Frederick A. Kozak (1972) - Hall of Fame - Brown University Athletics

Frederick A. Kozak

Induction:
1972
Class:
1950

Frederick A. Kozak '50
Hometown: Fall River, MA
Sport: Basketball/Football
Year Inducted: 1972

Frederick A. Kozak '50 ranks as one of Brown's finest basketball players. Coach Bob Morris said recently that in his years on College Hill, only the legendary Frank Mahoney '50 was superior to Kozak on the basketball court. In three seasons, Kozak scored 709 points, which at that time placed him fourth on the all-time scoring list. Kozak was especially adept at the one-handed push shot from around the key. The 5-9, 165 pounder was equally effective on defense, usually coming up with three or four steals a game. A crowd-pleasing player, Kozak may have been the best ball hawk the state had seen until Len Wilkens came along at Providence College some years later. In the spring of 1949 when Brown went into the Boston Garden and upset the great Holy Cross team of Bob Cousy, Joe Mullaney and company, it was Kozak who led all the scorers. And as captain of the 1950-51 team, the hustling Kozak came up with the play of the year when he dribbled the length of the court and scored the winning basket with four seconds left in Brown's 59-57 upset of URI at old Rodman Gym. He received the George "Woody" Grimshaw MVP trophy. Kozak was also a fine football player, both at Durfee High School in Fall River and at Brown. He scored three touchdowns both in his last high school football game for Durfee and in his first varsity start for Brown. A Division I football official, Kozak has worked some of the big games in the East, including Harvard-Holy Cross and Yale-Colgate a year ago.