2
Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year -- took
over a strong program from his brother 22
years ago and has built a powerhouse
based on the principles and values of a
man he never knew.
Namee was a diver at Manhat-
on the New York City piers in the 1930s
before duty called in World War II. A com-
mander of a paratroop company in Eu-
rope, he fought at the Battle of the Bulge,
was struck by gunfire in his pericardial sac
during a bridge defense, and earned the
Silver Star for gallantry and the Purple
Heart.
years at Sampson College (a converted
Navy base on Seneca Lake), and came to
cal education department and elevate the
intramural swim program to intercolle-
giate status.
han, the man McNamee hired in 1959 to
take over the reins, would prove to be the
invaluable bridge to the family's swimming
legacy.
pline and accountability that made St.
Bonaventure a respected program in the
Northeast -- even with no swimmers on
scholarship.
dent-athlete model."
Louisville who wanted no part of swim-
ming when he came to Bonaventure.
ming. I had swam six days a weeks since I
was 9 years old," said Horton, now a Uni-
versity trustee. "I came to Bonaventure
because my dad told me I had to go to a
Catholic school, so I thought I'd fix him.
I'd go as far away as I could. I had visited
Bonaventure with a friend on a nice fall
day, they had a top 10 basketball team at
the time, and I thought it would be neat
to only be an hour away from New York
City. ...
he still wasn't interested. By the middle of
his sophomore year, Horton was in a mas-
sive funk, an attempt to transfer to Xavier
having failed.
in me swimming," Horton recalled. "He
said, `I'll see you in the pool tomorrow.'"
onships, won by the Bonnies.