ANNVILLE, Pa. - The LVC Gymnasium will be dedicated as Sorrentino Gymnasium on Oct. 10, honoring Lebanon Valley College (LVC) legend Lou Sorrentino '54. A dedication ceremony that evening will recognize his countless contributions to the College as a student-athlete, coach, and administrator. It will precede the Athletic Hall of Fame induction banquet that takes place as part of the College's annual Homecoming festivities.

Sorrentino dedicated nearly 60 years of his life to Lebanon Valley College until his passing in 2010. He coached four sports—football, basketball, baseball, and golf, and later served as athletic director. Today, the College gives the Lou Sorrentino Outstanding Athlete award annually to its top male performer, and the Middle Atlantic Conference awards two honors in his name: for the Commonwealth Conference's top men's golf finisher, and a lifetime achievement award given to a conference administrator who has displayed superb commitment to the MAC and NCAA Division III. Sorrentino is a member of the LVC, MAC, Central Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania athletic halls of fame.

"Lou Sorrentino was one of the very best student-athletes to ever wear the blue and white," said Dr. Lewis Evitts Thayne, president of Lebanon Valley College. "In addition to his accomplishments in competition as a student-athlete, he served as a revered coach, administrator, and mentor to generations of our student-athletes. This dedication celebrates his life and contributions to the College. We honor his legacy to inspire future generations."

A native of Sharon Hill, Pa. in Delaware County, Sorrentino came to the College as a freshman in 1950. He earned 12 varsity letters while starring all four years in basketball, football, and baseball. In football, he was named first team All-State and second team Little All-America, and later had his #21 jersey retired (one of just six football jerseys retired at LVC). He played in the Blue-Grey Senior All-Star game in Alabama, earning game MVP honors at quarterback. In basketball, Sorrentino was a starter on the legendary "Seven Dwarfs" team that played in the NCAA Tournament and upset Fordham to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

"The number of individuals that Lou touched during his life, me included, was truly impressive," said Rick Beard '90, M'92, director of athletics. "He was an inspiration to student-athletes and his fellow coaches, both in athletics and in life. I can think of no more appropriate person to dedicate our gymnasium to than Lou Sorrentino."

Following his senior season, Sorrentino served two years in the Army's 101st Airborne at Fort Meade, Md. After his discharge, he signed a baseball contract with the Baltimore Orioles and a football contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, but instead accepted the football head coaching position at Shamokin Area High School. He soon married his LVC sweetheart, Rosie Hollinger Sorrentino '54, and they had three children: Michael, Linda, and Jay.

After earning his master's degree from Bucknell University in 1961, he was named head coach at Woodrow Wilson High School in Bucks County. In 1971, he returned to LVC as its head football coach.

Sorrentino remained as LVC's football coach from 1971 to 1985, impacting thousands of student-athletes in that time and becoming LVC's all-time leader in wins at 47 games. In 1972–73, he held the unusual distinction of being one of the nation's few three-sport coaches, leading LVC's football, men's basketball, and baseball programs, helping reintroduce the baseball program that season. After adding basketball to his football and baseball responsibilities, then-president Frederick Sample said Sorrentino was chosen because Sample felt he "wanted as many as possible of Lebanon Valley College athletes to work with him." He found immediate success with men's basketball, winning a MAC Championship in his first season while continuing to coach the team until 1975.

Sorrentino became director of athletics in 1981 and served in that position until his retirement in 2000, presiding over one of the most successful eras of LVC athletics, which included the 1994 NCAA Division III men's basketball national championship. Sorrentino later coached Lebanon Valley's men's golf team for 22 seasons, beginning while athletic director and continuing during his retirement. He produced multiple NCAA qualifiers including the program's first-ever Commonwealth Conference individual titlist.
 
About the Gymnasium
Opened in fall of 2003, the LVC Gymnasium has been the home of the Lebanon Valley College basketball and volleyball teams. The state-of-the-art facility replaced Lynch Gymnasium, which served the College from 1950–2003.

The 36,000 square-foot arena provides an impressive venue for intercollegiate competition with seating for 1,650 spectators. The upper tier of seating features stadium-style chairs, with roll-out bleachers below. When not hosting competition, the gym holds two practice courts. One of the most architecturally striking arenas in NCAA Division III, the gym holds a special function room, the Dutchmen Lounge, which rises above the north side of the gym to provide panoramic views of the athletic fields east of the Heilman Center, as well as a birds'-eye view of the playing court.

Since its opening, the LVC Gymnasium has held numerous conference play-off events, including the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Women's Basketball First/Second Rounds and 2011 Sweet 16/Elite Eight rounds, and first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in 2005. The volleyball team won back-to-back Commonwealth Conference titles there in 2008 and 2009, and the women's basketball team hosted four consecutive Commonwealth Conference championship tournaments from 2009 to 2012, winning in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, the gym held its first commencement, welcoming 370 graduates and their families, and it repeated its hosting duties in 2014 while also adding other campus events including Opening Convocation, Inquiry, and the annual All-Sports Banquet. The facility is also home to several LVC coaches with office space and additional locker rooms for Valley teams.

In 2014, the facility underwent a major lighting upgrade. The original system was replaced with energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly LED lighting. LVC was the first NCAA Division III institution to utilize LED technology in its gymnasium.