Bob Cousy will add a sheepskin to his wall May 19, but the honor will do little to lessen the pain of a difficult last few months.
Boston College will present Cousy with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree at the university’s commencement, honoring the former Boston Celtics guard who coached the Eagles for six seasons in the 1960s. But in an emotional interview with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Cousy said he has had a difficult time since his wife died of a stroke in September.
“Everybody has lost loved one and people who are close to them,” Cousy told Bill Doyle. “I certainly don’t want to be out there being looked upon as a victim. So the best way to avoid that is to not go out. I’ve always been that way when I’m hurting. Let me grieve by myself. Let me crawl in my hole and deal with it.”
In his mourning, Cousy has leaned emotionally on his daughters, Marie Brand-Cousy and Ticia Cousy. He did not watch many Celtics games this past season, he told the Telegram, but was aware of the team’s struggles. After he accepts his fourth honorary degree — he also has them from Springfield College, Becker College and Holy Cross — Cousy plans to shrink back into solitude.
BC’s commencement “may be, fortunately for the world, the last time they see old No. 14 in public.”
Cousy coached at BC for six seasons, leading the Eagles to three NIT appearances and two NCAA tournament berths. He compiled a 114-38 record with the Eagles before leaving in 1969 to coach the NBA’s Cincinnati Royals.
Photo via Flicker/Michael Femia
