Ex-Greyhound standout Joe Lane '60 passes . . .

December 15, 2009

For the third time in two months, the Saint John's High, Assumption College and Central Massachusetts athletic communities are mourning the passing of a legend.

Joe Lane, who starred at Saint John's in the 1950s and later coached the Pioneers, died yesterday from complications of cancer, which he battled for more than 30 years. He was 72. Lane played with the Greyhounds from 1956-60.

Lane, who was born in Worcester, was a standout football and basketball player under coach Bob Devlin, who died last month in Florida. Charlie Bibaud, another legendary Pioneer coach, died on October 16. Saint John's gym, 'Coaches Pavilion,' was dedicated in 2005 in honor of Devlin, Lane and Bibaud.

Lane was a running back and defensive end in football, and in basketball starred on teams that won 55 consecutive regular-season games. In Lane's junior season, the Pioneers went 27-1 and won the New England Catholic Tourmanent and Western Massachusetts championships. As a senior, he was a co-captain when Saint John's went 23-3.

After graduating from Saint John's in 1956, Lane shined in basketball for coach Andy Laska at Assumption, serving as a co-captain as a senior. He graduated from Assumption in 1960 and returned to Saint John's the following year as an assistant football and basketball coach under Devlin.

In 1963, Lane was named physical education director at Saint John's and two years later succeeded Devlin as head basketball coach. In five seasons, Lane's teams went 103-22, winning two District E championships. They were runners-up once and lost in the semifinals the other two years.

The Pioneers advanced to state quarterfinal play at the Boston Garden three times, reaching the semifinals twice.

In 1981, Lane became Saint John's first alumni director, a position he held until his retirement in 2002. As alumni director, he initiated many of the school's alumni activities, including various golf tournaments and reunions.

The Joe Lane Scholars program at Saint John's was introduced in 2000, recognizing students who demonstrated values Lane embodied, including loyalty, leadership and the ability to motivate classmates. He was inducted into the Saint John's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. He also holds a spot in the Assumption College Alumni-Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 1956-57 men's basketball team inducted in 2006.

Calling hours are 4-7 p.m. Thursday at the Coaches Pavilion at Saint John's. The funeral Mass is at 11 a.m. Friday at Saint John's Church on Temple Street in Worcester. Burial will be at Pine Grove Cemetery in Boylston.

There are now two empty seats in the legendary 'coaches corner' in the far end of the Laska Gym. We know that Charlie and Joe are still watching from above.

Special thanks to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette (December 15, 2009) for providing the bulk of this report.