When the 1965-66 Cony High School boys basketball team took the court, opponents knew they were facing a force unlike any other in Maine’s sporting history. The Rams finished the season with a perfect 23-0 record, a feat that remains unmatched in state annals, and they did so with a margin of victory that hovered near thirty points per game.
Central to their dominance was a suffocating 2-2-1 press that turned defense into offense, generating turnovers that fueled a relentless fast break. The style was as much a tactical masterpiece as it was a statement of confidence, and it cemented the team’s reputation as the era’s most feared squad.
At the heart of that press was guard Don Crosby, a Parade Magazine All-American whose scoring prowess and court vision made him the face of the team. Alongside him, forward Dave Cannan formed a dynamic duo that opponents struggled to contain. Both players later carried the lessons of that championship season into college and beyond, but for many, the memory of their high school brilliance never faded.
The transformation that made such a run possible began years earlier, when Coach Dick Hunt took over a program that had managed only two wins the previous year. Under his guidance, the Rams evolved from a modest squad into a state championship powerhouse, a journey that culminated in the program’s first-ever title and a place in the cultural fabric of Augusta.
Community Pride and Celebration
The Rams’ success sparked an outpouring of local enthusiasm. Games at the Augusta Armory regularly drew crowds of two thousand, and the team’s triumph was marked by a parade that wound through downtown and a meeting with Governor John H. Reed, underscoring the cultural significance of their achievement. Even today, the echoes of that era resonate in the city’s collective memory.
Decades later, the legacy of that historic team is being formally recognized. Former players, now in their sixties, will reunite for the induction ceremony at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, where the 1965-66 squad will be enshrined in the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame. The event offers a rare opportunity for the surviving members — including Don Crosby, Roger Katz, Malcolm Merrill, Fred Drake, Armand Doiron, Mike Parquette, and others — to reflect on a shared chapter of their lives that shaped their identities.
The ceremony will also honor the memory of teammates who have passed away, such as Bill Goodwin, Gerry Michaud, and Dick Paganucci, while celebrating the enduring bonds that still connect the former Rams. As the hall of fame welcomes this legendary team, the story of their undefeated season serves as a reminder of what can be achieved through teamwork, discipline, and community support.