FRONTLINES ATHLETICS New athletics


director on board Steve Watson is Loyola’s new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. Watson comes to Loyola after seven years as the Director of Athletics at St. Bonaventure Univer- sity. Watson has 16 years of experience in intercollegiate administration under his belt.


Steve Watson Named to his post at St. Bonaventure in 2007,


athletics thrived under Watson’s leadership. Academic success came hand-in-hand with the school’s on-field improvement, as St. Bonaven- ture’s graduation rates and Academic Progress Rate numbers have continued to climb. Watson moved to St. Bonaventure after a six-year stint (2001–07) at Eastern Michigan University, one year as Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities & Operations, and five years as Associate Ath- letics Director for Internal Operations. A native of Franklinville, New York, Watson and his wife, Ann, have three children.


Jeff (BS ’81, DENT ’85) and Kathy Mulac (BA ’81), pictured above, have missed just one men’s basketball home game in 37 seasons. They are pictured above at the 2014 season opener.


Ramblers work as hard as they play


96%


GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE SCORE


Loyola’s student-athletes achieved their highest- ever Graduation Success Rate score, according to the latest figures re- leased by the NCAA. The


Ramblers’ 96 percent GSR puts them in a tie for 16th nationally and is the highest among Missouri Valley Conference institutions. This marks the fifth consecutive year that Loyola has improved its GSR score. The men’s basketball program compiled a


perfect score of 100, the only MVC school with a grade higher than 90. It is one of six Loyola programs to earn the highest score, joining women’s soccer, women’s golf, women’s vol- leyball, men’s cross country/track and field, and national champion men’s volleyball.


For love of the game


Jeff and Kathy Mulac are devoted Rambler fans


Jeff (BS ’81, DENT ’85) and Kathy Mulac (BA ‘81) love watching the Ramblers play basketball. And they do a lot of it. In fact, in 37 seasons, they’ve missed just one men’s home game. They first started attending games as students.


“The first game I went to, we were playing the Minnesota Golden Gophers with Kevin McHale,” says Jeff, a dentist in the Chicago area. “I went up to the window and said, ‘How much to get in?’ They said one dollar. So I sat in the front row, and I said ‘Well, you can’t beat this.’ I was hooked.” Jeff and Kathy met at Loyola as students, and


made it a point to keep attending the games they both enjoyed so much after graduation. They’re anything but fair weather fans.


“Why stop? There’s no reason to stop going,”


Jeff says. “It’s in Chicago, so you don’t have to drive home. If weather’s bad, we take the L. One night we got stranded, so we slept at a friend’s place.” The Mulacs have followed the aptly named Ramblers off-campus to the Allstate Arena, UIC, and Northwestern over the years. “We always got there,” Jeff says. “We got


married in 1988 and planned to be back from the honeymoon before the season started. I’m not kidding; we didn’t want to miss a game.” The Mulacs are season ticketholders and


bring friends and family members to each game. In 2006, Jeff and Kathy received the George Ireland Award for outstanding support of Loyola athletics. “It’s a family affair,” Jeff says. “My parents still


go—they’re 87 and 83. What else would we do? It makes the winter go by. And it keeps us young.”


10 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO


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