Hall of Fame
John J Lauer ’77 – Class of 1995
A steady influence…
In the early years, Don Savage ’51 established a challenging precedent for those who would secure the low post for the green and gold. Few have proved more capable of meeting that challenge than a young man from Penn Yan, who would star in the mid-1970’s with some of the most talent-laden teams ever to wear the green and gold.
He was the sort of player who simply did what had to be done. Tom Cooney ’64 recalls a slender young man from an undistinguished high school team being asked to follow a training regimen before his first year of college competition. When he reported to Le Moyne, the coach asked how often he had run through the exercises - - hoping the response would be once or twice a week. The answer: “Every day”
The hard work paid off. Clearly capable of playing at the next level, for three consecutive years this steady performer led the Dolphins in scoring and rebounding. Game after game he got his points, building a career average of more than 15 each time he hit the court.
Yet flash was not his forte. Though many remember a 15 – footer at the buzzer to beat nemesis Gannon, a more general recollection has to do with frequent double-takes at stat sheets. The second glance would provide confirmation: yes, nestled among teammates’ sparkling drives and soaring set shots that stuck in fans’ memories, the center had surprisingly scored 15 or 20 points.
Game after game, in workmanlike fashion, he would outclass opposing big men. His offense was a mixture of follow – ups after offensive rebounds, jumpers from the top of the key, and power moves to the basket. Many a center would race to cover his deadly jumper, only to have him glide by to the basket. He steadily added strength and stamina to his frame, and by his senior year he was ready to lead the Dolphins to upset victories over five Division I opponents, including triumphs over Jesuit rivals Boston College at home and Canisius on the road.
A player whose quiet confidence, poise and fluid moves in the middle provided a steady influence to Dolphin squads that delivered some of Le Moyne’s most memorable victories,
John J. Lauer ’77 is inducted into the
Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame.
February 4, 1995
