Bob Flynn court dedication
12/18/2009
Prior to the 7om game vs. Mt. St. Joe
It’s surreal to think in 1975 that the third-string center for the Crusader basketball team would have such an impact on the school. It was surreal the rush students felt screaming at the top of their lungs in the auditorium as Flynn pumped them up for the big game during an assembly. It was surreal, the image of hundreds of students rushing to the court in 2004, Flynn’s next to last season at Gibbons, when the Crusaders upset rival Mt. St. Joe in the MIAA semifinals.
Late Crusader basketball coach permanently memorialized at his alma mater.
Bob Flynn was not a star during his days as a basketball player at Cardinal Gibbons, but he loved the game and absorbed every ounce of knowledge he could gain while playing for coaching legend Ray Mullis.
One of his fondest memories, once he returned to Gibbons as a head coach and was able to restore some of the program's past glory, was to see the gym dedicated in honor of Mullis, in 2001. Now the floor in that very gym bares Flynn's name and likeness, in lasting memory for his service to the program.
For those who knew Flynn, who passed away following a heart attack in January of 2007, there is no doubt he would be humbled by the honor.
Flynn won 103 games with the Crusaders, including 27 in 2003-04 when he led his team to the MIAA A Conference Championship Game, only to be denied a title by Archbishop Spalding and its future NBA star Rudy Gay.
In the summer of 2005, he said he completed "a calling" through his work at Gibbons and announced he accepted a head coaching position at McDaniel College. In less than two seasons, he had turned around a once hapless McDaniel program, before his life ended prematurely.
Above article courtesy of http://baltimorecatholicleague.com
Bob Flynn was set. He was young, healthy with a family growing up before his eyes. It was 1999 and Flynn was working with the men’s basketball team at St. Mary’s College.
Then he got the call of a lifetime. It didn’t take long; his decision was made. He was going back to his roots.
When a reporter asked him why he would leave a college program to go to a high school. Flynn quickly responded “No. I’m going back to Gibbons.”
It’s surreal to think in 1975 that the third-string center for the Crusader basketball team would have such an impact on the school. It was surreal the rush students felt screaming at the top of their lungs in the auditorium as Flynn pumped them up for the big game during an assembly. It was surreal, the image of hundreds of students rushing to the court in 2004, Flynn’s next to last season at Gibbons, when the Crusaders upset rival Mt. St. Joe in the MIAA semifinals.Unfortunately, it was a surreal feeling for many when they heard the news in January 2007. At 49 years old, Flynn suffered a heart attack in his home and passed away shortly after at St. Agnes Hospital. Today, his beautiful family survives Flynn: his wife Tina, his daughter Caitlin and his twin sons Michael and Ryan.
“He bled Gibbons red,” Rob Valderas, a fellow 1975 graduate, teammate and longtime friend of Flynn, told The Baltimore Sun.
Even after he left Gibbons, the spirit never left him. He still practiced the lessons taught decades earlier by his mentor Ray Mullis. When Flynn left Gibbons for the opportunity to coach at McDaniel College in Westminster, he continued to carry his red towel over his shoulder, as Mullis had in each of his record setting victories. Gibbons never left his mind.
He will never be forgotten by his friends, his players and all of the Gibbons students whose lives he impacted during his time on the corner of Wilkens and Caton. As of Friday, Dec. 18, Bob Flynn’s name will live on as the Cardinal Gibbons School dedicates the basketball court to his memory.
A ceremony will take place prior to the varsity basketball game, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Please join the Cardinal Gibbons family in honoring one of our best.
