Evening star., 1954-06-10
Irish South Boston Votes Top Sports Honors
To- Tony Plonsky, Once Great GeorgetownS Star
BY Rod Thomos

Boston, rich In sports tradition.
has voted an athlete of IAshu-
anian descent as' is a1l-t1ms
best, in q poM recently conduct
ed by the Boston Post.
The honor went to Tony
Plansly. the former Georgetown
University football and track
star Of whom Lou Little once
said: "I believe that If Plansky
had centered his mind on foot
ball he would have been q stand
out on every All-America select
ed during his college days."
Benny Friedman, the great
Michigan quarterback, on hear
ing of Plansky's selection. OBJ
served: "I don't know anything
about South Boston athletes.
but there just couldn't have been
one better than Plansky."
Praised By Hagerty.
And Jack Hagerty. Georgetown
athletic director who also starred
as q back In Little's coaching
regime, went Lou and Friedman
at least one better. He said:
"Plansly not only was q great
football player and track man,
but the greatest all-round ath-
lete I ever saw and I don't be-
lieve there ever was another who
was so good in so many sports. :"
remembered Plansky, q g.
foot-1 200-pounder, only as q
football player and versatile
track man. In 1924, rs and '26
he played fullback at George
town and in 1924 won the Ma
tional decathlon championship.
"Of the campus" Hagerty
said, lit wasn't commonly known
that Plansky was the best golfer
at Georgetown. He shot in the
low 70s.
Occasionally. Tony tried his
hand at tennis and got 20 he
could beat any member Of the
varsity team. But, as in golf, he
didn't go in for varsity competi-
ton.
Became Expert Diver.
I'VE had no swimming team,
but in school was Bo Cuisinier,
q crack diver. He induced Plan
sky to try diving. Before very
long, Tony was a better diver
than CuiSinier. Bo transferred
to Wisconsin and became the
Big Ten diving champion.
'Plansky never played baseball
In college, but some years later,
in the 1930s he played two sea-
sons with Buffalo in the Inter-
League as an outfielder."
It stirred the writer's memory
when Hagerty said: 81 believe
that If Tony had been the killer
type he could have become the
world heavyweight boxing cham
pion, although I never heard Of
him boxing"
Olympics Big Goal.
Ed heard 1t said, when Plansky
was at Georgetown: ssThat guy
could be q great football player
II he really had the heart for
It," It long since has been estab-
lished that Tony's seeming lack
Of spirit on the gridiron at times
was due to a consuming interest
in track. His top ambition was
to compete in the Olympics and
his second strongest desire to be
a golf pro. For many years he's
been the track and, golf coach
at Williams ColIeges
I recalled q day when Plansky
played football with@ spirit sell
dom matched. In the George
town-Fordham game of 1925, the
big fellows pride was hurt when
the Rams gave him q going over.
The following year, the Hoyas
and Rams closed their seasons
with a game ct the Polo Grounds.
Unbeaten Fordham was q Al
favorite, although Georgetown
had lost only one game, and that
q freakish 80 affair with Buck
nell in heavy rain.
Crowd Pays Tribute.
Plansky was like wrought-up
tiger. On Fordham's first three
plays he nailed the runner at
the line. Once. on a. 60-yard
sprint across the goal, he ran
right over the Fordharn safety,
who was q first-rate football
player. These incidents typified
his performance.
Georgetown won, 27-0, with a
magnificent team effort. But
when Plansky left the field near
the end Of the game, the hotly
partisan crowd forgot its differ
ences In a standing tribute to
him.
TONY was truly great that
day." said Hagerty. who starred
in the same game, "but he was