Former UD player Kennelly dies

Joe Kennelly, a member of two University of Dayton basketball teams that played in the National Invitational Tournament, died Monday at Hospice of Dayton. He was 78.

Kennelly and his wife, the former Sue Gerhardstein of Dayton, have been living in Brooksville, Fla., but they moved back to Dayton in September because Kennelly was ill.

A graduate of Libbey High School in Toledo, Kennelly enrolled at UD in 1956 and played on the varsity squad for three years before graduating in 1960.

His teammates included Jack McCarthy, Don Lane, Frank Case, Hank Josefczyk, Phil Dubensky, Ray Zawadzki, Bobby “Toothpick” Jones, Garry Roggenburk, Tom Hatton, Bill Cramsey, Stan Greenberg, Mike and Pat Allen and Arlen, Terry and Harold Bockhorn.

The 1957-58 Flyers had a 25-4 record and lost to Xavier in the NIT final after defeating Fordham and St. John’s. The 1959-60 team defeated Temple in the NIT but lost to Bradley in the quarterfinals.

Kennelly, a 6-foot-8 center, appeared in 75 games. His best year was 1957-58 when he averaged 9.6 points and 11.7 rebounds.

After graduation, he accepted a high school coaching job in Adrian, Mich. He spent most of his working years as a high school administrator in Temperance, Mich.

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