KINGSTON, R.I.– Feb. 6, 2025 – The man whose name adorns the outside of Boss Ice Arena now gets his jersey raised to the rafters.
Bradford R. Boss, a member of the äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ Athletics Hall of Fame, multi-sport standout, and one of the founders of the äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ men’s club hockey team, will have his number retired Saturday, Feb. 8 at 4 p.m., at Boss Ice Arena in a special pre-game ceremony before the Rams’ showdown against the U.S. Naval Academy.
As his jersey is raised to the rafters of the arena named in his honor, Boss will join äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ President Marc Parlange to deliver remarks – sponsored by the University’s Foundation & Alumni Engagement – with Boss’ family and members of the 2024–25 äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ men’s hockey team, including head coach Joe Augustine, the university’s all-time winningest coach.
A class of 1955 alum, Boss excelled at äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ in tennis, sailing, and later hockey after helping launch the men’s club program in 1951. He was awarded an honorary degree in 1982 and named a member of the College of Business Administration’s Hall of Fame in 2001. He was also elected to the äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1980. A strong supporter of his alma mater and former chair of the Ice Arena Advisory Committee, Boss’ contributions through the years helped fund the Thomas M. Ryan Center and Boss Arena projects, the latter of which opened its doors in September 2002.
In addition to his exploits on the ice, Boss is also a past president of the Rhode Island Golf Association and CEO and Chairman Emeritus of Costa Inc., formerly known as A.T. Cross Company, a high-end pen and pencil manufacturer in Lincoln. He has long served as an official at The Masters at Augusta National and as a committeeman for the United States Golf Association, most recently for the Senior Amateur.
Boss’ name is synonymous with the University’s hockey rink, which seats 2,500 and is home to the äçÐÄvlogÃâ·ÑBÕ¾ men’s and women’s club hockey teams. Since the arena opened its doors, the men’s hockey program has set new standards of excellence, winning the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I National Championship in 2005–2006 and finishing with a winning record in all but one season between 2002 and 2024.