WALTHAM, Mass. -- The Brandeis University Department of Athletics is sad to announce that Hall of Famer Martin Zelnik ‘61 passed away on April 1 at the age of 82.
Zelnik was a 2006 inductee into the Brandeis Hall of Fame. He was a Renaissance man for Brandeis Athletics in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Unrecruited out of high school for football, he eventually lettered in five different sports as a Judge: football, fencing, basketball, soccer, and primarily tennis. He was a teammate of Abbie Hoffman '58's and played under Bud Collins. As a member of the tennis team, he led Brandeis to a 30-3 record between 1959 and 1961, playing #1 or #2 singles and #1 doubles. He also served as a coach for the first varsity women’s tennis team.
Earlier this year, Zelnik and the Brandeis Department of Athletics established the new Martin Zelnik '61 award, which will be presented annually to up to two “walk-on” or non-recruited student-athletes. The honorees will be those who make a significant contribution to a varsity team or teams through spirit, enthusiasm, and work ethic to improve their own skills and those of their teammates, epitomizing the camaraderie and loyalty of a Brandeis student-athlete.
After graduating from Brandeis, Zelnik attended Columbia University for architecture and spent many years at his own firm, Panzel Associates. He went on to teach as a full professor of Interior Design at SUNY/Fashion Institute of Technology, including becoming chair of the Interior Design Department and President of the Faculty Senate - and also coaching the men's tennis team for a stint. Zelnik co-authored three major design publications, including Human Dimension and Interior Space: A Source Book of Design Reference Standards. Zelnik was active in community action as related to zoning in New York, while also co-owning the 18-hole Moccasin Wallow Golf Club golf course in Palmetto, Florida, near Sarasota/Tampa, with his son, Noah.
The Martin Zelnik ‘61 Award will first be presented at the 2022 Michael Coven Awards Banquet next spring.