SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Formal dedication of the James W. Garrett Sports Complex will be held on Saturday, June 1 at 6 p.m. as part of Susquehanna University’s Alumni Weekend festivities.

Garrett, who compiled a 39-11-1 record as head coach of the Crusader football team from 1960-65, will be joined by a number of distinguished Susquehanna football alumni, including Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line coach Bill Muir ’65, Rich Caruso ’65, Nick Lopardo ’68 and Bob Pittello ’51 – all members of the school’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Also expected to attend the ceremony, which will be conducted at the main entrance to the complex, are three of Garrett’s sons who are currently in the National Football League – Jason, who most recently served as a backup quarterback with the New York Giants, Judd, an offensive assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins, and John, a tight ends coach with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Muir was recently hired by the Buccaneers to serve as their offensive line coach after seven years with the New York Jets. After entering the NFL as a scout with the Buccaneers in 1978, he became an assistant with the New England Patriots in 1982 and has since worked with the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, and most recently for the Jets before accepting his new position with Tampa Bay.

Caruso, founder of the Football Alumni Association and a member of Susquehanna’s board of directors, provided the leadership gift for the complex while Lopardo, chair of the board of directors, provided additional major support, with other gifts coming from former players and friends. Pittello, who has served as Susquehanna’s offensive line coach for 35 years, championed the effort to honor Garrett.

Garrett’s 39-11-1 record at Susquehanna included undefeated seasons in 1961 and 1962, an unbeaten string of 22 games, longest in the country at the time, and a stunning 22-18 win over highly-ranked Division I Temple University in 1963.

He later served as head football coach at Columbia University, and as head coach of the Houston Texans franchise of the World Football League. He spent his 38 years in the NFL as an assistant coach with the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns, and as a scout with the Cowboys.

The James W. Garrett Sports Complex, comprising the O.W. Houts Gymnasium and Clyde Jacobs Fitness Center, includes a 51,000-square-foot field house with four multi-sport courts and an indoor six-lane 200-meter track, concessions stand, lounge area, sports medicine and training facilities, and an observation deck.

To permit a clear view of Nicholas A. Lopardo Stadium as well as the adjoining track and field facilities, the design incorporated a floor-to-ceiling glass wall on the north face. The west side of the building was expanded by the addition of the state-of-the-art fitness center, designed to provide the campus community with a more attractive and better-equipped space for fitness training. The 9,300-square-foot fitness center features a stunning curved-glass wall. The final phase of the construction project was completed last summer.

The architect, Spillman Farmer Architects of Bethlehem, has earned three awards for its design of the facility. After earning a citation by the national American School and University magazine and being showcased in its 2001 Architectural Portfolio, Spillman Farmer was presented with an Award of Excellence in Architectural Design by the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Most recently, Spillman Farmer was selected as a 2002 I.D.E.A.S. National Merit Award Winner by the American Institute of Steel Construction, which recognizes innovative design and excellence in architecture using structural steel.