His name appears nowhere in Georgetown records, only referenced in one line of a campus news article and one printed box score. Nonetheless, Jim Hanrahan had quite a story to tell over his 82 years.

Born in Waterbury, CT and educated at Crosby High School, Hanrahan considered a career in the priesthood, following in the footsteps of a family relative, Rev. Michael McGivney (1852-1890), who founded the Knights of Columbus and was beatified by the Church in 2020. After six years at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Hanrahan opted to leave the seminary and finish college at Georgetown University, where he had just one year of coursework remaining to earn a bachelor's degree.

While Hanrahan had played basketball in high school in the late 1930's, his play at Georgetown was consigned to the junior varsity or "B" team, as it was known. Following an eye injury to starting center Andy Kostecka midway in the 1946-47 season, Hanrahan was called up to the varsity roster.

"Jim Hanrahan is another former ["B"] player promoted to the varsity quintet," wrote The HOYA on February 14, 1947. "Despite a wobbly ankle, Jim has improved quite a bit and saw service against Maryland's Terrapins last week." Hanrahan started the game and scored five points, which is the only printed box score he is listed in, according to archival accounts. His Wikipedia entry indicates that he may have played up to three games in February 1947 until he broke his ankle, by which time Kostecka had returned to action.

Following graduation in 1947, Hanrahan joined the Hartford Hurricanes of the American Basketball League and played for one season before beginning graduate studies at Fairfield, earning a master's degree in teaching in 1952 while teaching match at Fairfield Prep. In only the school's third season in intercollegiate sports, Hanrahan was named head coach of the Stags in 1950, compiling a 82-79 record in eight seasons and taking Fairfield to its first post-season berth, the 1951 NAIA tournament.

During his years as a teacher, Hanrahan had a vision for a Catholic boarding school to serve the local region--not just for the well to do, but for what his obituary called "the underachiever". Hanrahan founded the school, St. Thomas More, in Oakdale, CT in 1962.

"James F. Hanrahan opened St. Thomas More to provide a close knit, unique academic experience for boarding school students," reads the school's web site. "The overarching objective was simple: each student would receive a multifaceted, heightened level of attention with zero contingency on past performance. Through developing a school that prioritizes inclusivity, he created a community that emphasizes individual effort, presents additional opportunity, and offers unwavering support - mentally, emotionally, academically, and athletically." St. Thomas More is also known for considerable success for its high school basketball program, with former pro players such as Ed Cota, Schea Cotton, Carl Krauser, Eric Paschall, and Omari Spellman among its alumni.

A member of the Fairfield Athletics Hall of Fame, he was awarded a honorary doctorate by that school. At the time of his death in 2006, Jim Hanrahan was the father of 13 children and a grandfather to 33, with a brief time on the courts at Georgetown as only a passing moment of a life well lived.