Hall of Fame
John Caveny ’62 – Class of 1988
A Classic…
The beauty of sport is somehow locked in the minds of those who view the competition. Like the solid memories we hold of our own life’s key experiences, the spectator seizes a fleeting glimpse of the athlete, eagerly clasps it, and spends a lifetime savoring the memory.
Triumph in sport symbolizes the possibility of our own human successes, small and large. The memory is devastatingly real because it has been punctuated by the ever-present chance of failure.
A legion of Dolphin fans cherish such visions of John Caveny.
With time, the game in itself fades, becomes irrelevant, the opponent a blur; the memory is only of John, a ball, a basket. The opportunity to fail is abundant. A barrier of tall, impenetrable figures are between this six-footer and the hoop.
And then he is already in the air. Twisting. The ball spins…The cheers still echo with the image…A classic drive.
By John Caveny: classic athlete.
A 1958 graduate of St. John the Evangelist High School in Syracuse, John starred for three years on Le Moyne’s baseball and basketball teams – and he was a captain and the most valuable player on both squads his senior year.
But the memories of spectators focus on basketball, and always those classic Caveny moves. Before graduating with an economics degree in 1962, John amassed 1,057 points, scoring an average of 16.5 per game.
During his career; Dolphin teams won two-thirds of their games, including a splendid 14-5 season leading to an NCAA tourney berth in his first year on the varsity.
After Le Moyne, John began his career as a sales representative for Marsellus Casket Company and joined Bonnie Hafner ’63 in a marriage that formed a solid foundation for sons John F., Paul and Patrick and daughters Kate and Mary Beth.
John has shared his enormous talents with youngsters as a CYO and YMCA coach, and many community endeavors have benefited from his business acumen.
Because so many fans will always savor visions of his classic drives, and because those memories remind us that triumph can only reward those who risk failure,
John Caveny is a fitting member of the
Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame
April 30, 1988
