Lucy Dougal, first row center, highlighted the groundbreaking ceremony held to name the training complex at the Terriers' new Ice Skating Arena after her late husband, Tony Dougal.
The athletic training complex that will be located in the new Student Village Ice Arena will be named after the late Tony Dougal, one of the foremost authorities in the athletic training profession, who served as the Terriers' chief athletic trainer from 1962-76.
Groundbreaking ceremonies were on Saturday August 17th to honor Dougal, who hadbeen involved in athletics as a participant, coach, and trainer for more than 40 years.
Prior to his arrival at Boston University, Dougal had enjoyed a wide background in athletics including stints as a trainer at Dartmouth College from 1947-62, as assistant football coach and head hockey and lacrosse coach at the University of New Hampshire for eight years and as an assistant football coach and head baseball coach at West Texas State University for two years. He also coached football, basketball, and baseball at Smithport High School in Pennsylvania for four years.
Dougal, who received his bachelor's degree in physical education from Temple University and a master's in rehabilitation and anatomy from Columbia University, lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and boxing during his undergraduate career at Temple. He played his collegiate football under the legendary Pop Warner and professionally for the Philadelphia Eagles under Bert Bell.
Among his others included induction in the Athletic Trainer's Hall of Fame, recipient of the New England Hockey Writers' Sheaffer Pen Award for outstanding contribution to collegiate hockey, and an athletic trainer at the 1972 Olympics in Montreal.
The fundraising efforts to name the new training complex after Dougal were spearheaded by Chris Pilalas and Ken Gould, both former student athletic trainers under Dougal at B.U. and Peter Kessel, a former Terrier football player.
During the groundbreaking ceremonies, Ken Gould presented a plaque commemorating the ceremony to Lucy Dougal, who is Tony's widow. She presented Pilalas with Dougal's 1971 Terrier ice hockey national championship ring, which will be displayed in the new Athletic Training complex.
The ceremony was also attended Boston University Director of Athletics Gary Strickler, Associate Director of Development for Athletics David Walko, Sargent College Clinical Assistant Professor Paula McDonald, current Student Athletic Trainer Amanda Nicoles, and current athletic training staff members Lawrence Venis, Mark Laursen, and Erin Brennen, as well as numerous friends of B.U. athletics.
