Thomas Ross is an American retired ice hockey

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...

and

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

who was a two-time All-American for

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

Early life

Ross was born in

West Roxbury West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton and Needham to the northwest and the town of Dedham to the ...

neighborhood of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

College hockey

He was varsity defenseman for

during the program's renaissance in the mid-1960s. A part of Jack Kelley's first recruiting class for BU, Ross helped the Terriers prevent nearly 30 additional goals against than the previous season. The team had a breakout year in 1965 and Ross led BU to its best season in 17 years, compiling a 25–6 record and winning their first conference title. Ross placed on both the All-American and First Team All-ECAC rosters and was named as the ECAC Most Outstanding Defenseman. The Terriers faltered in the conference semifinal and failed to advance to the NCAA tournament. As a senior, Ross lead the Terriers to a second-place finish in their conference. In the ECAC Tournament, the team again lost in the semifinal, however, because

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

had finished second and all

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

schools were in a years-long argument with the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

over player eligibility, Cornell declined their invitation and it went to the third-place team, Boston University. In the team's first appearance at the national tournament in six years, the Terriers finished both games with three-goal margins and finished in first place.

Career

After graduating, Ross enlisted in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

. After serving in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, he left the military but continued his public service by working as an officer in the

Boston Police Department The Boston Police Department (BPD), dating back to 1854, holds the primary responsibility for law enforcement and investigation within the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. The ...

. He was inducted into the Boston University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Tom Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American men's ice hockey defensemen Ice hockey players from Massachusetts People from West Roxbury, Boston Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans United States Marines United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War