Brown Basketball Mourns the Passing of Bill Reynolds '68
7/13/2023 3:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Share:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Brown Basketball Family joins the many who mourn the passing of Bill Reynolds '68. The co-captain of the 1967-68 men's basketball team, long-time Providence Journal columnist and New York Times bestselling author passed away Thursday, July 13 at the age of 78.
Nicknamed "Shooter," Reynolds attended Barrington (RI) High School and Worcester Academy before attending Brown where he played under head coach Stan Ward. Along with Rick Landau '68, he captained the team his senior season and was named to the all-decade team for Brown Basketball. His 909 career points ranked 7th all-time when he graduated. Left to right: Rick Landau, Stan Ward, and Bill Reynolds.
"Bill was the sweetest man I ever met," said Landau. "He never demonstrated a temper or any type of anger. Was he occasionally disappointed or frustrated like all of us? Yes. But he was such a nice person who would go out of his way to be nice to people and he always rose above any controversy."
Landau also shared a story about Reynolds the basketball player at Brown. "Our coach was Stan Ward who was a fierce competitor and a good shooter," he said. "One day, he challenged Bill to a game of 21 but, instead of taking shots from the free throw line, they took them from the top of the key. Billy proceeded to hit his first 20 shots and Stan said, 'okay, you win.' And Stan was not the type of person to give up."
After graduating in 1968 with a degree in English, Reynolds taught English for three years at Barrington High School before working as a freelance writer and eventually joining the Providence Journal as a reporter in 1981. He quickly transitioned to sports writing and finally as a sports columnist.
His weekly "For What It's Worth" columns on Saturdays where he delivered random thoughts on things ranging from sports to politics to entertainment became as synonymous with Rhode Island as Del's lemonade, coffee milk and the Big Blue Bug.
Perhaps Bill's greatest gift was his ability to see the good in all people and that empathy would come shining through in his columns. As Dan Barry of the New York Times said about Reynolds, "he chose empathy over judgment." Bill was both a great listener and conveyer of stories.
In addition to his four decades with the Providence Journal, Bill also authored many successful books like Success Is A Choice with Rick Pitino which reached #1 on the New York Times best-seller list, Fall River Dreams with Chris Heron and even a book about his own sports mortality entitled Glory Days along with many more.
For those who knew Bill, they would all agree that the sport of basketball was his first love and his lifelong passion.
For over 30 years, Reynolds would lace up his high-tops on a daily basis and play at Brown's Marvel Gym and, eventually, the Pizzitola Sports Center with a crew that became known as "The Lunch Bunch."
He was also a fixture at virtually every home Brown men's basketball game as well as those at Providence College, the University of Rhode Island and at Bryant University.
"Billy embodies so much of what makes Brown University and the Brown Basketball program so special," said current Brown head men's basketball coach Mike Martin. "He was absolutely brilliant and found his true calling in life doing something about which he was so passionate and doing it so very well. All the while he carried such humility and curiosity with him. I feel very fortunate for all of the years I knew him and the friendship we had."
Over the last few years, his partner Liz Abbott took the time to put together a collection of Bill's columns that she feels "showcases the imagination and talent Bill brought to a wide array of subjects over a long, dedicated newspaper career." That collection was made into a book that was recently released entitled Story Days and is available on Amazon and elsewhere.
In 2006, Reynolds was inducted into the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a Hall of Fame player, writer and person who will be missed by many.
BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the lifeblood of the athletics program, and exists to enhance the student-athlete experience through philanthropic support from alumni, parents, fans and friends. A gift through the Sports Foundation makes an immediate impact on today's Brown Bears and helps them to be their best in the classroom, in competition and most importantly in the community. To learn more about supporting the Bears, please click here.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Brown Athletics, please follow @BrownU_Bears on Twitter, @BrownU_Bears on Instagram, like BrownUBears on Facebook and subscribe to the BrownAthletics YouTube channel.
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
