| |
|
|
The 2006 Oswego State Athletic
Hall of Fame inductees include (back row, from
left) Emeritus Men’s Ice Hockey Coach Herbert
Hammond, Emeritus
Men’s Ice Hockey Coach George
Crowe, Rick
Pratt ’82 and Dr.
Casimir “Cash” Kowalski ’65;
(front row from left) Linda
Cohn ’81 and Anne
Potter Collins ’80. |
Six of Oswego State’s finest athletes and coaches
were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday,
Nov. 11. Surrounded by their fellow teammates, coaches,
current students and faculty, each inductee was introduced
and presented with a plaque honoring his or her achievements.
Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley said that not only
were the inductees accomplished students, athletes and
coaches while at Oswego State, but they have gone on
to do great things.
“You came to do what you love and you came to
learn,” she said. “You didn’t come
to Oswego State to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
You didn’t come to make a name for yourself…(As
a coach) you guide, you support, you teach…you
as athletes always represented the institution…we
are thrilled to be able to recognize you today.”
Dr. Casimir “Cash”
Kowalski ’65 was recognized for his participation
in basketball at Oswego. He was the team captain from
1964-1965 and most valuable player in 1965. Kowalski
was presented his award by friend, teammate and fellow
hall-of-famer Tony Conigliaro
’64.
“He contributed to all of my scoring points,”
Conigliaro said, laughing.
Kowalski thanked the crowd and finished his speech by
reminding everyone in the room that there is no substitute
for teamwork.
“No individual, no matter their goals and accomplishments,
achieves them by himself or herself,” he said.
Second to the podium was Oswego’s legendary Emeritus
Ice Hockey Coach Herb Hammond.
Presenting Hammond’s award was Pete
Sears ’71, a past player of Hammond’s,
who spoke of him as a mentor, a coach and a friend.
“It’s a great honor to be included with
the group that’s here. It was a wonderful 12 years…I’m
indebted to the student athletes that I had,”
Hammond said. “I wasn’t Scotty Bowman but
I loved the game and I loved the players.”
Emeritus Hockey Coach George
Crowe was also inducted into Oswego’s Athletic
Hall of Fame for his role as the first head coach of
Oswego State’s men’s ice hockey team from
1964-1969.
Crowe, who was inducted into SUNY Oswego’s Ice
Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989, led his team to victory
at the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
“This guy made it fun, fun, fun for us and we
were renegades,” Crowe’s presenter and former
ice hockey player Pierre Belanger
’69 said. “The fans loved us and
he kept us under control.”
Crowe reminisced about the plywood locker rooms in Romney
Field House and joked that over time one had been turned
into a concession stand.
Crowe commended Stanley for her commitment to keeping
sports alive and thriving on campus. “It makes
a difference from the top down that you have support
for athletics,” he said.
Hammond presented inductee Rick
Pratt ’82 with his plaque.
“This guy could score with the lights out,”
Hammond told the audience. “He was a great man,
he worked hard and he played tough.”
Pratt, who also praised President Stanley for her vision
and dedication to athletics, thanked his teammates for
their camaraderie, commitment to sports and to cheering
each other on.
“I would like to thank the fans, those crazy fans
that were freezing, screaming in yellow and green,”
he said.
Anne Potter Collins ’80,
ice hockey all-time scoring leader as a defenseman in
1979-1980, ice hockey captain in 1979-1980 and ice hockey
MVP in 1979-1980, was presented her plaque by a familiar
face, former ice hockey coach Rich
Tremblay ’75.
She thanked fellow inductee Linda
Cohn ’81 (whom she respectfully called
“Cohnhead”) and all her teammates for their
lessons and friendship during her time at Oswego.
As for memories, Collins announced that although she
is a polished skater today, her first attempt at skating
was just short of any grace, ease or skill. Stepping
onto the ice at Romney Field House for the first time,
Collins claimed that she fell flat on her face.
“So much for first impressions,” she said,
laughing.
However, it was that first impression that landed her
a spot on the 1979-1980 team.
She fondly remembered the friendships formed with “this
group of pioneers,” and added, “Thank you
so much for this great honor and we had a lot of fun.”
Collins returned to the stage to present fellow teammate
and hockey captain Linda Cohn
’81 with her plaque.
A pioneer in Oswego women’s ice hockey from 1977
to1981, Cohn dedicated herself to the team. Remembering
her coach Dr. Pat Russo ’72
and the drills that made her feel lightheaded like she
was going to drop, Cohn said, “Oswego State women’s
hockey has made its mark.”
Cohn finished her speech joking about today’s
hockey equipment weighing a quarter of the pounds that
it used to when she was playing. She also commented
on the new styles and colors of equipment that she has
seen while out shopping.
“We (hockey pioneers) have done that,” she
told the audience. “There are little girls with
pink masks and pink goalie pants out there.”
For more photos of the event, check out the photo
gallery.
— Emily King ’05 |
| Back
To December 2006 E-Newsletter |
|
|
|
|
|
|
