Hofstra Was 23-1 With Student Athletes

4/10/2013

Brant Alyea could leap; Stephen Dunn could shoot against the zone. (Dunn photo by Andrea Dunn)

They are a walking advertisement for that elusive blend of sports and education – starting with a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, Stephen Dunn, all 12 a credit to themselves and the school.

My guys from Hofstra College, circa 1959-60, knew the academic apparatus of that modest commuter school would flunk them right off the team if their grades slipped.

The basketball team from that year, which won 23 games and lost only one, is being honored Saturday by induction into the Athletics Hall of Fame. There is a dinner at 4 P.M. followed by a lacrosse game against sixth-ranked North Carolina.

That team was coached by Butch van Breda Kolff, the former Knick, who would later coach Bill Bradley at Princeton and bench Wilt Chamberlain in a championship loss with the Lakers. They still hear Butch’s piercing whistle in their nightmares.

I was a student publicist on a workship. Saw them up close, kept track of their assists and rebounds, sometimes did the public address, called the results into the papers, and listened to Butch and his assistant Paul Lynner tell great stories at diners, very late at night. That was an education, too.

I’ve written a lot about that team over the years:

The shot by Bob Larsen of Wagner for the only loss of the season. We caught up with Larsen last year in New York:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/sports/ncaabasketball/52-years-later-recalling-a-shot-that-sank-a-season.html?_r=0

There was a reunion in 2000, when the players and school got to thank Butch one more time:

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/06/sports/sports-of-the-times-for-butch-s-players-23-hoop-dreams-and-one-nightmare.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

But the main thing was, the players went to class – even after late bus rides back from Pennsylvania. They knew the team had been decimated a few years earlier because players were not getting the grades.

This was a small, serious place, where first-generation college students were getting an education. The president was John Cranford Adams, a Shakespearean scholar whose dream was not the basketball team being invited to the National Invitation Tournament but building a permanent home for the Globe Theatre – now the John Cranford Adams Playhouse, a wonderful place. Francis Ford Coppola produced original plays in that building. He was our classmate. Lainie Kazan sang in the musicals. She was also a classmate.

(Did I mention that our football team was 9-0 in 1959? Alas, our aging classmates do not feel part of that any more, since Hofstra abruptly terminated the program in 2009.)

Most of the basketball players are coming back on Saturday, some of them with rebuilt hips and knees after all the torque they put on their bodies. (One of them has a reinforced aorta from a recent operation; others are survivors of this and that; thank goodness for modern medicine.) Stevie Balber, the bow-legged point guard from Brooklyn, who gave everybody nicknames, has passed on.

In 2000, I wrote, “They took their educations and went about being responsible adults.” I mentioned Adam Gadzinski an accountant; Bob Stowers a teacher; Ted Jackson a parole hearing officer; Stan Einbender an endodontist; Curt Block for many years a vice president for media relations at NBC; Richie Swartz a furniture salesman; Bob Lauster a salesman for I.B.M.; Richard Goldstein, operating the family shoe accessory business; Stevie Balber the chairman of a direct-mail company; John McGowan an engineer; Stephen Dunn, poet and teacher; and Brant Alyea who played 361 games in the majors.

I cannot wait to stand at the fringe of these guys I admire so much, and hear the stories – often about Butch. I love Brant’s stories about being managed by Ted Williams and Dick Williams. The players recall how Stowers could do a standing leap from the floor of the gym to the stage at one end of the court; how Swartz could lull you into submission in practice and then flick the ball away with his long arms; how Einbender – the 6-4 captain and leading rebounder -- blew a dunk in the closing minute of his final game and walked straight to the bench, to save Butch the trouble of hauling him off the court for showboating.

They could also talk about the modest commuter college that was doing things right. Their lives reflect that.

* * *
In a totally different time, Hofstra appointed a new coach, Joe Mihalich, on Wednesday. Mihalich, the coach at Niagara for 15 years, replaces Mo Cassara after a turbulent season. Mo put his heart into the school. I wish both of them well.

* * *

Stephen Dunn wrote a lovely essay about his education from Butch and Hofstra, on a site called sbnation.com but the link does not seem to be working without signing up for the site.

http://www.sbnation.com/whiskey-room/2013/4/6/4190298/stephen-dunn-poetry-and-basketball

Front: Bob Lauster, John McGowan, Richard Goldstein, Stephen Dunn, Curt Block. Back: AD Jeff Hathaway, Ted Jackson, Stan Einbender, Brant Alyea, Bob Stowers.

                WHAT THE CAPTAIN SAID:

(I went to school nine straight years with Stan Einbender, from JHS 157 to Jamaica to Hofstra. We are closer than ever. I enjoyed his remarks on Saturday when Hofstra honored the team, and I enjoy his second thoughts on Sunday. I saw him chatting with a member of the great 81-82 women's team that had such spirit at the dinner. That was one thing we did not enjoy in our time -- visible female athletes. How much richer sports are today with competitors like the women from 81-82. Here are Stanley's remarks GV)

            AT THE DINNER:

            Speech for ’59-’60 Team

First I would like to thank the committee that gave us this great honor, President Rabinowitz and Athletic director Jeff Hathaway who both seem committed to restoring Hofstra Basketball to the standard that we set. I listened to the news conference on my computer on Wednesday to introduce Coach Michalic and was encouraged that this was a good first step to reaching that standard.

I was the only senior on the team, and I assume that was the reason I was asked to say a few words. I know that some of the other players might be more articulate, such as Steve “Radar” Dunn, a Pulitzer Prize winning poet, or even my longtime friend George Vessey who was not a member of the team, but has written many articles about our team in the NY Times. I was eager to take up this task because of the fond memories I hold for this team and our accomplishments, and my gratitude to Hofstra University for giving me the opportunity to compete and get a great education which led to my career as a dentist for 40 yrs.

It is very apropos that we be inducted into the Hofstra Athletic Hall of Fame as a team, because we were the best example of a team. There was no superstar on our team. I believe we had at least five players that averaged double figures. Under the guidance of Coach Butch VanBreda Koff and Ass’t Coach Paul Lynner, we were not interested in who shot or who scored, but only leaving all we had on the court and winning. As our 23-1 record showed, we did a pretty good job.

A successful basketball coach is depends on his recruiting and being able to get his role players to accept their job. Butch had an easy time with the ’59-’60 Team, because we were all role players.

Some players today do not realize what a privilege it is to compete in any inter-scholastic sport, especially at a great school like Hofstra University where we could also receive a great education.

In closing, I would like to mention a conversation I had with Coach Van Breda koff. After leaving Hofstra for the second time, he would return for certain basketball functions. It was very annoying that we seemed to age and loose some hair, and the Coach seemed to stay the same with that boisterous voice. The last time I saw him he looked quite frail. He was suffering from the Parkinson’s Disease that took his life, but he was alert enough say to me, “Stanley, these players today are better athletes, but you guys were better basketball players”. That meant a lot to me then and I am sure it does to all the members of the ’59-’60 Team. It still means a lot to I stand here now.

                     EINBENDER'S THOUGHTS ON SUNDAY

Last night, I, along with my teammates from the ’59-60 Hofstra basketball team, received the long awaited recognition by being inducted as a team into the Hofstra University Athletic Hall of Fame. Our record of 23-1 stands as the best record ever established by a Hofstra men’s basketball team. As expected, the University put on a great show with lengthy introductions, a great meal, and most important, the recognition of our accomplishments. I was given the honor of speaking for our team, which gave me a chance to thank Hofstra for the great memories that I still hold. The best part of the evening was the ability to renew old friendships with my teammates, many who I have not seen for over 50 years. When I am not looking in the mirror, I still see myself as that smiling person holding the basketball in the ’59-’60 team picture. After seeing my teammates from that team, I realize that our time as basketball players has passed, but at least we definitely had our time. I hope these renewed friendships will continue and we can all keep seeing ourselves as we were in that picture. I believe that those memories will help us to survive in fleeting years that remain.

Brian Savin

4/10/2013 01:48:15 pm

Interesting stuff. Student-athletes. Not many left. I've heard a portion of this story.

FYI, in 1969 Fordham had a club football team. In the first five games they were undefeated, untied and unscored upon. I learned then about the old Colgate team that, in addition to perfection, also went "univited" to the Rose Bowl in 1932 or 33. In 1969 the Fordham Club suddenly went out of their element and Louisiana State tied them 7-7 and the bubble burst. We need to bring those days back, because they mattered more to everyone than anything we have in today's semi-pro ball. College presidents should be ashamed, or caused to be. Your post should be on the pages of the NYT, and would be, if they cared a wit.

p.s. Dunn's essay is a bad citation, a 404.

Lew Freifeld

4/11/2013 01:28:09 am

Great stuff! Wish I was going to be there

George Vecsey

4/11/2013 04:19:36 am

Lew Freifeld was a very good guard at Hofstra right after this group. At Erasmus Hall he was named all-city by the World Telegram and Sun. (Connie Hawkins was second team. I';ve seen the clipping.) He also had a very good work career. GV

Neal Temple

4/12/2013 02:42:41 am

Thank you for writing some thoughtful pieces on Hofstra. I was there for my undergraduate work from 1971-75, and my graduate work from 75-77. I worked for Sports Information and remember some great time.
Some of the fondest memories were when I would travel with the tennis team when my fraternity brother, Donn Haber was playing first singles.
In some of the matches, Coach Lynner would drive us there. He would frequently turn away from the wheel and look at us in the back seat, talk about basketball, sports or Hofstra University. Oh, he would also be smoking a cigarette. We would respond with one or two word answers hoping that he would turn around and watch the road. He managed to get us where we were going, but not without some butterflies. I also remember him coaching the varsity basketball team for a while, but that memory was anything but fond!
(It was certainly better than this years fiasco!)

George Vecsey

4/12/2013 03:20:11 am

Paul was a terrific athlete. He and Butch van Breda Kolff would jump into gym soccer games.
Funny, I can remember the Hofstra trainer, Tex Bow, talking over his shoulder and nearly hitting a truck on the GW Bridge. I was in the car with two basketball reserves going to Muhlenberg or Moravian. We almost did not get there.
GV

Dave gave

5/16/2013 12:26:41 pm

hi George class 1960! Delta tau, across from you guys at the cafe. Had classes with most of the guys on the team. Remember stanls stuttering at English claa and an ethics teacher say free white and 21 in front of jackson one day. Remember Swartz dirbling betray a defenders legs atone game. A chemistry major- dr at 3 almost ended that-ended up has director R&D at Olin Corp- love youarcolmuns go Knicks

Dave Gavin

Alan Rubin link

4/13/2013 02:34:00 am

George

I believe that most college student-athletes of today are similar to those of the 50’s and 60’s. They enjoyed participating in sports, but were always juggling things to keep up with their studies. Today’s high powered programs have distorted the balance between them and the other sports programs, some of which are often in danger of being dropped.

One positive that I see is that more journalists are speaking out about the shameful abuse of many of today’s student athletes, including criticism of the NCAA. Joe Nocera has been running an excellent series about this in the NY Times. One hope is that the abuses, and subsequent publicity, may reach a point that something positive may actually get done.

Academic scholarships were the only ones available for athletes when I played soccer at Lehigh between 1953 and 57. This was true for all sports. Many players had part-time work scholarships that offered study time and covered some expenses. All scholarships required athletes to maintain a minimum GPA, usually between 2.5 and 3.0 out of a possible 4. Most of the major of the teams would have players on academic probation from time to time. Football and wrestling were not exempted, regardless of the player’s talent. It was joked that a team of wrestlers on probation could probably defeat the varsity.

Lehigh has recently expanded their soccer program and now plays at the highest NCAA Div I level. Some scholarships are awarded to players in need, but the academic standards have remained. One concession the university gave athletes in my time was that we could adjust our schedule if a class was offered at more convenient time. Many departments were flexible about making up exams missed due to games, some were not.

Part of a student’s college education was to learn how to balance class work and extracurricular activities, whether sports, music, community service, etc. Lee Iacocca wrote in his book, “Iacocca”, just getting through Lehigh was an education in itself.

Butch van Brada Kolff was coaching Lafayette during my early years. If a game was remotely close, Lehigh considered it a moral victory. My friends on the basketball team had the utmost respect for Butch.

It seems from this thread that Hofstra’s major concern was getting to away games safely. I almost feel cheated by not having attended Hofstra and knowing those mentioned here.

I also like the comment about athletes having long memories. I played soccer for 10 years, starting in JR HS and remembered every goal scored against me in chronological order as well as the games's score. My wife cannot understand this as I need a grocery shopping list for three items or more. I have not tested my memory in a while as it is better to continue with the myth.

Glendale Electrician link

3/30/2014 05:29:31 am

Typical. We have never needed joined up thinking and action as much as we do now. The points you make on Hofstra Was 23-1 With Student Athletes are commonly held beliefs and utterly erroneous. Is there no end to Hofstra College's face-saving measures? Come on commentators, let's give Andrea Dunn his props.

Electrical Contractor in Phoenix link

4/12/2014 07:54:00 am

frequently did people in general location, called the outcomes into the papers, and listened to Butch and his collaborator Paul Lynner tell incredible stories at coffee shops, late during the evening. That was a training, as well.

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5/17/2014 07:35:15 pm

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Comments are closed.

QUOTES

Measuring Covid Deaths, by David Leonhardt. July 17, 2023. NYT online.
The United States has reached a milestone in the long struggle against Covid: The total number of Americans dying each day — from any cause — is no longer historically abnormal….

After three horrific years, in which Covid has killed more than one million Americans and transformed parts of daily life, the virus has turned into an ordinary illness.

The progress stems mostly from three factors:
First, about three-quarters of U.S. adults have received at least one vaccine shot.
Second, more than three-quarters of Americans have been infected with Covid, providing natural immunity from future symptoms. (About 97 percent of adults fall into at least one of those first two categories.)
Third, post-infection treatments like Paxlovid, which can reduce the severity of symptoms, became widely available last year.
“Nearly every death is preventable,” Dr. Ashish Jha, who was until recently President Biden’s top Covid adviser, told me. “We are at a point where almost everybody who’s up to date on their vaccines and gets treated if they have Covid, they rarely end up in the hospital, they almost never die.”

That is also true for most high-risk people, Jha pointed out, including older adults — like his parents, who are in their 80s — and people whose immune systems are compromised. “Even for most — not all but most —immuno-compromised people, vaccines are actually still quite effective at preventing against serious illness,” he said. “There has been a lot of bad information out there that somehow if you’re immuno-compromised that vaccines don’t work.”

That excess deaths have fallen close to zero helps make this point: If Covid were still a dire threat to large numbers of people, that would show up in the data.

One point of confusion, I think, has been the way that many Americans — including we in the media — have talked about the immuno-compromised. They are a more diverse group than casual discussion often imagines.

Most immuno-compromised people are at little additional risk from Covid — even people with serious conditions, such as multiple sclerosis or a history of many cancers. A much smaller group, such as people who have received kidney transplants or are undergoing active chemotherapy, face higher risks.

Covid’s toll, to be clear, has not fallen to zero. The C.D.C.’s main Covid webpage estimates that about 80 people per day have been dying from the virus in recent weeks, which is equal to about 1 percent of overall daily deaths.

The official number is probably an exaggeration because it includes some people who had virus when they died even though it was not the underlying cause of death. Other C.D.C. data suggests that almost one-third of official recent Covid deaths have fallen into this category. A study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases came to similar conclusions.

Dr. Shira Doron, the chief infection control officer at Tufts Medicine in Massachusetts, told me that “age is clearly the most substantial risk factor.” Covid’s victims are both older and disproportionately unvaccinated. Given the politics of vaccination, the recent victims are also disproportionately
Republican and white.

Each of these deaths is a tragedy. The deaths that were preventable — because somebody had not received available vaccines and treatments — seem particularly tragic. (Here’s a Times guide to help you think about when to get your next booster shot.)
***

From the great Maureen Dowd:

As I write this, I’m in a deserted newsroom in The Times’s D.C. office. After working at home for two years during Covid, I was elated to get back, so I could wander around and pick up the latest scoop.
But in the last year, there has been only a smattering of people whenever I’m here, with row upon row of empty desks. Sometimes a larger group gets lured in for a meeting with a platter of bagels."

--- Dowd writes about the lost world of journalists clustered in newsrooms at all hours, smoking, drinking, gossipping, making phone calls, typing, editing.
***
"Putting out the paper," we called it.
Much more than nostalgia.
---https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/29/opinion/journalism-newsroom.html

Hofstra Was 23-1 With Student Athletes

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