St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball Retired Numbers
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Bob Lanier, the 6-foot-11 center with the famous size 22 shoe,
led St. Bonaventure to new heights. |
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Tom Stith '61
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The New York City native is the younger brother to Sam Stith. They are easily the most well-known basketball duo in St. Bonaventure history. Tom Stith (#42), blossomed into a prolific scorer and was the
Bonnies’ first consensus All-American. A co-captain of the
1960-61 team, Stith had an almost unstoppable hook shot, and won
more national attention for the program than any other player up to
that time. At the time of his graduation, Tom set the all-time
scoring record at St. Bonaventure with 2,052 points over his three
years. That total has been surpassed three times, but twice it was
by men who played four seasons. Tom still holds the St. Bonaventure
record for field goals in a season with 327 and scoring average in
a season at 31.5. |
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Sam Stith '60 Inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame in 1969 Accolades & Stats: Captain of the 1959-60 Men's Basketball Team 1,112 Career Points 620 Career Rebounds |
The New York City native is the older brother to Tom Stith. Together, the Stith brothers helped boost St. Bonaventure basketball into the national spotlight. Sam Stith (#22), was the catalyst of the defense, who helped
initiate the team’s zone defense. He was the consummate
“complete” player. Quick to steal the ball, he was the
ultimate playmaker and team player. The 1959-60 season was perhaps the most magical for the Stiths.
They combined to average an incredible 52 points per game –
Sam at 20.5 and Tom at 31.5. The year culminated in a fourth-place
finish in the NIT. After graduation, Sam Stith went on to play for his hometown New York Knicks. He was inducted into the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame in 1969. |
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Bill Butler '68 Inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame in 1969 Accolades & Stats: Captain of the regular season undefeated 1967-68 team 1,462 Career Points 650 career rebounds |
A 6-foot-3 forward from Washington, D.C., Butler was known for his aggressive play and polish. Bill Butler, AKA: Butts, was captain of the only St. Bonaventure team (1967-68) to go through a regular season undefeated that culminated in an NCAA Tournament berth. Butler was selected to Look Magazine’s All-District team that year after averaging 22.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He finished his career with 1,462 points and 650 rebounds, averaging more than 20 points per game over three seasons. He also scored 34 points during a victory over Canisius. The Boston Celtics selected Butler in the 1968 NBA Draft. He was later inducted into the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame in 1969. |
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Fred Crawford '64 Inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame in 1969 Accolades & Stats: Captain of the 1962-63 Men's Basketball Team 1,738 Career Points All-East Honors in the 1962-63 season |
Crawford, a prolific scorer, established the St. Bonaventure University men’s basketball scoring record for sophomores with 614 points in 1960-61, helping the Bonnies to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. During his three years of varsity competition, Crawford totaled 1,738 points (22.5 per game). He served as captain during the 1962-63 season, and the year after tallied a remarkable 631 points during the 1963-64 campaign. Crawford averaged 26.3 points per game that year and earned All-East Honors. Despite standing just 6-foot-4, Crawford averaged 10.3 rebounds per game for his career. Crawford went on to play in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Buffalo Braves and Philadelphia 76ers. He was inducted into the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame in 1970. |
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Essie Hollis '78 Inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988 Accolades & Stats: ECAC All-Star Team (1976,1977) 1,905 Career Points 977 Career Rebounds |
An Erie, Pa., native, Hollis accumulated
1,905 career points, with the 1976-77 season being his best as he
averaged 21.8 points per game in leading the Bonnies to the 1977
NIT Championship in his final season with the team.
Hollis enjoyed a tremendously successful career. When he retired, he ranked 5th in career points (1,905), and 2nd in career rebounds (977). His 17.5 points per game average over his career, coupled with his career rebounding average of 8.9, merited his selection to the ECAC All-Star Team twice (1976, 1977). Hollis was the co-captain of the NIT Championship team and helped lead the team to 72 wins in his four-year career. He was a Second Round draft choice of the New Orleans Jazz in 1977, and also played for the Detroit Pistons (1978-79). Hollis was inducted into the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame in 1988. His jersey #25 is retired along with Earl Belcher. |
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Earl Belcher '81 Inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991 Accolades & Stats: A-10 Player of the Year (1981) Two Time All-Conference First Team (1980, 1981) 2,077 Career Points |
The 6-foot-6 forward from Syracuse, N.Y., Belcher averaged 20 points per game over his four years with the team, a period in which the club registered 70 wins. He graduated as the second all-time leading scorer in men’s basketball with 2,077 points (1977-81), he finished his career 15th in career rebounds (650), 3rd all-time in free-throw shooting percentage (.831) and tied for 6th in scoring average (19.9). A member of the NCAA Tournament team (21-8) in 1978, he also played on the 1979 NIT team. Since Joining the Atlantic 10 Conference, Belcher is one of only two players to earn All-Conference First Team accolades twice in his career, in 1980 and 1981. Belcher also garnered the A-10 Player of the Year award in 1981. He was inducted to the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame in 1991. His jersey #25 is retired along with Essie Hollis |
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Ronald Martin '61 Inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame in 1969 Accolades & Stats: 796 Career Points Co-Captain of the School's first NCAA Tournament team in 1960-61 All-American Honorable Mention |
A true point guard, Martin, AKA: Whitey, was a catalyst on St. Bonaventure’s fine teams of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and is one of the original members of the men’s basketball program's tradition of great guards. He was the setup man for the Stith brothers and also tallied 796 points over his career. Martin played on NIT teams his first two seasons and then was a co-captain of the school’s first NCAA Tournament club in 1960-61. Martin was named to the Associated Press All-American Honorable Mention Team and Catholic Colleges All-American Honorable Mention Team in 1961. After graduating, Martin rejoined the Stiths, when the New York Knicks drafted him in 1961. Martin was inducted into St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame in 1969. |
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Ken Murray, Jr. '51 Inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame in 1969 Accolades & Stats: St. Bonaventure University's First 1,000-Point player 1,090 Career Points Sporting News All-American (1950) |
A West Orange, N.J., product, Murray, Jr. was one of the first basketball players to have his jersey retired (#13) at St. Bonaventure University. He was an All-Little 3 selection for three years in which he totaled 1,090 points over that time and became St. Bonaventure University’s first 1,000-Point player. He was named Sporting News All-American (1949-50) and First Team Catholic All-American (1949-50). After his time at St. Bonaventure, Murray went on to play for the Chicago Stags and was named the 1952 NBA Rookie of the Year. He also played for the Fort Wayne Pistons from 1953-54 and the Philadelphia Warriors in 1954-55. He was inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame in 1969. |
