Hartford president Greg Woodward, after moving school to D-III, lied about playing D-I soccer
Hartford president Gregory Woodward opted to move the school’s athletic programs from Division I to Division III earlier this month, something that upset plenty — especially considering the men’s basketball program just reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in history.
Now, it seems there are several errors in Woodward’s resume.
Not only did Woodward claim to play Division I soccer at Villanova — he didn’t — but he also claimed to be in his high school’s Hall of Fame — which doesn’t exist.
Hartford president lied repeatedly on his resume
Woodward spent one year as a student at Villanova almost 50 years ago, and said that he walked-on to the soccer team as a freshman. He transferred out of the school after that year and finished at UConn.
He has long touted the fact that he is a D-I athlete. After making such a big decision regarding Hartford’s athletic department, that fact seems like an important part of his background.
There’s just one problem: Villanova wasn’t a D-I program when he was there.
“I now know the NCAA formally created the current three divisions (I, II and III) in 1973, with men’s soccer added in 1982, after my experience,” Woodward said in the email, via Hearst Connecticut Media. “Therefore, the team was not recognized as Division I when I played. I apologize for this inaccuracy and it has been corrected.”
Then, in an interview on NPR in March, Woodward said that he is “in my high school Hall of Fame.” Per the Middletown Press, Woodward went to William H. Hall High School in West Hartford, Connecticut.
That school, superintendent Tom Moore said, doesn’t have any sort of Hall of Fame athletics or otherwise.
“There is no Hall athletic Hall of Fame, and we have no records of there ever being one,” Moore said, via the Middletown Press. “I’m not sure if there ever was mention of one, but there is nothing for at least 30 years.”
Hartford has been a D-I school since the 1984-85 season. Woodward and the board of regents announced earlier this month that the school will transition to D-III by Sept. 1, 2025.
While stretching the truth on a resume is fairly common, it’s strange to see such blatant errors from a university president — especially on the heels of a controversial decision that many previously thought he had first-hand experiencing playing in.
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