In Memoriam

Rod Steier

Long Time Chair NEBHOF

By: Dan Doyle

I first met Rod at the 1979 Trinity College Men’s Basketball Coaches Clinic. Ray Meyer, the venerable DePaul coach who, six months earlier, had led his Blue Demons squad to the Final Four, had just wrapped up his clinic lecture. Ray and I were conversing on the side of the stage when Rod approached and introduced himself. The three of us chatted for several minutes, and when Rod excused himself, Ray commented, “now there’s a bright guy.”

Over the next four decades, I would come to regard Rod as not only bright, but as one of the most amiable and decent human beings I have ever encountered. As our friendship evolved, so too did my admiration for this gem of a fellow.

In 2003, Rod became Chair of the New England Basketball Hall Of Fame. Under his enlightened leadership, NEBHOF experienced significant growth, including the hosting of some of the largest sports dinners in America E.G. 1700+ attendees at each of the last three induction ceremonies.

Yet beyond the large turnouts was Rod’s altruistic focus on using basketball as a means of bridging divides. If Rod saw a way to employ NEBHOF to create friendships, foster diversity, do good…there was no bar too high.

And over the course of his enlightened service as NEBHOF Chair, Rod’s humanism seamlessly combined with a wonderfully creative mind and a keen eye for detail.

Rod and I also spent many hours on the tennis court, and we worked together to form a Hartford Tennis Club Team. Our squad of eight traveled to Newport on several occasions to compete on the grass against an International Tennis Hall Of Fame team. We also made our way to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to meet the UNC Faculty Team, and followed up the match by attending a UNC-Clemson Men’s Basketball game at the Dean Dome. Not only was our visit to that hallowed arena a first for both of us, but so too was hearing the disputable Tar Heel invocation, “You can’t go to heaven in a red canoe ’cause God’s favorite color is Carolina Blue.”

Most importantly, foremost in our many conversations, even more so than our roundball discussions, was the matter of family. For as countless as were Rod’s many sterling qualities, his unmitigated love of every member of the Steier clan was predominant.

Meaningful Life Renaissance Man

RIP Dear Friend.