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George Kolombatovich Retires as Columbia Head Fencing Coach
Courtesy of Columbia Sports Information/Media Relations
NEW YORK -- George
Kolombatovich, Columbia’s head fencing coach since
1979, will retire after 33 years at Columbia University,
Dr. M. Dianne Murphy, Director of Intercollegiate
Athletics and Physical Education, announced today.
“We are announcing the retirement of one of Columbia’s
longest-tenured head coaches today,” said Dr. Murphy.
“Head Fencing Coach George Kolombatovich has presided over
some of Columbia’s most successful teams and notable
student-athletes. It truly is the end of an era for Columbia
Fencing. We wish George the very best in the future.”
Since arriving on Morningside Heights in 1978 as an assistant
coach, Kolombatovich served as Columbia’s head fencing coach
for 32 seasons, starting in 1979. From 1983-2005, he served as
Co-Head Fencing Coach with Dr. Aladar Kogler.
Overall, his coaching match record is 286-114 (.715 winning
percentage) in men’s fencing and 311-83 (.789) in
women’s fencing.
“I am so very proud to have been the head coach at Columbia
for the past three-plus decades,” remarked Kolombatovich.
“I am most proud of the tremendous record of success of the
Columbia fencing program, and the many fencing student-athletes
with whom I have worked so closely over the years.”
With Kolombatovich at the helm, Columbia has had a very long run
as one of the nation’s premier college fencing programs. His
Columbia teams have won 17 Ivy League men’s fencing titles
and eight Ivy League women’s fencing titles over the past 32
years.
Working together with Kogler as co-head coach, Kolombatovich led
the Columbia men’s fencing program to the national title in
three consecutive years from 1987, 1988 and 1989. After the NCAA
changed the fencing championships to a combined men and
women’s format, Kolombatovich and Kogler coached the Lions to
the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Championships.
In addition to building numerous championship teams, Kolombatovich
has also coached some of the premier collegiate and international
fencers over the past three decades.
Seventeen Columbia fencers have won individual NCAA fencing titles
during Kolombatovich’s tenure, including Columbia Athletics
Hall of Fame inductees Katy Bilodeau ‘87CC,
Robert Cottingham ‘88CC, Jon
Normile ‘89CC, Tzu Moy ‘90CC
and Ben Atkins ‘93CC as well as
Jeffrey Spear ‘10CC, who was named the
recipient of the NCAA Top VIII award in January 2011. In addition,
many Columbians who competed for Kolombatovich also represented the
United States in Olympic competition, including 2008 Beijing Games
Silver Medalists Erinn Smart ‘01BC and
James Williams ‘08CC.
“George is a highly recognized and decorated member of the
international fencing community,” notes M. Dianne Murphy.
“His accomplishments at Columbia are truly
impressive.”
A well-known figure in national and international fencing,
Kolombatovich has coached the United States team in six Junior
World Championships. He has served as Chief of Mission and Coach of
the US teams in seven Junior Pan American championships.
A Fédération Internationale d’Escrime (FIE)
A-rated referee, Kolombatovich was elected by the FIE Congress in
December 2000, for a four-year term to the extremely important and
powerful Commission d’Arbitrage, the Referee Commission. This
is the group that selects all referees for the World Championships
and is also responsible for assigning them at the Championships.
Kolombatovich is the first native-born US resident to be on this
Commission.
He was reelected in 2004 to head the commission, the first
non-European person to hold that post. Kolombatovich is the author
of the FIE’s first written test for referees and works with
referee development and testing both internationally and
nationally. He is also a member, since 1980, of the United States
Fencing Association’s (USFA) Fencing Officials Commission. He
has also been a fencing referee at the 1984, 1992, and 1996 Olympic
Games.
“Columbia Fencing has had a tremendous run with George
at the helm of the program,” says Murphy. “His
knowledge of the sport is truly unparalleled. George will be
difficult to replace.”
“I have made so many wonderful relationships over the years
at Columbia,” said Kolombatovich. “I will fondly
remember the friends and colleagues that I have worked with, as I
move on to this very exciting next stage of my fencing
life.”
A fine fencer in his own right, Kolombatovich is a former National
Masters Champion. He and his wife, Etta ‘98GS, have left a
long legacy at Columbia. Their four children, Gail, Erika
‘90CC, George ‘93CC ‘98LAW and Glenn ‘94CC
‘99BUS, have received five Columbia degrees among them.
Columbia will launch a national search for a new head fencing
coach immediately.
