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Villanova
administrator honored for Heisman Torphy chaplaincy service
By Dana Imperia '05
On Jan. 26, the Rev. George F. Riley,
O.S.A.,
 special
assistant to the president, received the American Football Foundation’s
Loyalty Award. Jimmie McDowell, a longtime sports writer and member of the
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, presented the award at the Hyatt Regency
Hotel in Princeton, N.J., to commemorate Father Riley’s 17-year tenure as
chaplain for the Heisman Award.
A native of Lawrence, Mass., Father Riley attended
Merrimack College before entering the Order of St. Augustine. He received a
bachelor’s degree from Villanova in 1958 and earned a doctorate in education
from the Catholic University of America. He was ordained in 1962.
Father Riley has taught religious studies at
Villanova and was the first director of the Peace Corps on the campus. For
more than 20 years, he was vice president of the offices of Development,
Public Relations and Alumni Affairs. While vice president, Father Riley
directed two highly successful capital campaigns: Covenant I, which helped
build the Connelly Center and Covenant II, which provided funding toward the
Pavilion. In 1991, Father Riley was appointed to his present position by the
Rev. Edmund J. Dobbin, O.S.A., University president. Over the years, he has
been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the President’s
Cup for Outstanding Alumni Service and Philadelphia’s distinguished
Commodore John Barry Historical Award.
Photo
Caption: Father Riley beside Matt Leinart from the University of Southern
California and winner of the 2004 Heisman Trophy. |
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