Rebounder Extraordinaire: Frank “Moose” Stronczek
Written by Thomas Pool: Director of Athletic Communications at the American International College (AIC) in Springfield, MA
Just as the television show Rocky and Bullwinkle aired for the first time in November 1959, a Chicopee High School sophomore was already sharing a name with Bullwinkle J. Moose. Both Bullwinkle J. Moose and Frank “Moose” Stronczek were starting to garner national attention, the former on television and the latter on the basketball hardwood.
Stronczek’s basketball career started after he was diagnosed with a lazy lung, and took up basketball at the doctor’s orders around the age of 10. In response, his dad enrolled him in the Fairview Basketball Program, and built a small court in the family’s backyard two years later.
Moose started to make a name for himself during his sophomore season at Chicopee. As a three-year member of the varsity team, Stronczek earned All-Western Massachusetts honors in his final three seasons thanks to his scoring and rebounding ability. During his varsity career, the 6-foot-7 center accumulated 1,102 points, the first 1,000 point scorer in the school’s history. As a senior, Stronczek was awarded the Stepczyk and Labovich (best player in Western Massachusetts) awards.
During his junior and senior years, many coaches flocked to the Chicopee High School Henry B. Fay Gym and the Stronczek house on Providence Street. Programs such as Ohio State University, University of Michigan, Purdue University and many more made trips to see the 6–7 athlete.
Despite the big schools and famous coaches trying to get his commitment, it was a visit by The College of Holy Cross’s head coach Frank Oftring and the famous Holy Cross basketball alum and then National Basketball Association player Bob Cousy who convinced him and his mother to go enroll down the Massachusetts Turnpike with the Crusaders.
“Moose” with Chicopee, MA Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette
During his freshman year at Holy Cross, Stronczek had to play on the freshman team due to the NCAA rules that did not allow freshman to play on the varsity squad. Despite this, he averaged 16 points and 17 rebounds, but was uncomfortable at the school.
“It was all-male, and very, very religiously orientated being run by the Jesuits,” Stronczek said in a 2009 interview with MassLive. “Coming from a big public high school and never having gone to any catholic school, it was a total culture shock for me.”
Even though he felt uncomfortable at the school, he returned for the fall semester before deciding to leave. When he got home his parents asked what he was doing there? “My father told me that if I wasn’t going back to school that I would have to drive him to work every morning at 7 a.m. and pick him up at 4 p.m.” Stronczek said. “He said ‘if you don’t find a school to go to in the next week, then you are coming to work for me!’ I said, oh boy I don’t want to do that.”
After talking to the University of Massachusetts and Springfield College, Stronczek found his perfect fit at American International College (AIC). Sitting in the corner at the Charm Café on the edge of the AIC campus, a white-haired man sat down next to Stronczek and told him to follow him down the street. That man turned out to be head basketball coach William Callahan. At the time the athletic department was just a little clubhouse that Callahan and the then Director of Athletics, Henry Butova.
“Mr. Butova said to me “You’re going to come to school here aren’t you?” I told him “Well, I know what you all do. You play in high school gyms and at the Springfield College Field Fieldhouse.” He said “Callahan, take him out back and walk around the clubhouse and show him the plan”.
Coach Callahan did as Butova said and showed Moose the plan to have a 3,000 seat gym in a year and a half. The two of them walked back into the clubhouse where Butova told him “When you become eligible, you are going to play in the new gym. I look forward to seeing you romp and gallop in the new gym.” Unfortunately, Butova never got to see Stronczek “romp and gallop” as he passed away due to a heart attack on February 28, 1965, 10 months before the gym, which was named in his honor, held its first game.
On December 1, 1965, the Aces opened the gym against the University of Connecticut. The Aces, as AIC was known back then, lost the game 89–72. Despite the opening loss, Callahan put together a team that any head coach would love to have. Captained by senior Jim Calhoun, who went on to have a Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coaching career at UConn and now at St. Joseph’s University in West Hartford CT, the team featured future AIC Hall of Famers: Stronczek, Calhoun, Henry Payne, Bill Delaney, Larry Freed as well as then-new Athletic Director Joe O’Grady.
In his storied AIC Stronczek scored 1,411 points, which was third-best in the programs history when he graduated, and 1,548 career rebounds which still stands as a school record. In his three seasons with the Aces, he lead the team in points per game (ppg) scoring with 20.8 in 1964–65, 22.3 in 1965–66, and 24.0 in 1966–67. Additionally was atop the stat sheet in rebounds per game (rpg) with 20.8, 27.6, and 24.0. Stronczek is one of five players in NCAA history to average 20 points and 20 rebounds a game as he averaged 22.7 ppg and 24.9 rpg. Among those five are Bill Russell of San Francisco (20.7 ppg, 20.3 rpg), and Julius Erving of UMass (26.3 ppg and 20.2 rpg). To round out his many accolades, he was named an All-American twice in his career.
Stronczek’s most impressive game came on February 19, 1967, against Boston University. “We were warming up before the game and someone dunked the ball and bent the rim. Coach Callahan told us to go to the other end and warm up because BU was still in the locker room. When BU came out and saw the rim they said “This rim is bent!” so we had to push back the start of the game. There was supposed to be an award ceremony at halftime but we went ahead and did it before the game.” The award was recognized for his outstanding contributions to AIC basketball. The ceremony amped him up for the game as he scored a school-record that still stands 48 points and over 20 rebounds.
After graduation, Stronczek was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals in the sixth round of the 1967 National Basketball Association and the fourth round of the American Basketball Association Draft by the Houston Maverick, who he decided to sign with. After what he calls two cups of coffee and a couple of donuts, Stronczek was released by the Mavericks.
In 1968 he was drafted into the United States Army and was sent to Bamberg, West Germany the following year. While serving his country, Moose was selected to the All-Army team and played against All-Star teams from West Germany, Belgium, Holland, France, and more. These games afforded him the opportunity to be seen by club coaches, which proved to be a stepping stone for his international career, as he went on to play for USC München of the Basketball Bundesliga League as well as Racing Ford Antwerp of the Basketball Belgian League.
“Moose” grabs a rebound in Munich, Germany
In 2006, Stronczek was inducted to the AIC Hall of Fame with teammate Henry Payne. Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette proclaimed October 20 as Frank “Moose” Stronczek Day in Chicopee in 2006 as well. He followed that up in 2009 as a charter member of the Chicopee Athletic Hall of Fame, while also being inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
Frank “Moose” Stronczek, Jim Calhoun, and Paul Proccopio
Submitted by Creative Director of the Basketball Bugle, Maureen Baron.
