The recent passing of Lloyd Hinchey at age 77 saddened many of us in and around Norwich who knew, admired and respected him for his lifetime of academic, athletic and community achievement for his beloved hometown.

When considering the greatest athletes ever to grace the courts and playing fields of Norwich, Lloyd Hinchey figured prominently. He was arguably the best of all time. He starred in both basketball and baseball at Norwich Free Academy, where he competed at the varsity level in both sports in all four years and served as co-captain for both teams in his junior and senior years, 1959-60 and 1960-61.

With his team playing in the old Capital District Conference, considered among the strongest basketball leagues in Connecticut, Hinchey was virtually unstoppable, amassing 1,222 career points, earning him a basketball scholarship at The College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. A great outside shooter, Hinchey’s point total would have been considerably higher had the three-point shot been part of the game back then.

In his senior year, he was the top vote-getter in Connecticut All-State basketball balloting, which earned him prestigious status as the team’s honorary captain. He was also honored in his senior year as a high-school All-American in basketball.

In his junior and senior years at NFA, the Wildcats won consecutive Class LL state baseball championships, and as a shortstop, he received a number of offers from Major League Baseball organizations.

“He covered a lot of ground at shortstop and he was a great hitter,” recalled Ed Donovan, who played third base next to Hinchey on NFA’s back-to-back championship teams. “He was always a very humble guy. Even when he did something spectacular, he always diverted attention away from himself to the team. For him, it was all about the team. On Field Day at NFA, we knew we weren’t going to receive any awards because we knew Lloyd was so great he was going to get them all. He was so deserving.”

Donovan chairs the reunion of the championship teams that takes place every five years, including one that is expected to be held this fall on a date to be determined.

Instead of pursuing a career in professional baseball, Hinchey opted for a college education at Holy Cross, which was then also among nationally prominent basketball programs and had awarded him a full basketball scholarship. His breakout freshman season promised a similarly spectacular career at Holy Cross until a serious knee injury sidelined him for his sophomore and junior seasons. He worked tirelessly to rehabilitate the knee and averaged 14 points per game in his senior year. Lesser players would never have come back from such a serious injury.

He continued to play basketball after returning to Norwich as an attorney, having earned his law degree at the University of Connecticut School of Law. While practicing first at the powerful Norwich law firm of Goldberg, Vasington & Berkman, and later at his own prominent firm, Hinchey, Kirker & Cummings, Hinchey remained a fixture at the Norwich YMCA, where I first met him.

There were a lot of great players who competed regularly at the Norwich Y — Chris Portelance, Johnny Burns, the late Wally Scepanski to name but a few — but no one was as good as the 6-foot-2 Hinchey, whose quickness and deadly outside shot were complemented by his natural instincts for the game.

I always hoped I’d be on his team when sides were chosen because when we were on opposing teams I sometimes had the dubious and impossible task of trying to cover him. It was always a humbling experience — a man against a boy — but Hinchey, while always competitive, was a clean, hustling, gracious player who always brought his best to the game and offered a friendly handshake when it was over. He continued to play basketball well into his 50s.

I don’t want to leave the impression, however, that Hinchey starred only in athletics. He was passionate about his wife, Deb, and her career in city politics, first as a member of the Norwich City Council, then as the city’s first female mayor. It wasn’t about power or status for them, it was about what was best for their city.

Hinchey served on the boards of the William W. Backus Hospital and Otis Library. He also served on the Norwich Redevelopment Agency and was a member of Norwich Rotary. His greatest involvement, though, was with his alma mater, Norwich Free Academy. He was 1961 Class Agent from 1992 to 1996, and served on the NFA Board of Trustees from 1989 to 2004, including his final four years as board chairman. During his tenure on the NFA board, he was a member of the Slater Norton Corporation and the NFA Board of Education.

He was later named an honorary NFA corporator and, most fittingly, to the NFA Alumni Hall of Fame.

On the day of Hinchey’s funeral, the hearse carrying his remains passed by the NFA campus, where members of the boys’ baseball and basketball teams and NFA marching band lined Crescent Street to honor his memory. The band played the NFA alma mater while the hearse paused in front of the school which meant so much to him. It was a great show of class and appreciation by NFA. Hinchey’s family asked that memorial donations be made in his name to the NFA Foundation. I’ve sent in my check and hope you will consider doing so too in honor of a full and enriched life so well lived.