Akron Hoops Legend Sam Serves (1921-2008)

Akron lost a great one this week when Sam Serves passed away Sunday at the age of 86. As written in Tuesday’s Beacon Journal, Mr. Serves was a basketball standout at the University of Akron (he left the school as its second all-time leading scorer), who later became a successful area businessman. We met Mr. Serves as youngsters on the local hoops scene, and got to know him as something more than that; that is, a friend, coach, mentor, and role model, who wanted to see everyone succeed and, until his health would no longer allow for it, played an active role in helping those around him do just that.

Our favorite Sam Serves story comes from a piece that we read years ago in the Beacon Journal on Mr. Serves’ induction into the University of Akron Hall of Fame. This story is a testimony to Mr. Serves’ greatness, and aptly demonstrates that it’s true what his daughter Susan said to the Beacon Journal; Nothing was handed to Sam Serves.

The story goes like this: As a high school freshman at Akron’s East High, Sam went out for the varsity wrestling team. As it goes on wrestling teams, teammates at each weight class wrestle one another at practice to determine who wrestles at that weight class in the varsity slot. In Sam’s weight class (which was somewhere around 112 or 119 as we recall), was the defending Ohio State Champion. Freshman Sam beat him. Coach, not wanting to believe that he had to start a freshman over his defending State Champ, called the match too close, and had them wrestle again. Again, Sam won. We don’t exactly recall whether they repeated the song-and-dance a third or fourth time, but the upshot is that coach still wouldn’t give Sam the varsity slot. Understandably frustrated, Sam walked away from the wrestling mat, right onto the basketball court. Of course, the rest is history.

This story to us represents a lot of what made Sam such a success. When he found one door closed to him, he went through another door to find success, as frustrating as it might have been to do so. And its important to remember that fewer doors were open for folks like Sam in those days than they are today. This was the late 1930’s and early 40’s. Sam was the son of Greek immigrants, and the country was suffering and recovering from the effects of the Great Depression. Whether from Greece, Ireland, Italy, or somewhere else, it is an understatement to say that many Americans at that time didn’t take kindly to folks who came off boats, no matter the color of their skin. Maybe that explains Sam’s treatment by his former wrestling coach, and maybe not (it probably does). But the point is that thanks to the efforts of folks like Mr. Serves, America is a place where the best wrestler at each weight class is more likely to wrestle in the varsity slot than he was before folks like Mr. Serves paved the way. And of course we’re not just talking about wrestling. Sam struggled to make this world a better place for his kids and grandkids. His memory will help us do the same for ours. Rest in peace, Sam, and thank you.