The NJIT Athletic Hall of Fame was founded in 1986 by then-director of athletics. J. Malcolm Simon in conjunction with the NJIT Alumni Association. The purpose was to honor those former Highlander athletes, coaches and friends who have distinguished themselves during their time at the university or thereafter.
The first class of inductees included mulit-sport standout John Walsh '66, soccer all-American Hernan "Chico" Borja '81, beloved coach and professor Joseph M. Fitzgerald, and long time director of athletics Robert Swanson. Simon, also the shcool's all-time winningest coach, was himself inducted upon his retirement as athletics director in 1994. In all, 44 individuals and three teams were honored through 1996.
After a five-year hiatus, the Hall of Fame was revived in 2002 by current athletics director Lenny Kaplan. When the Class of 2006 is welcomed, the Hall's membership will stand at 59.