Peter F. Trow

Peter F. Trow set a standard for athletic versatility at Old Rochester Regional High School. A member of the Class of 1970, he earned varsity letters in track, cross country, and basketball, captained teams, and was selected as the school’s male “Most Athletic” student. His yearbook record shows an athlete whose range was almost improbable: he held marks in the 440 and mile and contributed to sprint, mile, two-mile, and high-jump relays. The Hall of Fame plaque records that he won the Class E 440-yard state championship as both a junior and senior, setting a state-record 50.3 as a senior. That season he went undefeated in dual-meet running events from 220 to 880 yards, while his mile record endured at ORR for four decades.

Basketball made Trow one of the most heavily recruited athletes in school history. A smooth-shooting forward, he scored a school-record 49 points in a game and averaged 32.2 points during his senior season. More than 50 colleges recruited him. He chose a full scholarship to the University of Massachusetts, carrying the confidence and competitiveness he had developed in the Bulldogs’ gym to one of the strongest chapters in UMass basketball history.

At UMass, Trow joined a remarkable circle of teammates. Rick Pitino was his roommate, Al Skinner was a teammate, and freshman practices sometimes placed Trow and Skinner opposite Pitino and Julius Erving in two-on-two games. Trow announced himself immediately: in the freshman team’s 1970 opener, he scored 23 points and collected 13 rebounds. Wearing No. 34, he then played 72 varsity games from 1971–72 through 1973–74, averaged 8.9 points for his career, and shot better than 80 percent from the foul line. As a senior he helped UMass win the Yankee Conference championship, made 84.4 percent of his free throws, and was honored as the team’s best free-throw shooter and most improved player.

Even at the college level, basketball did not contain his athletic range. Trow also competed as a quarter-miler for the UMass track team and played wide receiver for the football team during his senior year. After college basketball, he spent a season as player-coach for Tetramin in the Netherlands, guiding the club to a Division I championship while winning the league scoring title at more than 30 points per game. He returned to Massachusetts to finish his degree, earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1976, then taught and coached track at ORR and coached basketball at Lawrence Academy.

Trow later built a long career in scientific-product sales and management, ultimately serving as a vice president at VWR International. He remained active far beyond competitive basketball—as a sailor, kayaker, cyclist, swimmer, and pickleball player—and maintained deep ties to Mattapoisett. His achievements were recognized with induction into the inaugural ORR Athletic Hall of Fame class in 2011 and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

After his death in 2022, the ORR Athletic Hall of Fame established an enduring form of remembrance. A memorial golf tournament supported scholarships in his name, and the Hall now presents two Peter Trow scholarships each year. The awards give his legacy a fitting shape: the athlete who once opened doors through talent and determination now helps open them for the ORR students who follow him.