Hall of Fame
Thomas Mullen ‘66 - Class of 1996
Dealing with Adversity…
The demons of life are mirrored in the physical limits that confront those who engage in athletic competition. The sobering challenge of reaching one’s own maximum point of exertion, and finding it initially falls short of the mark, is the point of demarcation for those who despair and those who succeed in athletics-and those who succeed in life.
This man met that challenge on the basketball court. His professional life has been dedicated to helping others meet that challenge in life.
The successful find a way to grow. They study. They work. They learn. And they attack the challenge anew. They deal with adversity.
This 6-foot 7-inch basketball player readily stood out at Marcellus High School. But in the challenge of intercollegiate competition, with far speedier opponents of equal or greater height, he initially met his match. Sophomore year, his first year of varsity eligibility, was his time of adversity.
At his point of demarcation, he chose to succeed. He studied, worked, and learned. In size, strength, exceptionally soft hands and a steady approach to the game that instilled confidence in his teammates, he found the tools to overcome a lack of speed afoot. And in his final two seasons he starred on some of the finest green and gold teams of all time, earning all-conference honors as the Dolphins advanced to the NCAA tournament. He led the team in rebounding both years, and in his senior year he led the MECCA conference in scoring and was named to the ECAC all-star squad.
As a coach, professional, and community leader, he has sought to lead others faced with their own point of demarcation toward the choice of success. In the New York State Division for Youth; as a member of the Schenectady City Council; administrator of the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court; director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services; and today as the first layman to serve as Secretary for Social Concerns and president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Charities Services Corporation of the Diocese of Cleveland, he has helped people to throw off despair and deal with adversities far greater than any that can be found in athletics.
The ability to find an opportunity to grow in the face of challenge, to accept adversity as the seed of accomplishment, is an attribute of the highest order, and fitting reason that J. Thomas Mullen ’66 be inducted to the Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame.
February 3, 1996
