Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 3, 1993 TAG: 9308030121
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOSTON LENGTH: Long
There were soft sobs, and occasional wails of anguish during the funeral service, and one long outburst of applause that followed Keith Motley's urging to rise and send a message to the heavens.
"You can wake up the angels, because they weren't expecting Reggie. And you know how it is at the pearly gates, so let's give my man that standing ovation that meant so much to him," said Motley, dean of student services and associate coach at Northeastern. "Reg-gie, Reg-gie. Let's wake up the angels. Let my man in."
Mourners rose and applauded for nearly a minute.
The funeral for the 27-year-old team captain was the largest ever in Boston, according to a historical society, and was covered live by all three network affiliates and cable television.
"Everybody knows Reggie now," cried Terry Dozier, a cousin of Lewis who was among several speakers at Northeastern University's Matthews Arena, where Lewis had been a college star.
Officials said 15,000 to 20,000 people passed through the arena during a viewing and memorial service. Others lined the 4.7-mile route to Forest Hills Cemetery, where Lewis was buried.
Lewis' professional teammates vowed to preserve his legacy that extended into the entire community.
"Every time I take to the court this year, it's going to be in memory of Reggie Lewis," Celtics center Robert Parish said at the service, "because that easy and warm smile that Reggie Lewis had will always be etched in my mind forever."
Lewis died last Tuesday of cardiac arrest while shooting baskets at Brandeis University, three months after he collapsed in a playoff game against Charlotte.
Lewis got differing diagnoses after his April 29 collapse, with some doctors saying he had a dangerous heart ailment and others saying he had a minor nerve disorder and "a normal athlete's heart."
Autopsy results were not expected for at least several days.
Dave Gavitt, Celtics' senior executive vice president, said Lewis brought out the best in everyone, even in death.
"Isn't it amazing that here in conservative, staid New England and Boston that this soft young man from Balitmore had to leave us to make us understand that it was all right to tell each other that we love each other and that we care for each other?" Gavitt asked.
Friends and colleagues praised Lewis for his silken jump shots, for giving away Thanksgiving turkeys, for working with underprivileged kids.
"He was Superman on the basketball court and Clark Kent off it," said Northeastern president Jack Curry. "Reggie Lewis was a genuine hero."
Mourners had waited, some for five hours, before shuffling in silence past Lewis' open casket. One waved, others closed their eyes as they said goodbye.
On a humid day with temperatures in the mid-80s, 16 mourners suffered heat prostration, and four received treatment, said Jack Grinold, sports information director at Northeastern.
Some fans were in shorts and T-shirts, others came in business suits. Several wore Celtics jerseys with Lewis' number 35. A Cub Scout troop, in uniform, carried an American flag.
Grandparents brought toddlers. Ten-year-old Joy Dowling brought a card she wrote in crayon that concluded, "I really like Reggie. He's a hero."
Kenneth Catino had the number 35 shaved into his hair.
Speakers ranging from former Celtics player Dennis Johnson to brother Irvin Lewis poured out emotion from the stage, with a banner representing Reggie Lewis' retired Northeastern jersey hanging from the rafters. Several wept.
"Reggie embodied everything that's right about basketball and everything that's right about sports. Reggie was about simple things. His gentleness, which we all felt. A wink. That special, special smile," said Jim Calhoun, who coached Lewis at Northeastern and now is the coach at Connecticut. "I may coach another great player. The Celtics I know will have other captains. The NBA will have other All-Stars. But we'll never have another Reggie."
Black bunting covered the Northeastern crest on the outside of Matthews Arena. A 10-foot green and white floral arrangement stood at the front of the arena, bearing the message: "All our love, the Celtics family."
Lewis, a 6-foot-7 guard who became captain when Bird retired after the 1991-92 season, led the Celtics in scoring the past two seasons.
The archdiocese of Boston and the Bostonian Society, a private historical society, said the funeral was the largest ever held in the city.
by CNB