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LBSU
Athletics laud President Maxson support
Spirit
• President Maxson and his wife
Sylvia cheer on the Cal State Long Beach
women’s water polo team Saturday at
The Campus Pool. Yulian Danusastro / Daily
Forty-Niner
By
Moria Khou
Online Forty-Niner
Sports Editor
President
Robert Maxson personifies the motto of "Beach
Pride" better than anyone else at Long
Beach State.
When
Maxson, who announced his retirement last
week, departs, the university will not only
lose an MVP-caliber president, but its biggest
athletic supporter as well.
The
president consistently attended LBSU's sporting
events —baseball, basketball, cross
country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis,
track and field, volleyball and water polo—he
was there.
He
unflaggingly rooted for athletes. His support
was given independent of the level of their
success. President Maxson stood beside the
cheer team, he orchestrated the band in
the bleachers, he led the cheer in the crowd
and he gave every player that extra "let's
go."
Maxson
also played chauffer, going around to dorms
on the campus shuttle to pick up students
and fill seats at The Pyramid.
How
do you replace an all-world president, or
better yet, an all-world fan?
A
retirement jersey hanging on the rafters
of The Pyramid with the name Maxson and
"Go Beach!" streaming across would
be nice.
"He's
been a tremendous mentor and father figure
to me. What he's done for the athletic department
is raised it to a level of visibility never
seen before. Not only do the student body
and athletes thrive from his attendance
at games, but he makes our opponents in
the Big West conference envious because
it is unusual to have a president as supportive.
President Maxson has left a tremendous legacy
and he has made us all inspired for knowing
him."
— Bill Shumard, Executive Director
of Athletics
"I
was here as an athlete before President
Maxon was here and it is probably the single
biggest loss or decision on campus that
has effected my psyche since I've been here.
Things were a lot different before him.
In my opinion, we were a good university,
but there was little pride and little cohesion.
President Maxon has been amazing on getting
everybody from the athletic department to
the science department to the English department
all on the same page—this is the greatest
place on the planet to be."
— Alan Knipe, Head Coach Men's Volleyball
"He
means everything to the athletic department.
When you have a president, like President
Maxon, who understands that academics and
sports can and should work together, it's
great.
What
he did was bring the best of both worlds.
I think Long Beach State and every individual
in this school that has had dealings with
him is a much better person because of his
philosophy. He will be a man that will be
sorely missed."
— Ricardo Azevedo, Head Coach Men's
and Women's Water Polo
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