Hall of Fame
A legendary figure in collegiate sprint football and an accomplished Hobart two-sport athlete, Terry Cullen built a lifetime of impact on the field, on the sidelines and in service to his country.
A native of Ithaca, New York, Cullen enjoyed a standout playing career for the Statesmen, earning three letters in both football and lacrosse while also competing in basketball. A three-year starting quarterback, he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player after leading Hobart to a 4-3-1 record as a senior in 1963. Along with classmate and fellow Hall of Famer Larry Slattery, Cullen directed a Hobart gridiron group that increased its win total by four and decreased its losses by
five over the course of their career.
A midfielder in lacrosse, Cullen and the Statesmen went 29-9 from 1962 to 1964. He guided Hobart to an 11-4 record as a senior, earning the program’s Lt. John Vandeverg ’50 Memorial Award. The Echo and Pine cited the play of the first midfield unit, Cullen, Slattery and Ralph DeFelice ’64, “who were often superhuman in their efforts.”
Following his graduation from Hobart, Cullen went on to earn an MBA from Cornell University and began what would become one of the longest and most influential coaching tenures in collegiate athletics. He joined the Big Red sprint football program as an assistant coach in 1964 and remained on the sidelines for nearly six decades, including 45 seasons as head coach.
Elevated to co-head coach alongside his father in 1977 before assuming full leadership of the program, Cullen guided Cornell to five league championships and compiled more than 140 career victories. His teams produced multiple unbeaten seasons, including a perfect 6-0 campaign in 2006, and he played a role in 75 percent of the games in program history. His influence extended far beyond wins and losses, as he mentored more than a thousand student-athletes and helped shape a tight-knit alumni community that spans generations.
Cullen’s coaching career extended beyond football, with significant contributions to lacrosse at the high school, collegiate and international levels, including serving as head coach of Team USA in 1978.
Cullen’s distinguished career was almost a story of “what might have been.” Following graduation from Hobart, he joined the Marine Corps and was sent to Vietnam as an infantry officer. Wounded in a firefight and believed to be dead, he was zipped into a body bag, but a fellow Marine noticed movement and quickly called for a medivac. Despite renewed fighting that made the landing zone “hot,” a helicopter arrived and flew him to lifesaving treatment. Coincidentally, the pilot of that helicopter was also a former Hobart lacrosse player, Bryan “Moose” Rolfe ’60. For his service, Cullen was awarded both the Purple Heart and the Silver Star.
