BLACKSTONE VALLEY MEMORIES

January 11

1952Newcomers lanky Freddie Lennon, Gus Faria and Frankie Melucci made their presence felt as the rejuvenated Pawtucket Hoboes jumped back into the win column with a 58-53 upset over a heavily-favored Danielson, Conn. quintet before 675 fans on hand for the contest. Injured Mike Pappas, who was coaching the locals for the occasion, had the Hoboes shift their tactics from man-to-man defense to a zone thus throttling the loser’s offense. Tommy Whipple led the winners with 12 points, while George Duffy and a capable Jimmy Griffin dropped in 11 apiece.

1962

Jack Mullen, Max Harris and George Briggs combined for 43 points to pace Woonsocket to a 63-47 romp over Pawtucket Vocational in Class B action. Mullen was high for the Villa Novans with 16 points, followed by Harris with 14 and Briggs with 13, while Joe Motte collected nine points on foul shots – including 8-of-8 in the final period. The Hawk’s Billy St. Angelo topped all scorers with 23 points and teammate Dick Taylor chipped in with 10.

1972

Dennis McNamee of Pawtucket had his 19-bout winning streak snapped by southpaw puncher Tommy Hicks, an Ithaca, N. Y. teacher of handicapped children who fights for extra money, as Hicks decked McNamee three times in the 10th round before referee Tony Perez halted the bout. The end found McNamee on the floor for the last time as a result of an almost non-stop attack that sent the Pawtucket fighter to a hospital. The loss at Madison Square Garden set back the local’s bid to crack the world rankings.