Love of basketball motivated Frank "Moose" Stronczek's success at Chicopee and AIC


CHICOPEE - How Frank "Moose" Stronczek started playing basketball is interesting - even a little inspiring.

Where basketball took Stronczek is most impressive.

And where Stronczek stands today is a bit concerning.

The former Chicopee High School and American International College great wants a specific responsibility, yet that responsibility is no longer available.

Stronczek is on the verge of turning 65, which is often an age when peoples' lives are settled and a daily routine well-established. Stronczek, however, enjoys no such luxury, as he prepares to embark on an unknown road for an unknown period of time - alone.

Stronczek grew up on Providence Street in the Aldenville section of Chicopee. He was always big. With his long arms, long legs, big feet and big hands, he was clumsy. He also had a breathing problem.

"I never noticed it, but my parents did," said Stronczek, referring to his shortness of breath.

Frank and Freda Stronczek took their oldest child to the local pediatrician, who diagnosed the then 10-year-old Stronczek with what was called a 'lazy lung.'

"He told my father the best thing for me to do was to play basketball," Stronczek said. "So my dad enrolled me in the Fairview Basketball Program. My first coach was Ed Champagne, and he took me under his wing. That's when I fell in love with basketball."

His passion was so evident that when he was 12 years old, Stronczek's dad built him a basketball court in the family's backyard.

"I remember growing up, when my dad found out I loved the game of basketball so much, he built a hoop for me in the backyard," he said. "I would go out in the backyard, whether it was raining, snowing or icy, and I would practice Wilt Chamberlain's dip move."

By his sheer size, including his wing span, Stronczek dominated games, especially in the paint. While playing for Patrick Bowe Junior High in Chicopee, Stronczek caught the attention of Chicopee High legendary basketball coach Bill Moge.

When Stronczek entered his freshman year at Chicopee, Moge told freshman coach Tommy Hurst and junior varsity coach Dan Dulchinos to work with the raw youngster.

"I have to thank coach Hurst, Dulchinos and Moge for doing that for me because it led to bigger and better things," Stronczek said. "I never complained. If it wasn't for those three coaches, things wouldn't have worked out for me the way things did."

And things did work out. In his three varsity seasons, the rebounding machine led the Pacers to a pair of Valley League titles while scoring 1,102 points, all the while soaking in his nickname, "Moose." The 6-foot-7 center was named the 1962 John H. Lahovich Award winner as the area's top player.

Stronczek earned a full-ride to storied Holy Cross, where he averaged 16 points and 17 rebounds on the freshman team. While he enjoyed the basketball program, he said he never felt comfortable at the school, and at the great displeasure of his parents, he dropped out of college during winter break of his sophomore year.

"It was all-male, and very, very religiously orientated being run by the Jesuits," Stronczek said. "Coming from a big public high school and never having gone to any Catholic school, it was a total culture shock for me."

Stronczek wanted to continue to play basketball in college. By dropping out, though, he would have to sit out a full year (two semesters) of basketball, yet he needed immediate financial assistance. He went to the University of Massachusetts and Springfield College administrations, but both schools said they couldn't offer any money until the following fall.

After his meeting at the Springfield College Fieldhouse, Stronczek was unsure of his future. He stopped in at the Charm Cafe to "figure out my next move." Moments later, that move was made.

"I was sitting there and this little guy walks in," Stronczek recalled. "He sits next to me, orders a couple drinks, and starts talking to me about playing at AIC."

That little guy was AIC coach Bill Callahan. That afternoon, with the complete support of Director of Athletics Henry Butova, Stronczek was enrolled and given a full-ride to AIC.

The timing couldn't have been better. Stronczek teamed with, among others, High School of Commerce great Henry Payne and future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame selection Jim Calhoun to build AIC into a New England Division II powerhouse. The Yellowjackets reached the NCAA Division II tournament twice, with Stronczek's play in the paint instrumental to the team's success.

"So, how good was it that I went to AIC? How many people can say they played with a teammate who's in the Basketball Hall of Fame? And, that was the only time two Lahovich Award winners played on the same team in college," said Stronczek, referring to Payne.

Stronczek was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA and the Houston Mavericks of the ABA in 1967. He signed a $5,000 bonus to play for the Mavericks, where he had "two cups of coffee and a donut."

He later played for the All-Army team, as well as in Germany and Belgium, where his rebounding carried him to international stardom. When his basketball career was over, in the mid-1970s, he moved to Seattle, where he was neighbors with NBA legend Bill Russell. After 10 years out west, he took a job at a private country club in Florida.

In the late 1980s, though, the health of his parents was failing. Stronczek, a beloved basketball star who led a carefree life for so many years, returned to the region so he could keep tabs on his parents. He eventually moved into their house.

"It was quite difficult for my mom because she wasn't feeling very well," Stronczek said. "She had become diabetic. In the late '90s she went into a diabetic shock - into a coma - and she ended up going blind. So all of a sudden she couldn't take care of my dad, so I became the primary care giver for both my mom and dad."

Stronczek's dad died of Alzheimer's in 2004. He spent the next five years tending daily to his mother. She died in January. Stronczek said life goes on, but where exactly, he doesn't know.

"As for the future, I'm about to be 65, and I had to take an early Social Security retirement at the age of 62," the unmarried 64-year-old said. "With these tough economic times, I'm probably going to hit the pavement and pick up some part-time job for 20-25 hours a week. I don't know.

"I'd rather have the responsibility of taking care my mom - her every want and every need - I'd much rather have that than no responsibility at all."

While his future is uncertain, Stronczek's past is cemented. He was one of the region's all-time greats, both at the high school and college levels. He still loves being called "Moose," and he gets excited when people talk to him about the glory days.

"For people to remember me from a half-century ago, that does me well."