Reader Responses to Stroke of Luck

As a member of the class of 1960, the article “Stroke of Luck”(April/May) was important to me because I was a member of the lightweight crew team. It reminded me of an excellent book, The Boys in the Boat. It is the compelling story of the crew team from the University of Washington, which took the gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The story is about interesting individuals that became a team.

I have not been an avid reader of your magazine since it seems too focused on emphasizing Brown’s commitment to diversity, as though diversity was the goal. I’m a believer in diverse ideas and experiences—skin color and ethnicity do not make for diversity. But that’s just me.

But (the April/May issue) blew me away, so I sent my adult kids and nieces and nephews a link to the magazine with this cover note: For most (all?) of you confined to your home, there is more time available to do things we don’t usually do. Yesterday, the latest edition of the Brown Alumni Magazine arrived. I usually throw these away. But this morning, after doing my daily Neagle family Coronavirus dashboard, I was drawn to an article, “Stroke of Luck,” about the Brown men’s 1960 crew team, which was fascinating. I rowed in the same boat in the same race five years later. As I turned the pages, there were other fascinating articles that made me think of many of you.

Having had a career in advertising and printing and been a judge at many graphics competitions, I find the BAM outstanding. I was pleased to see coverage of Brown athletics with the story about the 1960 crew. Another story rarely told is the 1951 Brown hockey team, which played the National Championship in Colorado. Only a few years in the league, Brown and Boston University were invited to play in the NCAA Tournament as teams representing the East. A good friend and neighbor, Bob Maley ’52, who recently passed away, was a starting defenseman. Bob reminded me that the team played their home games at the old Providence Arena, where they had no locker space. He and his roommate, Don Sennott ’52, one of the all-time scorers for Brown, stashed their hockey gear in their apartment bathtub. Upon receiving the invite to play in Colorado, the team was advised there would be no arena ice to practice on as the Ice Capades would be in town. The solution: Practice on a pond in Massachusetts. Brown went on to beat the previous year’s national champion, Colorado College, but unfortunately lost to Michigan in the finals. Brown’s goalie, Don Whiston ’51, who had 45 saves against Michigan, was named to the All-Tournament Team (along with four players from Michigan). He and Bob Wheeler ’52, a forward on the team, were ultimately named All-Americans. Interesting aside: The Brown teams of the 1950-51 era also had Gil Borjeson ’51, NCAA Hammer Thrower Champion, Olympic qualifier, and All-American; Don Colo ’50, pro bowl defensive tackle and captain of the Cleveland Browns; Joe Paterno ’50, winning football coach at Penn State; and Francis “Mo” Mahoney ’50, drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago White Sox, who ultimately played for the Boston Celtics. They were interesting times in Brown sports.

Thanks for bringing back one of the great stories in Brown athletic history (“Stroke of Luck,” April/May, 2020) by John Escher ’61. The Cinderellas crossed the ultimate finish line, gaining University recognition of crew as a varsity sport. Their entire miracle season gave voice to the hard work and hopes and dreams of countless Brown crew loyalists, who had, since 1949 and against all odds, given their all to reestablish Brown crew on the Seekonk