Providence College Athletics

Gerry Alaimo Honored by Words Unlimited

Gerry Alaimo Honored by Words Unlimited

Rhode Island's Sportswriters and Sportscasters Presented Alaimo with the 2004 Bill Cawley Award at their Annual Dinner on February 15

Feb. 17, 2004

WARWICK, R.I. - J. Gerald "Gerry" Alaimo, a member of the Providence College Athletic Department from 1979 until his retirement in 2001, was awarded the Bill Cawley Award by Words Unlimited, the Rhode Island association of sportswriters and sportscasters, at the organization's 59th annual dinner on Sunday, February 15 at the Radisson-Airport Hotel in Warwick.

Alaimo, who also played basketball and coached the mens' freshman and varsity hoop teams at Brown, received the Cawley Award for his lifetime of contributions to the Rhode Island sports community. Following is the bio on Alaimo that appeared in the dinner program.

Little did J. Gerald "Gerry" Alaimo know that, upon enrolling at Brown University in the fall of 1954, this Torrington, Conn. native would make Providence, Rhode Island his permanent home. His involvement with collegiate athletics spans six decades, and in that time, only 10 years have been spent outside the confines of the Ocean State. His dedication to and affinity for the students he has worked with, his honest opinions and his BIKE shorts and knee-high tube socks, have defined his image and character as a superior student-athlete, coach and administrator. Words Unlimited is proud to recognize this adopted Rhode Islander with the 2004 Bill Cawley Award.

Alaimo arrived in Rhode Island in 1954 and played on the freshman basketball team at Brown for the 1954-55 season. He jumped up to the varsity team for the 1955-56 season and, as a first-year member of the Brown men's basketball team, led the Bears in scoring and rebounding. He would accomplish the same feat in the 1956-57 and 1957-58 seasons. Alaimo ranks fifteenth all-time in scoring with 1,046 points, fourth in rebounding with 870 and fourth in rebounding average with 11.8/rpg for the Bears. His collegiate game-high of 38 points against Pennsylvania in 1956 ranks eleventh in Brown's best game performances list. His leadership and talent helped earn his position as team co-captain in his senior year. He was recognized as an all-Ivy performer and was the recipient of Brown's prestigious J. Richmond Fales Award for the player who made the greatest contribution to Brown basketball. Upon graduation, with a B.A. in Economics, Alaimo served our country in the United States Army.

He returned to College Hill in 1963 to reunite with his coach, L. Stanley Ward, to coach the Brown freshman team. One year later, Alaimo again departed Providence for the cold of Vermont as he accepted the head-coaching job at Middlebury College. "Coaching at the Division III level at Middlebury was terrific," recalled Alaimo in a 1985 interview with the Register Citizen of Torrington. After a five-year stay, including participation in the Pocono Classic basketball tournament, Brown University came calling again. As Coach Ward departed from Marvel Gym, Alaimo was selected to replace his college mentor. He would never again leave Rhode Island.

Alaimo enjoyed an eight-year run as the Bruno basketball boss from 1969-1978, compiling a record of 88-145. His first team went just 6-20, but, four seasons later, Alaimo had the Bears primed as they went 14-12 in 1972-73, 17-9 in 1973-74 and 14-12 in 1974-75 - the first time that Brown had ever had three straight winning seasons.

He resigned from Brown in the Spring of 1979 and was appointed Director of Intramurals and Recreation at Providence College by then-Athletic Director Dave Gavitt. He would remain on Smith Hill, as assistant athletic director and senior associate athletic director, until his retirement in 2001. One of his first responsibilities was the oversight of construction on the college's impressive field house, later named Peterson Recreation Center. He served as sport administrator for the college's basketball, men's and women's soccer and baseball programs. He served for several years as a member and chairman of the BIG EAST Conference's Baseball Committee. One of Alaimo's favorite responsibilities was his position as moderator of the college's intramural program. Past student-members of the intramural athletic board affixed a sign to the outside of his office to proclaim him the "Chief of I.A.B." He never took it down. He loved the students with whom he came in contact.

"When I took over as athletic director, no one impressed me more in his work with students than Gerry Alaimo," recalled Lou Lamoriello, now CEO/President/General Manager of the New Jersey Devils and CEO of the New Jersey Nets. "He did everything for the right reason, got the right results and understood what a college atmosphere is about."

Alaimo is also well known for his candor. "I miss never knowing what he was going to say," Lamoriello stated. "Protocol may not have been in his vocabulary, but he said the right things for the right reasons and I loved that part of him." Protocol also included his attire. Today, you'd be hard-pressed to find a senior associate athletic director at a Division I institution that would arrive at meetings in shorts and tube socks jacked up to the knees. He may not have been sartorially gifted, but the attire fit the man: rugged, athletic and not afraid of any elements. "I was always nervous walking into a meeting when Gerry would arrive in his shorts and socks," Lamoriello said. "However, no one had a greater impact on the student body than Gerry. He cares about people."

Today, Words Unlimited is honored to recognize a man whose dedication to college athletics and the betterment of young people has been a consistent trademark in Rhode Island for a total of 46 years.