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Dayton ‘special’ to Riazzi and family
The Dayton men’s basketball suite in the Cronin Athletics Center has been named for the Carmen Riazzi family because of their help in supporting the project. For those who don’t know about Riazzi, here’s a brief look at his life story:
As a basketball star at the University of Dayton in the mid-1950s, Carmen Riazzi was known for his unassuming nature and preference to keep the focus off himself.
He’s still that way.
Riazzi was polite but fairly reticent while being interviewed for an article about his days with the Flyers. Asked to name the top player or two on his teams from 1954-57, Riazzi said, “I’ll pass on that one.”
Quizzed about some of the famous characters on UD teams during that era, he chuckled and said only, “You’re going to get me in trouble.”
At one point, he even offered an apology, though none was necessary, for sharing a bit about his background. “I hope I’m not rambling,” he said.
But while Riazzi, who was the team MVP as a senior in 1956-57 and played for two NIT runner-up squads, was reluctant to discuss his exploits, his former teammates didn’t mind singing his praises.
Bucky Bockhorn, who led the Flyers to a No.2 ranking nationally in 1955-56 (the highest ever for the program), said Riazzi’s skills were ahead of his time. A fan favorite and known as the Scooter for a wide array of moves and quick release, he didn’t always get to display his talents under domineering coach Tom Blackburn, according to Bockhorn.
But Riazzi never complained, earning the respect of his peers. And that admiration only grew during Riazzi’s post-college years.
He and his wife Ann, a Julienne High School graduate, raised 10 children, some of whom had outstanding athletic careers. And he was an astute businessman, holding a corporate position for SREPCO Electronics before retiring several years ago.
“I don’t know how you get to heaven,” Bockhorn said, “but if it’s being a good family man, a great teammate, a good businessman and an all-around great guy, then he’s got a good shot.”
A native of Erie, Pa., Riazzi was all set to attend the University of Cincinnati before playing in a postseason all-star game in Dunkirk, N.Y., and running into a friend of Father Charles Collins, who was UD’s dean of students and chair of the athletic council then.
“I came out the locker room, and this guy walked up to me and said, ‘Can I talk to you?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ And he said, ‘I want you to take a visit to the University of Dayton.’ I said, ‘I pretty much decided where I wanted to go.’ He said, ‘I’ll talk to the principal and see if I can get you out school. Would you go?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ “ Riazzi recalled.
“I came to Dayton and there’s a (Chris) Harris and (Bucky) Bockhorn and (Bill) Uhl and (John) Horan and the whole bit. They showed me the town and introduced me to a lot of people. I changed my mind when I got back, and said, ‘I’m coming to Dayton.’”
Riazzi has never regretted his decision. He lived in St. Joseph’s Hall, a dorm that housed the basketball and football players on the same floors. And the teams developed tight bonds.
“Everybody in that St. Joe’s Hall, football and basketball, were close,” Riazzi said. “We’ve maintained closeness. It was a great group.”
Although he had to tone down some of his basketball flair, he appreciates now having played for Blackburn and doesn’t second-guess his coach.
“He was a tough guy. He was a disciplinarian. Sometimes, as we all do with coaches, you may not agree, but you’d better do it,” he said.
“All the old-timers … we all got through it all. I think we respect that he made us solid citizens and demanded it. I think we took that with us.”
One thing Blackburn said still rings true for Riazzi: “You’re a Dayton Flyer, and you’ll always be a Dayton Flyer.”
Although he spends most of the winter in Fort Myers, Fla., Riazzi still attends a few games a year with son John’s season tickets. And the Riazzi family made a sizeable donation toward the men’s basketball office in the still-under-construction Cronin Athletics Center. UD honored him by naming it the Carmen Riazzi Basketball Suite.
“UD and the Dayton community have been a very special place for me and our family,” Riazzi said.
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By Empty Pockets
February 8, 2012 3:13 PM | Link to this
Nothing against the Riazzi family. That is a nice gesture. I just wish that all the money going into UD athletics could be put into a college tuition fund that would cancel the annual tuition increase by the school so that more families could afford to send their kids there and not have to go into huge debt or have their child’s student loans follow them around for most of their life.
By slag
February 8, 2012 3:42 PM | Link to this
Empty, I hear you, and you make a ton of sense, but, fortunately or unfortunately, athletics holds a key to many people’s hearts and wallets and as long as that’s true it’s probably the single biggest money-maker for the school outside of few private donations. Cut out the lure of athletics and who knows where more dollars come from…But, as you say,it would be nice if a tuition fund was established to at least minimize these increases…
By null
February 8, 2012 4:08 PM | Link to this
Know before you speak. Academic scholarships have been donated by Riazzi as well. Those do not receive publicity.
By Empty Pockets
February 8, 2012 5:06 PM | Link to this
I did,’t slam what the Riazzi’s did. I said it was a nice gesture. I’m against students bearing the brunt of tuition increases when schools use the money to fund their athletic programs. UD may make money on basketball, but when you look at the cost of all the athletic programs at the school, they lose money. They fund it by increasing tuition every year after year after year. Colleges exist to educate, not for athletics. Let the athletes get paid by playing professional sports and get the universities back to providing an education at a reasonable cost. I mean it for all colleges. I’m just using UD as an example.
By UD Student
February 8, 2012 5:41 PM | Link to this
You got it Empty Pockets. I’m a Dayton flyer basketball fan, but I didn’t come to school here because of the basketball team. I wanted to go to a university with a good reputation for learning that wasn’t too far from home, and UD fit the bill. They also fit the bill that I’m going to get when it’s time to start paying my student loans. Tuition goes up every year since I’ve been here, as has the cost for books and lodging. I don’t understand why. It’s really getting ridiculous. If college athletics are contributing to the rise in costs, I say get rid of all scholarship sports, and let’s just have intramural sports that all students can participate in if they wish.
By shame
February 8, 2012 6:05 PM | Link to this
It’s a shame a good article about a good person has to be ruined by the “..I don’t understand, it’s not fair, what about me? crowd. John Horan was my CYO coach and was a super nice guy. Carry on I want to go to an expensive college but don’t want to pay crowd.
By FaithfulFlyer65
February 8, 2012 7:06 PM | Link to this
I agree with you “shame”. There are some good points being made, but this is not the place to talking about those things. I don’t know the Riazzi’s, but from what I just read they are good people trying to do good things, and should be complimented for it.
By Romney
February 9, 2012 9:59 AM | Link to this
If Obama didnt provide so much tuition assistance for poor people, the tuition increases would be far less as demand would be significantly lower.
By dan b
February 9, 2012 10:47 PM | Link to this
Being from Erie, PA,I’m a huge fan of Carmen and the rest of the Riazzis. Many of his relatives are here and they are fine people. Others here still say Carmen Riazzi was the best basketball player ever to come out of Erie, PA.