Buzzy Gillen

Eugene Edward "Buzzy" Gillen


Born:
August 13, 1918
Wilmington, DE

Died:
January 4, 2008
Wilmington, DE


Career
(High School)
1933-34 Salesianum High School - Wilmington, DE (High School)
1934-35 Salesianum High School - Wilmington, DE (High School)
1934-35 Jackson Street Reapers - Wilmington, DE (YMCA)
1935-36 Salesianum High School - Wilmington, DE (High School)
1935-36 Jackson Street Reapers - Wilmington, DE (YMCA)
1936-37 Jackson Street Reapers - Wilmington, DE (YMCA)
1936-37 Beacom College (College)
1937-38 LaSalle University - Philadelphia (College)
1938-39 LaSalle University - Philadelphia (College)
1939-40 LaSalle University - Philadelphia (College)
1940-41 LaSalle University - Philadelphia (College)
1943-44 Mirimar - San Diego (Military)
1944-45 Mirimar - San Diego (Military)
1945-46 St. Helena - Wilmington (Independent)
1946-47 Wilmington Bombers (ABL)
1947-48 St. Patrick - Wilmington (Independent)
1947-48 CC Legal  - Wilmington (Independent)

Born to Frank and Jeannette Gillen, Buzzy graduated from Salesianum HS in Wilmington and spent one year at Beacom College before being offered a scholarship at LaSalle. He made the varsity team as a freshman, and after missing the first three games, he would play in every game through his senior year when he was the team captain. He signed to play with the Wilmington Bombers in November of 1941, but did not appear in a game and was off the Marines shortly after the season began. He served during World War 2 in the Pacific, playing for a couple of the teams there while stationed in San Diego and Oahu. After the war, he played basketball with the St. Helena Parish team in the semi-pro Catholic circuit before signing on with the Wilmington Bombers yet again in the fall of 1946. He played in 31 of the 35 Bombers' games that year, which was the final season in existence for the ABL club. He quite basketball and became an accountant for Dupont, retiring in 1980. He was elected to the  Delaware's Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, and died in 2008 at 89 years of age.

He married Pauline Ademski (d. 1986) in 1950. After her death, he would remarry to Dorothy Crowe Wilson and inherited four step-daughters.

Source:
Delaware Online / News Journal, January 7, 2008
Morning News (Wilmington, DE), November 24, 1941
Morning News (Wilmington, DE), May 13, 1999

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