May 21, 2015

Glory and Honor: Friar Legends Forever induction

Jersey retirements

John Thompson, Jr. ’64 slams the ball home in a game against St. Louis University in Alumni Hall during the 1962-63 season.
John Thompson, Jr. ’64 slams the ball home in a game against St. Louis University in Alumni Hall during the 1962-63 season.

To many Providence College basketball fans, Lenny Wilkens ’60 & ’80Hon. embodies the program’s excellence and its traditions. A three-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Wilkens was also the first person enshrined as a member of Friar Legends Forever, the revered group of players, coaches, and administrators who have left an indelible mark on PC basketball and earned national recognition to boot.

Wilkens’ considerable presence added a good measure of credibility and a dose of nostalgia when he served as featured speaker at the 2015 Friar Legends Forever dinner.

Held at the Omni Hotel in Providence on Feb. 13 during Alumni & Family Weekend, the gala honored three of the finest players in the College’s proud basketball history — Andrea Mangum ’90, John Thompson, Jr. ’64, and the late Jim Hadnot ’62 — and the original radio “voice of the Friars,” the late Chris Clark.

Since Wilkens’ 1996 enshrinement, the select company on the men’s side has expanded to include players Johnny Egan ’61, Ray Flynn ’63, the late Vinnie Ernst ’63, the late Jimmy Walker ’67, Ernie DiGregorio ’73, the late Marvin Barnes ’74, Kevin Stacom ’74, and Joe Hassett ’77, and the two most successful coaches in PC history, the late Joe Mullaney ’65Hon. & ’98Hon. and the late Dave Gavitt ’89Hon.

Andrea Mangum ’90
Andrea Mangum ’90
during her playing
days

Hadnot and Thompson became the 12th and 13th men to be recognized as Friar Legends Forever.

A Providence native, Mangum is the third player in PC women’s basketball history to have her jersey retired and the fourth woman to be honored with the legends distinction. She joined the late Associate Athletic Director Helen Bert and players Kathy Finn Hill ’84 and Tracy Lis ’96.

As Robert G. Driscoll Jr., associate vice president for athletics and athletic director, noted, seeing the jerseys of Friar greats hanging in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center and Alumni Hall’s Mullaney Gymnasium reminds fans of the Friars’ “can do” spirit and the belief that a small school can make waves on a national scale.

“God brings them to Friartown when it’s their time,” said Driscoll.

In the view of the proud and humbled recipients — who also were recognized the following day at the men’s basketball game against Seton Hall — they are the ones indebted to PC.

Chris Clark
Chris Clark

“Looking back on my days at Providence, those fond memories will be with me forever,” said Mangum. “To the entire athletic department and the fans … it was an honor to represent my city and to wear the No. 25 Friar jersey.”

“For the committee to remember a gentleman from Oakland who has since passed, my family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts,” said Hadnot’s son, Shawn. “He went to a place that meant a lot to him, and the people he met at Providence College impacted him for the rest of his life. He was very proud to be a Friar, and I mean very proud.”

Wilkens stood in for Thompson, who had been to the funeral of legendary University of North Carolina coach Dean Smith the day before and couldn’t make it for the weekend.

Jim Hadnot ’62 jockeys for position in a home game against Creighton University during the 1960-61 season.
Jim Hadnot ’62, left, jockeys for
position in a home game
against Creighton University
during the 1960-61 season.

Though he didn’t sink a single basket or pull down a single rebound, Clark had a passion that was crystal clear every time he broadcast a Friar game. In the eyes of many, he helped revolutionize the way that followers were able to connect with their favorite Providence players and coaches.

“Without Chris Clark, you may not have been as passionate a Friar fan as you are,” remarked College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80.

Wilkens was the last speaker on a night where the light shone a little bit brighter on Providence’s rich basketball heritage. Almost two decades earlier, he was the one being commemorated into Friar Legends Forever. Now it was his turn to welcome the newest members into a special circle with open arms.

Holding framed commemorative jerseys are, from left, Shawn Hadnot, son of Jim Hadnot ’62; Don Clark, son of Chris Clark; Andrea Mangum ’90; and Lenny Wilkens ’60, representing John Thompson, Jr. ’64.
Holding framed commemorative jerseys are, from
left, Shawn Hadnot, son of Jim Hadnot ’62; Don Clark, son
of Chris Clark; Andrea Mangum ’90; and Lenny Wilkens ’60, representing John Thompson, Jr. ’64.

2015 Friar Legends: Forever greats

  • Jim Hadnot ’62: PC’s first high-profile big man, he scored 1,467 points and grabbed 1,299 rebounds in three seasons, helping the Friars capture their first NIT Championship in 1961. He was a two-time Honorable Mention All-American.
  • John Thompson, Jr. ’64: A first-team All- American as a senior, he helped lead PC to the 1963 NIT title and registered 1,520 points and 1,061 rebounds in three seasons.
  • Andrea Mangum ’90: A two-time KODAK District I All-America selection, she helped guide the Friars to the 1990 BIG EAST Tournament Championship. She amassed 1,679 points and 1,063 rebounds from 1986-1990.
  • Chris Clark (special recognition): The radio voice of the Friars for 24 years, he played a pivotal role in promoting a fledgling college basketball program that developed and sustained a respected national reputation.

 

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