Honor Roll
Known as "Hammerin' Hank," for his tough and aggressive style of play, Nowak was the driving force behind Canisius' three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1955-57. A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Nowak scored 1,449 career points and pulled down 880 career rebounds, which still ranks first all-time in Golden Griffin history. A three-year letterwinner in Blue and Gold, he currently ranks eighth all-time in career points, second in career free-throws made (557) and second in career rebounds per game (11.3 per contest). He is one of two Canisius players in school history to play in a record nine NCAA Tournament games, where he averaged 19.4 points per game, highlighted by his 29-point effort in the Griffs' famous four-overtime victory over No. 2 North Carolina State in Madison Square Garden on March 12, 1956. A Second-Team UPI All-East Region honoree in 1955-56, Nowak was a two-time Queen City Invitational All-Tournament award winner, and he was named the tournament's MVP in 1956-57 when the Griffs beat Cornell and Minnesota to win the event's championship. He was also honored by the NCAA in 1982, when he was named to the NCAA's Silver Anniversary Team.