Stillman College Athletics Hall of Fame
DR. DONALD STAFFO
Long time servant of Stillman College and decorated author Dr. Donald Staffo is the first inductee into the Stillman College Athletics Hall of Fame as a contributor. An educator for more than 50 years, Staffo served 33 years at Stillman College. His roles included health and physical education professor, department chair, faculty athletics representative (FAR), sports information director and athletics director. During his time as FAR, he mentored coaches and students alike, helping thousands of Stillman College student-athletes achieve their academic goals while staying on track athletically. His documentation of Stillman College athletics events spanned decades in the Tuscaloosa News and other media outlets. He also served as interim athletics director and led the committee that began the process of reinstating the Stillman College football program in 1999. His time working at Stillman saw Stillman College athletics compete in NCAA Division III, NCAA Division II and the NAIA. He retired from Stillman in 2018 with the unique distinction of being the only professor and department chair emeritus in Stillman College's nearly 150-year history. A native of New York, Staffo has been honored by the U.S. Congress, Alabama House of Representatives, Alabama Senate, New York Senate and New York Assembly for his career achievements. His induction into the Stillman College Athletics Hall of Fame is the latest in a long line of hall of fame honors for Staffo, including the National Association for Sport and Physical Education Hall of Fame, The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology Hall of Fame, the State University of New York at Brockport Hall of Heritage and the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame in Utica, New York. As a sports journalist for more than 40 years, Staffo also covered the University of Alabama football and basketball programs for the Associated Press for 30 years and has published in national publications including The Sporting News, USA Today and Baseball Digest, in addition to authoring 10 books, more than 100 scholarly articles, more than 2,000 articles and more than 70 professional presentations at national conferences.
