Doing what you love and competing at the highest level doesn’t have to end when you leave URochester
Joseph Carson ’76 was one of 12,500 athletes who competed in the 2025 Senior Summer Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa. Of those thousands of athletes, he was one of the few who left with a gold medal, along with his fellow teammates on the Wazee Nickels 70+ basketball team.
When Carson attended Meliora Weekend later that year, he brought his gold medal and took the time to share his story, his relationship with basketball, and why he remains in touch with the URochester community.
Joe showed off his gold medal at the alumni tailgate during Meliora Weekend 2025
He grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and began playing at Jesuit High School. The school closed after his senior year, and he liked to joke that’s probably why he made the team—there just weren’t many athletes competing for spots. Of course, being 6’6” didn’t hurt either. Several colleges showed recruitment interest, and he chose the University of Rochester because, as he put it, “I wanted to be an engineer, I wanted to play basketball, and I had a New York State Regents Scholarship.”
Once at URochester, Carson’s college basketball career didn’t unfold as he’d hoped. He missed his freshman season after foot surgery, made the team as a sophomore, but didn’t make the cut his junior year. Though that ended his playing days at Rochester, basketball remained an important part of his life.
He joined URochester’s NROTC unit as a junior, earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 1976, and selected for the Navy Nuclear Program. While in the Navy, he continued playing basketball. “The ship had a team and we played at the sub base. Surprisingly a number of guys on the submarine were fairly tall,” he joked.
Following his time in the Navy, working long hours as a contract engineer and suffering a back injury made it difficult for him to continue playing regularly. Then, at age 60, he felt inspired to turn back the clock. “I was able to dunk until I was 40, so when I turned 60, I decided I wanted to dunk again,” he said. “I hired a trainer and began regaining some of my dunking ability.” After that, he connected with some friends and began to play pick-up basketball once a week.
Joe (third from the right) and the rest of the Wazee Nickels after winning gold at the games.
With that group, Carson began playing in tournaments, and they participated in their first Senior Olympics together 10 years ago. They compete at both the state and national levels. “The national is every other year and moves around the country, but the state tournament happens every year,” he explained. “To qualify for the national games, your team must finish in the top 3 of the state tournament.”
Carson and the Wazee Nickels competed against 17 other teams in their bracket at the national games in late July. They went a perfect 7-0 on their way to a gold medal, winning all four games in the group stage and then winning all three games in the elimination round. It was a memorable experience for Carson, “I nearly hit my first official three–point shot! It was a swish, but it wasn’t until after that that I realized I was a step short of the line.”
It’s a story about continuing to do what you love even after you leave URochester and begin a career. Carson’s resilience and joy for the game of basketball have been a throughline of his life, and he took the time to share the rewards of his hard work at Meliora Weekend with the University community. He’s a reminder that you can always find a way back to doing what you love, even if you take a break for a while.
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