CLARKSON
ATHLETIC HALL of FAME

RON FRAZER '45
CLASS of 2004 INDUCTEE

From the early days of Clarkson Women’s Hockey when the Golden Knights played at Walker Arena, the University’s current up-and-coming program has emerged and is now one of the flagship sports at the school, thanks in large part to Ron Frazer. The “Father” of Women’s Hockey at Clarkson, Frazer, along with his wife Doris, played a highly significant role in establishing the foundation for the Golden Knights’ current Division I women’s hockey team.

With women’s sports emerging at the collegiate level in the mid-1970s, Frazer started Clarkson’s original intercollegiate women’s hockey program with nothing but true “walk-ons”. Drawing from the 184 women undergraduates on campus, Frazer gathered 17 student-athletes for Clarkson’s first women’s team in the winter of 1974. The Knights won their first game with an impressive 7-0 victory over Potsdam with senior center Joan Carroll ’75 scoring the first of her five goals just 22 seconds after the opening faceoff. Clarkson, which also posted wins over Colgate and Boston University during that inaugural season, finished with a 5-2 record in the 1974-75 campaign.

During his nine-year tenure guiding “Frazer’s Blazers”, the Green and Gold compiled a 68-64-3 record, but more importantly provided Clarkson student-athletes with plenty of sportsmanship, camaraderie and lasting memories. The Knights’ best season was in 1977-78 when the team finished with nine consecutive wins to post an 11-5 mark.

Frazer continues to earn high praise from his former players. Janet Croce ’78 remarked, “In all the years he coached, he had a great positive effect on his players, which connected us to Clarkson for all these years. As a coach he was a character builder and an encourager. Even after 25 years he continues to be involved in promoting his alumnae and the sport he loves.”

Nancy L. Suska ’79 added, “He was a very good coach and a role model for all of us. He taught me how to play and helped me appreciate ice hockey.”

A 1945 graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering, Frazer played two years of hockey for the men’s team. Playing under coach Jack Roos, the Westboro, Ontario native skated at forward during the 1942-43 and 1943-44 seasons, recording 23 goals and 10 assists through 15 games.  Before attending Clarkson he was a leading scorer for Nepean High School and the Ottawa Junior Senators.

Frazer also played in more alumni hockey games than any other Golden Knights alumnus, participating annually from 1953 until 1978. Many Potsdam youth hockey players also benefited from Frazer’s coaching talents. He coached the Potsdam Pee Wees and the Bantam All-Stars, who won seven state championships between 1954-64, as well as being the first winners of the international Silver Stick Tournament.

On July 17, 1993, Frazer was presented with Clarkson’s Arnold H. Barben Award.  The award is presented to a Clarkson hockey alumnus who has demonstrated outstanding professional achievement, has contributed to the betterment of his community and has worked unselfishly for his alma mater. In 1990, he was named a Golden Knight, the Clarkson Alumni Association’s highest honor. He holds a PhD from Iowa State University and was honored to be named one of four Centennial Professors at Clarkson’s centennial celebration in 1996.

Frazer, who is a founding committee member of the Clarkson Athletic Department Hall of Fame, served in the School of Management as a professor, Chairman and Dean from 1953 until his retirement in 1988. Over his 35 years of service to Clarkson, Frazer demonstrated exemplary service both on the ice as a coach and in the classroom as a professor. 



Ron Frazer accepts his Athletic Hall of Fame plaque from Clarkson AD Sean T. Frazier