Athletics Hall of Fame
The inaugural Team of Distinction is the 1971-72 Men’s Basketball squad. The Dutchmen were 19-3 that year, setting a school record for victories, and had a 15-game winning streak. Union was coached by Gary Walters (later a Div. I head coach and this year’s NCAA Selection Committee Chair) and the assistant coach was Bill Scanlon, who later became Union’s winningest coach in the program’s history and is currently the Associate Director of Athletics/Facilities. Union defeated Hartwick, the defending NCAA regional champion, but was not allowed to participate in NCAA due to NESCAC rules. The Dutchmen, who were ranked #2 in the New York State small college poll, featured star player (and later Hall inductee) Jim Tedisco. Also on the team was Bill Carmody, who later became the Princeton and Northwestern coach. This was the highest scoring team in Union history at that time. The last game of the season featured 4,000 fans at the Field House, and it was a game broadcast live locally while the New York Knicks game was a delayed broadcast due to this Union contest.
Members of the Team:
Chuck Abba
Tom Bacher
Jim Bolz
Bill Carmody
Tom Combs
Luke Dillon
Mike Doyle,
Rein Eichinger
Rich Goldberg
Bob Pezzano
Herb Reichenbach
Joel Roslyn
Jim Tedisco
Geoff Walker
Gary Walters, Head Coach
Chuck Leonelli, Assistant Coach
Bill Scanlon, Assistant Coach
Rich Cittar, Manager
Paul Rieschick, Manager
