Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame
George Mackaronis was a fixture on the Rutgers men's basketball scene for more than 50 years. An All-State player at New Brunswick High School, he became one of the best college players in the East, competing well against All-Americans the likes of NYU's Dolph Schayes, Seton Hall's Bobby Wanzer and Princeton's Butch Van Breda Kolff, to name a few. In 1942, due to World War II, he became the first Rutgers freshman to ever play on the varsity. From 1943-45, he served in World War II, was involved in the D-Day invasion and earned five battle stars. He returned to Rutgers in 1946 and started every game over the next three seasons, leading the 1945-46 team in scoring with a 15.0 average. The team captain in 1948, Mackaronis was the winner of the Loyal Son Award and was considered to have one of the best set shots in Rutgers history. A leader on various committees, Mackaronis founded the Court Club in 1956 and served as president for 30 years. He was the first president of the Rutgers Basketball Players Association and sponsored the Rutgers Basketball Scholar-Athlete Award, which is named in his honor.
