UAlbany's Palma Named To National Hall of Fame

Bobbi Palma visits the University at Albany each year to fire a starter's pistol and present the awards for a race run in her name.

UAlbany created the Bobbi Palma Women's Championship, a 5-kilometer race, to honor the founder the school's first track and field program for women.

But Palma's decades of commitment to track extend far beyond campus. She's been a fixture at events both local and international, from regional meets to Olympic Games.

For her decades of service as a track and field official and pioneer for women's sports, Palma earned induction Tuesday into the USA Track and Field National Officials Hall of Fame. She formed part of the hall's inaugural class.

Palma, 72, has served as served as an official at the Olympics, Olympic trials, NCAA championships and local USATF events among others. As the first chairman of the USATF national long-distance running committee, she stood at the forefront of the push to get the women's marathon, 5K and 10K into the Olympics.

"I enjoy this because it keeps me close to the sport, close to the athletes and keeps me young," said Palma, a Massachusetts native who lives part of the year in Albany and part in Tucson, Ariz. "Until I can't push a pencil anymore, I'll keep going."

During the 1960s and 1970s, Palma spearheaded track-and-field initiatives for girls and women, giving clinics at local high schools and later starting the track program at UAlbany, where she worked in the athletic department and now is a professor emeritus.

She founded the track program before the NCAA even sponsored women's sports. Without the funding or support the program now receives, Palma relied on help from friends. She'd invite them to use the school's training facilities if they'd agree to help coach.

"I have a very warm spot in my heart for the UAlbany track and field and cross-country programs," she said.

Palma continues to work as an official at some UAlbany track meets, including the race named for her.

"She's an excellent official," said Roberto Vives, director of UAlbany's track and field and cross-country programs. "She's very thorough and fair. Our own kids haven gotten DQ'd from things. But she'll bring them over and use it as a teaching moment."

Several years ago, Palma also took over the officials program for the USATF Adirondack Association, where she turned a loose-knit collection of officials into a well-run and much expanded organization.

"The main thing I can say is she really stepped in at a very critical time when our officials program was kind of floundering and pulled that back together for us," said Chris Rush, the USATF Adirondack Association president.

Though her experience includes dozens of international competitions, Palma cited the 1996 Paralympics as her most memorable event.

"The Paralympics model was, 'No excuses,''' Palma said. "What a wonderful model."

Palma, an avid Red Sox fan, said her only disappointment is having seen performance-enhancing drugs become more prevalent in not just track but across baseball and other sports as well.

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USA Track and Field Hall of Fame


By PETE IORIZZO