Hall of Fame
Joe Flower, who served as the head men’s basketball coach at Mercy College from 1976-85, amassed 84 victories, which ranks as the most in program history. Flower guided his squad to a 17-10 record in 1976-77 (.630), and to a 16-10 finish in 1977-78 (.615), which rank second and third, respectively, in the program’s single season wins category.
Flower coached some of the most successful squads and individuals in men’s basketball program history, including three current Mercy Athletics Hall of Famers -- Tom Sivulich ‘80 (HOF ‘11), Brian Donohue ‘78 (HOF ‘09) and Robert Davis ‘86 (HOF ‘08). Sivulich and Donohue both scored over 1,000 points in their careers, while Davis is the only player in Mercy history to eclipse the 2,000-career point plateau.
From 1976-78, Flower’s teams put up gaudy offensive numbers. In 1976-77, the Flyers led all of Division III by averaging 103.5 points per game. The 1977-78 squad averaged 100.2 points per contest, which led all three NCAA divisions.
Flower also holds the distinction of coaching the 1979-80 squad that defeated a Division I school for the first time in school history, as Mercy toppled Colgate, 77-73.
