Introduction of Ben Sands, presented by Pat Norton, Tufts Head Ice Hockey Coach
I am so honored and excited to be presenting the inaugural Brown & Blue Award to Ben Sands tonight. And I'm personally very grateful to Ben because I, quite literally, would not have a job coaching ice hockey here at Tufts if not for all the work Ben has done over the years to support the Jumbo hockey program.
A native of North Reading, Ben played defenseman for the Jumbos ice hockey team before graduating from Tufts in 1954. Unfortunately, six years after Ben graduated, ice hockey was dropped as a varsity sport in 1960.
Not willing to accept the demise of ice hockey at Tufts, Ben was instrumental in bringing the sport back to campus first as a club team in the early 1980's and then as a varsity team in 1986. Ben served as head coach for six seasons, compiling a 73-63-4 record and earning ECAC Coach of the Year in 1988. The 18 games won by the Jumbos in 1988 set a single-season program record that still stands today….sorry Ben, but we intend to break that record in the very near future!
When budget cuts threatened the team's status a second time in the early 1990s, Ben stepped up yet again to save the program. He rallied his fellow alums and established the "Friends of Tufts Hockey" to support the program, and the great work of that group allowed the team to prosper, join the NESCAC hockey league in 2001 and upgrade the program's head coach to full-time status. Ben's tremendous leadership and generosity also enabled the program to obtain and renovate the team's locker room at Valley Forum that is named in Ben's honor.
In addition to supporting the Jumbo ice hockey program, Ben also served as President of the Tufts Jumbo Club from 2000-2002, class reunion committee leader and Vice President of the Tufts Alumni Association. Beyond his support for Tufts, Ben and his wife Judy for many years have taken annual humanitarian trips to deliver essential supplies to impoverished children in under-developed countries.
Ben has never been one to seek the spotlight or credit for his work and his amazingly generous spirit, so we're taking it upon ourselves to shine the spotlight on Ben a bit tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in saluting Ben Sands as the inaugural recipient of the Tufts Brown & Blue Award.
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