Jerome Kersey & Anita Ruscigno
Mallard Landing resident Anita Ruscigno celebrated her 101st birthday in November. Ruscigno is a passionate fan of the Portland Trail Blazers. She listens to every game on the radio.
On Jan. 26, Ruscigno was surprised with a lunch guest at the Battle Ground facility. It was Blazers legend Jerome Kersey. To say the visit made Ruscigno’s day is an understatement. Kersey presented his new friend with an autographed picture, posed for photos, and promised Ruscigno that he would see to it that she got to attend a Blazers game in person.
On Feb. 18, less than a month after his trip to Battle Ground to visit a loyal, 101-year-old Blazer fan, Kersey died suddenly at the age of 52.
Kersey’s visit to Battle Ground was one of thousands he had made during his career with the Trail Blazers, both as a player and in recent years as the team’s director of alumni relations. In the minutes and hours after news of Kersey’s death surfaced, social media was abuzz with comments from Kersey’s admiring fans and friends.
It seemed every Facebook message or post on Twitter said the same thing. Everyone had been blessed by a personal meeting with Kersey at some point in the past, or they had a tale of how Kersey had touched them or someone close to them – just as he did to Battle Ground’s senior Blazers fan.
I’ve followed the Portland Trail Blazers organization since it was formed in 1970. I’ve worked for the team in various capacities over the years and I’ve covered the team and the organization as a journalist for parts of four decades.
I first met Jerome Kersey in 1987. I was a young reporter with very little experience and very little confidence. Entering the locker room of my favorite National Basketball Association team was a frightening thing for me initially and it didn’t get easy for quite some time. Some of the players could be intimidating, or sullen, or impatient. Kersey was never any of those things.
I posted last night on Facebook that I can’t close my eyes and picture Jerome without a smile on his face. There was never one time in the 27-plus years that I knew Jerome that he didn’t greet me with a generous spirit. That’s something that should never be taken for granted, in that or any other venue.
Many professional athletes hate interacting with the public, the media and they seldom eagerly volunteer for assignments like having lunch with a 101-year-old fan in suburb a half hour outside of Portland. Kersey was one of the exceptions. I was and still am very close to many current and past members of the Blazers community relations department. I know that Jerome was one of their go-to guys when it came to community appearances.
Kersey’s story is an improbable one. He played collegiately at tiny Longwood College in Virginia, an NCAA Division II school. I don’t think Longwood even has a basketball team these days. He was the 46th player taken in the 1984 draft and even though he immediately became a fan favorite because of his energy and enthusiasm, he was far from a can’t-miss prospect.
Yet, Kersey made himself an NBA star by virtue of his athleticism and work ethic. He helped Portland reach the NBA Finals twice. After that era of Blazers basketball began to fade, Kersey eventually lost his starting job to Clifford Robinson. Unlike many athletes who responded to similar disgraces with tantrums and demands to be traded, I watched up close as Kersey handled his demotion with class, never losing his smile or allowing his work ethic to diminish.
After 11 seasons in Portland, Kersey bounced around the NBA for six more seasons, playing for five other teams. Five years after his playing career was over, he completed his requirements for graduation at Longwood College, yet another testament to his work ethic and character. Thankfully for all of us, Kersey made Portland his home after his playing days.
Life after 17 seasons as a professional athlete wasn’t all champagne and caviar for Kersey. There were reports during his playing days that he and at least one other Blazer had been the victims of poor financial management by the same Seattle-based advisor.
There was a time 10-12 years ago, when I was forced to reinvent myself professionally. I got my license and worked as a real estate agent for four years before Marvin Case hired me as a reporter here at The Reflector. During my time in real estate, Kersey was also trying to reinvent himself and he reached out to me. Because we were licensed in different states, me to sell and he as a mortgage advisor, we didn’t venture out into the business world together but it revealed to me that times were tough on him too.
I am so thankful that Kersey reunited with the Blazers’ organization in recent years. He was a great ambassador for the team and he loved his job and did it well. I am also thankful that his personal life was also in such a great place – he married longtime girlfriend Teri (Folsom) Donnerberg on Sept. 21, 2013 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, where he was a member. Many of my friends attended the event.
We never know what to say at a time like this. But, a life of 52 years spread out over successes and failures, is enough to show us the true character of a man. At some point, either your character, or lack thereof, is revealed. Jerome was a good man who shared his generous spirit with everyone he came in contact with. Just ask Anita Ruscigno.
Ken Vance
Editor
