Thursday, August 1, 2019
My note to my Fairfield teammates and alumni-friends and Philly-legend, Fran O’Hanlon: Dr. Wayne Gibbons (’70) just passed away and was a Philly-guy and like his Philly running-mate Sammy King, a great Fairfield teammate. We beat ’Nova in the Palestra in the 1967-’68 season. Down by a point with just seconds left, I got a defensive rebound on the front-end of the missed free throw, passed to Sammy at half court, who passes to Dr. Wayne who hit a deep-corner jumper over McIntosh who ran at him … at the buzzer! We won by one-point. I saw the whole play given my position, and I was happy for our Philly-guys (Sammy for the assist, Dr. Wayne for the winning basket) … in their backyard!
Wayne led a noble life when he returned to his community (R.I.P.) as did Sammy … as you have been doing, Fran!
Fran (who was at Villanova) responded: “Wayne was a great guy and I did not know he passed. Saw him on a number of occasions. I remember the shot well.”
Cheers
Professor Fran
Doc Wayne was a sophomore on our Fairfield team when I was a senior. We were recruited by the Father of Fairfield Basketball, George R. Bisacca, who would only recruit great student-athletes of impeccable character, and that was Wayne. In my senior year (1967-’68), we played nationally ranked #1 Houston, #3 St. Bonaventure and #6 Dayton. I just reviewed the 1968-1969 Fairfield yearbook (on-line) and came across pictures of Wayne … in one photo, he is helping to defend All-American Bob Lanier, and in other photos, he is making others (and the team) better … and in his profession, he helped others, and made others better too!
Wayne will be remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him, of being friends with him, and by us, “we few, we happy few, we band of brothers,” who played with him at Fairfield. Rest in peace dear friend!
Art Kenney (of the great class of Fairfield University 1968)
1500 Old York Road, Abington, PA
