. In that role, he has aided a number of Central Asian countries as an independent election observer and in December of 2009 was an advisory to the Democratic League of Kosovo as it participated in the countries local elections.
