More Important Than Basketball
By ANNE HOLLIDAY
WESB/WBRR News Director
If you watch the St. Bonaventure women take on Notre Dame in Sunday’s Sweet 16 basketball match-up you might hear commentators make some comparisons between the two Catholic universities.
You’ll probably hear about their connections to 9/11, too.
Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw had been planning to take United Flight 175 out of Boston on September 11, 2001, but one of her assistants insisted that she take another flight that day, out of Providence. At the Providence airport, she saw and heard the TVs that told her about United Flight 175 crashing into the World Trade Center.
St. Bonaventure graduate Father Mychal Judge has been called “The Saint of 9/11” and was also designated as "Victim 0001," recognized as the first official victim of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
He was in the North Tower offering aid and prayers for the rescuers, the injured and dead when, at 9:59 a.m., the South Tower collapsed sending debris to the other tower and killing many inside, including Judge. At the moment he was hit in the head and killed, Judge was repeatedly praying out loud, "Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!” according to his biographer.
Other 9/11 connections exist for both universities and other comparisons can be made between the two, but these stick out more than any other.
They also serve as a reminder that – although basketball is in the forefront of the minds of students, alumni and fans this weekend – some things are more important than the final score of a game.
The news leader of the Twin Tiers ...
since 1947
WESB/WBRR News Director
If you watch the St. Bonaventure women take on Notre Dame in Sunday’s Sweet 16 basketball match-up you might hear commentators make some comparisons between the two Catholic universities.
You’ll probably hear about their connections to 9/11, too.
Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw had been planning to take United Flight 175 out of Boston on September 11, 2001, but one of her assistants insisted that she take another flight that day, out of Providence. At the Providence airport, she saw and heard the TVs that told her about United Flight 175 crashing into the World Trade Center.
St. Bonaventure graduate Father Mychal Judge has been called “The Saint of 9/11” and was also designated as "Victim 0001," recognized as the first official victim of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
He was in the North Tower offering aid and prayers for the rescuers, the injured and dead when, at 9:59 a.m., the South Tower collapsed sending debris to the other tower and killing many inside, including Judge. At the moment he was hit in the head and killed, Judge was repeatedly praying out loud, "Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!” according to his biographer.
Other 9/11 connections exist for both universities and other comparisons can be made between the two, but these stick out more than any other.
They also serve as a reminder that – although basketball is in the forefront of the minds of students, alumni and fans this weekend – some things are more important than the final score of a game.
The news leader of the Twin Tiers ...since 1947
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