February 26th, 2025

Ernie Floyd, from basketball to broadcast

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You would need to write a book to thoroughly tell the story of Ernie Floyd, a former basketball star at Boston English High School and the College of the Holy Cross. For this moment in time, let’s summarize this young man’s remarkable life journey.

Now 62, Ernie Floyd, one of eight children born to Rosetta Corbin Floyd, operates WUTY 97.9 FM Unity Radio in Worcester, Massachusetts, “Worcester’s community connection.”

The journey that brought Ernie Floyd, father of five children, to his current address is as remarkable as inspirational.

There was a group of special people who brought Floyd to this stage of his life. 

“My late mother tops the list. She was a tough disciplinarian who kept me and my siblings in line,” said Floyd. He never knew his father, but he had his mother’s love and the men around him who helped guide him through his youth, he said.

“Terry Walker, a celebrated agent for musical and theatrical talents, was the first person to ever show an interest in me. From the moment we met, he took me under his wing,” said Floyd. “I was a gangly teenager who knew next to nothing about the game of basketball. Terry saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. He immediately put me on his team and threw me into a game. That was the beginning of my basketball experience,” he added.

Al Brodsky, a legend in Boston Neighborhood Basketball League circles, also played a major role in Floyd’s development. “I quit basketball for a short period, but Terry and Al wouldn’t give up on me.”

Floyd said he would be remiss if he didn’t mention the name Togo Palazzi, of Holy Cross and Celtics fame. “He worked me like a dog when he was an assistant coach at Holy Cross, and I thank him every day for the work he put in with me,” he said.

After one year at Jamaica Plain High School, Floyd transferred to Boston English, where he starred on the court, matching his wits and skills against Patrick Ewing, Bruce Sumpter, Aubrey Stallworth and other local playground legends.

“As a senior, my finest moment came in a game against Patrick Ewing. I pumped and faked him into the air and finished the play by dunking. He immediately retaliated by throwing down a ‘whirly-bird’ dunk over me. I would foul out of the game, but I had my moment of glory against a man who is now in the Hall of Fame,” said Floyd.

As his reputation grew and his height soared to 6’9”, over 250 colleges sought him. He decided to attend Holy Cross, where he starred as a freshman.

“I remember people telling me not to go to Holy Cross because they did not play Black players at that time, [but] the late Kenny Hudson, founder of the famed Boston Shootout, told me to go to Holy Cross and be a barrier-breaker. I had great respect for Mr. Hudson, who was a father figure to me and many other young people — so I took his advice,” he said.    

As a freshman, Floyd scored just under 10 points per game and averaged just under seven rebounds per game. He was named Co-Rookie of the Year along with Rick Carlisle, a former Boston Celtic and current coach of the Indiana Pacers, who played at the University of Maine before transferring to Virginia and playing with All-American Ralph Sampson.

“Not bad for a guy who didn’t start until the third game of his collegiate career. I played my freshman year with senior star Ronny Perry Jr. on a team that was 19-11, and I played a starring role,” said Floyd. “But I wanted to be more than just a basketball player, so I got involved with social and civic affairs as a member of the Black Student Union.”

Floyd suffered a sophomore slump and left school during his junior year because he failed a class. “That was a very difficult time in my life. Things hit their lowest point when I had to find a place to live, which would end up being a boarding house, and scuffled to find a job. I got a job selling popcorn at the Worcester Centrum, with Holy Cross playing [against] the University of Maryland. People were screaming at me, saying, ‘What the hell are you doing selling popcorn when you should be down on that court playing for Holy Cross.’ That was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life,” he confessed.

Floyd took two courses at Worcester State College and got an A and a B, which qualified him to return to Holy Cross. “I often tell that story when I speak to young people, hoping that it will inspire them to rise above failing moments,” he said.

In his senior year at Holy Cross, Floyd hit a buzzer-beating shot that defeated the home team, Providence College, at the Providence Civic Center on network television.“It was a broken play that provided me with the game-hero moment that all basketball players dream about,” said Floyd. “My teammates mobbed me and carried me off the floor. That is an eternal moment.”

Ernie Floyd was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the fifth round in 1984. He then played a year of professional ball in Dijon, France. He returned home to raise his two young daughters and found a home in the media world.

“I always loved the media and worked my way up the ranks in radio and television. My future plans are to lead a community enterprise in the Worcester area and surrounding communities. I want to be the B.E.T. and Telemundo of Worcester,” he said.

I believe that Ernie Floyd will accomplish his goal, like so many millions of young, gifted and Black people who will add to the history of our race and the legacy of Black History Month.

basketball, Boston English High School, College of the Holy Cross, Ernie Floyd, WUTY 97.9 FM Unity Radio