University of Massachusets Athletics
Grutchfield Inducted Into UMass Hall of Fame
December 16, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2002
Doug Grutchfield joins an elite class of UMass student-athletes this year as he enters the school's Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2002. The former Minuteman forward played three seasons from 1951 to 1961 under coaches Robert T. Curran and Matthew Zunic.
A three-year letterwinner, Grutchfield set 13 school records during his career. He tallied a then-record 1,257 points in just 74 games for the Maroon and White, a mark that currently ranks as the 15th-best in Minuteman history. Grutchfield also earned second team All-Yankee Conference honors as a sophomore in 1958-59 before earning unanimous first team honors in his final two seasons while also being named first team All-ECAC. In his senior season, Grutchfield captained the Minutemen to a 16-10 record, a win total that ranked as the second-highest in school history at that time.
Recalled former Minuteman coaching legend Jack Leaman, a former Boston University star who played against Grutchfield, "Doug was an outstanding player, and fun to play against. He was a very good shooter, especially for a big guy. He used to stand out there and just knock down that jumper."
Grutchfield led UMass in scoring in both his junior and senior years and paced the team in rebounding in his sophomore and junior seasons. He was also the first player in school history to lead the team in field goal percentage in three consecutive seasons.
His success and leadership did not end with his collegiate career, though, as he went on to become the winningest high school basketball coach in Massachusetts history with 588 career wins at the time of his retirement last June. Grutchfield, a teacher and coach for more than 35 years, won 21 league titles and seven district crowns. He was also named 1994's National High School Athletic Director of the Year.
Grutchfield's numbers and accomplishments speak for themselves, but it is the way in which he reached such prominence that speaks volumes about the man himself.
"There is no real easy answer," said Grutchfield of his accomplishments. "It's a philosophy you have to do the very best you can do at what you do."
His ranking amongst UMass' all-time leaders in scoring with 1,257 points, scoring average with 17 points a game, field goals attempted with 1,207, and rebound average with 10.6 rebounds a game, is evidence enough of his hard work and dedication. But for Grutchfield, this philosophy is not one solely applied to athletics, it is a philosophy for life, too.
Grutchfield lost his father when he was just six years old and lived with a working mother in North Quincy. He spent much of his time as a child alone and it was then when he took on the challenge and desire to succeed.
"I found myself fighting my way up, trying to be something special," recalled Grutchfield.
He went to high school in North Quincy, and sought out male influences in the form of teachers and coaches. The many facets of athletics helped to round out Grutchfield's character. "I was lucky to have a very strong willed football coach and a compassionate basketball coach and I've always tried to be the combination of both."
His devotion to succeed, both on and off the court, led Grutchfield to several distinct honors during his collegiate career, earning All-Yankee Conference and All-ECAC honors. His most shinning moment occurred though, in front of a regional television audience as he was honored as one of Look magazine's college basketball All-Americans. The team was comprised of 40 players from five regions, with Grutchfield representing the Northeast.
Grutchfield spent seven years in Amherst, four as a player with UMass and three as a coach of the Amherst Regional High School basketball team following his graduation. In just his third year as head coach at Amherst Regional, Grutchfield won the first of his 21 league titles. "You are always proud of the first one, especially because we played it at UMass only three years after leaving."
Success would not soon elude him. Soon after leading Amherst Regional High School to the Commonwealth's small school championship in 1963-64, Grutchfield went on to coach at Fitchburg High School where he won 20 league titles, seven district crowns, and over 500 games. He was named Coach of the Year three times and in 1999 Grutchfield was inducted to the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame along with Jim Calhoun; the current head coach of the Connecticut Huskies.
As Athletic Director at Fitchburg High School, Grutchfield continued to win not just basketball games, but also recognition for his devotion to the game and to the kids he coached. In 1994, he was named Massachusetts Athletic Director of the Year, then continued on to win the Eastern Region of the United States Athletic Director of the Year, then finally was named National High School Athletic Director of the Year award.
It is somewhat fitting that perhaps the last of Doug Grutchfield's achievements comes at the hands of the University of Massachusetts, where his pride in himself and his work ethic began to show through. Grutchfield's philosophical desire to be his very best lands him in UMass' Athletic Hall of Fame this year. The same workman's attitude that focused him on winning games for the Minutemen of UMass has shown even truer after his playing career ended.
"The UMass Hall of Fame is a great honor," said Grutchfield, "It opitimizes what I stand for."
As gaudy as his list of accolades is, Grutchfield takes more pride in the act of achieving rather then achievement itself. He'd rather talk pride than numbers. The path he chose, it seems, is all the reward he needs.