Lukas Named Honor Award Recipient
NORMAN, Okla. ? Former Central Connecticut State men?s golf coach Lowell Lukas has been named the recipient of the Golf Coaches Association of America Honor Award. Lukas will receive the award at the GCAA Hall of Fame Banquet Jan. 26 at the Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance Universal Orlando in Orlando, Fla. The Honor Award is presented annually to a member of the GCAA Hall of Fame who is retired from coaching and has made significant contributions to the game of golf.
?Obviously I?m very humbled,? said Lukas. ?This is pretty heavy duty company. To be included alongside my mentors and those who helped get me on-track is a great honor?
Lukas served as head coach at Central Connecticut State from 1966 to 2000. A 1993 inductee into the GCAA Hall of Fame, Lukas led CCSU to top 20 finishes in 14 different seasons at the Division II level, including five-straight top 10 finishes. A total of 27 players earned All-America honors during his tenure ? including 1984 Division II individual champion Greg Cate - while five were named All-America Scholars. Lukas was named Division II National Coach of the Year in both 1985 and ?86 and was District I Coach of the Year in 1987 and ?88 ? the Blue Devil?s first two seasons of Division I golf.
A very active member of the college golf community, Lukas served as chair of the NCAA Division II golf committee from 1976-82. He previously served as president and as a member of the executive committee of the NEIGA and served 16 years as chairman of the ECAC golf committee. Lukas also served 26 years as an associate athletic director at CCSU.
Lukas received the Gold Key, the highest award from the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance, in 1992. He was inducted into the CCSU Hall of Fame in 1991. In 1990 Lukas was named the first recipient of the Gordon McCullough Award, given to the New England Golf Coach of the Year.