LOUDONVILLE, NY – The Siena Athletics Family is saddened to learn of the passing of men's basketball legend Ed Kolakowski '51, HOF '71. A key contributor on the historic 1950 National Catholic Invitational Tournament Championship team, Kolakowski passed away on Jan. 26 at the age of 94.
 
Born and raised in Bayonne, New Jersey, Kolakowski attended Bayonne Junior College for two years before visiting Siena College where he was offered a scholarship by legendary athletic director and fellow Siena Athletics Hall of Famer Rev. Fr. Maurus Fitzgerald, HOF '68. The rest was history.
 
Kolakowski starred for three years under head coach Dan Cunha, HOF '67 for the then-Indians (1948-51), which he helped guide to a 68-20 (.773) overall record highlighted by three National Catholic Invitational Tournament appearances, culminating in the historic 1950 NCIT Championship. He led Siena in scoring (13.6) during his final season in 1950-51 in which the Indians were ranked 18^th in the final Associated Press Top-25 Poll. Siena capped a program record 16 straight wins earlier that season (since matched in 2021), and Kolakowski became the only player in program history selected to play in the 1951 East-West All-Star Game, where he was coached by the legendary Claire Bee in a sold-out Madison Square Garden.
 
Following his graduation from Siena, Kolakowski received an offer from the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA, but instead was drafted into the Army where he served his country in Germany. He played on the Fort Dix Championship team, was the leading scorer for his Regiment team, and also played on the Armed Forces baseball team while in Germany.
 
Kolakowski served as the head coach at Suffern High School (1954-81), where he also taught for 30 years. He was named the 1968 RCPSAL Coach of the Year after leading his squad to a Section 9 Class B and Rockland County Championship. Kolakowski also led Suffern to the 1960 Section 9 Championship and 1973 Section 9 AA-A Championship. Additionally, he served for over 30 years as a football official, and is also an inductee in both the Rockland County and Suffern High School Halls of Fame.
 
Kolakowski began a scholarship endowment at Siena College in the early 1990s to help students pay their tuition. To date, the Kolakowski Family Scholarship, which lives in perpetuity, has benefitted approximately 50 Siena students.  
 
Kolakowski, who made his home in Brant Lake, New York, is survived by his wife of 70 years, Jane (Metzger), sons Giles, Kevin, Gary, and Kyle, 13 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Complete arrangements will be announced at a later date.