Tom McClain Jr. was a three sport athlete at Bennett who participated in swimming ( 1960), Indoor Track ( 1960 – 61 ) and Cross Country ( 1962, 63, 64 ). Tom was coached by two of Bennett’s finest coaches, Rudy Heis ( swimming ) and Elmer Rosenthal ( Indoor track and Cross Country ). As a freshman, Tom was on the swimming team, earning a major letter in the breaststroke. In Tom’s sophomore year he ran indoor track, also earning a major letter. Tom’s greatest athletic achievement came in Cross Country, where Tom was All-High three consecutive years, finishing second in the All-High Cross Country meet each of the three years.
In 1962 Tom competed in the All-High meet against ninety-six runners from twelve schools. The young sophomore’s goal was just to qualify to compete in the All-High meet, but Tom exceeded all expectations by finishing second ( first for Bennett ) in the entire city. Through hard work and determination, Tom went on to finish second in the city in both his junior and senior seasons also. A rare accomplishment in Cross Country.
Tom resides in Buffalo to this day.