Born in the small North Country community of Norwood, N.Y., the late Sam Molnar returned north after graduation from Cortland in 1946 to become one of the most important - and best loved - figures in the history of Potsdam State athletics.
Molnar came to Cortland in the autumn of 1938. He played varsity football, basketball, baseball and ran track. In 1941, Molnar entered the U.S. Air Corps and served as a lieutenant during World War II. He returned to Cortland in 1946 and was Beta Phi Epsilon. Molnar earned a B.S. in physical education from Cortland in 1946, and later earned a master's degree from St. Lawrence and an Ed.D from New York University.
Molnar, who died unexpectedly at age 58 in 1977, started as a physical education instructor at Potsdam in 1947. He coached basketball from 1947-56 while his Potsdam baseball squads posted a combined mark of 107 wins and 62 losses between 1947-63 and 1969-72. In 1954, Molnar became SUNY Potsdam's athletic director and was a moving force behind the formation of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) in the late 1950's. Molnar served as the SUNYAC president from 1962-64. Beginning in 1977, the Annual SUNYAC Scholar Athletic Award has been called the Simon J. Molnar Award.
Molnar, in addition to his athletic director duties, became chairman of the the Health, Physical Education and Athletic Department at Potsdam in 1964 and served in that capacity until his death. Molnar spearheaded the planning and construction of Potsdam's Maxcy Hall, one of the top small college athletic facilities in the nation. Under Molnar's guidance, Potsdam embarked upon a comprehensive intercollegiate athletic program for both men and women. "His diligence, his enthusiasm, his high standards and his unfailing good humor resulted in his being recognized as a model for the thousands of young people whom he influenced," said SUNY Potsdam President Thomas Barrington at the time of Molnar's death.
Molnar served the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) as a member of its ECAC Council, Baseball Committee, TV Committee, Golf Committee and Officiating Committee. In 1983, the ECAC posthumously presented Molnar with its Lynah Award for his years of outstanding service.
Within the Potsdam community, Molnar worked on St. Mary's Church fund raisers, chaired the campus blood drive for seven years, chaired the United Fund campus drive for six years, and was president of the Potsdam Youth Recreation Association. As Potsdam athletic director, Molnar remained a loyal Cortland alumnus and gave a number of Cortland grads their starts in the physical education field.
In 1977, the Cortland Alumni Association established an undergraduate scholarship in his memory. Molnar is survived by his wife, Leonore, and two children: Thomas and John.
