An Excerpt
from "In the Light"
wooden ski jump at the crest of the hill. That year, the College invited
Dartmouth,
Middlebury, Norwich, and UVM to compete in the Saint Michael's Winter
Carnival.
The Colleges competed in a two-mile snowshoe race, slalom race, downhill ski
race,
two-mile cross country ski race, and ski jumping. Dartmouth captured the team
title for the event, but Goslin won the ski jump event with a 94-foot leap.
Over
600 spectators attended the carnival. The students involved with the program
kept
increasing the height of the homemade ski jump as the season went on; so much
so that the College had to build a longer landing area and clear parking areas
at
the bottom of the hill by the railroad tracks to accommodate the growing
crowds.
While the jump appeared scary enough, it was said that the bottom of the end
run
came so fast "only the most skillful jumper could stop before breaking his
neck at
the bottom."
Archie Petras, who graduated from the high school at Saint Michael's in
1927, was hired as Carr's replacement in 1934. He would serve as Director of
Athletics and coach of basketball and baseball until 1938, when he left to
accept
the athletic director's post at Dannemora (NY) High School. His replacement
was
Phillip "Pinky" Ryan, who faced a challenging assignment when he arrived in
1938.
He was hired to fill the roles of Director of Athletics, coach of basketball
and
baseball, and instructor of Business Administration.
Ryan's life became even more complicated when World War II began. In
1942, he was activated by the U.S. military to serve as physical fitness
director for
UVM's Air Corps Cadets and for the legions of Fort Ethan Allen's soldiers
preparing
for overseas deployment. Fr. Stankiewicz stepped in to assist in covering
Ryan's
daily administrative duties, and was assisted by Fr. Sullivan.
The dramatic impact of the Second World War on American life was
certainly felt at Saint Michael's. Students were placed on accelerated
academic
programs, graduating in three years so that they could join the war effort.
The
shift in the nation's priorities created havoc in college athletics. Like many
colleges
and universities, Saint Michael's discontinued some sports (baseball and
tennis in
1942), and played abbreviated or informal schedules in others during the years
of
the war. However, the College made its first statement in athletics that was
felt
outside the borders of the Green Mountain State during that period of time. In
1945, the Purple Knights basketball team faced mighty Providence College at
Boston Garden, and defeated the Friars in a 64-61 double-overtime thriller.
Ron
Russell '49, a key player in that memorable win, remembered seeing Fr.
Stankiewicz run onto the floor after the win. "He picked me up and
hugged me so
tight I thought I broke a few ribs! Fueled by that victory and a
strong win-loss
record against traditional opponents, the Knights would remain ranked #1 in
New
England for most of the 1945-46 season, tied with Harvard and Yale.
When World War II came to an end, the College went through the rapid
growth and expansion period that would forever change the institution.
Athletics
was a huge beneficiary of the expansion, as president Rev. Daniel Lyons '26
(himself a former student-athlete, coach, and athletic director at Saint
Michael's)
saw athletics as both a healthy and positive outlet for students (particularly
those
older armed service veterans arriving on the GI Bill), and also as a way to
market
the College and spread its notoriety beyond northern New England. In 1946, the
College began its expansion plan, with enrollment quickly swelling from less
than
250 students to over 1,100, and buildings being moved to the Winooski Park
campus from neighboring Fort Ethan Allen.
Memorable Moments - Interviews - A Look at the Beginning - Record Holders - Images