University of St. Thomas Athletics
Throwback Thursday: Big men helped Coach Feely in hoops
5/28/2020 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Today's Throwback Thursday feature salutes a legendary contributor at St. Thomas for parts of seven decade. Tom Feely, Jr., died in January 2007 at age 87 after leaving a deep legacy.
The Hall of Fame coach came to St. Thomas in 1939 as a student and graduated as the school's career scoring leader in basketball. Later as head coach, he notched 417 wins and seven MIAC titles before retiring in 1980. In all he coached more than 1,000 games in basketball and baseball for St. Thomas Academy and the college teams.
Feely also served on campus as an instructor, athletic director, and a development staff member.
St. Thomas Men's Basketball enjoyed an elite run during the mid 1960s through the early 1970s, an including an 11-year stretch fueled by three St. Thomas Athletic Hall of Famers: 6-foot-10 Dan Hansard, 6-foot-5 front liner Steve Fritz, and 7-foot-3 Bob Rosier.
That last half of that era produced five consecutive MIAC championships and six trips to Kansas City for the NAIA national tournament.
Rosier still holds a dozen school records including career scoring (2,133 points), most career rebounds (1,330) and most rebounds in a single game (27).
Fritz was a basketball player and coach for 44 years as well as our athletics director for nearly three decades before his 2019 retirement: He was involved in 1,199 St. Thomas basketball games (and 829 wins) as a player, assistant coach and coach from 1967-2011. His accomplishments put him in a rare stratosphere of success and longevity, highlighted by a national championship in 2011 in the final game of his coaching career. Fritz still ranks among St. Thomas and state leaders with 1,944 points and 915 rebounds in his career.
Hansard graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 1967. As a student, he was named to the Small College All-Catholic Basketball Team (1965) and was the Co-Captain of the Tommies' MIAC Champion basketball team (1967). He was the first St. Thomas student-athlete to be voted CoSIDA Academic All-America, and played in two NAIA National tournaments in Kansas City. Hansard scored 1,320 points in his career and now ranks 15th on the all-time St. Thomas list. He broke the school record for career rebounds (803) and now ranks sixth overall. He led the team to a 31-1 record in conference in his last two seasons.
Here are some stories below from the St. Thomas archives:
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Tom Feely spanned athletics history (St. Thomas Magazine, 2003)
In its first 50 years of varsity play, St. Thomas had 19 men's basketball head coaches. That group won four conference championships and about 500 overall victories.
In the last 49 years, Tommie men's basketball has had two head coaches. Tom Feely (1954-80) and Steve Fritz (1980-present) have won more than 825 games and 17 MIAC championships.
Feely spans St. Thomas athletic history like no other. He was involved for parts of seven decades as a student-athlete, basketball and baseball coach, athletic director, instructor, and later assisted the development office in retirement.
In his 34 years on campus, Feely coached more than 1,000 games in basketball and baseball and had 28 championship teams in those sports. His No. 1 UST total for all-time basketball coaching wins (417) will be passed by Fritz, who starts 2003-2004 with 413 victories.
Feely was a star athlete in high school when he wasn't working at his father's town elevator and coal yard. "I didn't want to work in that damn elevator; it was too dirty," a chuckling Feely says.
"Two great St. Thomas coaches, Nic Musty and Wee Walsh, recruited me. "Walsh was the bad cop and would throw erasers and scream," Feely said. "Musty would be the good cop and smooth things over and put his arm around you. I guess when I coached I was the bad cop, but the big thing I learned is to praise the kids more if we lost a close game. Boy, did that pay off."
Feely was a starting quarterback in football and also competed in basketball and tennis at St. Thomas. He played in the inaugural basketball game in O'Shaughnessy Hall in 1939 and graduated as the school's career scoring leader.
After four years as an Air Force captain in World War II, Feely returned to campus in 1946 as head coach for St. Thomas Academy for eight seasons before taking over when Paul Sokol resigned as the Tommies' head coach. His 26-year run ended following the 1979-80 season, when Fritz, his former star player and nine-year assistant, replaced him.
Feely had a remarkable five-year basketball run from 1969 to 1974 when Tommies swept all five MIAC championships and played in four NAIA tournaments. Those teams compiled a 125-28 record.
One of the stars from 1967 to 1971 was Fritz, a 6-foot, 5-inch center who ranks second in St. Thomas career scoring (1,944 points) and third in rebounding (915)."Steve was a smart player," Feely said. "We built our team around him and fed him the ball all the time."
Feely used other means to land star centers Dan Hansard (1,320 points, 820 rebounds from 1963 to 1967) and Bob Rozier (2,133 points, 1,330 rebounds from 1970 to 1974).
The 6-foot-10-inch Hansard was focused on academics as a freshman and didn't plan on playing basketball. Feely coaxed him to be a scout team player a couple of days a week, and it led to a full commitment.
The 7-foot-4-inch Rosier was bagging groceries when Feely recognized him as the fellow athletic trainer Larry Russ was telling him about. "One day I'm in Applebaums grocery and I see this seven-footer," Feely once told columnist Joe Soucheray. "When I learned he was enrolling here, I talked him into going to summer school so Larry and I could work on him. We had him running and lifting weights."
Feely has been selected to various athletic halls of fame, including the National Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NAIA), St. Thomas and Farmington High. Feely and wife, Toni, live in St. Paul, and follow the lives of their four sons, Paul, Dick, Tom Jr. and Dan, and their grandchildren. Grandson Jay now is one of the NFL's elite kickers with the Atlanta Falcons.
Despite being slowed by arthritis pain, the 83-year-old Feely said he hopes "to live to be 100." He said some of his best days are when former Tommie players stop by and take him out to lunch.
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2 Toms in draft (Aquin newspaper, Summer 1974)
Two outstanding members of the St. Thomas basketball squad were selected recently in the sixth round of the National Basketball Association draft.
Bob Rosier, the Toms' 7-foot-3 center, was chosen by the Chicago Bulls, and Terry Mikan, 6-foot-5 guard, by the New York Knickerbockers.
Both were stellar performers in the 1973-74 season which saw St. Thomas win the MIAC title for the fifth consecutive year, and the District 13, NAIA, crown for the fourth time in five years. Both men were graduated this spring.
Rosier, who wound up an outstanding four-year cage career at St. Thomas, has had offers to play this summer in Europe.
Mikan, son of George Mikan, former Minneapolis Lakers star, has gone into private business in the Twin Cities.
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