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Three former student-athletes and one team comprise the Maroon Club Hall of Fame Class of 2013. Harvey Cohen ’40, Don Lordan ’65, Ali Murphy ’97, and the 1971-72 NIT men’s basketball team were honored at a ceremony during the fall semester.
Harvey Cohen ’40 – Men’s Lacrosse
Harvey Cohen ’40
Cohen served as team captain for the Leopards for three seasons. In 1939, he was the high scorer in the state of Pennsylvania and in 1939 and 1940 he was selected to the All-Pennsylvania Team. At Lafayette, Cohen also was a member of the football team from 1936-37, played soccer from 1939-40, and was the Golden Gloves boxing champion in 1940.
After graduating, he served in World War II before earning his law degree from Harvard in 1947. He later founded the Murtagh, Cohen, and Byrne law firm.
Cohen has had a long, illustrious career in lacrosse. He founded the North Hempstead Lacrosse Club in 1982 and established the United States Club Lacrosse Association (USCLA), where he served as president, treasurer, and representative. In 1985, Cohen began his three-year stint as part of the Lacrosse Foundation Board of Directors. In 1986, he was named an administrator and selector for the U.S. Lacrosse National Teams. He served as a selector for more than 20 years for teams in Manchester, England, and Perth, Australia.
Cohen was inducted into the Long Island Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1986 before being inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame two years later. In 1988, he was also inducted into the Manhasset (High School) Hall of Fame as well as the Port Washington Youth Activities Hall of Fame. He coaches youth lacrosse in Long Island.
Cohen resides in Manhasset, N.Y. He has three children—Barry, Beth, and Doug—and six grandchildren.
Donald P. Lordan ’65 – Baseball
Donald Lordan ’65 slides into first.
Don Lordan, an All-League First teamer, led the Leopards to the 1965 College World Series, where they faced Arizona State. During the 1965 season, Lordan racked up the third-most wins in a single season (9) in 93.2 innings pitched with 66 strikeouts. His record of 93.2 innings pitched stands as the second most in a single season and his record for strikeouts is tied for sixth most. Lordan was also a top-notch hitter, and he led his team with a .404 batting average during the 1965 season.
On April 4, 1963, Lordan was one of three pitchers who combined for a no-hitter in a game against Muhlenberg. Although it was the first game he ever pitched, he had four strikeouts.
After graduating, Lordan signed with the Milwaukee Braves. He then served in the National Guard.
Lordan ran a sporting goods store and has been working in the sports memorabilia business for over 28 years. He has also worked with the All American Baseball Academy in Warrington, Pa., organizing baseball camps and clinics for more than 48 years.
Lordan has one daughter, Kady Lynn.
Alexandra Murphy Bruder ’97 – Field Hockey
Alexandra Murphy Bruder ’97
Bruder served as team captain her senior year at Lafayette. She led the Leopards to the program’s seventh Patriot League regular-season title in 1996. She named to both the All-Patriot League and All-Mid-East First Team three times. She also earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-America Third-Team honors.
In 1997, Bruder received the Charles L. Albert ’08 Award, presented annually to the senior male and female student-athletes judged the most outstanding competitors by Lafayette’s head coaches and athletic administrators. She was also an honoree by the Lehigh Valley Association of Intercollegiate Athletic Women.
After graduating, Murphy worked as a television producer for CBS Philadelphia and Comcast. She lives in Malvern, Pa., with her husband, Jim, and their five children, Jimmy, Charlotte, Paul, Richard, and Harper.
1971-72 Men’s Basketball Team
The 1971-’72 men’s basketball team
The 1971-72 men’s basketball team earned a bid to the National Invitation Tournament and finished the year with a 21-6 record. It was coached by Tom Davis and featured co-captain Tracy Tripucka ’72, still the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,973 points.
In the first round of the NIT, the Leopards faced Virginia at Madison Square Garden. The game went down to the wire. Co-captain Jay Mottola ’72 sunk a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining to seal the win over the Cavaliers.
The ’71-’72 group set school records with most points in a season (2,342), highest scoring average (86.7 PPG), and most free throws made with 654 (844 attempts). Tripucka also set a school record for field goals made with 263.
2 Comments
Of course Goodhart didn’t mention that Jacksonville had two 7 footers who later played in the NBA – but no matter. Tracy Tripucka had just four days between games to adjust his game to shoot his jump shot over the two defensive giants. His shots had the trajectory of infield popups.
I had the poster-sized photograph of Tripucka making those winning shots in my kitchen for a year – but it disappeared! Does the Maroon Club have any prints of that? (Of course, you didn’t mention that the ‘Pards lost to Jacksonville in the 2nd game – but no matter!)
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