Don Dempsey

Basketball
Forward
(1964-68)

Inducted 1984

Fresh off a fine career at East Haven High School, Don Dempsey stepped onto the New Haven College campus and became one of the top forwards in Charger basketball history.  He was known for his excellent shooting ability from outside, yet he also was a terror going up for the basket underneath.  Dempsey was one of the key figures with what many people called the greatest team they ever saw, the 1965-66 squad that went 29-2 in his sophomore season.  As a junior, the forward averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds, but his most memorable performance came in his senior year.  Dempsey recorded his 1,000th career point in a victory over Salem that propelled the Chargers into the N.A.I.A. National playoffs.  In 99 career games, he averaged over ten points and nine rebounds, ranking in eight offensive top-ten categories.  Dempsey also played with four Hall of Famers, Gary Liberatore, Jack Kelly, Dick Jackson and Phil Andros. He later went on to become a prominent executive in a local bank.  When University of New Haven basketball fans recall Don Dempsey, they will think of a player who somehow, some way, would always rise to the occasion.