In the mid seventies our BIG GUY at Bates College, both figuratively and literally, was our All-American weight man Bob Cedrone. A championship competitor, he was also funny, kind, and relentless.
He took a special liking to his skinny distance running teammates, oft trying to cadge a few bucks of additional meal money from us as he was literally twice our size. The attached photo by fellow Bates legend Joe Gromelski, depicts Bob directing traffic at a Bates home cross country meet in 1974. It perfectly captures his rugged presence, puckish sense of humor, and pride of being a member of a track fraternity that punched way above its Div 3 status under the guidance of Coach Walt Slovenski. We beat the likes of Dartmouth, UMaine, and UVermont on a regular basis.
Bob would nearly always win the shot put and hammer throw as well as the indoor 35 lb weight toss indoors. All while distributing encouraging cheers and unprintable hilarious quips and jokes in equal measure.
How could I forget him singing a particularly cheeky self-composed version of The Beach Boys “Surfer Girl” in the back of the bus heading to Hanover, NH?
At Bob’s recent wake in Stoughton Ma there was a line that stretched at least the distance of two or three of his best tosses as hundreds came to pay their respects. Teammates took great pride in the fact that Bob continued to be a competitive weight man into his eighth decade while tossing in both national and international meets for the Twilight Throwers.
An hour before the wake, a fellow teammate recalled witnessing Bob clout an epic softball home run that sailed over Rand Hall at Bates. Just another “day at the office” for a truly unforgettable character and champion.
Forever our BIG GUY. Gone way too soon
