Rutherford Public School’s Athletic Director, David Frazier, has been named the 2020-21 Bergen County Athletic Director of the year by the Bergen County Athletic Directors Association. Mr. Frazier, who also serves as President of the New Jersey Interscholastic Conference (NJIC), was recently selected by the athletic directors of the NJIC as Colonial Divisional AD of the year.
“I’m humbled and honored to receive this award this year,” said Mr. Frazier. “Any time your colleagues nominate you for an award or recognize you, it’s always humbling. It’s a pleasure to represent Bergen County.”
This is the latest recognition for Mr. Frazier, who in 2016 received the North II Sectional Award of Merit from the Directors of Athletics Association of New Jersey (DAANJ). He now serves as the Section Award of Merit Committee chairperson for the DAANJ and is on the Board of Trustees. Mr. Frazier was also recently appointed to serve on the National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS) Board of Trustees as an at-large member for the next four years and is no stranger to executive board work as he served as the Executive Committee President of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) in 2012-13.
“It’s always an honor to chair or serve on a committee,” said Mr. Frazier. “It’s amazing that people think of me and it’s hard for me to say no to organizations I respect. Hopefully I’ll be able to continue to juggle and wear all of these hats.”
One of the hats Mr. Frazier has been wearing a lot recently is that of the Chair of the NJSIAA’s COVID-19 Sports Advisory Task Force. Established in May, the Task Force was crucial in safely bringing student-athletes back together for practices and games by proposing, implementing and enforcing modifications to keep everyone as safe as possible during the pandemic.
“It has been a crazy road to navigate,” said Mr. Frazier. “It’s been really challenging, but having sports has brought back some sense of normalcy for the students by giving them an opportunity to participate in something they missed out on for so long.”
Despite the challenges that come with the job this year, Mr. Frazier, a 1989 graduate of Rutherford High School who was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002, says he loves what he does and where he does it “It’s great to have been a part of the history, to be part of what’s happening now, and to help shape the future of our programs. We’re all kind of a building block of this building — some of us are a foundation and some of us are higher towards the roof — and each generation gives us something that makes this tradition and this building great. I love it. It’s a special place and I’m definitely fortunate to be in charge of the program here.”
“We are so fortunate to have someone like Mr. Frazier as part of our Rutherford family,” said Superintendent of Schools Jack Hurley. “He was a tremendous athlete while he was a student here, and now he’s helping guide our student athletes during this important time. We have always known what an asset he is. It’s great to see him recognized for that.”
