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CCSU Players
Produce Hoop Excitement, Impressive Achievements in Later Life Bart Fisher, Associate Director, University Relations |
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Don’t look now, but “March Madness,”
at its raucous, rowdy, boisterous best is about to strike. There’s
nothing quite like the electric atmosphere of college basketball at
tournament time, and area hoop fans might just be in for a long “siege,”
thanks to Howie Dickenman’s Blue Devils. With one regular season home game remaining (against Wagner on Monday) the Blue Devils are gearing up for a run at the Northeast Conference tournament title and a possible NCAA tournament berth. Central and men’s basketball excitement are virtual synonyms. While Dickenman could be the perfect person to illustrate why, there are many other Blue Devils who have parlayed their hoop prowess into impressive off court achievements as well. Dickenman, a 1969 graduate, played under Bill Detrick, who won 468 games in 29 seasons and routinely led his teams to the post-season. Many fans and sportswriters consider Dickenman Detrick’s greatest player. He earned All-America honors and was the first Blue Devil to score a thousand points and grab as many rebounds. Coaching stops at New Britain High, Canisius, and UConn paved the way for his return to his alma mater in 1996. A member of seven separate Halls of Fame, Dickenman’s 11 seasons as head coach have produced three NEC Coach of the Year awards and two post-season tourney appearances. Another one, either NCAA or NIT is in the offering. Still, Dickenman is not alone as a CCSU basketball star who has achieved success in the broader arena. Bob Zuffelato, who played in the late 1950s, built Boston College into a national power, then spent the bulk of his professional career as an NBA assistant coach and executive. Although semi-retired, he still does some scouting for the Toronto Raptors. Steve Young (1969-72) scouts Europe for the Raptors. His ex-Central teammate, Jim Kelly, is Toronto’s director of player personnel. Kevin Swann, who played at CCSU from 1989-91 before going on to further fame at Old Dominion, is a prominent clergyman who just received the Urban League’s prestigious Silver Star Award as part of Black History Month ceremonies in Virginia. Jere Quinn (1973-77), who coaches St. Thomas More Prep School, was recently inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame along with Cromwell High coach “Jake” Salafia (mid-1950s) and Gene Reilly (1962-66), who was inducted in the player category, but was also an outstanding coach at Portland High. Earle Jackson (1962-65) retired as vice-president at Heublein Corp. Dr. Costas Yiannoutsos (1982-87) is a research scientist and professor of biostatistics at Harvard. Two Blue Devils, Corsely Edwards (1998-02) and Keith Closs (1994-96) played in the NBA, and men’s golf coach Ed Batogowski (1955-58) was an NBA referee. Greg Roberts (1975-80) is the former president and CEO of the Magic Johnson Foundation, Roy Dolgos (1969-72) is Illinois Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, and of course C.J. Jones (1966-68) is CCSU’s Director of Athletics. Though impressive, this list barely scratches the surface of Central men’s hoop success stories. Let the “madness” begin.
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