Don DiJulia set to retire after impressive tenure at St. Joe’s

After serving as St. Joe’s Director of Athletics for 35 years, Don DiJulia is retiring after the 2017-2018 school year.  

DiJulia’s relationship with St. Joe’s began when he attended the school in 1964 to play basketball and baseball. 

After his time as a student-athlete at St. Joe’s, DiJulia began coaching college basketball. He started at St. Joe’s and went on to coach other schools such as Fairfield University and George Washington University. It was in 1976 that DiJulia first became director of athletics for St. Joe’s.

 “I was actually looking to get out of college sports totally,” DiJulia said. “But just that year, St. Joe’s athletic director stepped down and they called me about my interest in the position. I said no. But in the end, I put my name in the pool and I don’t think they had a lot of options. Due to some good fortunes, I ended up here.”

 Over the course of that time, St. Joe’s has changed a lot. DiJulia remembers how in his early tenure at St. Joe’s, one of his main goals was the advancement of women’s sports.

 “The one big change when I first took over was the university becoming coed,” DiJulia said. “So getting athletic opportunities up and running for women was a major priority.”

 After stints as commissioner for the Eastern Coast Conference and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference DiJulia returned to St. Joe’s in 1988 to reclaim his spot as athletic director — a spot he would hold for the next 29 years.

 Over the course of that time, DiJulia learned a lot about what goes in to being an athletic director.

 “You have to be flexible and nimble,” DiJulia said. “The outside forces cause so many changes within collegiate athletics. The phrase I like to use is audible. Being ready to call and audible because you never know when the college sports world is going to change.”  

 Head basketball coach Phil Martelli said he simply looks around campus when he needs to remember how much St. Joe’s has changed since DiJulia became athletic director.

 “To see the changes, all you have to do is look visually,” Martelli said. “Baseball didn’t have a field, now they have a field. Softball needed a field, now they have a field. My office used to be a storage closet and now I have arguably the nicest office on campus thanks to Don. He has always put our athletics department first.”

 When looking back on his career, DiJulia remembers many moments fondly, like the 2003-04 men’s basketball season in which the Hawks boasted an undefeated regular season. Despite times like these, he struggles to pin down a specific moment that was his favorite. His pride was in something different.

 “What I am most proud of is watching student-athletes succeed and that moment of joy when they were able to do something they didn’t think they were going to be able to do,” DiJulia said. “That is the most enjoyable part of working in this enterprise.”

 Martelli credits this sentiment to the type of man DiJulia is.

 “He is the most selfless person you have ever met,” Martelli said. “He has a love for this institution that has never been matched. There isn’t a person who has met Don DiJulia who would say anything other than he isn’t a good man, he is a great man.”

 DiJulia will officially be replaced by Jill Bodensteiner, who is currently senior associate director of athletics at Notre Dame University,  on June 1. 

As his time on Hawk Hill winds down, he is reflective of the storied career he’s had at the university.

 “It has been an honor, a privilege, and a joy to work at Saint Joseph’s University,” DiJulia said. “It will always have a special place in my heart and my mind.”