LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Robert "Bob" Hurley, Sr., 2010 inductee of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, will be a guest speaker at Lock Haven University on Thursday, November 11 at 5:00 p.m. The community is invited to Price Performance Center on the LHU campus to hear Hurley’s talk. The public is invited to this is free event.
Hurley, who coaches basketball at St. Anthony’s High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, has become a legend – not just for his coaching success, but for making an impact on youngsters that goes far beyond the world of basketball. According to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Website, “Hurley, known as a coach with an uncompromising passion for basketball, has taken kids from the streets of New Jersey and elsewhere and transformed young boys into young men who just happen to play winning basketball. Presiding over what he calls a ‘benevolent dictatorship,’ Hurley has been more than a coach to his players; he has been a teacher, a father figure, advisor, mentor, and friend.”
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame site describes Coach Hurley as “an icon and a legend across the nation.” Sometimes referred to as the “Patron Saint of St. Anthony’s,” he is “unwavering in his pursuit of elevating the mind, body, and spirit of the young men he coaches.” The site concludes that “the true measure of the man is the scores of young lives he has permanently touched.”
Coach Hurley will speak on a variety of topics, including coaching in general, coaching and positively impacting young men, handling disciplinary issues, challenges he faces coaching at a poor inner-city Catholic school, dealing with other coaches, and having two very successful sons in basketball. Son Bobby won two national championships with Duke University and son Danny is currently head coach at Wagner University.
Coach Hurley’s achievements include being basketball coach at St. Anthony High School since 1972, being one only three high school basketball coaches in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, winning a national record 24 state championships, winning two national championships, sending over 100 players to Division I college basketball programs, being the subject of a best-selling book entitled The Miracle of St. Anthony’s, and being the subject of a 2009 documentary entitled The Street Stops Here.
Dr. Justin Wartella, assistant professor in the Department of Health & Physical Education, explained the significance of Coach Hurley’s upcoming talk. “Having the opportunity to have Coach Bob Hurley Sr. come to LHU is a tremendous opportunity for both the LHU and the surrounding communities,” he said. “Hurley’s message, based on his experience and accomplishments as a coach and leader of young men, can benefit not only current and future athletic coaches and administrators of all sports, but also anyone interested in being an educator and/or role model of young men and women.” Dr. Wartella added, “The Health & Physical Education Department as well as our students are ecstatic to welcome Coach Hurley to LHU.”