Buffalo State Coach & Administrator
One of the most influential persons in the history of Buffalo State athletics comes with a quick wit, a strong mind and a passion to succeed. He is a leader and a friend, a mentor and a student. His name is Fred Hartrick and he is the latest member of the Bengal family to be inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.
It took 36 years for Fred to work his way through the athletic department at Buffalo State. After coaching four teams, and serving as the department’s publicist, he eventually found himself in the athletic director’s seat guiding the program to prominence.
Referred to as the “Father of the Modern Era of Buffalo State Athletics”, Hartrick led the Bengals through its “Golden Age” from the mid-60’s through the 1980’s.
Most notably, on the coaching side, he instructed athletes in men’s soccer, baseball, bowling and golf. He coached 14 All-Americans in soccer and 50 of his young men earned All-New York State honors. He also produced two All-American baseball players and nine of his diamond men signed professional contracts.
Fred found his greatest success on the soccer pitch posting 150 wins and 24 ties in 22 years on the job. In 1967 the Bengals became the first collegiate soccer team in the Buffalo area to compete in an NCAA tournament, while his 1970 team posted an undefeated mark of 13-0-2 and was ranked 7th nationally among all of the 450 colleges and universities sponsoring the sport. Long-time Western New York sports fans will recall that GBSHOF inductee Randy Smith was a key member of that squad.
As an administrator, perhaps his greatest long-lasting achievement was spearheading the drive to construct a modern, state-of-the-art basketball and hockey facility on campus. The Buffalo State Sports Arena hosted the NCAA Division III men’s basketball championship three consecutive years bringing national notoriety to the Elmwood Avenue campus. He also served a six year stint as Chair of the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championships
Upon his retirement, he did not stay idle. Fred applied his considerable administrative talents to the Buffalo District Golf Association where he served as its Executive Director from 2002-09. During those years, he expanded the program by initiating new championships for Men’s Match Play, Women’s Individual, Men’s Mid-Am, Girls’ Individual, Senior Mr. and Mrs., and Parent-Child, while increasing the Player of the Year awards to include Junior, Sub-Junior, and Women categories.