Orange Lineman, Lifelong Mentor 

Ted Lachowicz ‘72 Joins Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame

Former Orange football standout, Whitman School of Management alumnus and longtime champion of veteran entrepreneurs Ted Lachowicz ’72 was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame as a member of its 2026 class.

Lachowicz, a three-year starter for Syracuse football, was honored during the Hall of Fame’s 63rd annual induction banquet Sept. 26 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

The honor recognized a standout athletic career, but Lachowicz’s Syracuse University story has continued for more than five decades. From football to business and nearly two decades supporting Syracuse University’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans, Lachowicz has remained closely connected to the University and its commitment to veterans and military families.

A native of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, Lachowicz was a standout in football, basketball and baseball before receiving more than 30 football scholarship offers. He chose Syracuse, where he became one of the top linemen in the East.

From 1969-71, Lachowicz earned All-East honors in three consecutive seasons and was named an ECAC Weekly All-Star seven times during his final two seasons. A dominant performance against Pittsburgh also earned him National College Lineman of the Week recognition.

Ted Lachowicz ’72 and Stephen Hartz President of H&H Leadership Solutions standing together in suits and ties posing for a photo at the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame ceremony.
Stephen Hartz, Principal/President of H&H Leadership Solutions and honoree Ted Lachowicz ’72. 

In 1971, Syracuse honored Lachowicz with the Joseph Alexander Award, presented for excellence in football, scholarship and citizenship.

After graduating from the Whitman School in 1972, Lachowicz continued his football career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and later the Orlando Blazers. He went on to build a successful career in real estate, investment banking and venture capital.

His business experience eventually brought him back into the Syracuse community in a different way.

In 2007, then-Whitman professor J. Michael Haynie launched the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans, or EBV, at Syracuse University. The program began with 17 post-9/11 veterans with disabilities and grew into a national consortium focused on helping veterans pursue business ownership.

EBV also helped lay the foundation for Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families, established in 2011. Today, EBV is part of the startup entrepreneurship portfolio of the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

Lachowicz has been part of that story for nearly two decades.

Ted Lachowicz in a suit and tie speaking at a podium with a plaque that reads "Whitman" during the EBV SU 2010 closing ceremony.
Ted Lachowicz ’72 speaking at the EBV SU 2010 closing ceremony. 

As EBV grew, he worked alongside Haynie and program leaders to help ensure veteran entrepreneurs had support beyond the classroom. In 2009, Lachowicz established the EBV Foundation, which works closely with the D’Aniello IVMF’s EBV Consortium and its graduates.

Through the foundation and his personal involvement, Lachowicz has provided mentorship, business guidance and financial support to veteran entrepreneurs as they start and grow their companies.

For EBV graduates, that support has often extended well beyond the program itself.

Chris Dambach, President Industry Standard USA and a graduate of the 2013 EBV class at Syracuse, has experienced that commitment firsthand.

“I met Ted at the 2013 EBV class in my hometown of Syracuse, and he’s been a mentor to me ever since, He’s someone I truly look up to and someone I know I can always call when I’m facing a tough decision or trying to figure out a business move. That phone call never goes unanswered.”

Chris Dambach, President Industry Standard USA , EBV Alumni

More than a decade later, their relationship reflects the lasting connections Lachowicz has helped build through EBV.

In 2022, that commitment brought him back to Syracuse when he challenged EBV alumni to match his $20,000 contribution to establish the program’s first alumni reunion at the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building. Four alumni quickly met the challenge.

The reunion brought graduates back to campus to reconnect and spend time with the newest class of veteran entrepreneurs.

“I have always thought it would be great to integrate the old with the new because the new students can learn from the old students,” Lachowicz said at the time.

For Lachowicz, that investment in veterans has always been personal.

“The reason we are standing here is these people put their lives on the line to keep freedom in America. I cannot think of a better way to give back than by supporting our veterans.”

Ted Lachowicz ’72

Today, EBV remains one of the D’Aniello IVMF’s signature entrepreneurship programs. More than 2,400 veterans have participated since the program launched at Syracuse in 2007, creating a network that extends across the country.

For Lachowicz, that growth has meant nearly two decades working alongside Haynie, now Syracuse University’s chancellor, as well as generations of faculty, staff, alumni and veteran entrepreneurs who have carried the program forward.

“Ted’s induction into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame recognizes an extraordinary athletic career, but it also reflects the character and commitment he has carried throughout his life. For nearly two decades, he has brought those same qualities to EBV, mentoring and supporting veteran entrepreneurs and extending his Syracuse legacy far beyond the football field.”

Ray Toenniessen, Executive Director of the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

That work has created a full-circle connection between Lachowicz’s Whitman education and the next generation of entrepreneurs. The business experience he built after Syracuse is now being reinvested in veterans pursuing their own paths to business ownership.

“We have all been lucky to attend Syracuse University and to get a good education,” Lachowicz said in 2022. “Now it is time to give back to our programs and student veterans to carry it forward.”

His induction into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame marked another milestone in a Syracuse story that began on the football field in the late 1960s and has continued through business, service and nearly two decades supporting veteran entrepreneurs.

The player Syracuse once recognized for excellence in football, scholarship and citizenship has continued to carry those same values throughout his life.