New Lifelong Athlete Award Joins Loprinzi & Fox Honors

Every year in February, the Celebration of Champions brings together MAC’s community of lifelong athleticism to celebrate all that has been accomplished and the people who made it possible. While many members already may be familiar with the Joe Loprinzi Inspirational and Mel Fox Amateur Athlete of the Year Awards, next year’s event adds an exciting new slice of evergreen inspiration in the form of the Hank Marcus Lifelong Athlete Award!

Nominate an inspirational member today at themac.com. Submissions are due by 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30. New this year, any individual member can submit a nomination for any of the three awards. These nominations then are forwarded to the respective sport committee for endorsement. A member can’t be nominated for the Mel Fox Amateur Athlete of the Year Award and the Lifelong Athlete Award in the same year.

Joe Loprinzi Inspirational Award

Loprinzi, born in 1914, was a TV exercise guru and healthy lifestyle proponent. He became an instructor at MAC in August 1937 and inspired many individuals during the 60 years he worked for the club. His spirit and memory motivate many to seize every day, take the stairs, and work hard while having fun.

The Joe Loprinzi Inspirational Award is presented annually to an individual who inspires others to achieve their goals. Nominations are limited to intermediate members, dues-paying individual resident members who have voting rights, and the immediate family of junior members of those individual resident members. Athletic members are not eligible for this award.

Mel Fox Amateur Athlete of the Year Award

Mel Fox was an outstanding athlete at Franklin High School in the 1940s and went on to play football at Linfield College. After graduation, Fox turned to high school teaching and coaching. In 1967, MAC hired Fox as its Athletic Director. During his 16-year tenure, he laid the foundation for a strong and vibrant youth athletics program. Club membership doubled and individual member participation in athletics quadrupled during his tenure.

Fox was associated with athletics his entire life and cherished the challenge of competition. The Mel Fox Amateur Athlete of the Year Award is given to the individual or team who has demonstrated athletic excellence, sportsmanship, and leadership during the course of an athletic year running from September to August.

Hank Marcus Lifelong Athlete Award

The Hank Marcus Lifelong Athlete Award recognizes of a member who has demonstrated a commitment to an active and healthy lifestyle throughout their lives. It celebrates a consistent pursuit of physical fitness and maintained passion for activity. The honor spotlights individuals who embody the true spirit of sports and wellness, showing that age is not a barrier to staying active and achieving personal goals.

The award is named after beloved MAC employee and racquetball legend Hank Marcus, who is retiring in 2024 after 40 years of enthusiastic service to the club. Nominations are limited to dues-paying individual and family resident members who have voting rights.

Marcus’s Lasting Impact

Like MAC legends Mel Fox and Joe Loprinzi, the new Lifelong Athlete Award’s namesake has made an undeniable impact on the club. Hank Marcus has loyally served members for four decades as a racquet sports pro and advocate for the club’s sport communities.

Marcus’s journey began as a talented junior and elite professional racquetball player in the 1970s and 1980s. His leadership extended beyond the court as he went on to become the Oregon State Racquetball President and Men’s Pro Tour Commissioner. Marcus also founded World Outdoor Racquetball and co-founded the Military Racquetball Federation, an organization which conducts rehabilitation clinics for veterans across the country. In recognition of his excellent performance and commitment to the sport, he was inducted into the USA Racquetball Hall of Fame in 2020.

At MAC, Marcus has been a driving force behind the club’s Racquetball program since 1984. He also went on to manage the Handball and Pickleball programs, and for the past four years has provided unwavering support to all 26 Sport Committees and the Athletic Committee. He has also continued to champion MAC’s governance system while passionately advocating for the enduring impact of physical activity.

In recognition of his remarkable career at MAC, the Athletic Committee proposed to the Board of Trustees that the Lifelong Athlete Award be named in his honor, and the board approved. It was announced publicly at a retirement party in June, where Marcus’s family, friends, and colleagues joined in celebrating.

“It is such an honor to be included with MAC athletic royalty Mel Fox & Joe Loprinzi,” Marcus says. “Sports have been my life at MAC, and it is such an honor to be affiliated with the Lifelong Athlete Award.”