John J. (Jake) Crouthamel1938-2022 — After establishing himself as one of the finest running backs in the history of Dartmouth College and Ivy League football, Jake Crouthamel went on to a career spanning four decades as a football coach and intercollegiate athletics administrator.

Crouthamel, who had been dealing with memory impairment for several years and was being cared for at Wheelock Terrace in Hanover for the past two years, died peacefully on November 7, 2022. He was 84 years old.

Following service in the U.S. Navy and a year as a prep football coach, Crouthamel spent six years (1965-70) as a member of Coach Bob Blackman's staff at Dartmouth, a period that included four Ivy League championships, two undefeated seasons (1965, 1970) when Dartmouth also won the Lambert Trophy as the outstanding team in the East.

When Blackman left Dartmouth after 16 years to become football coach at Illinois, Crouthamel was named his successor. From 1971-77, Crouthamel's teams compiled a record of 41-20-2 (.667) and won or shared three Ivy League championships (1971-72-73). After leading the Big Green to an unprecedented fifth straight Ivy title in 1973 (including two under Blackman in 1969 and 1970 when Crouthamel was the senior assistant and coached the defensive backfield), he was recognized as the New England and NCAA District One coach-of-the-year.

He left coaching after the 1977 season. From 1978 until he retired in 2005, he was the Director of Athletics at Syracuse University. He was instrumental in the creation of the Big East Conference in 1979, a move that gathered many of the East's basketball powers into a configuration that became influential in college basketball and network television. He helped to shape the Big East as an all-sports league, especially in football, as that sport moved into the era of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

Crouthamel's contributions to intercollegiate athletics, particularly college football, are numerous. At Syracuse, he guided an intercollegiate athletic program that is regarded as one of the finest in the nation. He had oversight for significant expansion of an athletic program for men and women supported by improvements in numerous facilities, most notably the Carrier Dome that opened in 1980 and is one of the most recognizable athletic facilities in the nation.

During his tenure, Syracuse athletics enjoyed unprecedented success: a national title in men's basketball, nine national titles in men's lacrosse, 14 football bowl appearances, and 22 overall Big East Conference championships.

Over the years, he has served on virtually every significant NCAA committee, including the Men's Basketball Committee and the Division I Management Council. He also served on the Honors Court of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.

In 1999, he won the National Football Foundation's John L. Toner Award for dedication to college athletics, particularly football. In 2007, he received the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) James Lynah Distinguished Achievement Award and in 2008 he was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors (NACDA) Hall of Fame.

In 2009, Crouthamel was Dartmouth's honoree at the Ivy League Football Association's biannual dinner in New York City for his achievements at Dartmouth and in his subsequent career.

A native of Perkasie, Pa., Crouthamel came to Dartmouth from Pennridge High School where he starred on teams that won 26 of 27 games. From 1957-59, he was a three-year starter as a two-way halfback, helping the Big Green to the Ivy League title in 1958, two second-place finishes (in 1957 and 1959), and a three-year team record of 19-6-2.

He was Dartmouth's leading rusher for three seasons and the Ivy League rushing leader in 1958 when he set a Dartmouth single-season rushing record with 722 yards in 123 carries, a 5.89-yard average. His career rushing total of 1,763 yards (387 carries, 4.56 average, 12 touchdowns) was a Dartmouth record that stood for more than a decade. During his career at Dartmouth, Crouthamel also caught 28 passes for 375 yards (3 touchdowns), had 30 punt returns (299 yards) and 11 kickoff returns (281 yards). On defense, he had five interceptions.

In 1958 and 1959, Crouthamel was an All-Ivy League first team selection (he was an honorable mention choice in 1957). In 1958, he was a second team All-America (NEA) and was named the national back-of-the-week by Sports Illustrated after running 15 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-15 win at Cornell.

Beyond football, he was a member of the first U.S. college team to play rugby in England when Dartmouth sent its club team to the birthplace of the sport in 1958.

Crouthamel, a history major, graduated from Dartmouth in 1960 and was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the first American Football League draft but signed with the Dallas Cowboys, an NFL expansion team. The last player cut in pre-season by the Cowboys, he then played with the AFL's Boston Patriots during their inaugural season.

Crouthamel was an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1961-64. He was a player-coach for the Navy's eight-man football team at Pearl Harbor that won one title in the Armed Forces League. He also organized an Armed Forces League all-star team that defeated the University of Hawaii. After military service and a year as football coach at Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy where his team had a 3-3-1 record, he returned to Dartmouth as a member of Blackman's coaching staff in 1965.

Born June 27, 1938, Crouthamel was the son of Russell and Kathryn Crouthamel.

He is survived by Carol, his wife of 61 years; two daughters, Lisa (Jim) Evans of Waterville, Me., and Christie Falkenberg of Winchester, Mass., and four grandsons, John and Owen Evans and Ted and Jake Falkenberg.

In retirement since 2005, Jake and Carol lived in Centerville, Mass., until moving to Hanover in 2013.

Burial will be private. A gathering to remember Jake is planned for the Top of the Hop at Hopkins Center at Dartmouth on Friday, November 18, 2-4 p.m.

Donations in Jake's memory can be made to the Maurice Neinken Scholarship Fund, in care of the Bucks County Foundation, PO Box 2073, Doylestown, PA 18901. This fund benefits students from Pennridge High School where Jake was a student prior to attending Dartmouth.

The Rand-Wilson Funeral Home in Hanover is assisting the family.