At a Friday evening Franklin & Marshall College football game, fans received news of a landmark gift to support Diplomat Athletics. Emeritus Trustee and Hall of Fame Inductee Larry Shadek ’72 and his wife, Pat, have made a $5 million gift to support the construction of Shadek Varsity House at the College’s Shadek Stadium.

Before the game, Larry, Pat, and Chris Shadek ’06 entered the field by walking through an aisle lined by the reigning Centennial Conference Champion Diplomats. They joined College President Andrew Rich, Board of Trustees Chair and fellow Hall of Famer Matt DesChamps ’93, P’28, and Director of Athletics & Recreation Lauren Packer Webster at the 50-yard line for the evening’s ceremonial coin toss.

As they did, an announcement from the press box shared news with the packed stands: The Shadek family, among the most generous and enduring supporters of F&M and the donors whose gift in 2012 made Shadek Stadium possible, had committed their support to build a varsity house at the north end of the stadium. The facility will serve football, men’s and women’s lacrosse, track & field, and other Diplomat Athletics teams as well as their fans. The new building will include offices for coaches, a recruitment suite, sports medicine, and men’s and women’s locker rooms for F&M and visiting teams. 

“Franklin & Marshall took a chance on me, an undersized football player and an okay student. I thought, ‘If I ever got in a position where I could help, I would,’" Shadek said. “When I see the quality of these students today, the athletes and the student body at large, they're just a terrific group of young people. That reminds me of what it’s all about. I'm glad to be in the mix and part of their story.”

“I am incredibly grateful to Larry, Pat, and the Shadek family for continuing to invest in Diplomat Athletics and the Franklin & Marshall student-athlete experience,” President Rich said. “Nearly 15 years ago, Larry had a vision for what this athletic complex could make possible for our students. That dream is coming to life, giving Franklin & Marshall an even greater ability to recruit high-achieving student-athletes and deliver a top-tier athletic experience.”

The excitement carried through the evening, as F&M ran away with the game, completing a decisive 31–7 home victory over Lebanon Valley by scoring 24 unanswered points in the second half. The defending Centennial Conference Champion Diplomats were led by junior quarterback Na’Rome Rayborn and a dominant defense that held LVC to just 234 total yards. Following F&M's victory, Head Coach Mike Phelan presented Larry Shadek with the game ball, and fans enjoyed a fireworks display sponsored by the Franklin & Marshall College Alumni Association Board.

A Game-Changer for Diplomat Athletics

Shadek Varsity House will be located beyond the north end zone of Shadek Stadium’s Gilburg Field, opposite the Brooks Sports Group scoreboard. The facility will span more than 25,000 square feet across two floors. 

“Larry and Pat’s gift is a vote of confidence in the student experience central to Franklin & Marshall’s 150-year history of athletic competition,” said Packer Webster. “As a proud member of the Centennial Conference, one of Division III’s most academically prestigious and athletically competitive associations, we have seen firsthand the impact Shadek Stadium has had for student and coach recruitment as well as team performance. Their new gift to fund Shadek Varsity House builds upon our programs’ momentum and adds to F&M’s reputation as a college that invests in its students.”

When a Field Becomes a Classroom

Larry Shadek learned of F&M after a recruiting visit by Head Coach Dave Pooley to Tenafly High School, where Shadek played both defence and offense on an undefeated high school football team. Shadek frequently shares his memory of dropping a coin into a hallway payphone — what he claims is the best dime he ever spent — to call his father, Arthur and ask if he knew about the small Pennsylvania college who wanted him to play football. Arthur held Franklin & Marshall’s academic reputation in high regard, and he told Larry to wholeheartedly accept. 

Shadek started as a long snapper before his selection as quarterback of the freshman squad after a nomination by then Tenafly and future F&M Coach Bob Curtis. Looking back, getting that chance and having the opportunity to play such a pivotal role would become one of his life’s most cherished memories.

He’d stay at quarterback when he moved to the varsity team — at least in the fall. Each spring, he started at shortstop for F&M’s varsity baseball team. Shadek would close out his senior year by helping football win the Middle-Atlantic Conference Championship and setting a record for total yards in a season. He finished his final baseball season second in the conference for runs scored and in the top 10 for batting average.

Those moments, and relationships with Pooley, Curtis, and Director of Student Recreation and Intramurals Bernie Santaniello ’37, provided what Shadek calls the glue that kept him attached to the College when classes proved difficult or injuries put him on the sideline. 

“I viewed my coaches as extensions of the faculty. They were mentors, and they were my teachers,” remembered Shadek. “Williamson Field and Mayser Gym, they became my classrooms. I had learning experiences there that have lasted a lifetime.”

Stepping Up for Your Team

Larry’s powerful student experience left an impression on the family. The winter after he graduated, Arthur called Larry into his home office to share that he and his wife Katherine — both first-generation students — had decided to make F&M their primary philanthropic focus to honor Larry’s experience, and because at F&M they felt their giving could truly make a difference. Arthur would serve 20 years on the Board of Trustees, and he and Katherine would support F&M’s academic program and financial aid initiatives. The couple led fundraising efforts to renovate and expand the College’s primary library, renamed the Shadek-Fackenthal Library in 1983 in recognition of their generosity. 

Franklin & Marshall remains a fixture of Larry’s life, and the family’s ties to the College have only deepened in the years following his graduation. His sister Katherine Shadek Boyle graduated in 1981, and Larry and Pat’s sons Mark and Chris are members of the classes of 2005 and 2006. Patrick Boyle, Katherine’s son and Larry and Pat’s nephew, graduated in 2011.

In 1998, shortly before Arthur's death, Larry received a recruiting call from former F&M President Dick Kneedler '65, this time as a member of the Board and not for his throwing arm. Following a conversation with his mother, who encouraged him to continue the important work his father had started, Larry agreed. He would serve as a trustee from 1998-2022, a period he calls his second F&M education. This time, he dove deep into College operations, working with colleagues he respected and admired to strategically guide the College in service to its students. That service, his experiences as a student-athlete, and the friendships he’s maintained more than 50 years after graduation, combine to form a bond he couldn’t imagine forming anywhere else.

“F&M changed my life, and this gift is one way to share my gratitude for doing that,” says Shadek. “Franklin & Marshall is my team, and I'll do whatever I can to help my team win.”