UMass Boston

Acclaimed as the most famous Boston State College/University ofMassachusetts Boston student-athlete in the 62 year history ofathletics at the University, Dan Rea is currently the only athleteto receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from theUniversity of Massachusetts Boston as he was honored in 2008 forupholding journalism's highest standards as a Boston televisionreport. While at Boston State College, Rea was a hockey goaltenderfrom 1966-70 under legendary Head Coach Eddie Barry's teams duringthe `Golden Era'. Rea also pitched for Coach Frank Murphy'sbaseball teams as both a starting and relief pitcher. Following hisgraduation, he would receive his Juris Doctor from BostonUniversity School of law in 1974 and shortly after became a memberof the MA Bar Association. Rea went on to become a member of theBoston State College Board of Trustees to become the only BSCathlete to ever serve on the board. He returned to the sportingworld and became a professional sports lawyer/agent, representingmany National Hockey League players including Chris Nilan of theMontreal Canadiens and Ned Harkess, former Head Coach of theDetroit Red Wings. From 1976-2007, Rea worked as an on-airtelevision reporter for WBZ-TV and is the only former BSC athleteto have worked on the air as a reporter. The pinnacle of his careercame in 2007 when he was able to help get four wrongfully convictedmen released and awarded over $100 million dollars. Rea has servedas a member of the Athletics Hall of Fame Selection Committee, aformer Master of Ceremonies at past Athletics Hall of FameInduction Banquets, a Master of Ceremonies at Chancellor J. KeithMotley's Annual Gala while also acting as a legendary contributorand support of the University of Massachusetts Boston for 40 years.During his professional career, Rea won two regional Emmy Awardswhile being nominated for a total of nine regional Emmys. He hasalso been the recipient of several distinguished awards includingthe First Annual Excellence in Journalism Award from the MA BarAssociation, the Massachusetts Criminal Defense Lawyers AssociationAward, the United Press International Award for Outstanding NewsReporting, the New England Academy for Televisions, Arts &Sciences Silver Circle Award, the Silver Shingle for OutstandingPublic Service Award from Boston University School of Law, theService Award from the My One Wish Foundation Outstanding, the Arcof Greater Boston Rose Perrin Memorial Person of the Year Award aswell as the Yankee Quill Award from the Academy of New EnglandJournalist which is the highest individual honor awarded by fellowjournalist in the region.