Jim Boeheim has a lengthy resume.
He’s been the head man of Syracuse basketball since 1976 and took the ‘Cuse to three national championship games. Boeheim’s teams lost in their first two appearances before riding a young Carmelo Anthony to a victory over Kansas in 2003.
However, before his career was centered around hoops, Boeheim was a member of the Syracuse golf team.
“It was fun,’’ Boeheim said in a piece at Syracuse.com. “I wasn’t that good. I was probably the fifth or sixth guy on the team. At that time, I was in the mid-to-high 70s.’’
He earned two varsity letters in 1964 and ’65, while earning a 6-6-1 record as an individual during that span.
“He was a legitimate 3-handicap,’’ said Charlie Jurgonis, who played on the team from 1962 to 1964. “By legitimate, I mean he could go play another course and play well. He could play to a 3 anywhere he went.’
“He knew he was a good putter. He knew he just had to get it on the green and he had a chance.’’
The 1964 Syracuse golf team
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Ted Till, who spent one year playing with Boeheim, classified the legend as a grinder.
“He had a very good short game. He was not an exceptionally long hitter. I wasn’t either. We probably hit the ball about the same distance. He was a cerebral golfer. He had a good swing.’’
In Scott Pitoniak’s Boeheim biography titled “Color Him Orange,’’ Barry Buchsbaum said: “Jim was just like he is on the basketball sidelines – he was a whiner. The only difference was that he would be swearing at himself instead of the referees because golf is an individual sport. He’d miss a shot and start cursing at himself. He was very hard on himself. But he was a lot of fun to play with and a great teammate.’’
Not only did Boeheim play for the golf squad, he coached it. Till finished his career as a member of the Boeheim-led squad.
“Coaching golf was fun,’’ Boeheim said. “I’d send those guys out and then I’d go out the back. They’d play front and back and I’d play the back and then the front.’’
In his final year of coaching (1973), the Orange went 5-2.
On Wednesday, Syracuse announced Boeheim will not return to coach the Orange. Associate head coach Adrian Autry will be promoted to replace the 78-year-old Boeheim.
