CLARKSON
ATHLETIC HALL of FAME
BOB VAN LAMMERS '59
CLASS of 2004 INDUCTEE
Among the most prolific scorers in the history of college hockey, Robert Van Lammers was a standout forward for the Golden Knights in the late 1950s. Possessing one of the hardest and most feared shots in the country, Van Lammers averaged over two points per game skating with Clarkson from 1956-59. One of the strongest players on the ice, the Ottawa, Ontario native amassed an amazing 125 points on 68 goals and 67 assists through 60 career games.
Born in Great Neck, Long Island in 1936, his family relocated to Ottawa in 1945 and Van Lammers quickly adapted to Canada’s national pastime. Van Lammers started playing hockey at ten years old and soon emerged as a standout in the sport. Prior to attending Clarkson, Van Lammers excelled in football and softball as well as playing hockey for the St. Pat’s Shamrocks. Encouraged by his father, a former catcher for the Chicago White Sox, to continue school, he turned down an opportunity to play Major Junior A hockey for St. Michaels in Toronto to accept a full hockey scholarship at Clarkson, where he enrolled in the Civil Engineering program in 1955.
Van Lammers was recognized as both a great student and hockey player at Clarkson. Selected to several all-star squads, his leadership was unquestioned by teammates, serving as captain for the Knights. He spoke softly and not too often, but when he did all the players listened. During his senior year, the Knights were short some key players and Van Lammers would play a regular shift at forward and then play a shift on defense.
With Van Lammers’ addition to the team, head coach Bill Harrison was forced to rig up a specially-designed face mask for his All-America goaltender, Ed MacDonald, against the powerful shots of the hard-shooting forward. Coach Harrison took an old football helmet and attached a broad strip of plastic across the front to protect MacDonald against Van Lammers’ forceful shots in practice. “It was Bob Van L’s imminent arrival on the varsity team in the fall of 1956 that triggered Bill’s decision to devise some kind of face protection for the goalies,” stated MacDonald. “Bob had one of the hardest shots in college hockey. He also used to take practice shots against the boards (and occasionally at me) with his own special lead-weighted puck.”
During his three-year career at Clarkson, the Knights compiled a 46-14-1 record. He played his first two seasons under the school’s all-time winningest coach, Harrison, and in his senior year served as the first captain for legendary college coach Len Ceglarski. Van Lammers skated in two NCAA Tournaments, helping the Knights to third-place showings in 1957 and 1958. He was named to the 1958 NCAA All-Tournament team after scoring four goals in Clarkson’s 5-1 victory over Harvard in the consolation game to give the Knights the mythical Eastern crown over the Crimson for the second straight year.
After graduating from Clarkson with academic honors, Van Lammers pursued a successful career in engineering and sales. He married his high school sweetheart, Judy Clancy, daughter of NHL Hall of Fame inductee King Clancy, and sister of Terry Clancy of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
On February 21, 2004, Clarkson honored the former Golden Knight all-star, who passed away in December 1997, with the dedication ceremony of the Robert Van Lammers ’59 Memorial Hockey Lounge at the University’s Cheel Arena. The Lounge features floor-to-ceiling murals that represent Clarkson’s proud tradition to which Van Lammers made a significant contribution.
Judy Van Lammers accepts Bob Van Lammers Athletic Hall of Fame plaque from Clarkson AD Sean T. Frazier
