Hall of Fame
As a general rule, new basketball programs have it rough. Their more established opponents beat up on them, often with little mercy.
But when Cabrini launched its new men’s varsity basketball team back in 1974 — its first men’s varsity in any sport — the squad won from the start. In their first four years, the Cavaliers went 57-23.
It helped immeasurably that those first four years coincided with the college years of Tom Nerney.
As a four-time captain and leading scorer, Tom Nerney didn’t just help his team. He didn’t just lead his team. He put the program on the map.
Nerney did it all, averaging 19.5 points a game, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in an era before the shot clock and three-point arc led to stat inflation. As a senior, he piled up 30 points against Alvernia and became the first career 1,000-point scorer in Cabrini history, male or female.
He also served as assistant coach of the women’s team that year. Off the court, he was an active member of the Student Government Association, Council of College Affairs, Kappa Sigma Omega and the Athletic Association.
On April 30, 2001 Cabrini named the Dixon Center basketball arena in his honor. Since then it’s been known as Nerney Field House. And one floor above the field house, you’ll find the Nerney Family Fitness Center with its weightlifting and cardio equipment.
Nerney once said that "when students play team sports, they’re learning that together everyone amounts to more." He’s put those words into practice as president and CEO of United States Liability Insurance Group and in his philanthropic efforts. He and his wife, Jill Chambers Nerney ’77, have demonstrated a commitment to family, friends and community.
Nerney, a current member of the Cabrini College Board of Trustees, has been generous with his time, talents and resources. When the child of a Cabrini staffer needed a bone-marrow transplant, he made a sizable donation to defray the cost of the initial screening, and he sponsored all of his employees who wished to donate blood.
Nerney also has coached and sponsored the Philadelphia Belles, a leading AAU girls’ basketball program. The Belles have finished second, fifth and seventh in major national competitions.
