force for the game against Union and, like a Hollywood movie, Goulakos scored the final goal in a 4-1 win. “It was unbelievable,” said Vaughan. “It’s an incredible story, and we hope he continues to feel well. We will see how it goes, but right now he looks like he hasn’t missed a step. He is a real inspiration.” Simply being cleared to play was a gift for Goulakos — especially because the game was on his 23rd birthday. Returning to Montreal for treatment every couple of weeks, Goulakos finished the season playing on a caseby-case basis. At press time, he was still attending classes, and doctors are optimistic regarding his recovery because they were able to identify and diagnose the cancer early. “I have had a lot of support from everyone at Colgate,” Goulakos said. “The team has been especially supportive, and that helps.” The team raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at their games against Union and Rensselaer. And, they found a way to make sure Goulakos is always with them as he tries to beat his toughest opponent: they’ve placed “SG6” (his initials and jersey number) stickers on their helmets.
nominated by participating institutions. Srikar Gullapalli ’13 also received a Watson, and will be studying local citizen-government relationships in several different countries.
Men’s hockey rallies around Spiro Goulakos ’15
Defenseman Spiro Goulakos ’15 was an inspiration to his team this past season when, after being diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma and undergoing treatment in late January, he returned to the lineup sooner than expected. Goulakos was having a great year on the blue line for the Raiders, leading the power play unit as one of the top players in the league, before heading home to Montreal for winter break. During a routine physical exam, one of the lab tests returned abnormal results. Additional tests revealed that Goulakos had a large swelling in his chest. More tests were performed in Montreal, and Goulakos underwent further tests with Colgate team physician Dr. Merrill Miller upon his return to Hamilton. Those results showed a likely lymphoma in his chest. On the final weekend of January, he broke the news to the team that he would begin chemotherapy immediately. “The news came as quite a shock to everyone,” said Head Coach Don Vaughan. “Spiro is such an integral part of our team and adored by his teammates.” However, Goulakos and his teammates got a lift in mid-February when he unexpectedly returned to the lineup after successfully going through his first round of treatment. The student body came out in full
Looney catches recognition for academic prowess
Bob Cornell
Spiro Goulakos ’15
Capping an amazing senior season, wide receiver Chris Looney ’13 was named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Division I Football Team. Selected for first-team honors by the College Sports Information Directors of America, he is Colgate’s first Academic All-America recipient since John Frieser in 2003. Like Frieser, Looney was also named Patriot League Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year in his senior year. In November, Looney was named to the Capital One Academic All-District I Team. Looney was joined on the Academic All-America first team at wide receiver by Liberty University’s Pat Kelly. An international relations and history major with a 3.90 grade point average, Looney led the Raiders to an 8-4 record and the Patriot League championship. He earned All-Patriot League second-team honors after leading Colgate in all three receiving categories with: 43 receptions, 776 yards, and 6 touchdowns. A Verona, N.J., native, Looney has
Where are they now? Art Bayern ’54
Left: 1952, behind the Beta Theta Pi house; Right: 2013, keeping score for the Spurs Art Bayern ’54 is proud to have earned a San Antonio Spurs championship watch and multiple championship rings. But he didn’t earn them on the court — rather, from behind a table. For the past 38 years, Bayern has been working front-row and center as a member of the statistical and scoring crew for one of the NBA’s model franchises. As a Colgate student, Bayern played tennis and also tried out for baseball, but he was a walk-on who didn’t see much roster time. Instead, he participated with the school’s marching and concert bands and also served as a track and field manager. Air Force flight training in San Angelo, Texas, brought Bayern to the Lone Star State after graduation. He completed service as an instructor pilot at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, spent a few years with IBM there, married a Texas gal, and attended law school at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1965, he was hired by a firm in San Antonio, and away they went. Fast-forwarding 10 years, working the professional basketball circuit still wasn’t in Bayern’s plans. He was co-coaching his son’s basketball team, and the other coach happened to be running a stat team for the Spurs. “He was always looking for people to help him,” Bayern recalled. But, as he told his friend: “I have two little boys and I’m trying to build a law practice. I don’t have time for that.” They struck a deal that, in exchange for filling in once in a while, Bayern would get tickets and meals. Fill-in turned into full time and, now, 38 years later, “I’ve done every job they have on the official table, including game clock, the 24-second clock, and now scoreboard operator.” Not only does Bayern have a close-up view of the world’s best professional basketballers at the beautiful AT&T Center (home of the Spurs), but he also welcomes quite a few of those players into his own place of business at the Bayern, Aycock & Bayern law firm. “I do estate planning and probate work, and I get referrals from their agents, generally.” Bayern, 79, recalled one impromptu player meeting that had nothing to do with his counseling skills. “Calvin Murphy, who was with the Houston Rockets, came right over the scorer’s table,” he said. “I got a footprint on my stat sheet. He had stepped on the table and then jumped right over me and somebody in the seats caught him. There have been many memorable moments, but that was a close call.” In addition to staffing all 41 Spurs home games during the regular season, the timekeeper has also occasionally mixed in an NCAA Final Four — four, in fact. San Antonio has hosted three men’s and one women’s Final Fours; Bayern has been right there at center court. “My wife calls herself a basketball widow,” he joked. Although he no longer gets tickets for his family — “they are too valuable,” Bayern said — he does get paid, a parking pass, and a free meal. And, every now and then, maybe a footprint or two. — John Painter Latest in a series of “Where are they now?” profiles on members of the Colgate athletics family. Visit Gocolgateraiders.com for more.
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