As a result of the generosity of our alumni family, we have been able to establish an endowed professorship named in honor of Albert J. Ruffo (JD ’36), which can be held by tenure-stream faculty members who have distinguished themselves in the areas of scholarship, teaching, and service. By bestowing upon Sue S. Guan and Nick Serafin this prestigious, named professorship, we seek to honor and make visible their terrific contributions to our law school and bring even greater renown to their wonderful work.
A reception was held on November 9, and attended by many faculty and staff, to celebrate this milestone with Sue and Nick.
Who was Albert J. Ruffo? 
Born on July 1, 1908, Albert J. Ruffo, BA ’31, JD ’36 attended Santa Clara University on a football scholarship and earned a place in the School’s Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduation, he coached boxing, wrestling, and football at SCU until Law School Dean Edwin J. Owens convinced him to go to law school.
In 1944, along with former Santa Clara classmate Tony Morabito, Ruffo co-founded the San Francisco Forty-Niners team. Ruffo served two years as mayor of San Jose before embarking on a successful law practice. He passed away on February 10, 2003 at the age of 95.
“You have to like what you are doing. If you like what you are doing, you can do it until you die.” – Albert J. Ruffo
