By Joe Manning
It’s hard to summarize the legacy of a man who held so many different titles during his 18-year tenure in the Springfield College Sport Management Department. However, some of the words used to describe Dr. John Borland include intentional, focused, witty, passionate, humble and unique.
After a long battle with cancer, Borland passed away peacefully on Dec. 26, 2023.
Throughout his 15-year career as an administrator at Springfield College, Borland was a man who set the bar high for not only himself, but also the students who came through the Sport Management program.
Professor Emeritus and assistant women’s basketball coach Bob Accorsi was one of the people who hired Borland, and the two remained close friends.
“I think John’s greatest legacy, especially for the Sport Management Department, and its students, was that John was passionate about professional development,” Accorsi said. “He went out of his way to take kids to conferences, to make sure he found money for them, to make sure he did the introductions and the networking and all of that. He was a tireless, tireless advocate for professional development.”
Borland was not just a proponent of professional development; he was an advocate for challenging the status quo for his students as well. He never wanted students to do the bare minimum, but instead go above and beyond. Springfield College’s Humanics philosophy is something that both students and faculty members embrace. Borland’s willingness to make sure Sport Management students had chances to attend conferences or have money for the program spoke to character. He always tried to find ways for Springfield’s Sport Management program to have the same opportunities as larger schools, despite differences in a different institution’s student size or budget.
In other words, John Borland was one of the biggest advocates for all of the students in the Sport Management department, and this is a mentality that he carried throughout his teaching career.
Borland deflected credit, said Dr. Heather Gilmour, the current chair of the Sport Management department at Springfield College,.
“He always just wanted people to do their best, and he didn’t want any credit for it,” Gilmour said. “He didn’t want people to look at him and say ‘teacher of the year.’ He would want Professor Accorsi to be honored over him.”
Gilmour also noted that Borland will be missed in many ways and by many people here on campus.
“I will miss the way he held everybody accountable, whether it was the college, the students, or each other. He would just stick it to you,” she continued. “He and I would stick it to each other at times, we both had tendencies at times to be blunt and say exactly what we were thinking. I will miss having that person who challenged and made you think before you speak.”
Borland’s ability to be blunt at times with his students and colleagues was an attribute that positively influenced how he was in all aspects of his life. Kevin McCallister, the former chair of the Sport Management department, viewed Borland not only as a colleague and friend but as a person.
“He was unique, simply because there wasn’t anybody like him, and that’s crucial,” McCallister said. “It’s crucial to a department, it’s crucial to a family, it’s crucial to anything. He brought out something completely different than all of us, and that’s part of his uniqueness.”
Senior Sport Management major Jeff Madeia knows firsthand the impact Borland had in shaping him into the student he is and the professional he will become after he graduates in May.
“In his classes, he made everybody break out of their shell,” Madeia said. “I think that’s what he did for me. The way that he constructed his class, people would converse in groups and work on projects so I think that helped people grow as they progressed through the program.”
As Accorsi noted, Borland was an advocate in many ways during his time at the institution. He also supported women in sports, which is a message he tried to emphasize to his students.
“You know how coaches recruit players? He did that for students when it came to building the program,” Madeia said “And I think that the philosophy of the school in Humanics was all about equity and big on women’s sports. He always fought for those things and talked about it. Whatever class you had with him it was always brought up, so I think that was really important. I think that’s what he left for the program and the school.”
Borland was a man of great character, and his colleagues and students will never forget his work as an advocate in many capacities. He left an undeniable impact on Springfield College, and he will be greatly missed by many for everything he did during his time on Alden Street.