RIP Tony Hanson | Page 3 | The Boneyard

RIP Tony Hanson

One of my early UConn basketball influences and one of the all time greats.
Godspeed to his personal family in their recovery from such a loss. May the surrounding UConn family be of comfort at this time.
 
Utah Top Dog said:
Wow, Tony was a legend on the court and a better person off of the court. In 1975 I was a third grader facing the dreaded assignment of writing a letter to a famous person. Most of my classmates at Elmer Thienes in Marlborough wrote the President but I luckily wrote Tony. He responded with a note and an autographed game day pamphlet that I still have today. RIP Tony!
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Wow!! I am starting to think Tony should be sainted or something. What a great kid!!

I was in 5th grade that year.
 
Great guy! He was a special guest one day at a summer basketball camp at East Catholic that I went to between sixth and seventh grade. Very approachable and great teacher!
 
This one hurt a lot of the 70's fans I'm guessing for sure. For me I saw Wes and Toby play with dad but it's not etched in my mind as mostly I remember the traveling All Star games also. Knew how great they were as Huskies but couldn't own it because I was too young. Tony was my guy, I watched him from my Cuno Leagues and CYO at the Meriden Boys Clubs through my senior year in HS. Traveled to watch the team he led to many wins and a team their competition respected. I have a vivid memory of a New England tournament at the Boston Garden in which he played against URI (it was sponsored by Cuervo I still have the winter knit hat they gave out I'm sure I need to find it). I was a senior in HS and went with my brother and his buddies, Tony had a baseline dunk which was out of this world over Sly which would've been on ESPN the whole year if the media were what it was years later. Many of the things he did would've seen ESPN, he was years ahead of the game with his interior play for a 6'4 kid. Saw them play anywhere they were close, Yale, PC, URI, Cage at UMass this was when I really began to love our state university and he made it so much easier to do so.

This one really hits home for me and way too young.
 
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RIP Tony. He sounded like a great guy to know. I only knew him as a basketball player although I was a junior when he was a senior in Storrs. I started watching UConn when guys like Doug Melody,Bob Staak, John Thomas and Al Weston were playing. Watched the games on a black and white portable TV with foil on the antennae with my father and brothers and loved every minute. I went to South Catholic so I saw Randy Lavigne play against Joey Whelton at East Catholic. Randy graduated UConn in 1979 and Whelton in 1978. One of my dorm mates was from Holy Cross so we used to talk about Tony all the time. Great memories but Tony is gone far too soon.
 
I really hope that they honor him with a jersey patch/ribbon. (The passing of any Husky of Honor should warrant that.)
 
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UConnLen said:
I remember reading in the Norwich Bulletin the day he signed with UConn. I heard a story from a coach that Tony was interested in PC but they signed Billy Eason ( STM) so Tony picked UConn. Saw most of his games in field house and old HCC. Great great player and person.
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He worked Joe Mullaney's summer camps at PC. Great guy, what a shame, way to early. He ended up beating PC in 1976 I believe in the ECAC final.
 
FriarJ said:
He worked Joe Mullaney's summer camps at PC. Great guy, what a shame, way to early. He ended up beating PC in 1976 I believe in the ECAC final.
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I was family friend of Glenn Miller and remember Dave Gavitt recruiting Glenn back in 1979. I think the Tony Hanson story came from Dave, who was good friends with Dee Rowe at the time! I was born in Johnston but went to UConn after moving to NL as a HS freshman.
 
My first favorite Husky. I first became a Husky fan when he was playing for UCONN. I also grew up in Waterbury and remember Him and Abro playing at a local part one time. RIP
 
Madmannsucks said:
Yes...over the Hofstra team lead by Rich Laurel I think. Also pretty sure they beat URI to get to the NCAA tourney.
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We beat Providence in the ECAC tourney at the Springfield CC to get the NCAA tourney auto bid as New England champions. That PC team was led by Joey Hassett.

We were at that game, the first round games at the Providence CC and the Sweet 16 game in Greensboro. We had to make a furious comeback after we trailed Hofstra by 19 points early in the 2H. Jeff Carr led that comeback as a freshman. The other game was Rutgers vs. Princeton. Rutgers was undefeated, the Phil Sellers/Eddie Jordan team, but Princeton had them on the ropes. Down one with maybe two seconds left, Bruce Molloy, the best FT shooter for the Tigers, had two FTs...missed them both. We lost to Rutgers in Greensboro. We had great seats for the S16/E8 games, right behind the UCONN bench. Who knows if Molloy makes those FTs and we play the Tigers? They were loaded. Armond Hill was their big star.
 
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Tony was a freshman when I was a junior. I got to know him since I was a sports reporter for the Daily Campus. He was an even greater person than he was a BB player. His vertical leap was off the charts. The fact that he's still the third leading scorer in school history from the era before the three point shot is astounding.

Thoughts and prayers to his family and many friends. You left us way too soon, Tony. RIP.
 
Game-wise, most memorable to me were our yearly clashes with then powerful Holy Cross and their star Michael Vincens, a Hanson clone of size, inside scoring, intensity and leadership. Hanson had more flair, Vincens more of a handle. Easy road trips to Worcester for legendary games then and after with Ronnie Perry. Perry was so damn good.
 
Any UConn athletetic marketing guys out there? Would love to get an old school tony Hanson jersey. Sell them and put the profits to his charity.
 
Tony Hanson was such a great player and even a better person.
Tony is right there with all the greats who have worn the Uconn uniform.
I am grateful to have seen him play.
RIP Tony. You left way too soon. #Legend
 
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mauconnfan said:
This one hurt a lot of the 70's fans I'm guessing for sure. For me I saw Wes and Toby play with dad but it's not etched in my mind as mostly I remember the traveling All Star games also. Knew how great they were as Huskies but couldn't own it because I was too young. Tony was my guy, I watched him from my Cuno Leagues and CYO at the Meriden Boys Clubs through my senior year in HS. Traveled to watch the team he led to many wins and a team their competition respected. I have a vivid memory of a New England tournament at the Boston Garden in which he played against URI (it was sponsored by Cuervo I still have the winter knit hat they gave out I'm sure I need to find it). I was a senior in HS and went with my brother and his buddies, Tony had a baseline dunk which was out of this world over Sly which would've been on ESPN the whole year if the media were what it was years later. Many of the things he did would've seen ESPN, he was years ahead of the game with his interior play for a 6'4 kid. Saw them play anywhere they were close, Yale, PC, URI, Cage at UMass this was when I really began to love our state university and he made it so much easier to do so.

This one really hits home for me and way too young.
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I get it. Tony was seemingly, always so upbeat and positive.
 
Chief00 said:
It’s been a tough year for Dee Rowe. They were very close.
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It has to be somewhat analogous to parents surviving their child. There's nothing worse than that.
 
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