Hall of Fame – Lifetime Achievement
Al Ostrander
11/14/38
Legendary captain Al Ostrander, 83, is the last member of our current octogenarian group. Al retired from active service in the league 2 years ago due to health concerns. He grew up in the Colonie/Latham area and played basketball and football at South Colonie High. He attended Siena College and played on their freshman basketball team. After graduation Al worked for the Capital police for 2 years then had a 30 year career as a State Trooper. Al was active in many local recreational basketball leagues. He was a fierce defender and a smart floor general with a nice outside shot. Al joined the CSBL in 1992. He became a team captain 3 years later and served as a captain for the remainder of his years in the CSBL. He is a shrewd judge of talent and has an uncanny ability to draft players that complement each other and fit together to create a strong team. His teams were almost always at the top of the league fighting for division and playoff championships. Records aren’t available prior to 1999 but since that year his teams have won a league best 10 regular season championships and multiple playoff championships. If we had official records back to 1992 Al would surely be among the all-time leaders in games played. His son Butch currently is a team captain in the Colonie division and a member of the league’s Board of Directors. One year captain Al and captain Butch each won the playoff championship for their division in the same season. The event was big headlines in the local sports news. Congratulations and many thanks to Al for a lifetime of success and for his dedication and many contributions to the success of the CSBL.