Name Game: Numerous Entertainers On and Off the Basketball Hardwood
July 22nd, 2023 - 8:37
Did you know that Richard M. (Rick) Nixon was the sports information director at Texas-San Antonio? That question was inspired by scouring old college basketball guides and the discovery of a bevy of individuals who make you think of someone else more prominent with the same name outside the world of basketball. To what extent can one take this name game?
We make this inquiry in the aftermath of the passing away of iconic singer Tony Bennett. The Green Bay Press-Gazette recounted a pop culture/sports history photo-op meeting on November 16, 1991, at Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport. Bennett was passing through on his way to perform at the Capitol Civic Centre in Manitowoc and the Press-Gazette arranged a Triple Crown of Tony Bennetts (legendary singer/Packers #1 draft choice linebacker from Ole Miss/UWGB all-time leading scorer before coaching Virginia to 2019 NCAA crown). The last of the crooners joked that only one other time earlier in his career had he ever met someone with the same name as his, and even then spelling got in the way. "She was a stripper," Bennett said. "She spelled it T-O-N-I."
They all didn't leave their heart in San Francisco. Following is an alphabetical list of former all-conference first-team basketball selections boasting names such as Bennett having a familiar ring in the entertainment industry: