[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 163 (Wednesday, November 17, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2424-E2425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO WORCESTER ACADEMY COACH TOM BLACKBURN

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                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 1999

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great 
coach and a tremendous athletic director, Tom Blackburn. Tom will be 
the recipient of a much-deserved ``Banner Celebration'' on November 21 
at Worcester Academy's Daniels Gymnasium. Tom Blackburn came to 
Worcester Academy in the Fall of 1973 and retired this past spring. He 
holds the best coaching record in the school's basketball history, 
including 7 New England Class A Prep School Championships. As a 
graduate of Worcester Academy, I am proud to have this opportunity to 
congratulate Tom Blackburn on his achievements.
  Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues join me in paying tribute to Tom 
Blackburn for his dedication to his players, his school and his 
community. He is a treasured friend, and I wish him a happy and healthy 
retirement.
  At this point, Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record an article on 
Tom Blackburn from Worcester Academy's alumni magazine, The Hilltopper.

                   The Blackburn Era Comes to an End

       Late in the afternoon of February 27, Tom Blackburn made 
     his final substitutions against Bridgton at the last home 
     game of the season as his twenty-six year career as athletic 
     director and coach at Worcester Academy drew to a close. 
     Though Tom would have greatly preferred a different outcome 
     (Bridgton won 73-64), the game itself was merely a prelude to 
     an afternoon of moving tributes from former colleagues, 
     players, current faculty, family and friends. Of these

[[Page E2425]]

     it was Dee Rowe '47 who seemed to capture the essence of Tom 
     Blackburn: ``I will always be grateful to Tom for 
     distinguished service to Worcester Academy. He is an 
     outstanding educator and a man of great honor and 
     integrity.''
       As part of the celebration, a banner was hoisted 
     commemorating Blackburn's coaching record at the Academy. It 
     is a lofty record indeed. In addition to being the basketball 
     coach with the most wins in the Academy's history (he has 
     been at the helm for 395 of the 895 wins Worcester Academy 
     has posted since 1917), coach Blackburn's team have also made 
     impressive showings in the New England Class A Tournament 
     Championships. Twenty-four of his twenty-six squads qualified 
     for post-season play with eleven reaching the finals and 
     seven earning championships. That's one championship team for 
     every three-and-a-half years of coaching.
       Tom Blackburn has also nurtured some great players over his 
     quarter-century career. Former Boston Celtic player and 
     current Indiana Pacers Assistant Coach Rick Carlisle '79, ex-
     LA Clipper Jeff Cross '80 and University of Maryland Center 
     Obinna Ekezie '95 [as of fall '99, now of the NBA's Vancouver 
     Grizzlies] come immediately to mind.
       Morgan ``Mo'' Cassara '93, Tom's successor as basketball 
     coach, commented, ``My postgraduate year at WA was the 
     greatest experience of my life athletically. Tom's discipline 
     and style of coaching inspired me to become a coach too.''
       In 1995 Tom Blackburn was inducted into the Academy's Hall 
     of Fame, evidence of his long-term impact and positive 
     influence on its students and on the Academy as a whole.
       Headmaster Dexter Morse reflected that, ``Tom has been more 
     than just a head coach and athletic director. He has been a 
     wonderful representative of our school both in the Worcester 
     community and in the greater independent school arena. He 
     will always be known for his strong character, his dedication 
     to teaching and his love for his family and his school. He is 
     without question an inspiration to us all.''

     

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