Northeast Conference 200 Cottontail Lane • Vantage Court North • Somerset, NJ 08873 (732) 469-0440 • Fax (732) 469-0744 • www.northeastconference.org
For Immediate Release December 3, 2007
Northeast Conference to Pay Tribute to Bob Balut With Fundraiser Game to Benefit the Aidan Robert Balut Scholarship Fund Game to Air Live on MSG Network on Saturday, December 8th at Noon
Somerset, NJ - On December 8th, the Northeast Conference and its member institutions will celebrate the life of Bob Balut, who enjoyed a long history with the Donations To The Aidan Robert Balut conference before his untimely passing in March after a long battle with colon Scholarship Fund can also be sent to the cancer at the age of 32. following address: Bob is survived by his wife Erica and their son, Aidan Robert, who just turned 2 1/ Aidan Robert Balut Scholarship Fund 2 years old. To benefit the Aidan Robert Balut Scholarship Fund, Wagner College PNC Bank will be hosting St. Francis (NY) in a men's basketball game to air live on MSG Network at noon on the 8th. All members of the television crew, from announcers Church and Greentree Road to camera workers to engineers to the producer and director, will donate their Marlton, NJ 08053 game fees to the fund. Additional proceeds, including gate receipts and fan dona- For more information, call 732-469-0440, Ext. 6 tions, from all NEC games that weekend will be earmarked for the fund.
“There is no better way to honor my husband's memory than to hold a fund raiser to benefit our son's future,” said Erica Balut, who was married to Bob in 2003. “Bob made it a point to plan for Aidan's education before he was ever born. I know Bob is so thankful for everything that the NEC, Wagner, the rest of the conference and the TV crew is doing for this event. Nothing will ever take away the pain and sadness I feel, but it comforts me to know that there are so many great people willing to take time out of there normal schedules to put together such a wonderful event in memory of my husband. I can't thank everyone enough!”
Born in Edison, NJ, Bob was known for his energy and passion for his work. He began his tenure with the NEC in November, 2003, and was the league's media contact for football, women's basketball and softball, organized numerous championships and played a key role in the relaunch of the conference website.
Bob's history with the NEC included a six-year stint at Wagner College, including four as the school's Sports Information Director from 1999- 03. He created the Seahawk Broadcasting Network, which streamed Wagner’s first-ever Internet broadcasts for football, basketball and baseball. In addition, Bob served on the Wagner Athletic Hall of Fame and the Seahawk Golf Classic committees and had a two-year stint as the Chair of the NEC Sports Information Directors committee. Bob also worked as a media relations assistant at the University of Massachusetts in 1997 and began his career as an undergraduate assistant at the University of South Carolina, where he served as baseball contact for two seasons (1996-97). He won a CoSIDA/Baseball Writers Association "Best In The Nation" award for his 1997 baseball media guide.
Bob graduated from South Carolina, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in Sport Administration, in 1997.
“We want to express our sincere thanks for this wonderful and magnificent tribute to our son,” said Bob’s parents, Charlie and Donna Balut. “We are so proud to know how much he was respected and loved. He certainly left his mark on our world. Bob was so special in everything he did and we were fortunate and privileged to have him as our son. Keep him always in your thoughts and prayers. We miss him dearly.”
(Northeast Conference To Pay Tribute To Bob Balut With Fundraiser • Page 1-of-2)
Central Connecticut State University • Fairleigh Dickinson University • Long Island University Monmouth University • Mount St. Mary’s University • Quinnipiac University Robert Morris University • Sacred Heart University • St. Francis (NY) College Saint Francis (PA) University • Wagner College One of Bob's greatest passions was rooting for Rutgers football. A diehard fan since childhood, he basked in the glow of the team's success last season. He was also a huge fan of the New York Mets and New York Giants.
Bob's dedication, loyalty, creativity, sense of humor and character were well known among those within his profession. He is sorely missed by his family, friends, colleagues and all who had a chance to meet him.
Now entering its 27th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 11 institutions of higher learning located throughout five states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#22), Baltimore (#24), and Hartford/New Haven (#28). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 21 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic or play-in access to 13 different NCAA Champion- ships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis (NY), Saint Francis (PA) and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit www.northeastconference.org.
(Northeast Conference To Pay Tribute To Bob Balut With Fundraiser • Page 2-of-2)