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Hall of Fame

  1. CCRI
  2. CCRI Athletics
  3. Athletics Hall of Fame
  4. Class of 1984

Class of 1984

VCVin Cullen

In 1965 being a math professor at CCRI, Coach Cullen was assigned to induct an athletic program, one that has now developed into one of the best athletic programs in the North East. 

In his 37 years as a basketball coach, he accumulated 711 wins, 28 coach of the year awards, one national coach of the year.  His teams earned 10 regional championships, were nationally ranked during 16 seasons, and achieved the No. 1 ranking and a national runner-up finish in 1991.  He directed 11 varsity sports and an intramural program as Athletic Director and has won 2 national athletic director of the year honors; he was also directly involved with the planning of the two athletic facilities.  He won a National Youth Sports Program Grant allowing 425 kids that benefitted from it. 

Cullen is a member of eight other halls of fame, including the NJCAA Coaches Hall of Fame, the NACDA Hall of Fame, the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame and the NATYCAA Hall of Fame.

WFDr. William Flanagan

Dr. Flanagan was the founding President of Rhode Island Junior College.  He oversaw the college’s enrollment growth from 300 to 9,000 at his retirement in 1978 and during his 14 years as president, he incorporated the Blackstone Valley Campus, which is now renamed to his name. 

On the athletic side, he encouraged the development of the athletic department and always supported every effort to improve and make it bigger.  He believed that athletics is an important part of a complete education.  Dr. Flanagan had always made sure that there was enough funding available and that lead him to be the driving force behind one of the first collegiate fieldhouses in the North East; he also wanted to make sure that the Lincoln Campus had an equal fieldhouse. 

Because of his encouragement, CCRI had a successful debut in the athletic world.

SANTOSRichard Santos

In CCRI’s athletic program, no one had dominated basketball like Richard Santos did.  He held the former records for most points in one game with 44 points, in a single season with 731 points and has a career total of 1338 points. 

He was CCRI’s first All - American in 1973 and is the only player to win Rhode Island Outstanding Junior College Player Award in consecutive years.  Santos continued to play basketball at Providence College and became captain for the Friars in his senior year.  After receiving his bachelor’s degree of science from Providence College, he started coaching the women’s basketball team at CCRI in 1978 and ended in 1984 and in that time, he led them to 2 New England tournaments. 

He is also a part of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Rhode Island Interscholastic League of Basketball Legends.