[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 1793]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO RAY FLYNN

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, Ray Flynn has been a towering figure 
in the city of Boston and in our politics, honored for more than four 
decades of public service and activism.
  But on Saturday, he will be honored in a different city where he left 
another legacy deserving of celebration. At last, this weekend Ray's 
beloved Providence College will retire the No. 14 Ray wore as one of 
the greatest backcourt players in the history of Friars basketball. 
And, as any Friars fan can attest, this is a well-deserved honor for 
one of the school's greatest athletes.
  Before he turned to politics, Ray Flynn was an All American at 
Providence College, leading the Friars to the National Invitation 
Tournament championship in 1963, his senior year. And what a tournament 
it was for Ray. He scored 38 points in the opener against tournament 
favorite Miami. He followed that with 25 points against Marquette. And 
in the final against Canisius, he scored 20 points. He was named the 
tournament's Most Valuable Player. And when the announcer introduced 
him as Ray Flynn from Boston, he corrected him by saying, ``I'm from 
South Boston, sir.''
  Indeed, he was--and has always been-- a proud son of South Boston. As 
a three-sport star athlete at South Boston High School, he achieved a 
level of success rarely seen at any school. In 1956, as a sophomore, he 
led South Boston's basketball team to its first ever Tech Tournament 
Championship. In 1958, he pitched South Boston to a State championship 
in baseball and quarterbacked the football team to an undefeated 
season. Oh, and by the way, he was named All Scholastic in all three 
sports that year.
  Similarly, at Providence College, Ray Flynn earned All American 
honors and was voted an Academic All American. He was drafted in 1963 
by the Syracuse Nationals of the old American Basketball Association, 
now the Philadelphia 76ers. But upon graduation, Ray joined the Army 
National Guard, serving at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and 
Fort Dix in New Jersey.
  By the time Ray returned home to Boston, the Celtics had bought his 
contract. And during the 1965 exhibition season, he showed that he had 
not lost his touch as a shooter. In the final exhibition game, he 
scored 28 points, more evidence of why his coach at Providence College, 
Joe Mullaney, considered the best outside pure shooter he had ever 
coached. But the Celtics needed more defense than offense, so Coach Red 
Auerbach made Ray the final cut in order to keep K.C. Jones on the 
roster.
  Red Auerbach didn't know it then, but in that difficult decision he 
was launching one of the most distinguished political careers. From 
1971 to 1979, Ray Flynn represented his South Boston neighborhood in 
the Massachusetts House of Representatives. From 1978 to 1984, he 
served on the Boston City Council. He then was elected mayor of Boston 
three times, in 1983, 1987 and 1991. And in 1993, he was appointed by 
President Clinton to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See.
  But Red Auerbach eventually realized the role he had played in Ray 
Flynn's life. In 1984, as mayor, Ray hosted a rally at city hall for 
the Celtics, who had just won another championship, this time under 
K.C. Jones. In his remarks to the crowd, Red Auerbach said, ``If I had 
cut K.C. Jones instead of Ray Flynn in 1965, K.C. might be mayor of 
Boston and Ray Flynn might be coach of the Celtics.''
  Even if Ray Flynn had been on the Celtics, he couldn't have won the 
No. 14 he wore at Providence College. The Celtics No. 14 had belonged 
to Bob Cousy and would soon be retired. But it is a fitting honor that 
Providence College is also retiring No. 14 because in Friars 
basketball, No. 14 was Ray Flynn, All American, Academic All American, 
NIT MVP and recipient of the NCAA's prestigious Silver Anniversary 
Award honoring former student-athletes for their career 
accomplishments.
  I join Providence College in saluting Ray Flynn's outstanding 
accomplishments as a member of the Friars basketball team. And we all 
congratulate him for his dedication as a public servant. His life--in 
all its facets--reflects the ideals of basketball founder James 
Naismith--to ``be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in 
ideals.''

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