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RPI Thanks Rams
Highlight of 38 years!

In Memoriam
Charlotte Saxe Schreiberg
Martha Hill Newell
Dr. Wallace Johnston
Carroll Hormachea
Bruce Koplin
Alice Loving Alrich
Emile Cahen Jr.
Jaqui Jacobs Copeland
Dr. Arnold Fleshood

"The highlight of 38 years"

Gene Hunt ’59BS’61MS/B and his wife, Honey, were the VCU fans of the year—or at least seemed to have the most fun—following VCU to Buffalo and appearing everywhere with their VCU RAM puppet.

  “My wife and I have watched VCU basketball since 1968,” Gene says. “Without question, beating Duke was the highlight of those 38 years. Throughout the United States , millions of basketball fans saw VCU, an underdog by most measures, defeat the Royal Kingdom of Duke! Life will never be the same at VCU!”

  Still, Gene comments, for fans who had been following the team, it was no surprise. “Throughout the season, win after win, the team showed a never-give-up attitude. Twelve individuals always functioning as a team, always following the advice of Coach Anthony Grant. There were no miracles on the floor—just good solid basket ball playing with players reaching their potential, and once in awhile, beyond their potential. That made a championship season.

“But it was the character of the players off the court that made them a hit with the fans. They often applauded fans for their support. They were never too busy after a game for children asking for autographs. Classy players, emulating their classy coach!”

“Only the people involved know how hard ‘Cinderella’ worked”

Archie also lettered in tennis. “We had a handsome gray felt shield with RPI on it, and I had two scrolls for basketball and tennis, which I wore with great pride.” RPI had intramural basketball and volleyball, and varsity basketball and field hockey—where she had a difference with the coach. “I just wasn’t willing to put my body out there to be battered.” There were some attempts to start a tennis team. Even with limited options, she adds, there were some women playing “who were good athletes.”

  For Archie, “this season in Men’s Basketball has been a complete thrill. They’ve been building the team for some years now. They’ve been talking a lot on TV about the “Cinderella team”; but this doesn’t happen overnight. Only the people involved know how hard Cinderella worked.” She adds, “This is a source of tremendous pride. It’s wonderful for the school and great for the city.”

We know who’s hiding behind VCU—it’s those old RPI Green Devils!” Archie jokes.

We should note that VCU Women’s Basketball also had a winning season this year: 17-13.  Women’s Basketball

  Willis McCauley ’54BS/B played for the Green Devils at RPI .  “We didn’t even have a gym. We used the YMCA downtown, and then later the building that is now the Shafer Street Playhouse. We practiced for awhile without baskets and backboards—and it had to have been the smallest court in the country. There was no room at all behind the backboard.”

  As Mac sees the 2006-07 season, “the VCU team was in better physical condition than Duke’s. The Rams did a great job with the new coach, Anthony Grant. The players and coach seemed to mesh very well. Their playing is a great tribute to him, and to the players too.”

  Bob Griffin ’68BS’99MTax/B played for the Rams in the late ‘60s. “Of course, the basketball program then was nothing to what it is now, but it was a great experience,” he says. He remembers an alumni-student game 15-20 years ago. “The quality of play was just so different, even then.” As for the 2006-07 season, “It was just a remarkable season, and wonderful publicity for the school.”

Above: Len Creech, 34

Len Creech* was a team star for those years, holding the state record for points scored at least one year. Bob remembers, “Len was a very gifted athlete. He had a great jump shot and could score from all areas of the court. There was no 3-point shot then, but if there were he would have been an even higher scorer. Often the offense centered on him.”

  “ RPI had some very good players,” says Steve Harvey ’70BS’70 MED /E, although some of the guys had jobs and couldn’t keep playing. So it was different, then.” Steve played with Len Creech and roomed with him as well. “Len was one of the best basketball players I’ve ever seen,” says Steve, who coached high school basketball and then worked with VCU Athletics for years. “He could play any position and he was a fantastic shooter.” A bonus, Bob and Steve agree, was that Len was always cheerful and upbeat. “Being around him, you never knew what was might happen next,” Steve adds. “Some of the road trips in the van we called ‘the gray ghost’ were enlightening to a freshman from small town Virginia.”

  Steve was “very impressed with the 2006-07 Rams, the players and the coach. They played hard—they just got after you,” he says. “Everyone is very proud of them. Old men like myself are saying ‘I played there!’”

*Len Creech recently had a stroke and surgery. Friends and teammates have set up an account to help with medical expenses. To participate, please send your check, payable to the Lynwood Creech Assistance Fund, to First Market Bank, C/O Steve Mapp, 111 Virginia Street, Suite 200 , Richmond , Virginia 23219 . On behalf of Len, Kathleen and their family we thank you, although we will not be able to acknowledge your gift in writing, nor is it tax deductible. The account will remain open to receive gifts until December 31, 2007 .  For more information, please email Bob Griffin at bgriffin@mwcpa.com , with “Len” in the subject line. (Len has always used that spelling for his shortened name.)