WALTHAM, Mass. -- The Brandeis University Department of Athletics will present a new award at its end-of-the-year awards ceremony, to be named after Hall of Famer Martin Zelnik ‘61. 

The Martin Zelnik Award will be presented annually to up to two “walk-on” or non-recruited student-athletes. The honoree is someone who makes 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.

"The Martin Zelnik Award pays tribute to student-athletes who fly under the radar during the recruiting process,” said Director of Athletics Lauren Haynie. “It also recognizes those who realize that they want to pursue playing a varsity sport once they are on our campus. Our coaches and department value the contributions of student-athletes that have a unique path in joining our programs.

The award is made possible by a gift from Zelnik, a 2006 inductee into the Brandeis Hall of Fame. Zelnik 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.

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. Now semi-retired, Zelnik is 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.

Learn more about Martin Zelnik '61 in this Q&A.