Keohane Funeral Home

Jack Garrity, one of Massachusetts’ and Boston University’s legendary hockey players, passed away on August 31, 2015 at the age of 89 in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Jack is a Member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame; Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame; Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame; and Massachusetts Football Coaches Hall of Fame.

An outstanding hockey player, Jack was Captain, high scorer, All League and All Scholastic at Medford High School, where he led the Mustangs to two Massachusetts High School Hockey State Championship titles in 1943 and 1944.  Jack then joined the Army Air Corps and returned to the rink after WW II ended. He was one of just three non-college players to play for the 1948 US Olympic Hockey Team in Saint Moritz, Switzerland.

Following the Olympics, he entered B.U. in 1948, graduating in 3 years. In an era when freshmen could not play Varsity, Jack subsequently proceeded to rewrite B.U. and NCAA record books, despite playing only two seasons. In his first year, he broke the NCAA single season scoring record with 51 goals and 33 assists for 84 points, leading B.U. to the NCAA finals. The next year, as Co-Captain, Jack recorded 57 points en route to another NCAA Final Four. He was selected to both the 1950 and 1951 All American Hockey Teams. More than 60 years later, Jack still holds B.U.‘s single season records for goals and points and his 2-year 85 career goals ranks sixth on the all-time B.U. hockey list.

After graduation, Jack became a teacher as well as founding Athletic Director at the newly established Archbishop Williams High School. In his eleven-year tenure, he created the sports program and coached every sport. When Jack started the first hockey team, only a few students could stand up on skates, but under his coaching many would later become successful college hockey players. Also recognized as an outstanding football coach, Jack led Archbishop Williams to numerous undefeated seasons and championships, before continuing his coaching at Quincy High School and later, Milton Academy.

While teaching, coaching, refereeing, and completing his Masters Degree in Education, Jack continued to play standout senior amateur hockey. He was lead scorer for two local teams that won National Senior AHAUS titles in 1959 and 1960. A member of the 1960 US Olympic team, Jack was preparing for the Squaw Valley Olympics when he had to regretfully cede his spot after being denied a leave of absence from work. 

In 1972, during his one-year sabbatical, Jack, his wife Jean and their six children drove a Volkswagen van for 20,000 miles, as they camped across the Sahara Desert, through Central Africa to South Africa, back up the East African coast, and then through the Middle East. Inspired by their incredible trip, over the next 30 years they hosted hundreds of international visitors and students in their home, and continued to travel extensively across the US and 60 countries.

Like Jean, his wife of 61 years who passed away in 2006, Jack will be greatly missed by his six children: Jack Jr., Jill, Jeff, Jonathan, Christopher, Steven, their spouses and 11 grandchildren.

In celebration of Jack’s life, the family will hold a Memorial Service at the Milton Academy Chapel in Milton, MA at 2 PM, on December 12, 2015.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Friends of B.U. Hockey.