Herman Frazier

{{short description|American track and field athlete, college athletics administrator}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Herman Frazier

| image =Herman Frazier 1976.jpg

| image_size = 230px

| caption =Frazier at the 1976 Olympics

| fullname = Herman Ronald Frazier

| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|October 29, 1954}}

| birth_place =Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fr/herman-frazier-1.html |title=Herman Frazier |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171652/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fr/herman-frazier-1.html |archive-date=2020-04-17}}

| occupation = Athletic Director, University of Hawaii (2002–2008)

| height=184 cm

| weight = 73 kg

|sport=Athletics

| event= 100–400 m

| pb = 100 yd – 9.4 (1974)
100 m – 10.36 (1977)
200 m – 20.75 (1977)
400 m – 44.95 (1976){{cite web |url=http://trackfield.brinkster.net/Profile.asp?ID=2029&Gender=M |title=Herman Frazier |website=trackfield.brinkster.net}}

|club = Philadelphia Pioneer Club

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}

}}

Herman Ronald "Herm" Frazier (born October 29, 1954) is a retired American sprinter. He won gold medals in the {{nowrap|4 × 400 m}} relay at the 1976 Olympics and 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games. Individually he earned a bronze medal in the 400 m event at the 1976 Olympics. He served as chef de mission of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team and as the Athletic Director at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Hawaii. He currently serves as the senior deputy athletics director at Syracuse University.

Athlete

Frazier started his athletic career as multiple sport athlete at Germantown High School in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Philadelphia Pioneers Track Club where he was coached by Alex Woodley. His collegiate career began at Denison University. He later attended Arizona State University, where he became an All-American sprinter. He was the team captain of the 1977 national championship track team. He graduated from ASU in 1977 with a degree in political science.

As a member of the US National Track & Field team, Frazier participated both in the Olympic and Pan-American games. In the 1976 Montreal Olympics, he ran the first leg for the gold medal-winning 4 × 400-meter relay team. Individually, he won a bronze medal in the 400-meter dash. He was also a gold medalist at both the 1975 and 1979 Pan-American Games. In 1980, he was a member of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team that boycotted the Summer Olympic Games in Moscow. He also tried to qualify for the 1980 Winter Olympics as a bobsledder.{{cite news |last1=Tamurian |first1=Niko |title=Herm Frazier celebrates 40th anniversary of winning Olympic gold |url=https://cnycentral.com/sports/olympics/herm-frazier-celebrates-40th-anniversary-of-winning-olympic-gold |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=WSTM-TV |date=5 August 2016}}{{cite news |last1=Kobland |first1=Keith |title=45 Years Later, Olympic Memories Still Fresh for Herman Frazier |url=https://news.syr.edu/blog/2021/07/26/45-years-later-olympic-memories-still-fresh-for-herman-frazier/ |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=SU News |date=26 July 2021}}

Administrator

Frazier began his administrative career as a graduate assistant at Arizona State University in 1977. He would later become a full-time administrator and remained with the university for a total of 23 years, eventually becoming the Senior Associate Athletics Director. He would earn his first athletics director job at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2000.{{cite web|title=UAB Press Release |url=http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=31583 |date=August 22, 2000 |access-date=March 21, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060918154106/http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=31583 |archive-date=September 18, 2006 }}{{cite press release |title=Frazier Resigns Athletics Director Position At UAB, Accepts Hawaii AD Post |url=https://uabsports.com/sports/2017/6/10/genrel-062102aaa-html |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics |date=June 21, 2002 |language=en}} In 2002, he left UAB to accept the athletic director position at the University of Hawaii{{cite press release |last1=Costello |first1=Paul |title=Olympic Gold Medalist Herman Frazier Appointed UH Manoa Athletic Director |url=https://manoa.hawaii.edu/news/article.php?aId=302 |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa |date=June 21, 2002}}{{cite news |first= Dave |last= Reardon |title= Hawaii welcomes Frazier as AD today |url= http://starbulletin.com/2002/06/21/sports/story1.html |work= The Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date= June 21, 2002 |access-date= March 21, 2007 |archive-date= January 15, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080115015145/http://starbulletin.com/2002/06/21/sports/story1.html |url-status= dead }} where he would remain until 2008.{{cite news | title = Frazier bought out for $312,510 | work = The Honolulu Advertiser | date = January 8, 2008 | url = http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2008/Jan/08/br/br8360179452.html | access-date = January 8, 2008}}{{cite news | title = UH to buy out Frazier's contract for $312,510 | work = The Honolulu Star-Bulletin | url = http://starbulletin.com/breaking/breaking.php?id=6607 | access-date = January 9, 2008 | archive-date = January 10, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080110053758/http://starbulletin.com/breaking/breaking.php?id=6607 | url-status = dead }} Frazier was fired the day after he failed to re-sign football coach June Jones.{{cite news |title=Jones loss means end of job for Hawaii AD Frazier |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=3187261 |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=ESPN |agency=AP |date=9 January 2008 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Sun |title=Hawaii dismisses AD Frazier day after Jones' departure |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2008-01-09-0801090330-story.html |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=Baltimore Sun |date=January 9, 2008}}

In 2008 Frazier was named associate athletic director for sports administration at Temple University, and stayed there until 2011.{{cite news |title=Temple hires Germantown High alum Herman Frazier |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/hp/sports/20080813_Temple_hires_Germantown_High_alum_Herman_Frazier.html |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=August 13, 2008 |language=en}} In July 2011, he was hired at Syracuse University by Daryl Gross to take similar position.{{cite news |last1=Bloss |first1=Joe |title=Herman Frazier's track to Syracuse ran from North Philly, through Olympic gold |url=http://dailyorange.com/2017/10/herman-fraziers-track-syracuse-ran-north-philly-olympic-gold/ |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=The Daily Orange |date=2 October 2017}}

He has served on the U.S. Olympic Committee in numerous capacities. In 1996, he was elected as one of three vice-presidents for the committee and accompanied the team to the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia. Most recently, he served as the chef de mission for the 2004 games in Athens, Greece. He has also served on the U.S. Olympic Athletes Advisory Council and the U.S. Olympic Overview Commission.

As a member of the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors, he was vice-president in 1996 and chairman in 1998 and 1999.

He serves as the board-chair for Syracuse Stage{{cite news |last1=Duncan |first1=Brenda |title=Company news: Syracuse Stage announces new board president Herman Frazier |url=https://www.syracuse.com/business/2020/10/company-news-syracuse-stage-announces-new-board-president-herman-frazier.html |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=The Post-Standard |date=26 October 2020 |language=en}} and The Bowerman Advisory Board.{{cite news |title=The Bowerman Advisory Board: The Bowerman |url=https://www.ustfccca.org/the-bowerman/the-bowerman-advisory-board |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=The Bowerman}}{{cite news |last1=Seames |first1=Sam |last2=Eder |first2=Larry |title=[Audio] Herman Frazier, Deputy Athletics Director at Syracuse University, interviewed by Larry Eder |url=https://www.runblogrun.com/2015/01/audio-herman-frazier-deputy-athletics-director-at-syracuse-university-interviewed-by-larry-eder.html |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=www.runblogrun.com |date=January 1, 2015}}

Honors

Frazier has received numerous honors, including the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award (Class of 2002), which recognizes "distinguished former student-athletes on their 25th anniversary as college graduates".{{cite web |title=Silver Anniversary Awards, NCAA official website |url=https://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/!ut/p/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLN4j3CQXJgFjGpvqRqCKO6AI-YRARXwN9X4_83FR9b_0A_YLc0NCIckdFALOxkFY!/delta/base64xml/L3dJdyEvUUd3QndNQSEvNElVRS82XzBfTFU!?CONTENT_URL=https://www.ncaa.org/awards/honors_program/silver/index.html |access-date=March 21, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311014341/http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/%21ut/p/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLN4j3CQXJgFjGpvqRqCKO6AI-YRARXwN9X4_83FR9b_0A_YLc0NCIckdFALOxkFY%21/delta/base64xml/L3dJdyEvUUd3QndNQSEvNElVRS82XzBfTFU%21?CONTENT_URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncaa.org%2Fawards%2Fhonors_program%2Fsilver%2Findex.html |archive-date=March 11, 2007}} Frazier was one of 461 athletes to receive a Congressional Gold Medal due to the US boycott of the 1980 Olympics.{{cite book|last1=Caroccioli|first1=Tom|last2=Caroccioli|first2=Jerry|title=Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games|year=2008|publisher=New Chapter Press|location=Highland Park, IL|isbn=978-0942257403|pages=243–253}}

In 2003 he was cited as one of the 101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports by Sports Illustrated.{{cite magazine |title= New World Order |url= http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/2003/new_world_order/41_60/ |magazine= Sports Illustrated |publisher= CNN/Sports Illustrated |date= May 5, 2003 |access-date= March 21, 2007 |archive-date= February 25, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130225054631/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/2003/new_world_order/41_60/ |url-status= dead }} He was named as one of The 50 Most Powerful African Americans in Sports in the March 2005 issue of Black Enterprise magazine.{{cite news |first= Alan |last= Hughes |title= The 50 most powerful African Americans in sports |url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1365/is_8_35/ai_n13813021 |work= Black Enterprise |date= March 2005 |access-date=March 21, 2007 }} In 2002, the Herman R. Frazier Political Science Scholarship was established by his friends and colleagues at Arizona State University to "celebrate and honor Mr. Frazier’s lifetime achievements" and award a "deserving political science student."{{cite web | publisher = The Institute for Social Science Research |title=Political Science Dept Arizona State University: Scholarships | url= https://spgs.asu.edu/scholarships/herman-frazier-political-science-scholarships|access-date=July 30, 2021}}

In 2012, Frazier was awarded the Pioneer Award for his role in the 2004 Olympic Games, honoring minority 'first' in athletics, by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.{{cite news |title=Herman Frazier wins Pioneer Award |url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/other/herman-frazier-wins-pioneer-award |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=FOX Sports |date=March 14, 2012}}

On November 5, 2020, Frazier was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.{{cite web |last1=Estrada |first1=Lorenzino |title=Sun Devil Herman Frazier Entering Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame |url=https://thesundevils.com/news/2020/8/31/track-field-sun-devil-herman-frazier-entering-philadelphia-sports-hall-of-fame.aspx |website=thesundevils.com |date=31 August 2020|access-date=11 April 2021}}{{cite news |title=Frazier Gets Philly 'Hall Call' |url=https://cuse.com/news/2020/9/2/general-frazier-gets-philly-hall-call.aspx |access-date=31 July 2021 |work=Syracuse University Athletics |date=September 2, 2020 |language=en}}

Criticism

Frazier was criticized by some for leaving UAB with a $7.5 million deficit. His supporters noted that he had inherited a deficit and did not receive institutional support, while his detractors claimed that he was ineffective in increasing revenue.{{cite news |first= Dave |last= Reardon |title= UH near hiring new AD |url= http://starbulletin.com/2002/06/19/news/story1.html |work= The Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date= June 19, 2002 |access-date= March 21, 2007 |archive-date= January 15, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080115015140/http://starbulletin.com/2002/06/19/news/story1.html |url-status= dead }}

On January 8, 2008, Herman Frazier was fired from his position as athletic director at the University of Hawaii following heavy criticism from the fans and media of the State of Hawaii. On March 3, 2007, he was loudly booed by the crowd following the final home game of the University of Hawaii's head basketball coach Riley Wallace.{{cite news |first= Michael |last= Tsai |title= UH says aloha to Wallace with 92–75 win |url= http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Mar/04/sp/FP703040379.html |work= The Honolulu Advertiser |date= March 4, 2007 |access-date=March 21, 2007 }}{{cite news | first = Dave | last = Reardon | title = Frazier to his critics: Judge me by my record | work = The Honolulu Star-Bulletin | date = March 25, 2007 | url = http://starbulletin.com/2007/03/25/sports/story04.html | access-date = March 25, 2007 | archive-date = January 15, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080115015331/http://starbulletin.com/2007/03/25/sports/story04.html | url-status = dead }} Frazier is widely viewed as having forced Wallace to resign by including a "no-extension" clause in his final contract. However, Wallace has accepted responsibility by saying, "The bottom line is Riley Wallace signed the contract."{{cite news |first= Jason |last= Kaneshiro |title= Wallace makes it official |url= http://starbulletin.com/2006/12/30/sports/story01.html |work= The Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date= December 30, 2006 |access-date= March 21, 2007 |archive-date= January 15, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080115015320/http://starbulletin.com/2006/12/30/sports/story01.html |url-status= dead }} Frazier was also criticized by both the media and public for ongoing delays and a perceived lack of integrity in finalizing the full 2007 Hawaii Warriors football team schedule. Frazier admitted that he may have miscalculated in regards to the schedule but stands by his record at Hawaii citing, in part, his balancing of the athletics budget. He inherited a $2.5 million deficit from his predecessor.{{cite news |first = Jason |last = Kaneshiro |title = UH athletic department has lost millions since '02 |work = The Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date = June 17, 2004 |url = http://starbulletin.com/2004/06/17/news/story5.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040628040519/http://starbulletin.com/2004/06/17/news/story5.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = June 28, 2004 |access-date = March 25, 2007 }}{{cite news |first= Kalani |last= Simpson |title= It would have been better for Frazier if he leveled with UH fans |url= http://starbulletin.com/2007/03/20/sports/simpson.html |work= The Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date= March 20, 2007 |access-date= March 21, 2007 |archive-date= April 1, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070401184442/http://starbulletin.com/2007/03/20/sports/simpson.html |url-status= dead }}{{cite news |first= Ferd |last= Lewis |title= Previous AD could seal deals |url= http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007703160347 |work= The Honolulu Advertiser |date= March 16, 2007 |access-date= March 21, 2007 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (Note: It was discovered after Frasier left that the so-called "balanced budget" left the athletic department with an even greater debt hovering around $6 million even after the windfall from the Sugar Bowl.) Finally, Frazier also received the brunt of the blame for then UH football coach, June Jones, leaving the university for Southern Methodist University.

On April 6, 2009, Jim Bolla—who Frazier hired in 2004—was fired as the women's basketball coach for Hawaii after former players complained of a "pattern of verbal abuse" from Bolla. Former UH player Pamela Tambini told the Honolulu Advertiser that players complained for years about their treatment by Bolla to Frazier but Frazier apparently took no actions. The paper quoted Tambini stating: "Everybody knew about it and did nothing about it ... We were going through hell. No student should have had to go through that. It's not fair."{{cite web |url=http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090409/NEWS01/904090356/1001 |title=Wahine hoops coach gets boot | HonoluluAdvertiser.com | the Honolulu Advertiser |access-date=2016-11-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090411005020/http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090409/NEWS01/904090356/1001 |archive-date=April 11, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}

References

External links

[https://cuse.com/staff-directory/herman-frazier/265 Syracuse Athletics Profile]
[http://www.azarchivesonline.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/asu/up_upc_asua.xml Arizona State Photographs]
[https://trackandfieldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Herman-Frazier.pdf 1993 Interview] with Track & Field News
[https://asura.asu.edu/FrazierVideoClip 2016 Video Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731165036/https://asura.asu.edu/FrazierVideoClip |date=July 31, 2021 }}

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Category:1954 births

Category:Living people

Category:Track and field athletes from Philadelphia

Category:American male sprinters

Category:Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine athletic directors

Category:UAB Blazers athletic directors

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics

Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field

Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1975 Pan American Games

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games