Holy Cross, BU Set For Season Long Battle For Turnpike Trophy

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Joe Calabro, GoLocalWorcester Sports Team

The Holy Cross Crusaders and the Boston University Terriers have announced the creation of the Turnpike Trophy competition. The competition will be an athletic series between the two Patriot League and in-state rivals that will span over at least 21 sports in the inaugural year.

Points will be awarded for head-to-head victories, both during the regular season and the postseason, or a higher finish at the conference championships in cross country, rowing, swimming and diving. The trophy will be awarded to the school with the most points at the end of each academic year.

“Given the close proximity of our two schools, it is natural for a rivalry to develop between Holy Cross and Boston University. This rivalry has intensified since the Terriers joined the Patriot League, and now I expect the Turnpike Trophy will take it to a whole new level. Alumni, parents, students and fans will never have to travel far to see these outstanding match-ups, and our student-athletes and coaches are already looking forward to the opportunity to win the inaugural presentation of the trophy," said Holy Cross director of athletics Nathan Pine.

The Rivalry

BU and Holy Cross are separated by 42 miles and first found themselves together in the Yankee Conference in the 1970's and then went on to form the ECAC North in 1979. The Crusaders left for the MAAC in 1983 and would later form the Patriot League.

Boston University came to the Patriot League in 2013 after leaving the America East Conference.

“As we enter our third year in the Patriot League, a natural rivalry has been developing with our closest conference counterpart. “The Turnpike Trophy will make every competition between BU and Holy Cross even more special, and it will be something in which our student-athletes, coaches, student bodies and alumni can participate and enjoy," said BU director of athletics Drew Marrochello.

The Contest Begins

The first contest of the series will take place on Friday, October 9 in field hockey. Following that, BU will host women's and men's soccer games on October 21 and 28 while the Patriot League Cross Country Championships will be held on Halloween at Colgate.

Related Slideshow: Top 10 Players in Holy Cross Crusader Basketball History

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10. Bob Kissane

Class of 1971

Kissane is one of 45 players in Holy Cross history to crack 1,000 career points, finishing with 1,362 points in three full seasons as a Crusader. For his career, Kissane averaged18.1 points per game, leading the Crusaders in scoring in both his Junior and Senior seasons. In those two seasons, Kissane also led the team in rebounding and in free throw shooting percentage. For his career, Kissane finished 10th all-time in scoring average at 18.1 points per game, 9th all-time in total rebounds (793) and rebounding average (10.6 per game) and 4th all-time in free throws made (444) for Holy Cross.

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9. Chris Potter

Class of 1978

Potter's dominance was spread out over a four-year career during the mid-to-late 70's. Potter is another member of the 1,000-point club at Holy Cross, finishing with 1,789 points. That number ties Potter for 5th all-time with legendary Crusader Tom Heinshon. The former Crusader captain was selected as Crusader of the Year during his Senior season, averaging 16.2 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game. Each season of Potter's career ended in at least 20 wins for Holy Cross. Potter's career stats land him 5th all-time in points scored (1,789) and third all-time in total rebounds (1,019) in Holy Cross history.

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8. Keith Hochstein

Class of 1968

Hochstein was very undersized to be playing in the front court, but he dominated despite his smaller stature. Hochstein stood just 6-feet 4-inches yet managed to grab 11.5 rebounds per game in his three-year career. Hochstein finished his career with an amazing 20.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, making him one of a select few to average over 20-points and 10-rebounds per game. His career found Hochstein as another member of the 1,000-point club, finishing 29th all-time with 1,174 points. He finished 7th in scoring average (20.2) and 6th in rebounding average (11.5) in Holy Cross history.

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7. Ed Siudut

Class of 1969

Siudut was as revered off the court as he was on. Siudut was the first-ever Holy Cross player to earn a postgraduate scholarship. He was also an Academic All-American. Throughout his three seasons with the Crusaders Siudut led the team in scoring and rebounding. Siudut is a member of the 1,000-point club, finishing 11th all-time with 1,611 points. Siudut's career stats find him 3rd all-time in scoring average (22.4), 6th all-time in total rebounds (888) and 4th all-time in rebounding average (12.3).

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6. Dwight Pernell

Class of 1990

Pernell was an all-around dominant player for Holy Cross in the late 80's and into 1990. Pernell was a proficient scorer but also a great passer and strong defender. Pernell is one of only two Crusaders to ever score 30 points or more in one half, doing so by scoring 30 in the second half against Mount St. Mary's in 1988. Pernell is yet another member of the 1,000-point club, finishing with 1,891-points which is good for 4th all-time. Pernell also ranks 4th all-time in steals (204) and 6th in assists (430).

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5. Rob Feaster

Class of 1995

Feaster is the first player on our list that is part of the 2,000-point club. Feaster is one of only three players in the 2,000-point club and is 2nd all-time with 2,224 points. Feaster was a four-year player for the Crusaders, but his final two seasons were the ones Holy Cross fans remember. In those seasons he averaged 28.0 and 25.0 points per game respectively. On top of being 2nd all-time in scoring, feaster sits in the top-five in shots attempted and shots made.

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4. Jack Foley

Class of 1962

Jack "The Shot" Foley is another one of the three members of the 2,000-point club. Foley finished his career with 2,185 points in only three years of Varsity play (Freshman did not play Varsity in that time). He still holds the Crusaders career record for scoring average with 28.4 points per game. The season that best shows Foley's scoring ability was his Senior season of 1961-1962 where he averages 33.0 points per game on 50.4% shooting.

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3. Ronnie Perry

Class of 1980

Perry is the all-time leading scorer for the Crusaders. His astonishing 2,542 points are exactly 300 more points than second-leading scorer Rob Feaster. Perry averaged 23.2 points per game for his career with the Crusaders. His career landed him second all-time in scoring average (23.2) and 7th all-time in total assists (422).

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2. Tommy Heinsohn

Class of 1956

The top-two of the list are reserved for Holy Cross royalty. First up is Heinsohn. Heinshon ranks in the top 10 in eight categories all-time for the Crusaders. Heinsohn is most known for his tenacity on the boards, averaging over 15 rebounds per game on his career and over 1,250 for his career. Heinsohn was also a very skilled interior scorer, averaging 22.1 points per game in just three seasons as a Varsity player (Freshman did not play Varsity in their first year). Heinsohn's premier season came in his Senior campign when he averaged 27.4 points and an amazing 21.1 rebounds per game. The astonishing 20-20 average for Heinsohn is considered by some to be the best season ever by a Crusader. Heinsohn is the team's 5th leading scorer, 5th in scoring average, 1st in rebounds and rebounding average all-time for Holy Cross.

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1. Bob Cousy

Class of 1950

Widely considered to be one of the best pure point guards of all-time, Bob Cousy tops the list for best Crusaders. During his four years with the Crusaders, Cousy shattered nearly every standing record at the time. Cousy finished his career as the team's all-time leading scorer and was known as one of the best, and most skilled passers in the entire game.