Even in his final days, Bob Lanier remained larger than life

Shown here in 2019, Bob Lanier returned to St. Bonaventure as Bonnies’ 1970 Final Four team, on which he starred, was honored. Lanier passed away Tuesday evening at age 73. (Photo by the Olean Times Herald)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

The prognosis was not favorable. A battle with cancer resulted in hospitalization in an intensive care unit. Prayers were sent from so many who were fortunate to know or know of him. On the morning of May 11, the news came via social media. 

On his Facebook page, Paul Hoffman, a sophomore starting guard on the 1970 St. Bonaventure Final Four team simply said, “RIP Bob.” Hoffman’s page, with the 1970 team picture in the background, told you all you needed to know about his feelings that day. 

Bob Lanier, at age 73, had passed. 

Similar messages soon flooded social media to remember Lanier, a truly great player, and a truly greater human being.

Lanier’s basketball career began in a humble manner. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound sophomore was cut from his Bennett (Buffalo, NY) High School team. Lanier was determined to prove the man who made the cut, coach Nick Mogavero, wrong. He worked tirelessly and eventually became an All-High choice his junior and senior years at Bennett, then praised Mogavero in a 1990 Buffalo News article, calling him a “very perceptive and compassionate coach, and a hell of a human being.” Lanier had approximately 80 scholarship offers and chose to play for St. Bonaventure and coach Larry Weise.

By the time his college days began, Lanier had grown to 6’11” and into a three-time Converse All-America selection for the Bonnies, ending his Bona career holding records in seven categories including points (2,067), points per game (27.6) and rebounds (1,180). In his sophomore year, as a key member of Bona’s original iron five (Bill Butler, Billy Kalbaugh, John Hayes, Jim Satalin and Lanier), the Bonnies fashioned a perfect 26-0 in the regular season, suffering their only loss in the NCAA Tournament to North Carolina in the East Regional semifinals. Lanier’s junior year saw the Bonnies finish 17-7.

Mention Lanier’s college career and that 1970 team instantly appears in the mind’s eye. A team he led to the Final Four, yet never got to play in after suffering a knee injury in the regional final against Villanova. A team on a mission. The debate continues even today. Could the Bonnies have dethroned reigning champion UCLA with Lanier? The issue is not really debatable among Bona faithful who wholeheartedly know the answer.

The first pick of the 1970 NBA Draft, Lanier enjoyed a 14-year career in the NBA, playing for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming an eight time NBA All-Star. He was chosen MVP of the 1974 All-Star Game, with his number 16 retired by both the Pistons and Bucks. Following retirement, Lanier was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, and later, an interim head coach with the organization. He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1992.

Lanier won the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for the 1977-78 season for outstanding community service. His contributions off the court continued after his size 22 sneakers made their way to Springfield. He started the NBA’s Stay in School, now called Read to Achieve, campaign. The program is supported by all 30 NBA teams, 13 WNBA teams and 6 NBDL teams. The initiative supports the value of literacy and encourages adults to read with young children. The Bob Lanier Center for Educational, Physical and Cultural Development was founded in Buffalo in 1994, serving the youth in the area.

Lanier’s influence was impacted beyond Buffalo. It was worldwide. 

In a statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said, “Bob Lanier was a Hall of Fame player and among the most talented players in the history of the NBA, but his impact on the league went far beyond what he accomplished on the court. For more than 30 years, Bob served as our global ambassador and as a special assistant to David Stern and to me, traveling the world to teach the game’s value and make a positive impact on young people everywhere. It was a labor of love for Bob, who was one of the kindest and most genuine people I have ever been around.”

Lanier was awarded an honorary doctorate by St. Bonaventure in 1985 and the Gaudette Medal in 2004. The latter honor is the university’s highest service award.

Lanier was one who gave so much of himself and thought of others. In 1971, his rookie season ended on a Sunday in Detroit. Two days later, the Bonnies were playing Hawaii in a second-round game at Madison Square Garden. Lanier was in attendance and visited the team following the win over the Rainbow Warriors. In 2012, the Bona women were preparing for a NCAA Regional meeting with Notre Dame. During practice, a call was made to coach Jim Crowley. It was Lanier. Practice was halted as Bob spoke with the team, praising them while adding a message: “Enjoy this and live in the moment.”

When Larry Weise was inducted into the Atlantic 10 Hall of Fame a few years ago during the conference’s tournament in Brooklyn, Lanier traveled from Arizona to take his coach and wife, Julie, out to a celebratory dinner. There were countless other stories exchanged by Bona fans and alums on social media.

Lanier was outstanding in the low post and could move out to hit the mid-range jump shot. The latter skill was virtually unheard of for big men in that era. Lanier was a player who could be an enforcer if need be. He also showed a compassionate side, even in the heat of battle. 

The late Edgar Cartotto, a long time officiating mentor to yours truly among many others in stripes, often told this story. Cartotto was working a game with the Bonnies facing Canisius in Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. 

“I was too fast on the whistle to call a jump ball as a split second later Lanier ripped the ball from the opponent and laid it in,” Cartotto said. “I told him, ‘Captain Lanier, I’m sorry, I kicked that call.’” Big Bob smiled and patted me on the back and said, “Eddie, no problem. Don't worry about it.” Cartotto went on to say he and Lanier became friends and Bob would send a card and call him each Christmas. “Bob Lanier,” Cartotto added, “was one of the finest human beings I ever knew.”

A fierce competitor, the fire burned inside and manifested itself on the court. In December 1969, the Bonnies were set to face Purdue and Rick Mount in the finals of the ECAC Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. Purdue’s center, Bill Franklin, said pregame that Lanier, known as the Big Cat was going to run into the big dog in Franklin. Lanier simply went out and dominated Franklin with a Holiday Festival record-tying (with Oscar Robertson and Jimmy Walker) 50-point performance. The Bonnies defeated Purdue handily. Purdue coach George King was asked what he should have done against Lanier by replying, “put a muzzle on Franklin.”

A few months later, the Bonnies were set to play Villanova in the Eastern Regional finals. Back in the day, there were consolation games in the regionals. The St. Bonaventure players took their seats to watch the third-place game. A few rows ahead, Villanova guard Fran O’Hanlon was heard telling his girlfriend that since the Wildcats handed Bonaventure its only loss — a two-point setback at Villanova — they should be in very good shape to advance. Lanier heard the remark, simply said to his teammates, “let’s go,” and led them to the locker room to get ready. The Bonnies dominated the Wildcats in convincing fashion.

The Bonnies advanced to the Final Four, as noted previously, without Lanier, who suffered a knee injury late in the game. Decades have passed, yet the collective memories and emotions of 1970 have not. They affected Lanier deeply.

At the 2007 dedication of Bob Lanier Court at Reilly Center, Lanier was driven to tears recalling the disappointment of not playing in the 1970 Final Four. 

“We were kind of warriors, in this trench together,” Lanier was quoted by the St. Bonaventure website. “We had one focus, to win an NCAA title.” It hurt to watch the Bonnies drop a hotly contested national semifinal to Jacksonville as he recuperated, after knee surgery, in a hospital room.

Lanier stayed close with those 1970 teammates, often organizing reunions of the group through the years. In 2018 when the Bonnies faced UCLA in a NCAA First Four meeting in Dayton, coach Mark Schmidt had a pregame history lesson to make sure his club understood the meaning and significance of 1970. The Bonnies upset the Bruins on that memorable evening. Postgame, Schmidt remembered that 1970 team, and in an extreme touch of class and devotion, dedicated the win to them and their leader, Bob Lanier.

His health an issue, Lanier still made the trip to Olean in December of 2019 for the St. Bonaventure Basketball Centennial. He went to a team practice, not just to stop by, but talk to the players as a group and individually, especially big man Osun Osunniyi. Lanier graciously spent time with former teammates, fellow alums and friends over the course of that December weekend.

Among the outpouring of tributes pouring in, several stand out. Joe Manhertz, St. Bonaventure Director of Athletics noted:

“It was very sad to learn of the passing of Bob Lanier. He meant so much to so many people. Bob represented the best of what it was to be a St. Bonaventure Bonnie in competition and in selfless service to others. WE will miss him, but we will always celebrate him and continue to carry on his incredible legacy.”

“I had many good teams, but when Bob enrolled at St. Bonaventure University, he brought our program to a national level,” his college coach, Larry Weise, said. “Bob was not only a great basketball player, he was a wonderful person. He had an infectious personality and everyone liked him. He had a sense of humor as big as he was. He loved to laugh. God keep him safe.”

Mike Vaccaro, a 1989 St. Bonaventure graduate and New York Post columnist, summed it up in a most eloquent and meaningful fashion: 

“The spirit of St. Bonaventure is bigger than any one man, but no singular soul in 164 years has ever brought more honor, dignity, glory and love to bear at Bona’s than Bob Lanier. Bob transcended race, united a campus and, by the way, was one of the best basketball players who ever lived. He will be synonymous with St. Bonaventure eternally.”

Current Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt told The Buffalo News, “Bob Lanier IS St. Bonaventure basketball. What says everything about Bob is that he was so humble and you would never know he was one of the top 50 players of all time. There’s not enough to say about what he means.”

Former Bona mentor and teammate Jim Satalin said in the same article, “From a basketball standpoint, he put St. Bonaventure on the map,” Satalin said. “He did so many things in the community and he did them for free. He did things nobody even knew about.”

Bob Lanier enjoyed life and leaves an indelible mark on us all. Many players, especially today, take what they can from the game. Lanier, in the final analysis, utilized the game as a method of reaching others, practicing the Franciscan and Bonaventure value of service.

He will be missed by his immediate family. Also by his Bonaventure family, in effect an extension of his immediate one. His contributions were immeasurable, and never will be forgotten.