Daniel T. Callahan Jr. has been elected to the Northeastern Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in the sport of basketball.
Callahan, Class of '95, was the finest rebounder ever to play for NU. Although plagued with back problems throughout his career, he holds the NU record for most rebounds in a season, 364 in 1994-95, and his career total of 1007 is good for second. He is one of only three Huskies to average over 10 rebounds per game for his career.
Callahan came to Huntington Ave. in 1990 after starring at Bedford High School and New Hampton Prep. As a freshman he saw limited action, playing behind veteran center Steve Carney as the Huskies went 22-11 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
In his sophomore season, however, he captured the center position, as well as the heart of Husky fans, by averaging 10 rebounds a game to finish second among the conference leaders. Callahan exploded into one of the nation's best board crashers during his junior year of 1992-93. He pulled down 340 rebounds for a 12.1 average, which was the fifth-best in the country. Leading the conference in rebounding earned him America East All-Conference honors. Callahan also added 8.3 points per game as NU finished the year with a 20-8 record. However, his increasing back problems limited his participation in practice.
The 1993-94 season started fruitfully with victories over UMass-Boston and George Mason and a lone loss to Duke. Callahan was averaging 17 rebounds and 12 points per game. In game four, a loss to Central Michigan, the back started to give out. The next morning, he could hardly walk, and a month later he was declared a medical redshirt. The Husky season collapsed into a 5-22 record.
In the spring of 1994, Callahan had major back surgery and then endured months of rehab directed by Larry Bird's therapist, Dan Dyrek. Physically, he never would be 100 percent again, and practice had to be limited to maximize his game time. Despite the physical problems, Callahan again was dominant at center, leading NU to an 18-11 record and a trip to the America East title game. He set a new NU season record with 364 rebounds for a 12.6 average, which was fourth best in the nation. Callahan averaged 13.2 points per game and had double-doubles in 19 of 29 games. That senior season, he captained the team, was voted Team MVP, and selected America East All-Conference. As evidence of his well-rounded and effective game, Callahan and Reggie Lewis remain the only NU players ever to have career totals of over 800 points, 800 rebounds, 80 assists, 80 steals, and 80 blocks.
