After the recent passing of his wife, Missie, former Celtics player Bob Cousy ’50 spoke with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette about his 63 years of marriage. In the moving interview, Cousy described how their love developed over the years, and how they moved together through his career, raising their children and navigating her struggles with dementia.
"Our marriage was somewhat contrary to tradition," he told the Telegram. "Most couples have the most intensity in the beginning. But I was always working. So we had the best and most romantic part of our marriage at the end. We literally held hands for the last 20 years."
Read the Telegram & Gazette column
National and international media outlets are drawing attention to the column. As of the morning of Oct. 7, the column had generated 357,000 page views, according to Noah R. Bombard, digital editor at the Telegram & Gazette.
- Deadspin, Oct. 1: “This Story About Bob Cousy Mourning His Wife Will Break Your Heart”
- Yahoo! Sports/ThePostGame.com, Oct. 1: “Bob Cousy Opens Up About His Late Wife”
- Daily Mail, Oct. 1: "The tear-jerking story of how NBA legend Bob Cousy, 85, went to extraordinary lengths to let his dementia-suffering wife believe she was still healthy"
- USA Today/The Big Lead, Oct. 2: “Bob Cousy’s Long Goodbye to His Wife”
- The Delaware County Daily Times, Oct. 3: "Cousy's biggest assist was personal"
- Patheos.com, Oct. 3: "The Husband Who Would Not Leave His Wife Behind"
- International Business Times, Oct. 4: "This Will Make A Grown Man Cry: Article on Basketball Great Bob Cousy and Wife Goes Viral"
- ESPN, Oct. 4: "Cousy and a long goodbye"
- The Guardian, Oct. 4: "Our favourite things this week: the best sports journalism from around the web"
- Telegram & Gazette, Oct. 6: "Cousy's love story was moving"
- Beliefnet, Oct. 7: "Celtics Great Bob Cousy Gives Lesson in True Love"
- Breakpoint.org, Oct. 8: "A Celtic Great, Even Greater"
- Telegram & Gazette, Oct. 10: "Bob Cousy memory is a tale out of school"
This ‘Holy Cross in the News’ item by Sara Bovat ’14.