Bob Cousy ’50 Court —-
I was 12 years old living in Springfield, MA, and basketball ruled. It was also the day Bob Cousy would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. And it really was a different time.
The original Hall of Fame was not a basketball shaped building on an Interstate highway. The Hall of Fame was on the campus where Naismith invented basketball.
Bob Cousy was the guy all my uncles talked about. I was a Bill Russell and John Havlicek guy and they were coming for the ceremony on the campus of Springfield College. Those were the guys I wanted to see when I rode my bike to campus. As a Massachusetts kid, we were indoctrinated to be Celtics fans.
And every great Celtic would be there for Cousy’s induction. I rode all the way there and never told my Mom I was going. There wasn’t a crowd that I can remember. I got right up on the steps by the entrance,
Red Auerbach walked by with cigar in hand. But my most vivid memory of that day is Bob Cousy coming right up to me, signing my autograph book, and rifling my hair as he walked on into history.
Today, I was able to join Bob Cousy at his college alma mater, College of the Holy Cross, for the dedication of the court at the Hart Center Arena at the Luth Athletic Complex in his honor. As the College celebrates the 125th anniversary of men’s basketball at Holy Cross, the court will be permanently known as Bob Cousy ’50 Court, thanks to a generous gift made in Cousy’s honor.
As a freshman at Holy Cross, Cousy was a contributing member of the 1947 NCAA championship team. In his sophomore, junior and senior years he led Holy Cross to two more NCAA Tournaments and garnered All-East and All-America honors in the process. His teams also set the school record for consecutive victories, winning 29 straight games from March 4, 1949 to March 4, 1950.
“Bob is the ultimate Crusader Legend and epitomizes what it means to be a person for and with others,” said Holy Cross Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Kit Hughes. “His impact on our College, the Worcester community, the sport of basketball, and the world as a whole cannot be overstated.
In 2019, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, for his contributions to American life both on and off the court. Beyond his accomplishments on the hardwood, Cousy was a major and early proponent of diversity in the NBA and was a supporter of his black teammates during the civil rights movement. He has extensively worked with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass. & Metrowest organization for decades, with the “Bob Cousy Assist Program” — founded in 2023 — pairing Holy Cross basketball student-athletes with middle school students from the Nativity School of Worcester in a mentorship role.
So for this day, we can all be Crusaders and thank the College of the Holy Cross for taking a chance on a kid from New York City who went on to become one of their greatest advocates. Sometimes Sports works
