SUNY Cortland Athletics

Upon his graduation from Cortland in 1965, Art Jessup dedicated nearly four decades as a coach and teacher at Washingtonville (N.Y.) High School. Jessup taught social studies from 1965 until his retirement in 1998, and he coached the track and field teams for 37 years and the cross country squads for 22 years before his retirement from coaching in 2002.
 
Jessup's cross country teams recorded 255 wins, won a state title in 1987 and were state runners-up in 1984 and 1986. They also finished second in the State Federation championships twice, won 12 Section 9 titles and captured six Orange County crowns. Individually, Washingtonville boasted an individual state champ, eight sectional winners and four county champions under Jessup.
 
In track and field, Washingtonville won 10 sectional and nine county titles under Jessup's watch. Three individuals and two relays qualified for nationals, and two individuals and one relay won state titles. Jessup became the first coach from Section 9 to be inducted into the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Hall of Fame in 2005, and he served as the section's indoor track chairman to the state committee for 20 years.
 
At Cortland, Jessup competed four years in a variety of events in varsity track and field. He won eight New York State Conference Championship medals, and he was a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that set a school record while placing second at the 1962 Penn Relays. He earned Cortland's Track Red Letter Award in his junior year.
 
Jessup also started at guard for three years on the varsity basketball team after playing his first year on the freshman squad. He was a member of the Gamma Tau Sigma fraternity and was active in student government. He earned a bachelor's degree in education and did graduate work at SUNY New Paltz and Syracuse University.
 
The Monroe, N.Y., native has coached various youth sports teams in his community and coached for the Hudson Valley Region in the Empire State Games for four years. He created and operated the summer track program for the Town of Blooming Grove for five years and currently is a New York State certified track and field official.

UPDATE: Jessup passed away on August 28, 2023, at age 80.