Former Basketball Captain Arne Duncan '87 Comes to Campus

Ask anyone for the biggest alumni name in Harvard men’s basketball, and you’ll probably get Jeremy Lin '10. Although he’s clearly proven himself deserving of the attention, several other former Crimson basketball players have made names for themselves off the court—one of them being the current United States Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan '87.

While playing at Harvard, Duncan was co-captain for the varsity men’s basketball team during his senior season and was the Crimson’s leading scorer with an average of 16.9 points per game. Although Harvard went 9-17 on the year and tied for seventh in the Ivy League, Duncan was able to continue his basketball career beyond the collegiate level.

The Academic All-American went on to play professionally for four years, mostly in Australia’s National Basketball League.

After his stint in the pros, Duncan returned to the United States, where he began his career in education at the Ariel Education Initiative. He continued his work in the field as the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools and now as a member of President Obama’s cabinet.

This evening, Duncan was honored as the recipient of PBHA’s 2010 “Call of Service” Award and gave a lecture at Memorial Church as part of PBHA’s Alumni Weekend. Also in attendance? Not surprisingly, Tommy Amaker and the 2010-11 men’s basketball lineup.