Rutgers Honors Englewood Native For Supporting Athletics

ENGLEWOOD, NJ — An Englewood native and his wife received a prestigious award from Rutgers University recently for a lifetime impacting the lives of student-athletes.

Bob Druskin and his wife, Harriet, accepted the 1869 Legacy Award Wednesday during Rutgers' annual 50-Yard Line Celebration, a gala honoring university donors. The award honors people who have made a lifetime impact on Rutgers student-athletes.

"We are deeply honored to receive this award," Druskin, an alumnus of Dwight-Englewood High School, said in a press release issued by Rutgers. "What we do, whether we give monetarily or whether we give of time and effort, we view as an investment in people and programs that we really believe in."

The Druskins have supported several Rutgers athletics initiatives, including revitalization of the Rutgers Athletic Center and expansion of the SHI Stadium. A new strength and conditioning center at Rutgers was named after them.

"What’s important to us, is the kind of program," Druskin said when accepting the award. "What kind of student-athletes do they produce? What are the messages these young people take with them when they leave the university?"

Director of Athletics Pat Hobbs spoke highly of the Druskins.

"They give back to Rutgers, and often do it very quietly. Sometimes the meaningful things that they give are seen, like our strength and conditioning center at the RAC, but there are other things they do quietly," Hobbs said in the news release. "We are very, very fortunate to have Bob and Harriett Druskin as part of our Rutgers Athletics family."

Druskin, a 1969 gradate of Rutgers, has used his successful career in the finance industry for the betterment of Rutgers athletics. Before retiring, he was chief operation officer of Citigroup Inc.

Harriett Druskin is a member of the Rutgers University Board of Overseers.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com