Staten Island, NY – Wagner College President Angelo Araimo has announced that Walt Hameline will serve as Vice President For Intercollegiate Athletics, with Brendan Fahey elevated to serve as the Seahawks' Director of Athletics, effective immediately.
"We are lucky to have one of the great athletic administrators in this country in Walt Hameline, who has provided Wagner College with tremendous leadership for 40 years," Araimo said. "In this new role, he will help us reach new heights as an institution and continue to guide our athletic department to success in the classroom and on the playing field. Brendan Fahey has been a great leader at Wagner, and our teams have seen incredible success throughout his tenure on Grymes Hill. I'm excited to see Walt and Brendan excel and help our teams win."
Hameline, who stepped down as Wagner College head football coach after 34 years following the 2014 season, has served as the Seahawks' athletic director since 1982, which made him the longest-tenured Division I AD, with 40 years of service to his credit. He was recently named to the 2023 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
"I'm extremely thankful to continue the journey at Wagner that started here four decades ago," Hameline said. "In my various roles at Wagner, I'm lucky to have crossed paths with many student athletes, coaches and administrators who have had a positive impact on my life. I look forward to facing new challenges here at Wagner, and I have great confidence in Brendan to continue his fantastic job in our athletic department."
Fahey, who recently completed his 15th year at Wagner, previously served as the Seahawks' Deputy Athletic Director. In that role, he was responsible for all internal and external operations, which included the department's finances, supervision of corporate marketing, Seahawk Club development, facility and equipment management, championship events, and budgeting and finances for each of Wagner's 26 varsity sports.
"I'd like to thank President Araimo, Walt Hameline and the entire Wagner community for giving me this opportunity," Fahey said. "Over the past decade, I have had the honor to serve alongside great coaches and administrators who have helped me develop as a person and a leader. I'm excited to guide our athletic department and watch our student athletes thrive while continuing to strengthen my relationships with thousands of alumni around the globe."
Under Hameline's leadership, the Wagner athletic department has undergone an ambitious expansion in both sport offerings and facility improvements.
Hameline, who enjoyed a long and proud association with metropolitan-area basketball and the National Invitation Tournament, was the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Service Award from the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. Distinguished Service Awards are presented by the MBWA to individuals who have made significant contributions to college basketball.
During his 34-year coaching career, Hameline amassed an all-time record of 223-139-2 (.615) on Grymes Hill. At the conclusion of the 2014 regular season, those 223 victories ranked fifth among active head Football Championship Subdivision head coaches.
In 2014, Hameline was honored by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers and USA College Football at the Eastern College Football Awards banquet at MetLife Stadium. On that night, Hameline received the FCS Bob Ford Award, named for the man who guided a highly successful football program at the University at Albany from 1970 to 2013. Established in 2012, the Bob Ford Award honors legendary FCS coaches who have recently retired from the sidelines.
In a stirring ceremony prior to kickoff at the September 15, 2012 Wagner vs. Monmouth game, the field at Wagner College Stadium was named Hameline Field in honor of his long-time success at the helm of the Seahawk gridiron program.
During his time at Wagner, Fahey has been heavily involved in the replacement of the stadium track (2017) and turf (2016), the construction of the new Wagner Field Hockey Complex (2018), the installation of video scoreboards in the Spiro Sports Center's Sutter Gymnasium (2018) and pool (2019), the addition of stadium lights (2013), a state-of-the-art video scoreboard for Wagner College Stadium (2011), a softball press box renovation (2012) and a baseball batting cage renovation project (2011).
Fahey also initiated and successfully added new varsity sports in women's fencing, women's field hockey, men's water polo, men's swimming and diving, and women's bowling, after previously adding diving to the Seahawks' already prominent women's swim team. In addition, he signed the department's first-ever licensing agreement with Strategic Marketing Affiliates (SMA).
Fahey has served as the sport administrator for 12 conference championship teams. Under his leadership, the Seahawks' women's water polo team brought home seven conference titles, while the women's lacrosse team won three championships. Wagner's women's swimming and diving team as well as the men's golf team also won conference championships under Fahey.
Fahey negotiated contracts for the football team to compete against its first-ever FBS opponents in 2012 (Florida Atlantic) and 2013 (Syracuse). Fahey was a member of the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse
committee from 2011 to 2015 while serving as the chair of the committee between 2014-15 and is currently on the MAAC Water Polo committee.
Fahey graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in sports marketing before earning his master's degree in athletic administration from Marshall University in 2006.
