Here's a question: What WPI individual is responsible for the
most positive sports publicity received by this school in the past
two years? Here's a second question: What WPI individual has been
the most honored in the past two years? The answer very well may be
one Kenneth J. Kaufman.
The name Ken Kaufman is synonymous with WPI athletics. He has
served this school extremely well over the past 33 years-as an
assistant basketball coach, as head men's basketball coach, and as
an assistant to the director.
He was head coach from 1975-76 through 2000-01. He is the
winningest coach in WPI basketball history. The '80s are considered
the most successful basketball decade in WPI major sport history.
From 1981-82 through 1988-89, Ken's teams finished 119-79, good for
an excellent .601 winning percentage. NCAA and ECAC tournament
berths occurred along the way.
From 1981-82 through 1996-97, his teams produced double-figure
wins every year. That's 17 straight years of exciting and extremely
competitive basketball, which few eras and teams in WPI history can
match.
For the past dozen years, Ken worked his way through the ranks
of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. In 2002-03, he
became president of that prestigious organization, joining such
outstanding coaches as Dean Smith, John Thompson, Mike Krzewzski,
Gene Keady and Roy Williams, as well as Worcester's George Blaney
and Joe O'Brien.
Ken has also worked tirelessly behind the scenes as a trustee
for the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield,
Massachusetts. Suffice to say, his contributions are numerous and
significant. Most recently, he has spearheaded the effort to
introduce a new annual award, the Bob Cousy Award, which will be
presented to the nation's top guard.
Ken and his wife, Susan, have been married for 32 years. Their
sons, Scott and Christopher (a WPI grad) have coached basketball in
their own right.
It is with great pride that WPI inducts Kenneth Kaufman into its
Athletic Hall of Fame.
