College men's basketball: Legendary Potsdam coach Welsh on ballot for Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Dec. 22—Jerry Welsh's legendary coaching career has drawn the attention of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Welsh, the former longtime SUNY Potsdam men's basketball coach who led the Bears to national championships in 1981 and 1986, was announced Thursday on the list of eligible candidates for the Hall's Class of 2024.
For the first time, Welsh's name appeared on the ballot, which this year includes Vince Carter, Bill Laimbeer, Rick Barnes, Mike Fratello, Rollie Massimino, Dick Motta and many other notables.
Nominees are selected in several categories and Welsh is part of the North American nominees list. Finalists will be announced Feb. 16 in Indianapolis during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The Class of 2024 will be unveiled during the NCAA Final Four on April 6 in Phoenix, Ariz.
Welsh, 87, compiled a record of 494-141 during his time as SUNY Potsdam's men's basketball coach from 1968-91. Aside from the two national titles, his teams also finished as national runners-up three times. Potsdam won 60 straight games between the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons, the second-longest winning streak in college basketball history.
Welsh's teams played before packed houses at SUNY Potsdam's Maxcy Hall and the Bears won 244 of 267 games while playing for Welsh at home. The facility was named Jerry Welsh Gymnasium in 2001.
Welsh, who grew up in Chateaugay and Massena and lives in North Carolina, also coached at Division I Iona and scouted in the NBA for several teams.
The achievements of Welsh and Potsdam's basketball teams were recently recounted in a documentary released in November 2022 called "Bodacious Bears". The documentary was directed and written by Francesco Palumbo, a former Canton high school and SUNY Canton athlete. Since the release, Palumbo and others have compiled material to submit for Welsh's nomination to the Hall.
Nominees in Welsh's category are as follows:
North American nominees: 2008 U.S. Olympic Team; Marv Kessler (coach); Rick Barnes (coach); Bill Laimbeer (player); John Beilein (coach); Jim Larranaga (coach); Chauncey Billups (player); Mike Leonardo (coach); Vince Carter (player); Maurice Lucas (player); Tom Chambers (player); Shawn Marion (player); John Clougherty (referee); Rollie Massimino (coach); Michael Cooper (player); Bill Morse (coach); Joey Crawford (referee); Dick Motta (coach); Terry Cummings (player); Jack Nagle (coach); Jack Curran (coach); Jim Phelan (coach); Bobby Dibler (referee); Bo Ryan (coach); Don Donoher (coach); Charles Smith (coach); Robert Foley (coach); Stan Spirou (coach); Mike Gminski (player); Reggie Theus (player); Lou Henson (coach); Jerry Welsh (coach); Marques Houtman (player); Buck Williams (player); Marques Johnson (player); John Williamson (player)
