Garden City, N.Y. - Larry Keating, who led the Adelphi University Department of Athletics as its Athletic Director from 1979-85, passed away Tuesday at the age of 76 at his home in Southport, N.C.

Keating recently retired in April 2019 after spending five decades in intercollegiate athletics. His last stop was as the Senior Associate Athletics Director and Special Assistant to the Athletic Director at the University of Kansas -- a position he was appointed to in 2003.

Following his time at Adelphi, Keating spent over a decade (1985-87) in the role of Director of Athletics at Seton Hall University, where he was inducted into the department's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

"Larry was a legendary figure in college athletics administration. His time as the Director of Athletics at Adelphi laid the foundation for a distinguished career that saw him serve as the Athletic Director at Seton Hall University for 12 years and as Senior Associate Athletics Director at the University of Kansas for 16 years," Adelphi Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation Danny McCabe reminisced. "The Adelphi Panthers saw much success across the board in various sports during Larry's tenure in Garden City. Our condolences go out to the Keating family."

A Long Island native, Adelphi's success under Keating included nine NCAA Tournament appearances, with four national championships and a pair of regional softball titles.

The Adelphi men's lacrosse team won its second NCAA Division II National Championship in 1981, while three different men's outdoor track and field national qualifiers ran to individual titles at the NCAA Championships in 1980, 1981 and 1983.

Keating also spent time as an Assistant Commissioner at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and began his career as an assistant men's basketball coach at his alma mater, Stonehill College, and later, Hofstra University.

Keating is survived by his wife, Jamie, son, Kerry, daughters, Jamie and Katie, and two grandchildren. We send our deepest condolences to the Keating family during this difficult time.