This Saturday, during our Homecoming Weekend celebration, two more names will be added to the list of the greatest athletes in Stony Brook history: Jack Medd ’40 and Andy Hoffman ’85. Jack will become the first member from the Class of 1940 to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while Andy will join Ann Marie Wycoff as the only other representative of the Class of 1985.
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Jack Medd was a Renaissance Man during his time at Stony Brook. He was inducted into the Cum Laude Society, was the school’s highest ranking student, the Student Organization Vice President, and “handsome and sturdy,” according to Res Gestae 1940. In the athletic realm he was a star on the football, basketball, and tennis squads. While the football team struggled during Medd’s senior season with a 2-5 record, they did manage to defeat the Hofstra College freshmen, 7-0. On the court, Medd shone as well, helping the basketball team to a 10-5 record in 1939-40, including wins over the Hofstra freshmen, Northport, and Bayshore.
After Stony Brook, Medd attended Wesleyan University where he carved out a memorable career as a center and defensive player on the football squad. Medd’s time at Wesleyan was interrupted by the War and he enlisted in the Navy, becoming a junior officer on a submarine. After the War he returned to Wesleyan for his senior year where was elected captain and led the 1946 squad that went 7-0 and was later inducted into the Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1947 he was selected as part of a college all-star team that played the New York Giants in an exhibition game. In 1965, Medd was selected as a member of Wesleyan Football’s historical All-Star Team.
After Wesleyan, Medd became the only Stony Brook athlete to be drafted into professional football when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the 11th round of the 1947 NFL Draft. He was selected with the 89th pick out the of 300 selected.
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Andy Hoffman is among the long line of excellent runners that have blazed the trails at Stony Brook. He was a member of the cross country, basketball, and track teams, and found his true athletic calling running under the tutelage of Robin Lingle.
As a freshman, he was a member of the Conference Champion 4×880 yard relay team. The next year he helped the cross country team to League and County Championships, despite the fact that the team lost four of the top five runners from the 1981 squad. For his efforts he won Stony Brook’s cross country performance award. During his junior season he became the undisputed leader of the cross country team, running one of the fastest times in school history at Sunken Meadow State Park (16:44), the fastest time in school history on the S.T. Hsaio home course (16:47), and finishing 15th at the New York State Championship.
Hoffman closed his Stony Brook career with a crescendo by winning the Suffolk County Championship, the first Brooker to accomplish the feat since Andy Whitney in 1978. He was captain of the cross country team, was selected All-County, and finished in 7th place at the New York State Championship, the highest finish for a Stony Brook runner since Andy Whitney won the title in 1978. It remains the highest finish since. For the third year in a row he was given the cross country performance award and garnered the Swanson Trophy as the best all-around male athlete in the school. During his senior track season he etched his name into Stony Brook’s record book as a member of the fastest 4×800 meter relay team in school history. Hoffman, with the help of Rich Wittman, Paul Roberts, and Marc Conti, ran 8:18.5, a mark that still stands today. He also finished 3rd in the County in the 3200 meters.
After Stony Brook, Hoffman joined the Navy and served on several aircraft carriers. Recently he has gotten back into competitive running, drawing his inspiration from John Trautman, whom he ran against in the 1984 Cross Country State Championship. Trautman is currently the masters world record holder in the mile.
I pray Stony Brook still maintains a culture that emphasizes the importance of character and that it is sending out followers of Jesus Christ to show His love to a needy world.~Andy Hoffman
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