Achieving first-name-only status in Boston amateur sports is as rare as it is privileged. In the case of Francis “Buddy” Powers, originally of Gwinnett Street, Hyde Park, the copyright is undeniable. Even now, whether in the majestic clubhouse at George Wright GC, at a Catholic Memorial or Boston University hockey game or in the Bowling Green or RPI college rink, the question “How’s Buddy doing?” refers unmistakably to the same Hyde Park kid, now 70 years old, with the celebrated playing and coaching career.
And to put the cherry on the sundae, Buddy is now father of two Division 1 college golf coaches, John (head men’s coach at Bowling Green) and Caroline (assistant women’s coach at Michigan State).
Hockey was Buddy’s true calling, however. His single-minded devotion shifted and the golf precocity held true to form on the ice, racking up point after point, even as a freshman for a CM juggernaut. In college, as a left wing for Jack Parker at BU, Buddy played 90 games from 1972-75, with third place NCAA finishes in both his junior and senior seasons (49-13-1 overall record those two years).
Playing career over, Buddy methodically built a college hockey coaching career, brick-by-brick. Then he passed that coaching gift on to his kids, only it transferred over to golf.
