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2012 -- S 2014 | |
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LC00342 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
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IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
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JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012 | |
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N | |
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EXPRESSING SORROW ON THE PASSING OF DAVE GAVITT AND HONORING HIM | |
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FOR HIS MANY SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FABRIC OF LIFE IN | |
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RHODE ISLAND | |
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Introduced By: Senators Jabour, Goodwin, Paiva Weed, McCaffrey, and Ruggerio | |
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Date Introduced: January 05, 2012 | |
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Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration | |
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WHEREAS, Dave Gavitt was born in 1937 in Westerly, Rhode Island. He graduated |
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from Dartmouth College in 1959, where he was a member of the 1959-1960 varsity basketball |
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team, the last Dartmouth basketball team to win the Ivy League Championship. He spent two |
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years as an Assistant Coach at Worcester Academy before becoming an Assistant Coach at |
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Providence College under legendary coach, Joe Mullaney. He left in 1966 to become the head |
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coach at his alma mater before taking over for Mullaney at Providence College; and |
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WHEREAS, In Gavitt’s 10 years at Providence College, he compiled a phenomenal 209- |
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84 record, including 8 twenty-win seasons, 5 NCAA Tournament appearances, including one |
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Final 4, and three NIT appearances. His legendary 1972-73 team, led by Ernie DiGregorio, |
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Marvin Barnes, and Kevin Stacom, compiled an astounding 27-4 record and might have won the |
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national title had Marvin Barnes not injured his knee at that year’s Final 4; and |
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WHEREAS, Dave, in addition to being a gentleman and a man of integrity, was also |
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known as a “big game” coach. Powerhouse programs feared playing Providence College at the |
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Civic Center with Gavitt at the helm, knowing that a tough game was a certainty. In 1976, |
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Providence College played #1 Michigan in one of the greatest games ever played in college |
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basketball history. PC was trailing all game but refused to buckle and won a thrilling overtime |
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victory as Bruce Campbell scored 25 points and Bob Misevicius hit two clutch shots, one to force |
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overtime, and the other at the buzzer in overtime to give PC the win. Two years later, legendary |
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coach Dean Smith took his North Carolina Tar Heels into Providence in the midst of the famous |
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Blizzard of ‘78 to play PC on national television. Once again, Gavitt and PC pulled off the big |
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upset, defeating North Carolina in a 61-59 thriller; and |
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WHEREAS, Dave Gavitt was chosen to be the head coach of the 1980 United States |
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Men’s Olympic Basketball team, but sadly the United States chose to boycott the 1980 Summer |
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Olympics in Moscow; and |
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WHEREAS, Dave Gavitt was instrumental in forming the Big East Basketball |
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Conference in 1979. This new conference changed the landscape of college basketball in the East, |
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and by including Providence College as an original member, guaranteed that PC would remain |
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relevant within the college basketball world. In 1985, the Big East incredibly sent three of its |
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members to the Final 4, with Villanova winning the national title over fellow Big East member |
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Georgetown. For his many contributions to the game of basketball, Dave Gavitt was inducted into |
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the National Basketball Hall of Fame; and |
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WHEREAS, Dave Gavitt was the loving husband of his wife, Julie, and the loving father |
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to three sons. His passion for basketball, the State of Rhode Island, Providence College, and the |
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various charities he devoted much of his life to, will be sorely missed. A good man and a great |
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Rhode Islander has passed, and we thank him for his many significant contributions to the quality |
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of life in Rhode Island. Dave Gavitt paved the way to PC’s basketball success through his |
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passion, coaching instincts, and vision. It is fitting that in honor of his legacy in Rhode Island, |
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Service Road, which leads right to the Dunkin Donut Center, home of the Providence College |
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Friars, has been re-dedicated and named Dave Gavitt Way; now, therefore be it |
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RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations |
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hereby expresses its deepest condolences on the passing of former Providence College basketball |
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coach Dave Gavitt; and be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to |
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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mrs. Julie Gavitt. |
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LC00342 | |
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