Hall of Fame
Highlights: Played on 1972 and 1973 PSAC championship teams, served as an assistant coach for 10 seasons and associate athletic director for five years, SRU professor for 43 years, decorated collegiate basketball official.
Boliver has been involved with Slippery Rock University for nearly 50 years, first earning his undergraduate degree in 1973 before earning his master's degree in 1975 and embarking on a teaching and administrative career that will enter its 43rd year in 2019-20. As a student, Boliver was a four-year member of the Slippery Rock football team, where he played running back on the 1972 and 1973 PSAC championship teams. He then served as a graduate assistant with the 1974 team that captured a third straight state title.
After earning his master's degree from Slippery Rock, Boliver began a teaching career as an assistant professor in the parks and recreation and environmental education department at SRU in 1977. He served in that role until 2014, when he moved over to the department of hospitality, event management and tourism, where he still serves. While working as an assistant professor, Boliver also wore many different hats that crossed over with athletics. He served two stints for a total of 10 seasons as an assistant football coach, spent just shy of six years as an associate athletic director (1983-88) and worked as the university's intramural coordinator for more than six years (1978-84).
In addition to his teaching role, Boliver has served as a department chairperson for 20 years at SRU, including 15 years as the chair of the parks and recreation and environmental education department and the last five years as the chair of the department of hospitality, event management and tourism. He helped to develop the curriculum and internship program for the resort recreation and hospitality management (RRHM) major. He advises more than 100 students per year while also serving on several department committees and SRU committees. For his efforts as a professor, Boliver has been honored several times by the Resort and Commercial Recreation Association (RCRA), including three times being named the Professor of the Year. In 2009 he was honored with the RCRA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Boliver also took his passion for athletics to the basketball court, where he served as an NCAA official for 24 years. His basketball officiating career saw him earn the opportunity to officiate 18 PSAC playoff tournaments, six PSAC championship games, six NCAA Division II regional tournaments and the 1996 NCAA Division II Elite Eight and Final Four tournaments.
Boliver and his wife of 37 years, Tracy, have two adult children, Bethany and Craig.
