Former NBA executive and Toronto Board of Trade leader brings vast sports and business experience to campus

Glen Grunwald, a sports and business leader with more than 30 years’ experience — in the National Basketball Association, as president of the Toronto Board of Trade and in amateur sport — is McMaster’s next Director of Athletics and Recreation.

Grunwald was selected after an extensive international search that began this spring.

“Welcoming Glen to McMaster is great news for our students, student athletes and the community,” says Sean Van Koughnett, associate vice-president, students and learning, and dean of students. “Glen brings a wealth of experience to McMaster. He shares our commitment to providing the best athletic and recreation opportunities for all McMaster students, while ensuring our teams are ready to compete at the highest levels.”

Grunwald joins McMaster from his most recent position as executive vice-president and general manager of the New York Knicks of the NBA, where in his last season he led the team to its first divisional title since 1994. He has served as president and CEO of the Toronto Board of Trade, senior vice-president and general manager of the Toronto Raptors and as a member of the board of governors of George Brown College.

He has been a practicing lawyer, a member of the bar in two states and holds an MBA and Bachelor of Science from Indiana University and a JD from the Northwestern School of Law. At Indiana, Grunwald was a varsity basketball player and a member of the 1981 NCAA championship team.

“It is a privilege to be joining one of the world’s best universities, home to one of the country’s top athletics programs,” Grunwald says. “McMaster has a long tradition of athletic excellence. I am especially eager to join the highly-regarded staff working to enrich the recreational and sports opportunities for our students and to take full advantage of the world-class facilities on campus.

“Whether it is a group of students enjoying a pick-up basketball game, a student playing recreational badminton or a team competing for a Vanier Cup or national championship, sport is an important part of a fully-rounded student experience.”

Grunwald holds Canadian citizenship and is in the process of moving his family to the area from New York City. It is expected he will be on campus for the beginning of the academic year in September.

McMaster Athletics and Recreation at a glance

– the Department of Athletics and Recreation supports McMaster’s academic mission by

enhancing the student experience and the McMaster community through programs

and services built on a foundation of physical activity, health and wellness and

sports.

– Athletics and Recreation is committed to the pursuit of excellence in competition, in its

facilities and programs, to enhancing the student experience and promoting

engagement; to developing, supporting and enriching the McMaster community; and to

helping recruit the best students.

– marquee facilities are the David Braley Athletic Centre and Ron Joyce Stadium,

operating in conjunction with the Ivor Wynne Centre for indoor sports, athletic fields

and outdoor track.

– total operating budget for Athletics and Recreation programs is $12 million — a

combination of student fees, recreation and community program revenue, facility

rentals, sports medicine fees, gate receipts and university contributions.

– full-time staff: 35, including 7 full-time coaches. The department has 18 part-time

coaches and 800 (mainly student) part-time employees.

– the Pulse Fitness Centre, in the DBAC, is one of the largest university fitness centres

in Canada.

– the David Braley Sport Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre is a state-of-the-art

facility within DBAC. The centre is open to McMaster athletes and students, faculty and

staff, and the surrounding community.

– thousands of children participate every year in March Break and summer camps

offered by Athletics and Recreation

– a wide range of recreational programs available include more than 30 intramural

sports, yoga, Pilates, martial arts, dance, fencing, outdoor recreation and leadership

and aquatics.

– more than two dozen varsity teams compete in the Ontario University Athletics

conference of Canadian Interuniversity Sport, using the name McMaster Marauders

since 1948.

– the men’s water polo team has won the OUA championship 25 times, making it the

most successful team at the provincial level, and men’s wrestling team has been the

most successful team at the national level, winning the Canadian Interuniversity Sport

championship four times.

– the football team has won six Yates Cup conference championships and one Vanier

Cup national championship, in 2011.

– the women’s and men’s volleyball teams both won their respective 2013-14 provincial

championships

– The Marauders women’s rugby team captured a national championship in 2014