Jack Foley, a Worcester native who became the first player in Holy Cross men’s basketball history to score 2,000 points, died Sunday at his home in Barre. He was 81.
Nicknamed “The Shot,” Foley is third on the program’s career scoring list with 2,185 points, behind Ronnie Perry and Rob Feaster. He reached that mark in just three seasons because freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity when he enrolled in 1958.
His career average of 28.4 points per game is best in school history, as is his 33.3-point-per-game average as a senior in 1961-62.
Foley scored a total of 866 points in that 1961-62 campaign, another school record that still stands. That year, he led Holy Cross to its third consecutive NIT berth and was named a first-team All-American.
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On Feb. 17, 1962, Foley poured in a career-high 56 points against UConn, breaking his school record. No Crusaders player has scored 50 points in a game since.
Foley also was a prolific scorer in high school. In his senior season at Assumption Prep (1957-58), he scored 920 points in 22 games (41.8 points per game).
After graduating from Holy Cross, Foley was selected by the Celtics with the 16th overall pick in the 1962 NBA Draft. He played a total of 11 games for the Celtics and Knicks during the 1962-63 season.
In 1971, Foley was inducted into the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame, and his No. 32 was retired by the school in 2011. He taught history and law at South High in Worcester, where he also coached the girls’ basketball team.