Former B.M.C Durfee High boys basketball coach and athletic director Thomas “Skip” Karam died Sunday at age 91.
He was the Hilltoppers’ head coach from 1960-1995 and won 659 games and five state titles during his time with the program. He was the first coach in state history to reach 500 wins.
“For 36 years he dedicated his life to mentoring student athletes,” Durfee assistant athletic director Kristen Gauvin said. “His influence extended far beyond the court. He was looked up to, he demanded excellence from not only his players but Durfee athletes as a whole.”
Gauvin, who was a student at Durfee when Karam was the athletic director and is a family friend, said that his impact on the school goes beyond the court.
“He was Durfee basketball and Durfee athletics,” Gauvin said. “He’ll be remembered not only for his commitment to his students but also to Durfee High School in general.”
He was a 1953 graduate of Durfee and went on to attend Providence College and later obtained his master’s at Bridgewater State. He has been inducted into the Massachusetts State Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the New England Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Legends Hall of Fame.
Ed Rodrigues, former New Bedford boys’ basketball coach and current athletic director at Wareham High, recalled the intense matchups between his Whalers and Karam’s Hilltoppers.
“His was a very tough-minded person, and his teams played that way,” Rodrigues said. “They were very strong mentally and very disciplined and held their own in every game. We played a different style of basketball and it was fun to beat him.”
Rodrigues said that while the rivalry could get tense, it didn’t impact his friendship with Karam and that he admired Karam’s coaching and leadership style.
“He was all about winning; his record speaks for itself,” Rodrigues said. “His teams were fun to watch, and obviously he was a big factor in why his teams played that way.”
The Hilltoppers renamed the court at the Luke Urban Field House in 2021 after Karam. Current head coach Joe DaCruz said the precedent set by Karam is something his program has continued to strive for, even though he hasn’t been the coach since 1995.
“Coach Karam’s impact goes well beyond any words I can find to explain,” DaCruz said. “He was the definition of greatness. He is and always will be Durfee basketball. His Hall of Fame career and the impact he’s had on the school, program, and community as a whole are certainly legendary. He set the standard for what Durfee basketball represents.”
DaCruz added that Karam represented the “glory days” of Hilltoppers basketball and that he continued to be looked up to by the newer generations of Durfee athletes.
“There have been several teams and coaches who have competed since he stepped down, and collectively, we have not been able to come close to his accomplishments,” DaCruz said. “I don’t believe anyone ever will be able to fill his shoes on the sideline.”
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his visitation on Saturday in the Waring-Sullivan home in Fall River. This will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
