One of the longest-tenured Columbia Lions ever, Albert Carlson is one of the most indelible figures in the history of the athletics program.
Hired in 1978 to be Columbia athletics’ business manager by then Athletics Director, Al Paul, Carlson came to Morningside Heights from across town at the Birch Wathen School, where he served as chief financial officer.
And for nearly the next four decades, Carlson’s Lions career touched on almost every aspect of athletics administration.
In the first few years of his career, he was responsible for managing the demolition of the old Baker Field Stadium and the construction of Lawrence A. Wien Stadium in its place while developing fundraising and ticket sales protocols for the new facility.
At around the same time, the associate athletics director for administration was tasked with implementing the new Columbia-Barnard Athletic Consortium and the influx of women’s sports student-athletes into what was previously a single-sex athletics program.
In 1990, Carlson added another responsibility to his plate, being named head men’s golf coach. The following year, upon Al Paul’s retirement, he was named interim athletics director until John Reeves arrived on campus.
By the decade’s end, Carlson led the men’s golf team to its first-ever championship at the Ivy League Tournament, winning the 1999 title in a dramatic playoff versus Yale.
In 2003, Carlson added another title to his portfolio and made history again, becoming the first head women’s golf coach in school history.
Carlson stepped away from his coaching responsibilities in 2005 to focus on his administrative duties as the lead financial officer at the athletics program, managing the new resources made possible by the $100 million Columbia Campaign for Athletics: Achieving Excellence.
Carlson was a significant presence at Columbia athletics events across all sports. He could often be seen selling merchandise at football games with his wife Holly and daughters Amanda and Corrinne and overseeing event operations at basketball games in Levien Gym.
He was an essential liaison with University administration until his retirement in 2015.
