Henry J. Nowak

Henry James Nowak (born February 21, 1935, in Buffalo, New York) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York between 1975 and 1993.

He graduated from Canisius College in 1957 and the University of Buffalo Law School in 1961. From 1957 until 1958 and from 1961 until 1962 he served in the United States Army. He was comptroller of Erie County from 1964 until 1974. In 1970 he was a delegate to the New York State Democratic Convention and in 1972 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. In 1974, he was elected to Congress and served from January 3, 1975 until January 3, 1993. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Public Works and Transportation during his entire congressional career.

Prior to his political career, he was a sensational basketball player for the Canisius College Golden Griffs. When he graduated in 1957, he was Canisius College's all-time scoring leader. In three years as a starter he scored 1,449 points and averaged 18.6 points a game. Today, he still ranks first in rebounding and third in all-time scoring. The St. Louis Hawks subsequently drafted him with the 28th pick in the 1957 NBA Draft's fourth round.

Sportswriters dubbed him "Hammerin' Hank" for his tough aggressive play. He always played hard and was never shy about banging the boards for rebounds. Nowak led the Griffs to three of their four appearances in the NCAA basketball tournament.

References

• Henry J. Nowak at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress