Four former New York University student-athletes were inducted into the NYU Athletics Hall of Fame at a reception held on Friday, May 9, 2003, at the Puck Building, in Manhattan.

Abraham Balk, Gordon McKenzie, John Eisenberg, and Greg Belinfanti were inducted the Hall, which was founded in 1970.

Balk, a 1947 graduate of the NYU School of Commerce, was a member of the Violets' fencing team. He captained the squad to its first-ever NCAA team championship in 1947 and was named the foil and epee Fencer of the Year. The National Jewish Museum's Sports Hall of Fame inductee won more bouts than any other NYU fencer, with approximately 130 victories. In 1947, Balk established the NCAA record for most individual championships in one year. He amassed five gold medals, including individual honors in the foil and epee. Although his career was interrupted for two-and-a-half years due to World War II, he was selected to the 1948 Summer Olympics squad in London, England.

McKenzie, a 1955 graduate of the NYU School of Engineering, was the 1954 National AAU Cross Country Champion. He earned a personal best second-place finish at the AAU National Championships in the 10,000-meter run in 1955. His post-graduate honors included selections to the 1956 and 1960 U.S. Olympic squads. McKenzie finished 18th in the 10,000m at the 1956 games in Melbourne, Australia and 48th in the marathon event at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy. He also ran in the first ever USA-USSR dual track meet in 1958.

Eisenberg, a 1994 graduate of NYU's College of Arts and Science, is the first men's volleyball player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He currently holds four national collegiate records and six NYU records. Eisenberg helped the Violets qualify for the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Division III Championships for four consecutive years. In 1992, he led the Violets to the NCAA Tournament and was named a First Team Division III All-Star for his efforts. As a junior, he earned NYU¹s highest undergraduate honor when he received the Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award.

Belinfanti, a 1996 graduate of NYU's College of Arts and Science, scored 1,039 career points, 17th highest on the team's all-time leading scoring list. He was a member of four NCAA Tournament teams and two University Athletic Association Champions. During his senior season, Belinfanti led both the Violets and the UAA in scoring and rebounding, while establishing the NYU season record with a field-goal percentage of 58.3. Off the court, Belinfanti earned GTE Academic All-America Second Team honors and GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America District I Team honors in his senior season.

With the induction of the class of 2003, the NYU Athletics Hall of Fame now has 164 members.