Never Atop National Poll: Maryland Was Ranked #2 Seven Different Times
A total of 35 current power-conference members have failed to secure national #1 acclaim in their history. In aftermath of Pacific-12 dismantling, every Power 5 Conference member has been included in an AP national ranking since the 2007-08 campaign with more than 70% of them (25) ranking among top 12 teams in that span.
Georgia (24th in 2010-11) and Nebraska (21st in 2014-15) are the only elite schools in last 16 years not to reach the Top 20. Nebraska, Northwestern (19th in 2017-18 and 2020-21) and UCF (19th in 2010-11) are the only power-league members failing to rank among nation's top 15 teams at some point thus far in the 21st Century.
The only two of the 35 power-league institutions in question never placing among the Top 10 at some juncture are UCF and Texas Christian (best ranking was 12th during 1951-52 campaign until reaching 11th earlier this decade). Twelve of the following schools have been national bridesmaid (with Maryland settling at #2 in seven different seasons including four straight years in mid-1970s) since AP poll was introduced midway through 1948-49:
NOTE: AP rankings included only top 10 from 1961-62 through 1967-68 and increased from 20 to 25 schools in 1989-90.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 26 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 26 in football at the professional level (especially in 1939, 1961 and 1967 plus multiple ex-hoopers with the Giants, Lions and Vikings):
NOVEMBER 26
Washington Redskins FB Frank Akins (averaged 1.7 ppg for Washington State's 1941 NCAA Tournament runner-up) opened game's scoring with a rushing touchdown in a 14-7 win against the Boston Yanks in 1944.
New York Giants DB Erich Barnes (played hoops briefly for Purdue as sophomore in 1955-56) returned an interception 35 yards for touchdown in 37-21 win against the Cleveland Browns in 1961.
B Len Barnum (West Virginia Wesleyan hooper) opened the New York Giants' scoring with a touchdown pass to E Jim Lee Howell (All-SWC first-five hoops selection as Arkansas senior in 1935-36) in 28-7 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939. It was one of Howell's two TD catches in game.
Washington Redskins QB Sammy Baugh (Texas Christian three-year hoops letterman was All-SWC honorable mention selection as senior in 1936-37) threw three touchdown passes in a 38-28 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1950.
Detroit Lions E Cloyce Box (combined with twin brother Boyce to help West Texas A&M win Border Conference hoop championship in 1943) caught a 97-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) in 34-15 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1953.
Chicago Bears FB Rick Casares (Florida's scoring and rebounding leader both seasons as All-SEC second-team selection in 1951-52 and 1952-53) rushed for three first-half touchdowns in a 28-24 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1961.
Detroit Lions TB Dutch Clark (four-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference hoops choice for Colorado College) scored game's decisive touchdown with a 51-yard run from scrimmage in fourth quarter in 13-7 win against the Chicago Bears in 1936.
St. Louis Rams LB London Fletcher (started two games for St. Francis PA as freshman in 1993-94 before transferring to John Carroll OH) had two interceptions in a 31-24 setback against the New Orleans Saints in 2000.
Green Bay Packers RB Paul Hornung (averaged 6.1 ppg in 10 contests for Notre Dame in 1954-55) rushed for two first-quarter touchdowns in a 24-17 win against the Detroit Lions in 1959.
Minnesota Vikings QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) threw three touchdown passes in a 31-26 win against the Arizona Cardinals in 2006.
Minnesota Vikings QB Joe Kapp (backup forward averaged 1.8 ppg and 1.2 rpg for California's PCC champions in 1957 and 1958) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 41-27 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1967. Steelers LB Bill Saul (averaged 6.1 ppg for Penn State in 1959-60) intercepted one of Kapp's passes. Vikings DB Earsell Mackbee (teammate of Utah State All-American Wayne Estes averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.4 rpg in 1964-65) had two INTs (returning one 32 yards for TD).
DE Tom Miller (three-year hoops letterman for Hampden-Sydney VA in late 1930s and early 1940s) accounted for the Philadelphia Eagles' lone touchdown with a 35-yard interception return in 28-7 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1944.
HB Kent Ryan (two-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference first-team choice for Utah State averaged 8.1 ppg in league play in 1933-34, 9.9 ppg in 1934-35, 9.3 ppg in 1935-36 and 7.6 ppg in 1936-37) scored the Detroit Lions' lone touchdown with a three-yard rush in 31-7 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1939.
Pittsburgh Steelers DB Johnny Sample (freshman hooper for UMES returned a punt 55 yards for touchdown in 30-27 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1961.
Denver Broncos WR Rod Smith (swingman was Missouri Southern State hoops letterman as sophomore in 1990-91) had a 50-yard rushing touchdown in 38-31 win against the Seattle Seahawks in 2000.
New York Giants QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) threw three first-half touchdown passes in a 62-10 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1972.
New York Jets SS Shafer Suggs (averaged 10.7 ppg and 7.9 rpg in three-year career, setting Ball State record with nine consecutive field goals without miss and leading Cardinals in rebounding in 1974-75) returned an interception 29 yards in a 24-13 win against the Miami Dolphins in 1978.
Baltimore Ravens LB Adalius Thomas (averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98) scored a touchdown on 57-yard fumble recovery return in 27-0 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006.
Green Bay Packers P Ron Widby (three-time All-SEC selection averaged 18.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg for Tennessee from 1964-65 through 1966-67) punted six times for 304 yards (50.7 average) in a 21-16 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1972.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 25 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 25 in football at the professional level (especially in 1956 plus ex-hoopers with the Bears and Browns):
NOVEMBER 25
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) scored three touchdowns (one pass reception/two rushes) in a 35-14 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1962.
Philadelphia Eagles WR Harold Carmichael (starter two seasons for Southern LA averaged 9.8 ppg and 10.6 rpg in 1969-70) caught two second-half touchdown passes from Ron Jaworski in a 21-10 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1979.
A 26-yard touchdown pass from Eddie LeBaron to E John Carson (Georgia hoops letterman in 1952 and 1953) in fourth quarter gave the Washington Redskins a 20-17 win against the Cleveland Browns in 1956. Redskins S Norb Hecker (four-sport letterman including hoops with Baldwin-Wallace OH) opened game's scoring by returning fumble recovery 17 yards for a TD.
Miami Dolphins rookie WR Chris Chambers (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin under coach Dick Bennett in 1997-98) caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes - including decisive 32-yard score with 48 seconds remaining - in a 34-27 win against the Buffalo Bills in 2001.
Green Bay Packers FB Ted Fritsch Sr. (Wisconsin-Stevens Point hoops letterman in 1940-41 and 1941-42) rushed for two touchdowns in a 23-14 win against the New York Giants in 1945.
San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates (second-team All-MAC selection in 2002 when Kent State finished runner-up in South Regional) caught two touchdown passes from Philip Rivers in a 32-14 win against the Baltimore Ravens in 2007.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 31-14 AAFC win against the Los Angeles Dons in 1948.
Chicago Bears E Harlon Hill (Florence State AL hoops letterman in 1951) had two fourth-quarter touchdown receptions (79 and 56 yards) in a 17-17 tie against the New York Giants in 1956.
Denver Broncos QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 14-10 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1973.
New York Yankees B Wild Bill Kelly (two-year Montana hoops letterman in mid-1920s) returned an interception 46 yards for touchdown in 19-0 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1928.
Chicago Cardinals E Mal Kutner (two-year Texas hoops letterman in early 1940s) caught two second-half touchdown passes in a 28-14 win against the Detroit Lions in 1948.
Cleveland Browns WR Dave Logan (three-time scoring runner-up averaged 14.1 ppg and 6.3 rpg for Colorado in mid-1970s) caught seven passes for 135 yards in a 33-30 setback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1979.
Baltimore Colts TE John Mackey (Syracuse hooper in 1960-61) caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Johnny Unitas (52 and 15 yards) in a 24-24 tie against the Detroit Lions in 1965.
TE Alonzo Mayes (averaged 2.9 ppg and 2 rpg for Oklahoma State in seven basketball contests in 1996-97 under coach Eddie Sutton) opened the Chicago Bears' scoring with a pass reception for his lone NFL touchdown in 21-17 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1999.
Chicago Bears DB R.W. McQuarters (Oklahoma State hooper in 1995-96 and 1996-97 started two games) had two interceptions - returning one of them 45 yards for touchdown - in a 21-7 setback against the Dallas Cowboys in 2004.
San Francisco 49ers WR Terrell Owens (UT Chattanooga hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) had two of his league-high 13 pass reception touchdowns en route to 13 catches for 166 yards in a 38-17 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2002.
New York Giants HB Bosh Pritchard (four-sport letterman for VMI) had an 81-yard punt return for touchdown in 10-0 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1951.
Cleveland Browns rookie RB Greg Pruitt (Oklahoma frosh hooper in 1969-70) scored two touchdowns in a 21-16 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1973.
New York Giants WR Del Shofner (Baylor hoops letterman in 1956) had five pass receptions for 125 yards - including three touchdowns from Y.A. Tittle - in a 42-24 win against the Washington Redskins in 1962.
Chicago Bears DE Ed Sprinkle (two-year hoops letterman for Hardin-Simmons TX in early 1940s) returned a fumble recovery 55 yards for touchdown in 42-21 setback against the Cleveland Browns in 1951.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 24 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 24 in football at the professional level (especially in 1957, 1963, 1974 and 1996 plus ex-hoopers with the Bears and Giants):
NOVEMBER 24
Cleveland Browns rookie HB Al Akins (forward was letterman for Washington in 1944 after lettering with Washington State previous two years) rushed for a 50-yard touchdown in 42-17 AAFC win against the Buffalo Bisons in 1946.
Cincinnati Bengals QB Ken Anderson (swingman finished Augustana IL career in early 1970s as fifth-leading scorer in school history with 1,044 points) threw four touchdown passes in a 33-6 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1974. Bengals rookie DL Bob Maddox (two-time MVP for Frostburg State MD shot 60.7% from floor in three seasons) recovered a fumble for TD.
Detroit Lions LB Roosevelt Barnes (collected 14 points and 23 rebounds in 24 games for Purdue's 1980 Final Four team after scoring 39 points in 43 games previous two seasons) returned an interception 70 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1983. Lions TE Ulysses Norris (Georgia hooper in 1975-76) caught two touchdown passes from Eric Hipple in 45-3 win against the Steelers.
Cleveland Browns HB Bill Boedeker (teammate of DePaul All-American George Mikan in mid-1940s) opened the game's scoring with a six-yard rushing touchdown in 14-6 win against the Chicago Hornets in 1949.
Dallas Texans TE Max Boydston (played six basketball games with Oklahoma in 1952-53 under coach Bruce Drake) caught a pro career high of six passes in 41-35 AFL setback against the New York Titans in 1960.
Cleveland Browns rookie FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for four touchdowns - one of them for 69 yards - in a 45-31 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1957. Rams E Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (starting center for Michigan in 1944) caught two second-quarter TD passes from Norm Van Brocklin.
Chicago Bears FB Rick Casares (Florida's scoring and rebounding leader both seasons as All-SEC second-team selection in 1951-52 and 1952-53) rushed for two touchdowns in a 27-7 win against the Detroit Lions in 1957.
Indianapolis Colts TE Joe Dean Davenport II (appeared in two NCAA playoff games for Arkansas in 1999 under coach Nolan Richardson Jr.) caught a career-high three passes from QB Peyton Manning in a 23-20 win against the Denver Broncos in 2002.
Chicago Bears TE Mike Ditka (averaged 2.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg for Pittsburgh in 1958-59 and 1959-60) caught seven passes for 146 yards in a 17-17 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1963.
New York Giants DB Scott Eaton (three-year Oregon State letterman averaged 6 ppg and 2.8 rpg) secured his third interception of month in 1968.
New York Giants rookie DB Percy Ellsworth (appeared in all four of Virginia's NCAA tourney contests for 1995 Midwest Regional finalist) provided an interception for second straight game in 1996.
New York Giants rookie E Tod Goodwin (West Virginia hoops letterman in 1932-33) scored the game's lone touchdown with a 55-yard pass from Ed Danowski (Fordham hoops letterman in 1932-33) in a 10-0 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1935.
New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham (part-time starter for Miami FL averaged 4.2 ppg and 4.2 rpg from 2005-06 through 2008-09) caught two touchdown passes from Drew Brees in a 34-27 setback against the Baltimore Ravens in 2014.
Dallas Cowboys CB Cornell Green (Utah State's all-time leading scorer and rebounder when career ended in 1961-62) returned a fumble recovery 20 yards for touchdown in 27-17 setback against the Cleveland Browns in 1963.
Miami Dolphins QB Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) threw three touchdown passes - of them to SE Karl Noonan (member of Iowa's basketball squad in 1963-64) - in a 34-10 AFL win against the Boston Patriots in 1968. Nine years later, Griese threw six TD passes in a 55-14 NFL win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977.
Cleveland Rams TB Parker Hall (Ole Miss hoops letterman in 1938) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 47-25 defeat against the Chicago Bears in 1940.
San Diego Chargers SS Rodney Harrison (averaged 7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3 apg and 1.6 spg for Western Illinois in 1992-93) intercepted two passes in a 28-14 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1996.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 21-7 win against the Green Bay Packers in 2002.
St. Louis Cardinals QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 24-17 win against the New York Giants in 1963.
Baltimore Ravens WR Jacoby Jones (part-time starter averaged 3.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg for Lane TN in 2004-05 and 2005-06) caught a 66-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco in 19-3 win against the New York Jets in 2013.
San Francisco 49ers RB Terry Kirby (averaged 3.4 ppg as Virginia freshman in 1989-90 and 2.1 as sophomore in 1990-91) had 11 pass receptions in a 19-16 win against the Washington Redskins in 1996.
Oakland Raiders DB Ronnie Lott (Southern California hooper as junior in 1979-80) returned two interceptions a total of 47 yards in a 38-14 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1991.
Chicago Bears QB Johnny Lujack (averaged 3.4 ppg as starting guard for Notre Dame in 1943-44) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 28-7 win against the Detroit Lions in 1949.
New York Giants DE George Martin (Oregon hoops teammate of freshman sensation Ron Lee in 1972-73) registered three sacks and returned an interception 56 yards for touchdown in 34-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985.
Chicago Bears B Keith Molesworth (three-year hoops letterman for Monmouth IL in late 1920s) scored a touchdown in his third consecutive contest in 1932.
Chicago Cardinals FB Ernie Nevers (All-PCC second-five hoops choice for Stanford in 1924-25) rushed for three touchdowns in a 19-0 win against the Dayton Triangles in 1929.
New York Yankees TB Ace Parker (Duke hoops letterman in 1936) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 38-28 AAFC setback against the Chicago Rockets in 1946.
Chicago Bears E Dick Plasman (Vanderbilt two-year starting hoops center named to 1936 All-SEC Tournament second five) caught a 58-yard touchdown pass in 47-25 win against the Cleveland Rams in 1940.
Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (SMU hooper in 2015-16 under coach Larry Brown) caught two second-half touchdown passes in 29-19 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.
New England Patriots TE John Tanner (JC recruit averaged 3.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg for Tennessee Tech in 1968-69) opened game's scoring by catching a touchdown pass from Jim Plunkett in 27-17 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1974.
Tennessee Titans WR Kendall Wright (Baylor hooper as freshman in 2008-09) scored game-winning touchdown - 10-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick - with 10 seconds remaining in a 23-19 nod over the Oakland Raiders in 2013.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 23 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly chosen among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 23 in football at the professional level (especially in 1947 plus ex-hoopers with the Lions and Redskins):
NOVEMBER 23
Brooklyn Dodgers HB Al Akins (forward was letterman for Washington in 1944 after lettering with Washington State previous two years) caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in 16-12 AAFC setback against the Los Angeles Dons in 1947.
New York Giants E Red Badgro (first-five All-PCC pick as forward in 1926-27 when named Southern California's MVP) opened game's scoring with a 22-yard touchdown reception in 13-6 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1930.
Washington Redskins QB Sammy Baugh (Texas Christian three-year hoops letterman was All-SWC honorable mention selection as senior in 1936-37) threw six touchdown passes in a 45-21 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1947. Two of the TD pass receptions were caught by rookie E Paul McKee (played hoops for Syracuse in 1942-43).
Los Angeles Rams E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) had two touchdown receptions in a 28-17 win against the Detroit Lions in 1947. Rams B Tom Harmon (averaged 7.6 ppg as sophomore in 1938-39 when leading Michigan in scoring in five contests) scored two TDs (including 88-yard punt return). Lions rookie DB Bob Wiese (averaged 3.9 ppg for Michigan in 1942-43 and 1943-44) had two interceptions.
Fourth field goal of game by PK Billy Cundiff (played in nine basketball contests with Drake in 1999-00 and 2000-01) came as time expired and gave the Cleveland Browns a 26-24 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 2014.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Joe Geri (Georgia hoops letterman in 1943) rushed for two first-half touchdowns in a 28-17 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1950.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez (averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg for California from 1994-95 through 1996-97) caught 10 passes in a 54-31 setback against the Buffalo Bills in 2008.
Minnesota Vikings QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) passed for 312 yards and three touchdowns in a 23-21 setback against the New York Jets in 1997.
Philadelphia Eagles TE Jimmie Johnson (averaged 2.7 ppg and 1.5 rpg for Howard University in 1988-89) had a career-high four pass receptions in 23-20 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997.
Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw two first-quarter touchdown passes in a 49-14 win against the New York Yanks in 1950. Lions E Cloyce Box (combined with twin brother Boyce to help West Texas A&M win Border Conference hoop championship in 1943) caught three TD passes.
Washington Redskins WR Bob Long (Wichita State hooper in 1960-61 and 1961-62 under coach Ralph Miller) had a career-high 10 pass receptions in a 27-20 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 1969.
Green Bay Packers DB Ace Loomis (Wisconsin-La Crosse hooper in late 1940s) returned an interception 45 yards for touchdown in 42-14 win against the Dallas Texans in 1952.
New York Giants DE George Martin (Oregon hoops teammate of freshman sensation Ron Lee in 1972-73) returned an interception 78 yards for touchdown in 19-16 win against the Denver Broncos in 1986.
Buffalo Bills HB Chet Mutryn (Xavier hoops letterman in 1943) rushed for two touchdowns in a 33-14 AAFC win against the Baltimore Colts in 1947.
Dallas Cowboys WR Terrell Owens (UT-Chattanooga hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five basketball games) had seven pass receptions for 213 yards in a 35-22 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 2008.
Cleveland Browns RB Greg Pruitt (Oklahoma frosh hooper in 1969-70) had more than 100 yards in rushing (121) and receiving (106) en route to scoring two touchdowns - including go-ahead pass reception from Mike Phipps in fourth quarter - in a 35-23 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1975.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 34-30 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1969.
Chicago Bears TE Ed Sprinkle (two-year hoops letterman for Hardin-Simmons TX in early 1940s) caught a decisive fourth-quarter touchdown pass from George Blanda in 24-23 win against the Detroit Lions in 1952.
San Francisco 49ers E Billy Wilson (averaged 3.3 ppg as senior letterman for San Jose State in 1950-51) caught two touchdown passes from Y.A. Tittle in a 33-12 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1958.
Staten Island Stapletons B Doug Wycoff (Georgia Tech hoops letterman in 1926) accounted for game's only scoring with a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown in 6-0 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1930.
Bullying Tactics: Way Too Many Power-League Members Shun Mid-Major Stars
Any player worth his sneakers seeks to compete against quality, not inferior, opponents with something such as in-state bragging rights at stake rather than devouring menu filled with cupcakes. But many power-conference members steer clear of competent in-state opponents in pre-conference competition.
LSU refrains from opposing Tulane in recent years but one of the greatest freshman debuts in college annals took place when Tigers forward Rudy Macklin grabbed a school-record 32 rebounds against the Green Wave to open the 1976-77 campaign. How many comparable splendid performances never had a chance to unfold on the court? Meanwhile, how many power-player schools fodder-bored torture us with age-old, one-sided arguments flapping their self-serving jaws about nothing to gain? Indiana likely will eventually somehow survive a defeat at IPFW and season-opening setback against Indiana State several years ago while many power-conference counterparts usually compete in exotic-outpost tournaments in front of disinterested algae, barnacles, crabs, mussels, sea shells, snails and handful of assorted beach creatures. Do they seek to be there just to by chance view Jay Bilas or some other ESPN personality in a bathing suit? Why don't more thin-skinned elite schools put an emphasis on what is best for the sport in general by scheduling more entertaining contests against competitive in-state foes? That was a relevant question to ask UCLA several years ago as the Bruins made three's-company travel arrangements regarding low-end trip back home for three high-end Louis Vuitton freshman scholars following their three-joint play paving way to theft detention in China.
Isn't this supposed to be the era for putting an end to bullying tactics? Prior to his exit, pompous pilot Rick Pitino said Louisville played "four white guys and an Egyptian" to not embarrass lowly Savannah State in a mismatch. If that is the case, then why schedule a Savannah vacation in the first place? Giving fans half-a-peace sign and Quaaludes reminiscent of Bill Cosby's victims, the hoop haughtiness of power schools denying fans stimulating non-league games isn't funny or a new phenomenon. Did you know LSU avoided potentially attractive in-state assignments for decades by never opposing McNeese State's Joe Dumars, Tulane's Jerald Honeycutt, New Orleans' Ervin Johnson, Louisiana Tech's Karl Malone, Northeast Louisiana's Calvin Natt, Centenary's Robert Parish and Southwestern Louisiana's Kevin Brooks, Bo Lamar and Andrew Toney? The Bayou Bengals didn't bother to give freshman sensation Ben Simmons an opportunity to oppose ULL's Shawn Long, one of only six players in NCAA history to finish career with more than 2,250 points and 1,400 rebounds.
Similarly over the years, North Carolina shunned Davidson first- and second-team All-Americans Stephen Curry, Mike Maloy and Dick Snyder during the regular season. The Tar Heels did defeat Davidson in exciting back-to-back East Regional finals by a total of six points in 1968 and 1969 when Maloy averaged 21.5 ppg and 13 rpg. In 1974, South Carolina's powerhouse boasting Mike Dunleavy, Alex English and Brian Winters, couldn't keep skirting Furman and succumbed in the East Regional, 75-67, when the Padadins' Clyde Mayes collected 21 points and game-high 16 rebounds. Dick Vitale-coached Detroit was eliminated from the NCAA playoffs in the 1977 Mideast Regional semifinals by Michigan after the Wolverines avoided the Titans' terrific trio comprised of Terry Duerod, John Long and Terry Tyler in the regular season that year and the previous campaign while opposing Fordham, Kent State, La Salle, Miami (Ohio), Rhode Island, Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky.
Did we deserve to see national players of the year such as Indiana State's Larry Bird (never opposed Indiana), Princeton's Bill Bradley (Seton Hall), La Salle's Tom Gola (Villanova), Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin (Ohio State), Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (Ohio State), Navy's David Robinson (Georgetown and Maryland), Xavier's David West (Ohio State) and Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (Illinois) strut their stuff in regular-season contests against nearby prominent programs? Shouldn't we have been entertained by mercurial Murray State guard Ja Morant competing vs. in-state foes Kentucky and Louisville several years ago rather than UK and UL both opposing Vermont?
The Terrapins only met "The Admiral" upon being forced to compete in the second round of 1985 Southeast Regional when Robinson contributed game-high figures in scoring, rebounding and blocks. Unbelievably, more than 30 All-Americans from Ohio colleges in the last 60 years never had an opportunity to oppose Ohio State during the regular season (including small-school sensation Bevo Francis of Rio Grande).
Power-conference members give appearance of parasites while playing more than 85% of their out-of-conference games at home or a neutral site. Check out the non-league parade of patsies predatory powers Kansas and Kansas State scheduled while avoiding Fred VanVleet for four years and Wichita State All-American Antoine Carr the first half of the 1980s. The following mid-major/non-power league All-Americans specifically and fans generally were shortchanged during the regular season by smug in-state schools since the accepted modern era of basketball commenced in early 1950s:
| Mid-Major School | All-American | In-State Power League Member(s) A-A Didn't Oppose During Regular Season/Non-League Cupcakes Devoured While Avoiding Mid-Major A-A |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Roberts | Max Abmas | Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in 2022-23/Sooners opposed Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Central Arkansas, Sam Houston, South Alabama and UMKC while Cowboys met Oakland, Prairie View A&M, Sam Houston, Texas-Arlington and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Texas Western | Jim Barnes | SWC members except Texas in 1962-63 and 1963-64 |
| Western Kentucky | Charles Bassey | Kentucky in 2020-21/Wildcats opposed Richmond |
| Seattle | Elgin Baylor | Washington and Washington State in 1956-57 and 1957-58/Huskies opposed Yale while Cougars met Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana and Whitworth during that span |
| Penn | Ernie Beck | Villanova from 1950-51 through 1952-53/Wildcats opposed Army, Delaware, Geneva, Iona, King's, LeMoyne, Loyola (Md.), Millersville State, Mount St. Mary's, Muhlenberg, Rider, Saint Francis (Pa.), Saint Peter's, Scranton, Siena, Tampa, Texas Wesleyan, Valparaiso and William & Mary |
| Cincinnati | Ron Bonham | Ohio State from 1961-62 through 1963-64/Buckeyes opposed Butler, UC Davis and TCU |
| Gonzaga | Frank Burgess | Washington from 1958-59 through 1960-61/Huskies opposed Hawaii |
| Marshall | Leo Byrd | West Virginia from 1956-57 through 1958-59/Mountaineers opposed Mississippi Southern and Yale |
| Wichita State | Antoine Carr | Kansas and Kansas State from 1979-80 through 1982-83/Jayhawks opposed Alcorn State, Birmingham Southern, Bowling Green, Cal State Bakersfield, Maine, Mississippi Valley State, Morehead State, Nevada-Reno, Rollins, Texas Southern, U.S. International and Wisconsin-Oshkosh while Wildcats met Abilene Christian, Auburn-Montgomery, UC Davis, Cal State Bakersfield, Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Portland State, South Dakota, Southern Colorado, U.S. International, Western Illinois and Wisconsin-Parkside |
| East Tennessee State | Tom Chilton | Memphis State and Vanderbilt from 1958-59 through 1960-61/Tigers opposed Birmingham Southern, UC Davis, Hardin-Simmons, Lamar, Louisiana College, Louisiana-Monroe, Loyola (New Orleans), Missouri-Rolla, Montana State, North Texas, Rollins, Southern Mississippi, Spring Hill, Tampa, Texas Wesleyan and Toronto while Commodores met Arkansas State, Dartmouth, Hardin-Simmons, Navy and Yale |
| Dayton | Bill Chmielewski | Ohio State in 1961-62 |
| Gonzaga | Brandon Clarke | Washington State in 2018-19/Cougars opposed Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Delaware State, Idaho, Montana State, New Mexico State, Nicholls State, Rider, San Diego and SIU Edwardsville |
| Campbell | Chris Clemons | Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest from 2015-16 through 2018-19/Blue Devils opposed Army, Bryant, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Furman, Georgia Southern, Grand Canyon, Hartford, Long Beach State, Maine, Marist, Portland State, Princeton, Rhode Island, Saint Francis (Pa.), Siena, South Dakota, Southern (La.), Stetson, Tennessee State, Utah State, Utah Valley, VCU, William & Mary and Yale; Tar Heels met Bucknell, Chattanooga, Fairfield, Harvard, Long Beach State, Monmouth, Northern Iowa, Portland, Radford, Saint Francis (Pa.), Tennessee Tech, Tulane and Wofford; Wolfpack tackled Boston University, Bryant, Bucknell, Charleston Southern, Fairfield, Georgia Southern, IUPUI, Jacksonville, Loyola of Chicago, Loyola (Md.), Maine, Maryland-Eastern Shore, McNeese State, Mercer, Montana, Mount St. Mary's, Northeastern, Northern Iowa, Presbyterian, Rider, Robert Morris, Saint Francis (N.Y.), Saint Peter's, South Alabama, South Carolina State, USC Upstate, South Florida, Tennessee State, UMKC, Virginia Military, William & Mary and Winthrop, while Demon Deacons played against Army, Bucknell, Cal State Fullerton, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Cornell, Drake, Georgia Southern, Houston Baptist, Liberty, Maryland-Baltimore County, Quinnipiac, Radford, Richmond, Texas-El Paso and Valparaiso |
| Illinois State | Doug Collins | DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern at DI level in 1971-72 and 1972-73/Blue Demons opposed Dubuque, Lewis, Parsons, Rocky Mountain, Saint Joseph's (Ind.), St. Mary's (Minn.), Westmont, Winona State, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Illini met DePauw, Furman, Loyola (New Orleans), South Dakota and Valparaiso, plus Wildcats tackled Ohio University, TCU and Valparaiso |
| San Francisco | Quintin Dailey | Stanford from 1979-80 through 1981-82/Cardinal opposed Air Force, UC Davis, Furman, Harvard, Penn, Portland, Rice, Seattle Pacific and U.S. International |
| Bowling Green | Jim Darrow | Ohio State from 1957-58 through 1959-60/Butler, Delaware, Princeton and Yale |
| Detroit | Antoine Davis | Michigan and Michigan State in 2022-23/Wolverines opposed Jackson State, Lipscomb and Purdue Fort Wayne while Spartans met Brown, Buffalo, Northern Arizona and Portland |
| Cincinnati | Ralph Davis | Ohio State from 1957-58 through 1959-60/Butler, Delaware, Princeton and Yale |
| Detroit | Dave DeBusschere | Michigan and Michigan State from 1959-60 through 1961-62/Wolverines opposed Ball State, Bowling Green, Brown, Butler, Denver, Drake, Idaho, Miami (Ohio), Penn, Portland, Washington (Mo.) and Western Ontario while Spartans met Bowling Green, Butler, Northern Michigan, Portland and Tulsa |
| Wichita State | Cleanthony Early | Kansas and Kansas State in 2012-13 and 2013-14/Jayhawks opposed American University, Belmont, Chattanooga, Iona, Louisiana-Monroe, Richmond, San Jose State, Southeast Missouri State, Toledo and Towson while Wildcats met Charlotte, Delaware, George Washington, Lamar, Long Beach State, North Dakota, North Florida, Northern Colorado, Oral Roberts, USC Upstate, South Dakota, Texas Southern, Troy, Tulane and UMKC |
| Detroit | Bill Ebben | Michigan from 1954-55 through 1956-57/Wolverines opposed Butler, Delaware, Denver, Kent State, Los Angeles State, Valparaiso, Washington (Mo.) and Yale |
| Oakland | Kay Felder | Michigan from 2013-14 through 2015-16/Wolverines opposed Bryant, Bucknell, Coppin State, Delaware State, Elon, Hillsdale, Holy Cross, Houston Baptist, Massachusetts-Lowell, Nicholls State, Northern Kentucky, Northern Michigan, South Carolina State and Youngstown State |
| St. Louis | Bob Ferry | Missouri from 1956-57 through 1958-59/Mizzou opposed North Dakota, Rice, South Dakota and UTEP |
| Dayton | Henry Finkel | Ohio State from 1963-64 through 1965-66/Buckeyes opposed Butler, UC Davis, South Dakota, TCU and West Texas State |
| San Diego State | Malachi Flynn | USC and UCLA in 2019-20/Trojans opposed Florida A&M, Florida Gulf Coast, Portland and South Dakota State while Bruins met Denver, Hofstra and Southern Utah |
| Columbia | Chet Forte | St. John's from 1954-55 through 1956-57/Redmen opposed Fairfield, Hofstra, Roanoke, Siena and Wagner |
| Cincinnati | Danny Fortson | Ohio State from 1994-95 through 1996-97/Buckeyes opposed Alabama State, Central Connecticut, Cleveland State, Drexel, George Mason, Kent State, LIU, Morgan State, Penn and Southwestern Louisiana |
| Oral Roberts | Richie Fuqua | Oklahoma and Oklahoma State at DI level in 1971-72 and 1972-73/Sooners opposed Charlotte, Indiana State, Samford, Stetson and Washburn while Cowboys met Arkansas State, Cal Poly-Pomona, Cal State Fullerton, Northwest Missouri State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Loyola Marymount | Hank Gathers | USC and UCLA from 1987-88 through 1989-90/Trojans opposed Boston University, Central Connecticut State, Delaware, Duquesne, Howard, Northern Arizona, Portland, Prairie View A&M, St. Francis, Seattle, UALR, U.S. International, Western Kentucky and Yale while Bruins met American University, Boston University, East Tennessee State, North Texas, Oral Roberts and Penn |
| Jacksonville | Artis Gilmore | Florida in 1969-70 and 1970-71/Gators opposed East Tennessee State, Fordham, Harvard, Morehead State and Samford |
| Oklahoma City | Gary Gray | Oklahoma State from 1964-65 through 1966-67/Cowboys opposed Abilene Christian, UC Santa Barbara, Creighton, Lamar, Regis and South Dakota State |
| Colorado State | Bill Green | Colorado from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Buffaloes opposed Creighton, Pepperdine and Texas Tech |
| Gonzaga | Rui Hachimura | Washington State from 2016-17 through 2018-19/Cougars opposed Bethune-Cookman, UC Davis, Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Sacramento, Central Washington, Delaware State, Idaho, Idaho State, IUPUI, Loyola of Chicago, Montana, Montana State, New Mexico State, New Orleans, Nicholls State, Rider, San Diego, San Jose State, Santa Clara, SIU Edwardsville, Texas-El Paso, Texas Southern and Utah Valley |
| Tennessee Tech | Jimmy Hagan | Tennessee and Vanderbilt from 1957-58 through 1959-60/Volunteers opposed Bucknell, Butler, Furman, Louisiana Tech, Sewanee, William & Mary, Wyoming and Yale while Commodores met Arkansas State, The Citadel, Dartmouth, Hardin-Simmons, Loyola (New Orleans), Navy, Rice, Sewanee, Southwestern, VMI, Wyoming and Yale |
| Loyola of Chicago | Jerry Harkness | DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Blue Demons opposed Aquinas, Baldwin-Wallace, Bowling Green, Christian Brothers, Denver, Gannon, Illinois Wesleyan, Lawrence Tech, North Dakota, NE State College, St. Bonaventure, Tampa, Western Michigan, Western Ontario and Youngstown State; Illini met Butler, Colgate, Cornell, Creighton, Manhattan, Penn, San Jose State and Washington (Mo.), and Wildcats tackled Brown, Colorado State, Creighton, Dartmouth, Manhattan, Princeton, SMU and Western Michigan |
| Miami (Ohio) | Ron Harper | Ohio State from 1982-83 through 1985-86/Buckeyes opposed Brooklyn, Central Florida, Chattanooga, Chico State, Eastern Michigan, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Santa Clara, South Alabama, Stetson and Tulane |
| Western Kentucky | Clem Haskins | Kentucky and Louisville from 1964-65 through 1966-67/Wildcats opposed Air Force, Cornell Dartmouth and Hardin-Simmons while Cardinals met Army, Bellarmine, Central Missouri, Georgetown College, La Salle, Niagara, Princeton, Southern Illinois, Southwestern Louisiana and Tampa |
| Detroit | Spencer Haywood | Michigan and Michigan State in 1968-69/Wolverines opposed Bradley, Butler, Northern Illinois and Toledo while Spartans met Butler, Southwestern Louisiana, Toledo and Western Kentucky |
| Cincinnati | Paul Hogue | Ohio State from 1959-60 through 1961-62/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, Delaware and Evansville |
| Xavier | Tu Holloway | Ohio State from 2008-09 through 2011-12/Buckeyes opposed Alcorn State, Butler, Delaware State, Eastern Michigan, Florida Gulf Coast, Houston Baptist, IUPUI, Iona, Jackson State, Jacksonville, James Madison, Lamar, Lipscomb, Morehead State, UNC Asheville, North Carolina A&T, UNC Wilmington, North Florida, Oakland, Presbyterian, Saint Francis (Pa.), Samford, USC Upstate, Tennessee-Martin, Texas-Pan American, Valparaiso, VMI, Western Carolina and Wright State |
| Dayton | DaRon Holmes II | Ohio State from 2021-22 through 2023-24/Buckeyes opposed Alabama A&M, Central Michigan, Charleston Southern, Eastern Illinois, IUPUI, Maine, Merrimack, Niagara, Oakland, Robert Morris, Saint Francis (Pa.), Towson and Western Michigan |
| Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren | Washington State in 2021-22/Cougars opposed Alcorn State, UC Santa Barbara, Idaho, New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Weber State and Winthrop |
| Dayton | John Horan | Ohio State from 1951-52 through 1954-55/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Denver and Oklahoma City |
| Army | Kevin Houston | St. John's and Syracuse from 1983-84 through 1986-87/Redmen opposed Davidson, Fairleigh Dickinson, James Madison, Lafayette, Monmouth, Navy, Old Dominion, Southern, U.S. International, Wagner and Youngstown State while Orangemen met Boston University, C.W. Post, Duquesne, Fairfield, George Washington, Hawaii Loa, Lamar, La Salle, Loyola of Chicago, Maine, Navy and Northeastern |
| East Tennessee State | Mister Jennings | Vanderbilt from 1987-88 through 1990-91/Commodores opposed Alaska-Anchorage, Chaminade, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, East Carolina, Fordham, George Washington, Hawaii, Lehigh, Morehead State, Murray State, UNC Asheville, Rice, Samford, SMU and UAB |
| Memphis State | Larry Kenon | Tennessee and Vanderbilt in 1972-73/Volunteers opposed Niagara while Commodores met Columbia, SMU and Western Kentucky |
| Cincinnati | Sean Kilpatrick | Ohio State from 2010-11 through 2013-14/Buckeyes opposed Albany, American University, Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Chicago State, Delaware, Florida Gulf Coast, IUPUI, Jackson State, Lamar, Louisiana-Monroe, Morehead State, Morgan State, UNC Asheville, North Carolina A&T, UNC Wilmington, North Dakota State, North Florida, Northern Kentucky, Oakland, Savannah State, USC Upstate, Tennessee-Martin, Texas-Pan American, UMKC, Valparaiso, VMI, Western Carolina, Winthrop, Wright State and Wyoming |
| Loyola Marymount | Bo Kimble | USC and UCLA from 1987-88 through 1989-90/Trojans opposed Boston University, Central Connecticut State, Delaware, Duquesne, Howard, Northern Arizona, Portland, Prairie View A&M, St. Francis, Seattle, UALR, U.S. International, Western Kentucky and Yale while Bruins met American University, Boston University, East Tennessee State, North Texas, Oral Roberts and Penn |
| Gonzaga | Corey Kispert | Washington State in 2020-21/Cougars opposed Idaho, Montana State, Northwestern State, Portland State, Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern |
| Bowling Green | Butch Komives | Ohio State from 1961-62 through 1963-64/Buckeyes opposed Butler, UC Davis, Detroit, Houston, TCU and Utah State |
| Oklahoma City | Bud Koper | Oklahoma and Oklahoma State from 1961-62 through 1963-64/Sooners opposed Colorado State, South Dakota and Southern Illinois while Cowboys met Abilene Christian, Colorado State, Drake, Hardin-Simmons, Lamar, Long Beach State, Los Angeles State, Montana and Regis |
| Loyola of Chicago | Cameron Krutwig | DePaul in 2020-21/Blue Demons opposed Valparaiso and Western Illinois |
| Saint Mary's | Jock Landale | Stanford in 2017-18/Cardinal opposed Denver, Eastern Washington, Montana, Northeastern and Portland State |
| St. Bonaventure | Bob Lanier | St. John's and Syracuse from 1967-68 through 1969-70/Redmen opposed Davidson, Duquesne, Harvard, Holy Cross, Massachusetts, Princeton, Rhode Island, Roanoke, St. Mary's and Westminster while Orangemen met American University, Bowling Green, George Washington, Holy Cross, Lafayette, La Salle, Navy, Rochester and Yale |
| Xavier | Byron Larkin | Ohio State from 1984-85 through 1987-88/Buckeyes opposed Ball State, Brooklyn, Bucknell, Central Florida, Central Michigan, Chattanooga, Howard, Jacksonville, Lafayette, UMBC, UMSL, Siena, Stetson, Tulane and Western Michigan |
| Texas-El Paso | David "Big Daddy" Lattin | SWC members except SMU in 1965-66 and 1966-67 |
| Memphis State | Keith Lee | Tennessee and Vanderbilt from 1981-82 through 1984-85/Volunteers opposed American University, Biscayne, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Cleveland State, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia State, Hardin-Simmons, Hawaii, Idaho State, Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, Miami (Ohio), Montana State, Morehead State, Navy, New Orleans, Ohio Northern, Oklahoma City, Portland, Richmond, St. Francis (N.Y.), San Jose State, Southern Mississippi, UAB and Vermont while Commodores met Air Force, Alaska-Anchorage, Columbia, Eastern Kentucky, Indiana State, Long Beach State, Manhattan, North Alabama, Princeton, Samford, South Florida, Vermont, Western Carolina and Yale |
| Marshall | Russell Lee | West Virginia from 1969-70 through 1971-72/Mountaineers opposed Army, Bucknell, UC Irvine, Colgate, Columbia, East Carolina, Hawaii, New Mexico and Saint Francis (Pa.). |
| Wichita | Cleo Littleton | Kansas and Kansas State from 1951-52 through 1954-55/Jayhawks opposed Creighton, Denver, Rice, SMU, Tulane and Tulsa while Wildcats met Denver, Drake, Hamline, Wyoming and Yale |
| Cincinnati | Steve Logan | Ohio State from 1998-99 through 2001-02/Buckeyes opposed Albany, American University, Army, Coastal Carolina, Coppin State, Denver, Duquesne, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, IUPUI, Massachusetts, Morehead State, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, Oakland, Robert Morris, Santa Clara, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee Tech, Valparaiso, Vermont, Winthrop and Yale |
| UC Irvine | Kevin Magee | USC and UCLA in 1980-81 and 1981-82/Trojans opposed Doane, Idaho State, New Mexico, Oral Roberts, Portland, Richmond and Wyoming while Bruins met Boston University, Evansville and VMI |
| Western Kentucky | Tom Marshall | Kentucky in 1951-52 and 1953-54/Wildcats opposed La Salle, Washington & Lee and Xavier |
| Bradley | Bobby Joe Mason | DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern from 1957-58 through 1959-60/Blue Demons opposed Army, Baldwin-Wallace, Bowling Green, Canisius, Christian Brothers, Creighton, Evansville, Illinois Wesleyan, Miami (Ohio), Nebraska Wesleyan, North Dakota, Ohio University, Western Kentucky and Western Michigan; Illinois met Butler, Ohio University, Pacific, Rice and Western Kentucky, while Wildcats tackled Boston University, Duquesne, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Western Michigan |
| UNC Charlotte | Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell | Duke and North Carolina from 1973-74 through 1976-77/Blue Devils opposed Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Kent State, Lafayette, Princeton, Rice, Richmond, South Florida, Tulane, Vermont, Western Kentucky, William & Mary and Yale while Tar Heels met East Tennessee State, Furman, Howard, Marshall, Oral Roberts, St. Thomas (Fla.), South Florida, Vermont, Weber State and Yale |
| Dayton | Don May | Ohio State from 1965-66 through 1967-68/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, UC Davis, Cornell, Hardin-Simmons, Northern Michigan, South Dakota and TCU |
| Furman | Clyde Mayes | South Carolina from 1972-73 through 1974-75/Gamecocks opposed Assumption (Mass.), Bucknell, Canisius, Creighton, Davidson, DePauw, Drake, Eastern Kentucky, Fairfield, Fordham, Georgia Southern, Lafayette, Manhattan, Marshall, Niagara, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's, Stetson and Toledo |
| Richmond | Bob McCurdy | Virginia in 1973-74 and 1974-75/Cavaliers opposed Davidson, Denver, George Washington, Kent State, Lehigh, Navy, Stetson and Washington & Lee |
| Wichita State | Xavier McDaniel | Kansas State from 1981-82 through 1984-85/Wildcats opposed Abilene Christian, Auburn-Montgomery, UC Davis, Centenary, Eastern Washington, Morgan State, North Texas, Northern Iowa, Northridge State, South Dakota, Southern Colorado, Truman State, U.S. International, Western Illinois and Wisconsin-Parkside |
| Western Kentucky | Jim McDaniels | Kentucky and Louisville from 1968-69 through 1970-71/Wildcats opposed Miami (Ohio), Navy, Penn and Xavier while Cardinals met Bellarmine, UC Riverside, Furman, Georgetown College, SMU, Southern Mississippi and Stetson |
| Dayton | Don Meineke | Ohio State from 1949-50 through 1951-52/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Cornell, Denver, Harvard and Princeton |
| Bradley | Gene Melchiorre | Illinois and Northwestern from 1947-48 through 1950-51/Illini opposed Butler, Coe (Iowa), Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Toledo while Wildcats met Butler, Dartmouth, Navy, Princeton, Rice, Ripon (Wis.), Tulane, Western Michigan and Yale |
| Southern Illinois | Joe C. Meriweather | DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern from 1972-73 through 1974-75/Blue Demons opposed Brown, Charlotte, Duquesne, Gonzaga, Indiana State, Lewis, LIU, Manhattan, Marshall, Massachusetts, Niagara, Rocky Mountain, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's (Ind.), Saint Mary's (Calif.), St. Mary's (Minn.), San Jose State, Toledo, Westmont, Winona State and Wisconsin-Green Bay; Illini met Army, DePauw, Detroit, Duquesne, Furman, Northern Michigan, Tulane and Valparaiso, while Wildcats tackled Butler, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Ohio University, Rollins and Valparaiso |
| Seattle | Eddie Miles | Washington from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Huskies opposed Air Force, Army, Colorado State and Hawaii |
| Murray State | Ja Morant | Kentucky and Louisville in 2017-18 and 2018-19/Wildcats opposed East Tennessee State, Fort Wayne, Harvard, Illinois-Chicago, Monmouth, UNC Greensboro, North Dakota, Tennessee State, Troy, Utah Valley, Vermont, VMI and Winthrop while Cardinals met Albany, Bryant, Central Arkansas, George Mason, Grand Canyon, Kent State, Lipscomb, Nebraska-Omaha, Robert Morris, Saint Francis (Pa.), Siena, Southern (La.) and Vermont |
| Drake | Red Murrell | Iowa from 1955-56 through 1957-58/Hawkeyes opposed Cornell, Denver, Loyola Marymount, Loyola (New Orleans) and SMU |
| Seattle | Twins Eddie O'Brien and Johnny O'Brien | Washington from 1950-51 through 1952-53/Huskies opposed Santa Clara |
| Lamar | Mike Olliver | Texas from 1977-78 through 1980-81/Longhorns opposed Alaska-Anchorage, Arkansas State, Army, Biscayne, Centenary, Hardin-Simmons, Harvard, Long Beach State, Murray State, New Mexico State, Northern Montana, Northwestern State, Oklahoma City, Pacific, San Francisco and Vermont |
| Gonzaga | Kelly Olynyk | Washington in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2012-13/Huskies opposed Albany, Belmont, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Colorado State, Eastern Washington, Jackson State, Long Beach State, Loyola (Md.), McNeese State, Montana, Nevada, Northern Illinois, Portland, Portland State, San Francisco, San Jose State and Wright State |
| Tulsa | Bob Patterson | Oklahoma from 1952-53 through 1954-55/Sooners opposed SMU |
| Dayton | Jim Paxson | Ohio State from 1975-76 through 1978-79/Buckeyes opposed Ball State, Butler, Cal Poly-Pomona, Cal State-Hayward, Davidson, Evansville, Loyola Marymount, Marshall, Penn, Princeton, Rochester, Stetson, Toledo, Tulane and Vermont |
| Valparaiso | Alec Peters | Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue from 2013-14 through 2016-17/Hoosiers opposed Alcorn State, Austin Peay, Chicago State, Delaware State, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Washington, Grand Canyon, Houston Baptist, IPFW, Kennesaw State, Lamar, Liberty, LIU, UMass Lowell, McNeese State, Mississippi Valley State, Morehead State, New Orleans, Nicholls State, UNC Greensboro, North Florida, Samford, Savannah State, Southeast Missouri State, SIU Edwardsville, Stony Brook and Texas Southern; Irish met Army, Binghamton, Bryant, Canisius, Chicago State, Colgate, Coppin State, Cornell, Delaware, Fairleigh Dickinson, Fort Wayne, Grambling State, Hartford, Liberty, Loyola of Chicago, Loyola (Md.), UMass Lowell, Miami (Ohio), Milwaukee, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Navy, North Carolina A&T, North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, Saint Francis (Pa.), Saint Peter's, Santa Clara, Seattle, Stetson, Stony Brook and Youngstown State, while Boilermakers tackled Arkansas State, Central Connecticut State, Cleveland State, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Gardner-Webb, Georgia State, Grambling State, Howard University, IPFW, IUPUI, Incarnate Word, Lehigh, Maryland-Eastern Shore, McNeese State, Morehead State, NJIT, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T, North Florida, Northern Kentucky, Old Dominion, Rider, Samford, Siena, Utah State, Vermont, Western Illinois and Youngstown State |
| Gonzaga | Filip Petrusev | Washington State in 2019-20/Cougars opposed Arkansas-Pine Bluff, UC Riverside, Florida A&M, Idaho, Idaho State, Incarnate Word, New Mexico State and Omaha |
| Bradley | Roger Phegley | Illinois and Northwestern from 1974-75 through 1977-78/Illini opposed Army, Cal Poly, Charlotte, DePauw, Furman, Kent State, Long Beach State, Missouri-Rolla, North Dakota State, Rice, San Jose State, Valparaiso and William & Mary while Wildcats met Brown, Butler, Duquesne, Fairfield, Miami (Ohio), Ohio University, Texas-El Paso and Valparaiso |
| Murray State | Bennie Purcell | Kentucky from 1948-49 through 1951-52/Wildcats opposed Bowling Green, Bradley, Holy Cross, Indiana Central, Tulsa, Washington & Lee, West Texas State, Western Ontario and Xavier |
| Western Kentucky | Bobby Rascoe | Kentucky from 1959-60 through 1961-62/Wildcats opposed Miami (Ohio), Northern Colorado, VMI and Yale |
| Long Beach State | Ed Ratleff | USC and UCLA from 1970-71 through 1972-73/Trojans opposed Fordham, Hardin-Simmons, La Salle, Penn, Princeton, Rochester and Texas-El Paso while Bruins met Baylor, Bradley, The Citadel, Dayton, Denver, Drake, TCU, Tulsa and William & Mary |
| Memphis State | Dexter Reed | Tennessee from 1973-74 through 1976-77/Volunteers opposed Army, Biscayne, Charlotte, Columbia, Harvard, La Salle, Navy, North Texas State, Penn, San Francisco, Santa Clara, South Florida, Tulane, Vermont and Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
| Oklahoma City | Hub Reed | Oklahoma from 1955-56 through 1957-58/Sooners opposed Baylor and Rice |
| Massachusetts | Lou Roe | Boston College from 1991-92 through 1994-95/Eagles opposed Brooklyn, Brown, Buffalo, Cal Poly, Chaminade, Coastal Carolina, Coppin State, Dartmouth, Fairleigh Dickinson, Fordham, LIU, New Hampshire, Hofstra and Santa Clara |
| Tennessee State | Carlos Rogers | Tennessee and Vanderbilt in 1992-93 and 1993-94/Volunteers opposed Charlotte, Furman, Mercer, Radford, UALR and Western Carolina while Commodores met Air Force, Bowling Green, Harvard, Illinois State, North Carolina A&T, Princeton and SMU |
| Drexel | Malik Rose | Villanova from 1992-93 through 1995-96/Wildcats opposed Alaska-Anchorage, American University, Bradley, Columbia, Delaware, Hofstra, Marist, New Orleans, Richmond, Rider, St. Mary's and Vermont |
| Houston | Marcus Sasser | Texas, Texas A&M, TCU and Texas Tech in 2022-23/Longhorns opposed Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Northern Arizona; Aggies met Louisiana-Monroe, Northwestern State and Wofford; Horned Frogs opposed Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Central Arkansas, Jackson State, Louisiana-Monroe, Mississippi Valley State and Northwestern State, and Red Raiders met Eastern Washington, Jackson State, Nicholls State, Northwestern State and South Carolina State |
| Bowling Green | Charlie Share | Ohio State from 1946-47 through 1949-50/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Cornell, Denver and Harvard |
| Oklahoma City | Arnold Short | Oklahoma from 1951-52 through 1953-54/Sooners opposed SMU |
| Creighton | Paul Silas | Nebraska from 1961-62 through 1963-64/Huskers opposed Air Force, Denver, Miami (Ohio), Northern Iowa, Ohio University, SMU and Wyoming |
| Tulsa | Bingo Smith | Oklahoma and Oklahoma State from 1966-67 through 1968-69/Sooners opposed Bradley, Butler, Centenary, Loyola (New Orleans), Nevada Southern, North Texas State, Southwest Missouri State and TCU while Cowboys met Cal State Fullerton, Creighton, Lamar, MacMurray (Ill.), Pan American, South Dakota State, Trinity (Tex.) and Wyoming |
| Weber State | Willie Sojourner | BYU and Utah from 1968-69 through 1970-71/Cougars opposed Cornell, Denver, Hawaii, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Santa Clara and Seattle while Utes met Army, Denver, Kent State, Loyola Marymount, Montana, NYU, Northern Michigan, Penn, Saint Joseph's, San Jose State, Seattle, VMI and West Texas State |
| Wichita | Dave Stallworth | Kansas and Kansas State from 1962-63 through 1964-65/Jayhawks opposed Denver and Montana while Wildcats met Denver and South Dakota State |
| Xavier | Hank Stein | Ohio State from 1956-57 through 1958-59/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Manhattan, Princeton, Tulane and Yale |
| St. Louis | Ray Steiner | Missouri in 1950-51 and 1951-52/Tigers opposed Central Methodist, CCNY, Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri Valley, New Mexico State and Washington (Mo.) |
| St. Bonaventure | Tom Stith | Syracuse from 1958-59 through 1960-61/Orangemen opposed Alfred, Boston University, Clarkson, Columbia, Holy Cross, La Salle, Massachusetts and Utica |
| Saint Francis (Pa.) | Maurice Stokes | Penn State and Pittsburgh from 1951-52 through 1954-55/Nittany Lions opposed Alfred, American University, Bowling Green, Carnegie Tech, Colgate, Dickinson, Gettysburg, Ithaca, Navy, Toledo, Washington & Jefferson, Wayne State and Western Kentucky while Panthers met Carnegie Tech, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Geneva, George Washington, Loyola (New Orleans), Miami (Ohio), Navy, Ohio University, Princeton, Puerto Rico, Westminster, William & Mary and Yale |
| Gonzaga | Jalen Suggs | Washington State in 2020-21/Cougars opposed Idaho, Montana State, Northwestern State, Portland State, Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern |
| Pacific | Keith Swagerty | California and Stanford from 1964-65 through 1966-67/Bears opposed Air Force, Hawaii, Tulane and Wyoming while Cardinal met Air Force, Denver, Tulane, Utah State and Wyoming |
| Morehead State | Dan Swartz | Kentucky from 1953-54 through 1955-56/Wildcats opposed Dayton, Idaho, La Salle and Xavier |
| Miami (Ohio) | Wally Szczerbiak | Ohio State from 1995-96 through 1998-99/Buckeyes opposed Alabama State, Army, Cal State Northridge, Central Connecticut, Chattanooga, Eastern Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, George Mason, Kent State, LIU, Oakland, Rider, Robert Morris, South Florida, Southwestern Louisiana, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee Tech and Wyoming |
| Princeton | Brian Taylor | Seton Hall in 1970-71 and 1971-72/Pirates opposed Army, Biscayne, UC Irvine, Colgate, Dartmouth, Fairfield, Fordham, Harvard, Holy Cross, Iona, Lafayette, LIU, Loyola (Md.), Morehead State, Pepperdine and Stetson |
| Cincinnati | Tom Thacker | Ohio State from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, Creighton, Detroit, Evansville, St. Bonaventure and TCU |
| Princeton | Chris Thomforde | Seton Hall from 1966-67 through 1968-69/Pirates opposed American University, Army, Boston University, Canisius, Fordham, Hofstra, Iona, LIU, Loyola (Md.), Loyola (New Orleans), NYU, Niagara, Rice, Saint Francis (N.Y.) and Scranton |
| Bowling Green | Nate Thurmond | Ohio State from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, Creighton, Detroit, Evansville, St. Bonaventure and TCU |
| Gonzaga | Drew Timme | Washington State from 2020-21 through 2022-23/Cougars opposed Alcorn State, Montana State, Northern Colorado, Northern Kentucky, Northwestern State, Prairie View A&M (twice), South Dakota State, Texas Southern, Texas State and Winthrop |
| Dayton | Obi Toppin | Ohio State in 2019-20/Buckeyes opposed UMass-Lowell, Morgan State, Purdue Fort Wayne, Southeast Missouri State and Stetson |
| Cincinnati | Jack Twyman | Ohio State from 1951-52 through 1954-55/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Denver and Oklahoma City |
| Dayton | Bill Uhl | Ohio State from 1953-54 through 1955-56/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Denver, Oklahoma City and Tulane |
| Bradley | Paul Unruh | Illinois and Northwestern from 1946-47 through 1949-50/Illini opposed Butler, Coe (Iowa), Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, University of Mexico, Penn, Princeton and Toledo while Wildcats met Butler, Dartmouth, Navy, Princeton, Ripon (Wis.), Western Michigan and Yale |
| Cincinnati | Nick Van Exel | Ohio State in 1991-92 and 1992-93/Buckeyes opposed American University, UC Santa Barbara, Chicago State, Howard and Illinois-Chicago |
| Wichita State | Fred VanVleet | Kansas and Kansas State from 2012-13 through 2015-16/Jayhawks opposed American, Belmont, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Chaminade, Chattanooga, Holy Cross, Iona, Kent State, Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Loyola (Md.), Montana, Northern Colorado, Rider, San Jose State, Southeast Missouri State, Toledo and Towson while Wildcats met Alabama-Huntsville, Columbia, Coppin State, Delaware, Lamar, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, North Florida, Northern Colorado, Savannah State, South Carolina State, USC Upstate, South Dakota, Southern Utah, Texas Southern, Troy and UMKC |
| Bradley | Chet Walker | DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern from 1959-60 through 1961-62/Blue Demons opposed Army, Baldwin-Wallace, Bowling Green, Creighton, Illinois Wesleyan, Miami (Ohio), North Dakota, Valparaiso and Western Kentucky; Illini met Butler, Colgate, Cornell, Creighton, Manhattan, Ohio University and Western Kentucky, while Wildcats tackled Boston University, Brown, Creighton, Dartmouth, Manhattan, Princeton and Western Michigan |
| American University | Kermit Washington | Maryland from 1970-71 through 1972-73/Terrapins opposed Brown, Buffalo, Canisius, Delaware, Fordham, Holy Cross, Kent State, Lehigh, LIU, Loyola (Md.), Navy, Richmond, Tampa and Western Kentucky |
| Southern Mississippi | Clarence Weatherspoon | Mississippi and Mississippi State from 1988-89 through 1991-92/Rebels opposed Arkansas State, Austin Peay State, Bethune-Cookman, Christian Brothers, Hofstra, Indiana State, McNeese State, Metro State (Colo.), Nicholls State, Northeast Louisiana, Northwestern State, Oral Roberts, Prairie View A&M, Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern (La.), Stetson and Tulsa while Bulldogs met Austin Peay State, Ball State, Centenary, Chattanooga, Christian Brothers, Delaware, Drake, East Carolina, East Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville, Mercer, New Orleans, Northeast Louisiana, Prairie View A&M, Rice, Southeastern Louisiana, Tennessee-Martin and Tennessee Tech |
| Ball State | Bonzi Wells | Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue from 1994-95 through 1997-98/Hoosiers opposed Alaska-Anchorage, Appalachian State, Bowling Green, Chaminade, Colgate, Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Miami (Ohio), Morehead State, Princeton, Saint Louis, Santa Clara, Tulane, UALR and Weber State; Fighting Irish met Akron, The Citadel, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Drexel, Duquesne, Florida International, Fordham, Hofstra, Iona, Lehigh, Loyola of Chicago, Loyola (Md.), Loyola Marymount, Manhattan, Monmouth, New Hampshire, Nicholls State, Northeastern, St. Bonaventure, Sam Houston State, San Diego and Youngstown State, while Boilermakers tackled Austin Peay State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Cornell, Florida A&M, Houston, Idaho, Illinois-Chicago, James Madison, Long Beach State, LIU, Massachusetts, Murray State, New Orleans, Niagara, Northeast Louisiana, Tennessee-Martin, UAB, Weber State and Western Michigan |
| LIU | Sherman White | St. John's and Syracuse from 1948-49 through 1950-51/Redmen opposed Bowling Green, Denver, John Marshall, Pratt, Rhode Island and Wagner while Orangemen met Baldwin-Wallace, Boston University, Bradley, Creighton, Denver, John Carroll, Lawrence Tech, Loyola of Chicago, Penn, Princeton, Queens, Rider and Toronto |
| Cincinnati | Bob Wiesenhahn | Ohio State from 1958-59 through 1960-61/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, Delaware, Detroit, Evansville, Princeton and St. Bonaventure |
| Memphis State | Win Wilfong | Tennessee and Vanderbilt in 1955-56 and 1956-57/Volunteers opposed Boston University, Colgate, Davidson, Furman, Kentucky Wesleyan, New Mexico State, Sewanee, Springfield, VMI and William & Mary while Commodores met New Mexico, New Mexico State, Sewanee and William & Mary |
| Portland State | Freeman Williams | Oregon from 1974-75 through 1977-78/Ducks opposed Air Force, Boise State, Bowling Green, UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Sacramento, Colorado State, Creighton, Doane, Duquesne, Grambling, Hawaii, Montana State, Pepperdine, Rice, Saint Mary's, San Jose State, Seattle Pacific and Vermont |
| Austin Peay | James "Fly" Williams | Tennessee and Vanderbilt in 1972-73 and 1973-74/Volunteers opposed Niagara, North Texas State, Santa Clara and South Florida while Commodores met Columbia, Rice, Samford, SMU, Vermont and Western Kentucky |
| Gonzaga | Nigel Williams-Goss | Washington State in 2016-17/Cougars opposed Central Washington, Loyola of Chicago, Montana, New Orleans, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Santa Clara and Utah Valley |
| Cincinnati | George Wilson | Ohio State from 1961-62 through 1963-64/Buckeyes opposed Butler, UC Davis, Detroit, Houston, TCU and Utah State |
| Cal State Fullerton | Leon Wood | USC and UCLA from 1981-82 through 1983-84/Trojans opposed American University, Colorado State, Fordham, New Mexico, Oral Roberts, Penn, Portland, Richmond, Texas-San Antonio and Wyoming while Bruins met Boston University, Howard, Idaho State and New Mexico |
| Cincinnati | Tony Yates | Ohio State from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, Creighton, Detroit, Evansville, St. Bonaventure and TCU |
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 22 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 22 in football at the professional level (especially in 1931 and ex-hoopers with the Giants):
NOVEMBER 22
Cleveland Rams E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) caught 10 passes for 303 yards and one touchdown (70 yards) from Bob Waterfield against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day in 1945.
New York Giants TE Kevin Boss (averaged 3 ppg and 2.7 rpg while shooting 51.9% from floor for Western Oregon in 2004-05 and 2005-06) caught two second-quarter touchdown passes from Eli Manning in a 34-31 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 2009.
Boston Redskins rookie E Sam Busich (Ohio State hoops letterman in 1935 and 1936) made his lone NFL touchdown reception in a 30-6 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1936.
Portsmouth Spartans rookie TB Dutch Clark (four-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference hoops choice for Colorado College) rushed for two touchdowns in a 20-19 setback against the Chicago Cardinals in 1931. Cardinals FB Ernie Nevers (All-Pacific Coast Conference second-five hoops choice for Stanford in 1924-25) also rushed for two TDs.
New York Titans TE Thurlow Cooper (averaged 10.4 ppg for Maine in 1955-56 after averaging 6.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg previous season) had a career-high four pass receptions in 46-45 AFL win against the Denver Broncos in 1962. Titans WR Art Powell (averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg for San Jose State in 1956-57) had two touchdown catches.
Baltimore Ravens PK Billy Cundiff (played in nine basketball contests with Drake in 1999-00 and 2000-01) converted five-of-six field-goal attempts in a 17-15 setback against the Indianapolis Colts in 2009.
Chicago Bears E Hoot Drury (SLU hoops letterman from 1928 through 1930) caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Keith Molesworth (three-year hoops letterman for Monmouth IL in late 1920s) in 26-0 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1931.
TE Darren Fells (UC Irvine's rebounding leader each of his last three seasons averaged 10.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg from 2004-05 through 2007-08) in rebounding each of last three seasons) opened the Arizona Cardinals' scoring by catching an 18-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer in 34-31 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015.
Cincinnati Bengals LB James Francis (averaged 3 ppg and 3.6 rpg for Baylor in 1986-87 and 1987-88) had two interceptions - returning one 66 yards for touchdown - and chipped in with two sacks in a 19-13 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1992.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw two first-half touchdown passes in a 20-16 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1953.
Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (played in seven basketball games for Clemson in 2010-11) caught two touchdown passes in a 24-17 win against the New York Jets in 2015.
Pittsburgh Steelers RB John Henry Johnson (made 5-of-8 FGAs in five games for Saint Mary's in 1950-51) rushed for two touchdowns in a 44-17 win against the New York Giants in 1964.
Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw four first-half touchdown passes in a 52-35 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1951. Packers B Dom Moselle (leading hoops scorer for Wisconsin-Superior in 1947-48 and 1948-49) caught a 48-yard TD pass from Tobin Rote.
New York Giants TB Tuffy Leemans (three-year hoops letterman for George Washington in mid-1930s) rushed for two touchdowns in a 21-21 tie against the Green Bay Packers in 1942. Giants E Will Walls (starting forward with Texas Christian for three years from 1935 through 1937) caught a 60-yard TD pass.
San Francisco 49ers rookie DB Ronnie Lott (Southern California hooper as junior in 1979-80) returned an interception 25 yards for touchdown in 33-31 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1981.
Miami Dolphins SE Karl Noonan (member of Iowa's basketball squad in 1963-64) registered a career-long 51-yard touchdown catch from Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) in a 34-17 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1970.
San Francisco 49ers WR Terrell Owens (UT Chattanooga hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) caught two second-quarter touchdown passes from Steve Young in a 31-20 win against the New Orleans Saints in 1998. Eleven years later with the Buffalo Bills, Owens had a 98-yard touchdown reception en route to nine catches for 197 yards in 18-15 setback against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2009.
In midst of securing a touchdown pass in four consecutive contests, Oakland Raiders TE Derrick Ramsey (grabbed three rebounds in two Kentucky games in 1975-76) opened game's scoring with 66-yard TD reception from Marc Wilson in 55-21 setback against the San Diego Chargers in 1981.
Los Angeles Rams DB Herb Rich (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1947) returned an interception 53 yards for touchdown in 21-13 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1952.
Dallas Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) threw two first-quarter touchdown passes in a 30-24 setback against the Houston Oilers in 1979.
Detroit Lions HB Doak Walker (Southern Methodist letterman as freshman in 1945-46) rushed for game-winning touchdown in fourth quarter of a 20-16 win against the Chicago Bears in 1953.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 21 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 21 in football at the professional level (especially in 1948 plus ex-hoopers with the Giants and Redskins):
NOVEMBER 21
Todd Bouman (South Dakota State transfer averaged 7.1 ppg and 3.3 rpg for St. Cloud State MN from 1993-94 through 1995-96) signed as free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2006 to replace injured Aaron Rodgers as their second-string QB.
In 1965, Kansas City Chiefs WR Chris Burford (averaged 2.9 ppg and 2.3 rpg for Stanford in 1958-59 under coach Howie Dallmar) caught nine passes for 120 yards including second-quarter touchdown reception in his fourth consecutive AFL contest from Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57).
Miami Dolphins WR Chris Chambers (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin under coach Dick Bennett in 1997-98) caught nine passes in a 24-17 setback against the Seattle Seahawks in 2004.
Chicago Bears B-PK John "Paddy" Driscoll (Northwestern basketball letterman in 1916) provided the decisive score with a 24-yard fumble return for touchdown in 19-13 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1926. He also kicked two field goals and threw a TD pass.
New York Giants rookie WR Bruce Gehrke (four-year Columbia hoops letterman averaged 9.5 ppg as senior) caught a touchdown pass from Charlie Conerly in 49-3 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1948. Giants rookie DB Emlen Tunnell (forward was top reserve for Toledo team compiling 22-4 record and finishing second in 1943 NIT) returned an interception 43 yards for TD.
New York Giants TB Hinkey Haines (Lebanon Valley PA transfer earned hoops letter for Penn State in 1920 and 1921) rushed for two touchdowns in a 21-0 win against the Providence Steam Roller in 1926.
Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (played in seven hoop games for Clemson in 2010-11) caught two touchdown passes from Deshaun Watson (35 and 30 yards) in a 20-17 win against the Indianapolis Colts in 2019. Three years later with the Arizona Cardinals, Hopkins caught at least nine passes for fourth time in his first five contests of 2022 season after being activated.
Cleveland Browns RB Terry Kirby (averaged 3.4 ppg as Virginia freshman in 1989-90 and 2.1 as sophomore in 1990-91) had nine pass receptions in a 31-17 setback against the Carolina Panthers in 1999.
New York Giants TB Tuffy Leemans (three-year hoops letterman for George Washington in mid-1930s) threw two third-quarter touchdown passes in a 24-13 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1943.
Boston Yanks QB Gene Malinowski (three-year hoops letterman for Detroit in mid-1940s) threw two touchdown passes in a 51-17 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1948. A 68-yard strike opened the Yanks' scoring in first quarter.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) threw four touchdown passes in a 28-6 win against the Washington Redskins in 2004. Six years later with the Washington Redskins, McNabb passed for 376 yards in a 19-16 win against the Tennessee Titans in 2010.
Brooklyn Dodgers rookie TB Ace Parker (Duke hoops letterman in 1936) scored two third-quarter touchdowns - including 44-yard punt return - in a 23-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1937.
Carolina Panthers DE Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) had two sacks for third game in a row in 2004.
Washington Redskins B Dick Poillon (Canisius hooper in early 1940s) returned a fumble recovery 93 yards for touchdown in 42-21 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1948.
Chicago Rockets B Ray Ramsey (Bradley's top scorer in 1941-42 and 1942-43) scored two touchdowns (one rushing/one receiving) in a 41-16 setback against the San Francisco 49ers in 1947.
Washington Redskins CB Lonnie Sanders (averaged 10.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg as Michigan State forward in 1961-62) returned two interceptions a total of 79 yards in 31-3 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1965.
One of AAFC-leading 11 interceptions for New York Yankees rookie DB Otto Schnellbacher (averaged 11 ppg in four-year Kansas career, earning All-Big Six/Seven Conference honors each season) was returned 40 yards for a touchdown in 34-21 setback against the Cleveland Browns in 1948.
Detroit Lions B Bill Shepherd (Western Maryland hooper) returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown in 16-7 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1937.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Morris Stroud Jr. (tallest TE in NFL history averaged 7.2 ppg and 10.2 rpg in 1967-68 when 6-10 junior shot team-high 50.9% from floor for Clark Atlanta GA) opened game's scoring with a 39-yard touchdown reception from Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) in 28-10 win against the Denver Broncos in 1971.
Denver Broncos SE Lionel Taylor (led New Mexico Highlands in scoring average with 13.6 ppg in 1955-56 and 20.3 in 1956-57) had 11 pass receptions for 141 yards - including two second-half touchdowns - in a 28-20 AFL setback against the Oakland Raiders in 1965.
Minnesota Vikings CB Charlie West (collected two points and one rebound in two UTEP games under coach Don Haskins in 1967-68) had two interceptions for second consecutive contest in 1971.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 20 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 20 in football at the professional level (especially in 1955 plus ex-hoopers with the Bears and Browns):
NOVEMBER 20
Minnesota Vikings LB Matt Blair (played in 1970 NJCAA Tournament for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M hoops team finishing in seventh place) scored a touchdown off blocked punt in 10-7 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1977.
Cleveland Browns HB Bill Boedeker (teammate of DePaul All-American George Mikan in mid-1940s) opened the game's scoring with a 23-yard touchdown reception in 31-0 win against the New York Yankees in 1949.
Philadelphia Eagles CB Jimmy Carr (three-year hoops letterman for Morris Harvey WV appeared in NAIA Tournament in 1953 and 1954) supplied decisive touchdown in fourth quarter with a 38-yard fumble recovery return in 17-10 win against the New York Giants in 1960.
PK Billy Cundiff (played in nine basketball contests with Drake in 1999-00 and 2000-01) converted a Dallas Cowboys-record 56-yard field-goal attempt in 20-7 win against the Detroit Lions in 2005.
Chicago Bears B-PK John "Paddy" Driscoll (Northwestern basketball letterman in 1916) threw two touchdown passes (52 and 28 yards) in 14-6 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1927.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie QB Joe Geri (Georgia hoops letterman in 1943) threw two touchdown passes in a 30-7 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1949.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 41-14 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955. Steelers E Elbie Nickel (Cincinnati's second-leading scorer in 1942 also earned hoops letter in 1947) had two first-half TD catches.
Miami Dolphins QB Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) passed for 349 yards in a 35-30 setback against the Houston Oilers in 1978.
New York Giants LB Mel Hein (Washington State hoops letterman in 1930) returned an interception 50 yards for touchdown in 15-3 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1938.
Chicago Bears E Harlon Hill (Florence State AL hoops letterman in 1951) had two touchdown receptions in a 24-14 win against the Detroit Lions in 1955. Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw two first-half TD passes.
Philadelphia Eagles QB King Hill (Rice hoops letterman in 1955-56 and 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes in a 35-34 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1966.
Green Bay Packers RB Paul Hornung (averaged 6.1 ppg in 10 contests for Notre Dame in 1954-55) rushed for two of his league-high 13 touchdowns and threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass in 33-31 setback against the Los Angeles Rams in 1960.
San Diego Chargers WR Vincent Jackson (Northern Colorado's scoring leader with 13.6 ppg in 2003-04 while also contributing 5.6 rpg and 3.1 apg) caught seven passes for 165 yards in a 31-20 setback against the Chicago Bears in 2011.
Washington Redskins QB Billy Kilmer (UCLA hooper under legendary coach John Wooden in 1959-60) threw two third-quarter touchdown passes in a 24-13 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 1972.
Miami Dolphins RB Terry Kirby (averaged 3.4 ppg as Virginia freshman in 1989-90 and 2.1 as sophomore in 1990-91) had eight pass receptions for second straight game in 1995.
Chicago Bears QB Johnny Lujack (averaged 3.4 ppg as starting guard for Notre Dame in 1943-44) threw three first-half touchdown passes - including one for 81 yards to Ken Kavanaugh - in a 31-21 win against the Washington Redskins in 1949.
Cleveland Browns WR Jordan Norwood (collected one rebound and one assist in four basketball games for Penn State in 2006-07) had a 51-yard pass reception from Colt McCoy in 14-10 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011.
Denver Broncos SE Lionel Taylor (led New Mexico Highlands in scoring average with 13.6 ppg in 1955-56 and 20.3 in 1956-57) had 10 of his AFL-leading 92 pass receptions in a 20-10 AFL setback against the Houston Oilers in 1960.
Kansas City Chiefs FL Otis Taylor (backup small forward for Prairie View A&M) had nine pass receptions - including two third-quarter touchdowns from Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) - in a 27-27 AFL tie against the Boston Patriots in 1966. Pats WR Art Graham (collected one point and three rebounds in two basketball games with Boston College in 1961-62) caught a career-high 11 passes (including two second-quarter TDs from Babe Parilli).
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Cedric Tillman (averaged 4.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg while serving as part-time starter for Alcorn State in 1990-91) had career highs of eight receptions and 175 receiving yards in a 32-28 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 1994.
New York Giants DB Emlen Tunnell (forward was top reserve for Toledo team compiling 22-4 record and finishing second in 1943 NIT) returned an interception 55 yards for touchdown in 45-21 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1949. Six years later, Tunnell returned a punt 66 yards for TD in 31-7 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1955.
Rookie B Whizzer White (two-time all-conference first-team hoops selection averaged 6.8 ppg for Colorado from 1935-36 through 1937-38) had a 79-yard touchdown run for the Pittsburgh Pirates' lone score in 14-7 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1938.
GB's Roy Could Be 5th Different Small-School Transfer Averaging > 25 PPG
Langston OK transfer Anthony Roy, averaging national-high 28 ppg for Green Bay through nine games prior to being benched for 10th outing, could be on his way to becoming the fifth different major-university player to average at least 25 ppg after transferring from a non-DI four-year college. Roy, a lefthander, attended three additional schools (including a junior college) prior to Langston. Following are the first six individuals averaging at least 24 ppg after transferring from a four-year small college:
| Transfer Player | Pos. | Original Small College | High-Scoring Season(s) at DI Level For Small-College Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin Baylor | F | College of Idaho | 32.5 ppg with Seattle in 1957-58/2nd in nation after 29.7 ppg in 1956-57/3rd |
| Frank Burgess | G | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 32.4 ppg with Gonzaga in 1960-61/1st and 28.9 ppg in 1959-60/5th |
| Gerald Glass | F | Delta State MS | 28 ppg with Mississippi in 1988-89/4th and 24.1 ppg in 1989-90/19th |
| Tucker Neale | G | Ashland OH | 26.6 ppg with Colgate in 1993-94/5th |
| Don Boldebuck | C | Nebraska Wesleyan | 24.2 ppg with Houston in 1954-55/17th |
| Raymond Tutt | G | Azusa Pacific CA | 24 ppg with UC Santa Barbara in 1996-97/4th |
NOTE: Arkansas-Pine Bluff subsequently moved up to NCAA Division I level.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 19 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 19 in football at the professional level (especially in 1967 when QBs Norm Snead and Billy Kilmer combined for six touchdown passes in same game plus multiple ex-hoopers with the Bears):
NOVEMBER 19
Chicago Bears E Connie Mack Berry (All-Southern Conference second-team hoops selection as North Carolina State center in 1937 and 1938) caught two second-quarter touchdown passes from Sid Luckman in a 41-21 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1944.
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for 237 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-24 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1961.
Chicago Bears QB Jack Concannon (grabbed one rebound in one Boston College basketball contest in 1961-62) threw three second-quarter touchdown passes totaling 211 yards in a 30-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967.
Boston Yanks QB Bob Davis (Kentucky hoops letterman in 1937 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) opened game's scoring with a four-yard touchdown run in 13-6 win against the Brooklyn Tigers in 1944. A 25-yard pass reception by Yanks E Keith Ranspot (SMU hoops letterman in 1936 and 1937) in fourth quarter accounted for decisive TD.
Dallas Cowboys TE Billy Joe Dupree (scored four points in total of four basketball games for Michigan State in 1971-72) delivered a career-high 108 receiving yards on five catches in 24-6 win against the New Orleans Saints in 1976.
Cleveland Browns FS Percy Ellsworth (appeared in all four of Virginia's NCAA tourney contests for 1995 Midwest Regional finalist) returned an interception 33 yards for touchdown in 24-10 setback against the Tennessee Titans in 2000.
Chicago Bears WR George Farmer (teammate of UCLA legend Lew Alcindor in 1968-69) caught an 85-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Douglass in 34-21 setback against the San Francisco 49ers in 1972.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez (averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg for California from 1994-95 through 1996-97) caught two second-half touchdown passes in a 21-17 setback against the Buffalo Bills in 2000.
Washington Redskins DB Dale Hackbart (averaged 4 ppg and 3.5 rpg in 10 contests for Wisconsin in 1958-59) returned an interception 33 yards for touchdown in 28-28 tie against the Dallas Cowboys in 1961.
Cleveland Rams rookie TB Parker Hall (Ole Miss hoops letterman in 1938) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 14-3 win against the Detroit Lions in 1939.
New Orleans Saints WR Willie Jackson (started five games for Florida in 1989-90) caught two touchdown passes in a 31-22 setback against the Oakland Raiders in 2000.
New Orleans Saints QB Billy Kilmer (UCLA hooper under legendary coach John Wooden in 1959-60) threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a 48-21 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1967. Eagles QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) passed for 309 yards and four TDs.
San Diego Chargers LB Bob Laraba (collected eight points and six rebounds in five UTEP basketball games in 1957-58 and 1958-59) returned an interception 61 yards for touchdown in 24-14 AFL win against the Dallas Texans in 1961.
New York Yanks QB George Ratterman (third-leading scorer with 11.7 ppg for Notre Dame in 1944-45) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 43-35 setback against the Los Angeles Rams in 1950.
Washington Redskins E-P Pat Richter (three-year Wisconsin hoops letterman in early 1960s) averaged 45 yards on eight punts in a 27-20 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 1967.
Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (SMU hooper for three games in 2015-16 under coach Larry Brown) accounted for their only touchdown on a pass reception with 1:03 remaining to give them a 21-20 win against the Minnesota Vikings. It was the 10th of first 13 games of 2023 season in which he caught a TD pass from QB Russell Wilson.
Miami Dolphins DE Jason Taylor (averaged 8 ppg and 5.4 rpg for Akron in 1994-95) returned an interception 51 yards for touchdown in 24-20 win against the Minnesota Vikings in 2006.
Detroit Lions rookie HB Doak Walker (SMU hoops letterman as freshman in 1945-46) caught three touchdown passes in a 24-21 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1950.
Green Bay Packers P Ron Widby (three-time All-SEC selection averaged 18.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg for Tennessee from 1964-65 through 1966-67) threw a 68-yard touchdown pass in 23-10 win against the Houston Oilers in 1972. Teammate Vernon Vanoy (averaged 6.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg in 1966-67 and 1967-68 as Kansas teammate of Jo Jo White under coach Ted Owens) had personal-foul penalties as DT for whacking opponent on the helmet on back-to-back plays in second quarter.
Nomadic Playing Careers: Tyreek Smith Aligns With His Fifth Different School
One third of NCAA players have switched schools at least once. Guard Primo Spears is averaging double figures in scoring average for his fourth different school (Texas-San Antonio after Duquesne, Georgetown and Florida State). Kentucky's Jaxson Robinson and St. John's Deivon Smith joined Jalen Coleman-Landis and Charlie Moore as players competing with four different power-conference members. They are among the following alphabetical list of vagabonds playing for four different DI schools:
| Nomadic Player | Pos. | First School | Second School | Third School | Fourth School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fardaws Aimaq | F-C | Mercer 19 | Utah Valley 21-22 | Texas Tech 23 | California 24 |
| Joseph Bamisile | G | Virginia Tech 21 | George Washington 22 | Oklahoma 23 | Virginia Commonwealth 24 |
| Noah Baumann | G | San Jose State 18-19 | Southern California 21 | Georgia 22 | Grand Canyon 23 |
| Khalif Battle | G | Butler 20 | Temple 21-23 | Arkansas 24 | Gonzaga 25 |
| Darius Beane | G | Southern Illinois 19 | Northern Illinois 20-21 | Cal State Northridge 22 | Lindenwood 24 |
| Tyler Bertram | G | Charlotte 20 | Binghamton 21-22 | UAB 23 | Albany 24 |
| Allen Betrand | G | Towson 19-20 | Rhode Island 21 | Rider 23 | Norfolk State 24 |
| Jordan Brinson | G | UAB 20 | Utah Valley 21 | Fresno State 23 | Cal State Northridge 24 |
| Jordan Brown | F | Nevada 19 | Arizona 21 | Louisiana-Lafayette 22-23 | Memphis 24 |
| Rod Brown | F | Wichita State 19 | New Mexico 21 | Jacksonville 22 | Tarleton State 23 |
| Jack Clark | G-F | La Salle 19-22 | North Carolina State 23 | Clemson 24 | Virginia Commonwealth 25 |
| Dejuan Clayton | G | Coppin State 17-21 | Hartford 22 | California 23 | Manhattan 24 |
| Jalen Coleman-Lands | G | Illinois 16-17 | DePaul 19-20 | Iowa State 21 | Kansas 22 |
| Krhistion Couirseault | G | Nevada 21 | Houston Baptist 22 | Chattanooga 23 | Kansas City 24 |
| Matt Cross | F | Miami FL 21 | Louisville 22 | Massachusetts 23-24 | Southern Methodist 25 |
| Mikey Dixon | G | Quinnipiac 17 | St. John's 19 | Grand Canyon 20-21 | Idaho 22 |
| Gerald Drumgoole Jr. | G | Pittsburgh 20-21 | Albany 22-23 | Delaware 24 | George Washington 25 |
| Pavlo Dziuba | F | Arizona State 21 | Maryland 22-23 | High Point 24 | Eastern Washington 25 |
| Kevin Easley | F | Chattanooga 19 | Texas Christian 21 | Duquesne 22-23 | Coastal Carolina 24 |
| Aaron Estrada | G | Saint Peter's 20 | Oregon 21 | Hofstra 22-23 | Alabama 24 |
| Kaosi Ezeagu | F | Texas-El Paso 19 | Kansas State 21-22 | Sam Houston State 23 | New Mexico State 24 |
| Bradley Ezewiro | F | Louisiana State 22 | Georgetown 23 | Saint Louis 24 | UAB 25 |
| Noah Farrakhan | G | East Carolina 21 | Eastern Michigan 22-23 | West Virginia 24 | Hampton 25 |
| Ferron Flavors | G | Fairfield 18 | California Baptist 20 | Oklahoma State 21 | Robert Morris 22 |
| Brayon Freeman | G | George Washington 22 | Rhode Island 23 | Coastal Carolina 24 | Bethune-Cookman 25 |
| Mark Freeman | G | Tennessee State 20-21 | Illinois State 22 | Morehead State 23 | James Madison 25 |
| Brycen Goodine | G | Syracuse 20 | Providence 21-22 | Fairfield 23-24 | Oklahoma 25 |
| Dajuan Gordon | G | Kansas State 20-21 | Missouri 22 | New Mexico State 23 | Texas-Arlington 24 |
| Jalen Hawkins | G | Robert Morris 20 | Norfolk State 21-22 | Morehead State 23 | Alcorn State 24 |
| Harrison Henderson | F | Southern California 17-18 | Milwaukee 20 | Southern LA 21 | Central Michigan 22 |
| Michael Henn | F | UC Davis 17 | Portland 21 | Denver 22 | Penn State 23 |
| Ithiel Horton | G | Delaware 19 | Pittsburgh 21-22 | UCF 23 | Texas 24 |
| Gianni Hunt | G | Oregon State 20-22 | Sacramento State 23 | Cal State Northridge 24 | Bethune-Cookman 25 |
| Donovan Ivory | G | Massachusetts-Lowell 20 | Boise State 21 | Green Bay 22 | Southern Mississippi 23-24 |
| Abayomi Iyiola | F | Stetson 18-19 | Arkansas 21 | Hofstra 22 | Kansas State 23 |
| Vance Jackson | F | Connecticut 17 | New Mexico 19-20 | Arkansas 21 | East Carolina 22 |
| David Jenkins Jr. | G | South Dakota State 18-19 | UNLV 21 | Utah 22 | Purdue 23 |
| Jamal Johnson | G | Memphis 18 | Auburn 20-21 | UAB 22 | Chattanooga 23 |
| Antwann Jones | G | Memphis 19 | Creighton 21 | Louisiana 22 | UCF 24 |
| Isaac Kante | F | Georgia 18 | Hofstra 20-21 | Long Island 22 | Massachusetts 23 |
| C.J. Kelly | G | Norfolk State 19 | Albany 21 | Massachusetts 22 | UCF 23 |
| Keonte Kennedy | G-F | Xavier 19 | Texas-El Paso 21-22 | Memphis 23 | California 24 |
| Maks Klanjscek | G | Kansas City 20 | Maine 22 | Houston Christian 23 | Oklahoma 24 |
| Lado Laku | F | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 21 | Cal State Fullerton 22 | Arkansas State 24 | Northwestern State 25 |
| Jakolby Long | G | Iowa State 17-18 | Southern Utah 20 | Southern Illinois 21 | Bethune-Cookman 22 |
| Dusan Mahorcic | F | Illinois State 21 | Utah 22 | North Carolina State 23 | Duquesne 24 |
| Darius McNeill | G | California 18-19 | Southern Methodist 21 | UTSA 22 | Troy 23 |
| Brendan Medley-Bacon | C | Coppin State 19-20 | Virginia Commonwealth 21 | McNeese State 22 | North Carolina Central 23 |
| Makhel Mitchell | F | Maryland 20 | Rhode Island 21-22 | Arkansas 23 | Little Rock 24 |
| Rayquawndis Mitchell | G | Idaho 19 | Illinois-Chicago 21 | Kansas City 23 | Penn State 24 |
| Tre Mitchell | C | Massachusetts 20-21 | Texas 22 | West Virginia 23 | Kentucky 24 |
| Charlie Moore | G | California 17 | Kansas 19 | DePaul 20-21 | Miami FL 22 |
| Isaih Moore | F | College of Charleston 19 | St. John's 21 | Southern Mississippi 22 | Fresno State 23 |
| T.J. Moss | G | South Carolina 19-21 | McNeese State 22 | Detroit 23 | Cleveland State 24 |
| Jamir Moultrie | G | La Salle 18-19 | North Carolina Central 21 | Kennesaw State 22 | Canisius 23 |
| Brandon Murray | G | Louisiana State 22 | Georgetown 23 | Mississippi 24 | McNeese State 25 |
| Jordan Nesbitt | G | Memphis 21 | Saint Louis 22 | Hampton 23-24 | Wyoming 25 |
| Femi Odukale | G | Pittsburgh 21-22 | Seton Hall 23 | New Mexico State 24 | Minnesota 25 |
| Prince Oduro | F | Siena 18 | Mississippi State 20 | South Florida 21 | Detroit 22 |
| Alec Oglesby | G | Cleveland State 21 | UNC Wilmington 22 | Stetson 23-24 | Middle Tennessee 25 |
| Omar Payne | F | Florida 20-21 | Illinois 22 | Jacksonville 23 | UCF 24 |
| Jose Perez | G | Gardner-Webb 19-20 | Marquette 21 | Manhattan 22 | Arizona State 24 |
| Joe Petrakis | F | Kansas State 21 | Western Carolina 22 | Illinois State 23 | Western Illinois 24 |
| Joe Pridgen | F | Holy Cross 20 | UNC Wilmington 21 | Northeastern 23-24 | Montana 25 |
| Jamille Reynolds | F | UCF 21-22 | Temple 23 | Cincinnati 24 | South Florida 25 |
| Julian Rishwain | G | Boston College 20 | San Francisco 21-23 | Florida 24 | UNLV 25 |
| Jaxson Robinson | G | Texas A&M 21 | Arkansas 22 | Brigham Young 23-24 | Kentucky 25 |
| Shon Robinson | F | Mississippi 21 | San Jose State 22 | Austin Peay 23 | Incarnate Word 24-25 |
| Colby Rogers | G | Cal Poly 20-21 | Siena 22 | Wichita State 24 | Memphis 25 |
| Phillip Russell | G | Saint Louis 21 | Southeast Missouri State 22-23 | Texas-Arlington 24 | Virginia Commonwealth 25 |
| Monty Scott | G | Kennesaw State 17-18 | Temple 20 | Portland State 21 | Eastern Michigan 22 |
| Damien Sears | F | Jacksonville 18 | St. John's 20 | Nicholls State 21 | Southern 22 |
| Aquan Smart | G | Maryland 21 | Florida International 22 | Southeast Missouri State 23-24 | North Carolina Central 25 |
| Deivon Smith | G | Mississippi State 21 | Georgia Tech 22-23 | Utah 24 | St. John's 25 |
| *Tyreek Smith | F | Texas Tech 21 | Oklahoma State 22-23 | Southern Methodist 24 | Kansas State 26 |
| Primo Spears | G | Duquesne 22 | Georgetown 23 | Florida State 24 | Texas-San Antonio 25 |
| Erik Stevenson | G | Wichita State 19-20 | Washington 21 | South Carolina 22 | West Virginia 23 |
| Caleb Stone-Carrawell | G | Charlotte 21 | Austin Peay 22-23 | Utah Valley 24 | Loyola Marymount 25 |
| Tai Strickland | G | Wisconsin 19 | Temple 21-22 | Georgia Southern 23 | Long Island 24 |
| Deon Stroud | G | Texas-El Paso 20 | Fresno State 21-22 | Eastern Washington 23 | Texas Southern 24 |
| Connor Vanover | C | California 19 | Arkansas 21-22 | Oral Roberts 23 | Missouri 24 |
| Michael Weathers | G | Miami Ohio 17 | Oklahoma State 19 | Texas Southern 21 | Southern Methodist 22 |
| Kenny White Jr. | F | Tennessee Tech 21-22 | Murray State 23 | Tennessee-Martin 24 | Morehead State 25 |
| Rashad Williams | G | Cleveland State 19 | Oakland 20-21 | Saint Louis 22 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff 24 |
| Shawn Williams | G | East Carolina 18-19 | New Mexico State 20 | Nicholls State 21 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff 22 |
| Moses Wood | F | Tulane 19 | UNLV 21 | Portland 22-23 | Washington 24 |
| Kam Woods | G | Troy 21 | North Carolina A&T 23 | North Carolina State 24 | Robert Morris 25 |
| Joseph Yesufu | G | Drake 20-21 | Kansas 22-23 | Washington State 24 | West Virginia 25 |
*Tyreek Smith left Memphis just before start of 2024-25 campaign.
FIFTH-SCHOOL NOTES: Michael Henn played for California Baptist in 2018-19 and 2019-20 during school's first two seasons qualifying for DI status. . . . Antwann Jones joined Bethune-Cookman in 2024-25.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 18 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 18 in football at the professional level (especially in 1945 plus ex-hoopers with the Bears and Redskins):
NOVEMBER 18
Washington Redskins B Steve Bagarus (Notre Dame hooper in early 1940s) tied the score twice - 7-7 with an 18-yard rushing touchdown and 14-14 with 70-yard TD reception from Sammy Baugh (Texas Christian three-year hoops letterman was All-SWC honorable mention selection as senior in 1936-37) en route to 28-21 win against the Chicago Bears in 1945.
RB Cliff Battles (four seasons of varsity hoops for West Virginia Wesleyan) scored both of the Boston Braves' touchdowns (via runs from scrimmage) in a 14-7 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1934.
Cleveland Rams E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) caught two touchdown passes from Bob Waterfield in a 35-21 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1945.
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for three second-half touchdowns in a 38-14 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1962.
Chicago Bears FB Rick Casares (Florida's scoring and rebounding leader both seasons as All-SEC second-team selection in 1951-52 and 1952-53) rushed for two second-half touchdowns in a 30-21 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1956.
Green Bay Packers lineman Bernie Crimmins (Notre Dame hooper in early 1940s) intercepted a pass and returned it 12 yards for touchdown in 28-0 win against the Boston/Brooklyn Yanks/Tigers in 1945.
Oakland Raiders WR Ronald Curry (averaged 4.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 3 apg for North Carolina in 1998-99 and 2000-01) caught four passes for 120 yards in a 29-22 setback against the Minnesota Vikings in 2007.
Dallas Texans QB Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes - including 92-yarder to Tommy Brooker - in a 24-3 AFL win against the Denver Broncos in 1962. WR Chris Burford (averaged 2.9 ppg and 2.3 rpg for Stanford in 1958-59 under coach Howie Dallmar) contributed a TD reception in his fourth consecutive contest.
Chicago Bears TE Mike Ditka (averaged 2.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg for Pittsburgh in 1958-59 and 1959-60) caught seven passes for 133 yards in a 34-33 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 1962.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) passed for 399 yards in a 27-24 setback against the Chicago Bears in 2001.
Denver Broncos QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) passed for 445 yards in a 42-34 setback against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1974.
Washington Redskins TE Jimmie Johnson (averaged 2.7 ppg and 1.5 rpg for Howard University in 1988-89) caught two passes for a career-high 55 receiving yards in 31-17 win against the New Orleans Saints in 1990.
Baltimore Ravens WR Jacoby Jones (part-time starter averaged 3.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg for Lane TN in 2004-05 and 2005-06) returned a punt 63 yards for touchdown in 13-10 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012.
Brooklyn Dodgers rookie B Ralph Kercheval (Kentucky hooper in 1932-33 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) opened game's scoring with a 23-yard touchdown catch from Chris Cagle (four-year hoops letterman for USL and Army in mid-1920s) in 10-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1934.
FB George Kiick (captain of Bucknell hoops team as senior in 1939-40) supplied the Pittsburgh Steelers' only points with a rushing touchdown in 30-6 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1945.
Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw three touchdown passes in a 28-10 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1951.
Jacksonville Jaguars TE Marcedes Lewis (collected nine points and four rebounds in seven UCLA basketball games in 2002-03 under coach Steve Lavin) caught two touchdown passes in a 45-37 setback against the Houston Texans in 2012.
Dallas Cowboys WR Terrell Owens (UTC hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) had eight pass receptions for 173 yards - including four touchdowns from Tony Romo (three of them more than 30 yards) in a 28-23 win against the Washington Redskins in 2007.
Chicago Bears DE Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) had three sacks in a 16-0 win against the Miami Dolphins in 2010.
Indianapolis Colts TE Marcus Pollard (JC transfer averaged 7.3 ppg and 5 rpg for Bradley in 1992-93 and 1993-94) caught an 86-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning in 34-20 setback against the New Orleans Saints in 2001.
New England Patriots TE Derrick Ramsey (grabbed three rebounds in two Kentucky games in 1975-76) caught three first-half touchdown passes from Tony Eason in a 50-17 win against the Indianapolis Colts in 1984. Colts QB Art Schlichter (scored 18 points in 11 hoop games for Ohio State in 1978-79 and 1980-81) passed for one touchdown and rushed for another.
Rookie TB Manny Rapp (Saint Louis hoops letterman in 1932) threw a 56-yard touchdown pass for the St. Louis Gunners' lone score in 40-7 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1934.
Cleveland Browns WR Reggie Rucker (averaged 6.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg for Boston University in 1966-67) had nine pass receptions for 177 yards in a 30-24 win against the Miami Dolphins in 1979.
Detroit Lions rookie B Dave Ryan (Hardin-Simmons TX hoops letterman in 1942 and 1943) had a 63-yard pass reception touchdown in 35-14 setback against the New York Giants in 1945. Giants rookie HB Junie Hovious (Ole Miss hoops letterman from 1940 through 1942) threw three TD passes and rushed 10 times for 42 yards.
New England Patriots LB Adalius Thomas (averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98) had 2 1/2 sacks in 56-10 win against the Buffalo Bills in 2007.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 17 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 17 in football at the professional level (especially in 1963 plus ex-hoopers with the Browns and Eagles):
NOVEMBER 17
Philadelphia Eagles LB Connor Barwin (Cincinnati hooper in 2006 NCAA Tournament) contributed five solo tackles in a 24-16 win against the Washington Redskins in 2013.
Cleveland Browns E Pete Brewster (forward-center was Purdue's fourth-leading scorer as junior and senior) caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a 30-30 tie against the Washington Redskins in 1957.
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for 154 yards on 22 carries in a 20-14 setback against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1963.
Kansas City Chiefs WR Chris Burford (averaged 2.9 ppg and 2.3 rpg for Stanford in 1958-59 under coach Howie Dallmar) managed nine pass receptions for 98 yards in a 24-24 AFL tie with the Boston Patriots in 1963.
New York Giants rookie E Glenn Campbell (Emporia State KS hooper) opened game's scoring with a 37-yard touchdown catch in 34-0 win against the Chicago Bears in 1929.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes (90, 77 and 43 yards) in a 31-17 AFL win against the Boston Patriots in 1968.
Green Bay Packers E Lavvie Dilweg (Marquette hoops letterman in 1926) scored all of game's points with two touchdown receptions in a 12-0 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1929.
A field goal by Atlanta Falcons rookie PK Bobby Etter (collected 10 points and five rebounds in 11 basketball games for Georgia in 1964-65 and 1965-66) was the difference in 16-13 win against the Chicago Bears in 1968.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw four touchdown passes in a 51-14 win against the Chicago Rockets in 1946.
Miami Dolphins QB Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) threw three touchdown passes in a 38-21 AFL setback against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968.
Oakland Raiders WR Charlie Hardy (played in nine hoops games for San Jose State in 1954-55) had a career-high six pass receptions in 20-17 AFL setback against the Boston Patriots in 1961.
Philadelphia Eagles QB King Hill (Rice hoops letterman in 1955-56 and 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes in a 27-20 setback against the Dallas Cowboys in 1963.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Vincent Jackson (Northern Colorado's scoring leader with 13.6 ppg in 2003-04 while also contributing 5.6 rpg and 3.1 apg) caught 10 passes for 165 yards in a 41-28 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 2013.
Pittsburgh Steelers RB John Henry Johnson (made 5-of-8 FGAs in five games for Saint Mary's in 1950-51) rushed for two touchdowns in a 34-28 win against the Washington Redskins in 1963. Redskins QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) passed for 424 yards.
Los Angeles Rams rookie E Lamar Lundy (averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg for Purdue in mid-1950s) scored the decisive touchdown in fourth quarter with a 34-yard pass reception from Norm Van Brocklin in 31-27 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1957.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) completed 20-of-25 passes - including four touchdowns - in a 38-14 win against the Arizona Cardinals in 2002.
San Francisco 49ers WR Terrell Owens (UTC hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) had seven pass receptions for 171 yards - including two touchdowns from Jeff Garcia (32 and 76 yards) - in a 20-17 setback against the San Diego Chargers in 2002. The next year, Owens had eight catches for 155 yards in a 30-14 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2003.
Brooklyn Dodgers B Ace Parker (Duke hoops letterman in 1936) threw two third-quarter touchdown passes after returning an interception 68 yards for TD in the second period in 29-14 win against the Cleveland Rams in 1940.
Chicago Bears DE Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) had two sacks and eight tackles in a 23-20 win against the Baltimore Ravens in 2013.
Atlanta Falcons WR Andre Rison (backup hoops guard for Michigan State in 1987-88) caught three second-quarter touchdown passes in a 43-7 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1990.
Detroit Lions rookie B Bill Shepherd (Western Maryland hooper) rushed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 20-10 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1935.
Catching a touchdown pass in his fifth consecutive contest, New York Giants WR Del Shofner (Baylor hoops letterman in 1956) had seven pass receptions for 159 yards in 48-14 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1963.
Dallas Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) threw two second-half touchdown passes to TE Billy Joe Dupree (scored four points in total of four basketball games for Michigan State in 1971-72) in a 28-21 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1974.
Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (SMU hooper for three games in 2015-16 under coach Larry Brown) caught five passes for 113 yards in a 27-23 setback against the Minnesota Vikings in 2019.
B Whizzer White (two-time all-conference first-team hoops selection averaged 6.8 ppg for Colorado from 1935-36 through 1937-38) had two third-quarter rushing touchdowns for the Detroit Lions' first two scores in a 21-0 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1940.
Career Scoring Peaks in College & NBA For Most Prolific Professional Hoopers
In Michael Jordan's heyday, the lame joke was that the only coach who could contain him was his college mentor (Dean Smith). Jordan's 17.7-point average in three seasons from 1981-82 through 1983-84 with North Carolina paled in comparison to his 15-year NBA mark (30.1). Can the wisecrack be inherited by Devin Booker with Kentucky coach John Calipari and Donovan Mitchell regarding Hall of Fame mentor Rick Pitino?
Booker, scoreless in his first UK game (vs. Grand Canyon), also went without a point seven contests later against Texas. In fact, one-and-done Booker tallied a grand total of 54 points in his 13 lowest-scoring outings as UK freshman in 2014-15. But two seasons later in a performance worthy of ginning up brassy-and-sassy supermodel's undivided attention, Booker erupted for 51 second-half points when finishing with 70 for the Phoenix Suns in a game at Boston, giving him the highest differential (51) between his NBA high and college high (19) among players scoring more than 60 in an NBA tilt. As for Mitchell, he went scoreless in three games in 2015-16 (vs. Georgia Tech, Hartford and Duke).
Booker, who already is the Suns' franchise leader in 30-point outbursts, and boffo bubble-boy Damion Lillard are two of only seven players in NBA history with multiple games scoring 59 or more points, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Jordan, James Harden and Elgin Baylor. Booker was 25 when he became the fifth-youngest NBA player to reach 9,000-point plateau, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Bryant in that celebrated circle. Bradley Beal, who scored 57 of his 60 points for Washington Wizards in first three quarters of game against the Philadelphia 76ers, tallied a modest college-career high of 22 in his lone campaign with Florida in 2011-12 (against both Wright State and Stetson in pre-conference competition). This season, Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox netted 60 in an overtime loss to Minnesota Timberwolves (26 in fourth quarter and OT session) after providing a college career-high of 39 against UCLA in his lone season with Kentucky in 2016-17.
One for the books was Pete Maravich of the New Orleans Jazz outscoring five former backcourt All-Americans with the New York Knicks (Butch Beard/Ticky Burden/Walt Frazier/Dean Meminger/Earl Monroe), 68-41, in a memorable outing during Pistol's seventh NBA season. Among former major-college players erupting for more than 60 points in an NBA game, following is a look at the difference between their career highs in the pros and college:
| NCAA DI Player | Major-College Career High (Date) | NBA Career High > 60 (Date) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Devin Booker | 19 with Kentucky (11-25-14 & 12-20-14) | 70 with Phoenix Suns (3-24-17) | 51 points |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 52 with Kansas (12-5-56) | 100 with Philadelphia 76ers (3-2-62) | 48 |
| Donovan Mitchell | 29 with Louisville (1-24-17) | 71 with Cleveland Cavaliers (1-2-23) | 42 |
| Jalen Brunson | 31 with Villanova (four times as senior in 2017-18) | 61 with New York Knicks (3-29-24) | 30 |
| Michael Jordan | 39 with North Carolina (1-29-83) | 69 with Chicago Bulls (3-28-90) | 30 |
| Carmelo Anthony | 33 with Syracuse (4-5-03) | 62 with New York Knicks (1-24-14) | 29 |
| Karl Malone | 40 with Louisiana Tech (12-5-83) | 61 with Utah Jazz (1-27-90) | 21 |
| David Robinson | 50 with Navy (3-12-87) | 71 with San Antonio Spurs (4-24-94) | 21 |
| James Harden | 40 with Arizona State (11-30-08) | 61 with Houston Rockets (1-23-19 & 3-22-19) | 21 |
| Damian Lillard | 41 with Weber State (12-3-11) | 61 with Portland Trail Blazers (1-20-20 & 8-11-20) | 20 |
| Jerry West | 44 with West Virginia (12-1-59) | 63 with Los Angeles Lakers (1-17-62) | 19 |
| Stephen Curry | 44 with Davidson (11-18-08 & 12-6-08) | 62 with Golden State Warriors (1-3-21) | 18 |
| David Thompson | 57 with North Carolina State (12-5-74) | 73 with Denver Nuggets (4-9-78) | 16 |
| Elgin Baylor | 60 with Seattle (1-30-58) | 71 with Los Angeles Lakers (11-15-60) | 11 |
| George Mikan | 53 with DePaul (3-12-45) | 61 with Minneapolis Lakers (1-20-52) | 8 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 53 with Louisiana State (12-18-90) | 61 with Los Angeles Lakers (3-6-00) | 8 |
| Rick Barry | 59 with Miami FL (2-23-65) | 64 with Golden State Warriors (3-26-74) | 5 |
| Pete Maravich | 69 with Louisiana State (2-7-70) | 68 with New Orleans Jazz (2-25-77) | -1 point |
NOTE: Joe Fulks (Murray State) and George Gervin (Eastern Michigan) each scored 63 points in an NBA game but their schools weren't classified as major colleges when they played for them.
Centers of Attention: Comparing Debuts of Rare Breed Textbook Pivotmen
Textbook centers are becoming as rare as a #Dimorat politician criticizing social-distancing violations by protesters/rioters. Regal recruit Derik Queen of Maryland is acknowledged as the foremost freshman pivotman this season. His debut (22 points and 20 rebounds against Manhattan) was impressive as we eventually discern if he deserves to be included among the premier pivotmen in college basketball history. By almost any measure, centers in the last 50 years or so other than Kentucky's Anthony Davis don't seem to be anywhere close to duplicating feats luminaries Lew Alcindor, Wilt Chamberlain, Artis Gilmore, Bob Lanier, Jerry Lucas, Bill Russell and Bill Walton achieved in their initial varsity campaigns.
Similar to Navy's David Robinson in 1983-84, Connecticut's Andre Drummond was scoreless in his season debut in 2011-12 against Columbia. In a forgettable debut, Wake Forest's Tim Duncan was also scoreless in a season-opening loss to NCAA Division II Alaska-Anchorage in 1993-94 before rebounding with a 12-point, 12-rebound performance in his next outing against Hawaii. Reigning national player of year Zach Edey (Purdue) had a freshman campaign comparable to Robinson, Duncan and Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston) as they all averaged fewer than 10 ppg.
Alcindor (77: 56 points/21 rebounds) and Chamberlain (83: 52 points/31 rebounds) each totaled more points and rebounds in their college game debut than Drummond, Duncan, Patrick Ewing, Nerlens Noel, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Robinson and Ralph Sampson amassed collectively. Following is a look at how many of the premier centers in history fared in their varsity debut against a major college and summary of their first season of NCAA Division I competition:
| Celebrated Center | School | First Varsity Season | Debut Game | PPG | RPG | W-L Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Edey | Purdue | 2020-21 | 19 points/5 rebounds | 8.7 | 4.4 | 18-10 |
| DeAndre Ayton | Arizona | 2017-18 | 19 points/12 rebounds/3 blocks | 20.1 | 11.6 | 27-8 |
| Mohamed Bamba | Texas | 2017-18 | 15 points/8 rebounds/4 blocks | 12.9 | 10.5 | 19-15 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Kentucky | 2014-15 | 8 points/8 rebounds | 10.3 | 6.7 | 38-1 |
| Jahlil Okafor | Duke | 2014-15 | 19 points/6 rebounds | 17.3 | 8.5 | 35-4 |
| Nerlens Noel | Kentucky | 2012-13 | 4 points/9 rebounds | 10.5 | 9.5 | 21-12 |
| Anthony Davis | Kentucky | 2011-12 | 23 points/10 rebounds | 14.2 | 10.4 | 38-2 |
| Greg Oden | Ohio State | 2006-07 | 14 points/10 rebounds | 15.7 | 9.6 | 35-4 |
| Tim Duncan | Wake Forest | 1993-94 | 12 points/12 rebounds | 9.8 | 9.6 | 21-12 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | Louisiana State | 1989-90 | 10 points/5 rebounds | 13.9 | 12.0 | 23-9 |
| Alonzo Mourning | Georgetown | 1988-89 | 10 points/10 rebounds | 13.1 | 7.3 | 29-5 |
| David Robinson | Navy | 1983-84 | scoreless/1 rebound | 7.6 | 4.0 | 24-8 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston | 1981-82 | 2 points/0 rebounds | 8.3 | 6.5 | 25-8 |
| Patrick Ewing | Georgetown | 1981-82 | 7 points/4 rebounds | 12.7 | 8.5 | 30-7 |
| Ralph Sampson | Virginia | 1979-80 | 4 points/6 rebounds | 14.9 | 11.2 | 24-10 |
| *Bill Walton | UCLA | 1971-72 | 19 points/14 rebounds | 21.1 | 15.5 | 29-1 |
| **Artis Gilmore | Jacksonville | 1969-70 | 35 points/18 rebounds | 26.5 | 22.2 | 17-7 |
| *Bob Lanier | St. Bonaventure | 1967-68 | 23 points/17 rebounds | 26.2 | 15.6 | 23-2 |
| *Lew Alcindor | UCLA | 1966-67 | 56 points/21 rebounds | 29.0 | 15.5 | 30-0 |
| *Jerry Lucas | Ohio State | 1959-60 | 16 points/28 rebounds | 26.3 | 16.3 | 25-3 |
| *Wilt Chamberlain | Kansas | 1956-57 | 52 points/31 rebounds | 29.6 | 18.9 | 24-3 |
| *Bill Russell | San Francisco | 1953-54 | 16 points/17 rebounds | 19.9 | 19.2 | 14-7 |
*Sophomore classification.
**Junior classification after attending junior college.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 16 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 16 in football at the professional level (especially in 1941 and 1947 plus ex-hoopers with the Rams and Steelers):
NOVEMBER 16
In 1947, Baltimore Colts rookie E Hub Bechtol (Texas Tech hoops letterman in 1944 before transferring to Texas and concentrating on football) had his lone NFL touchdown reception (against Brooklyn Dodgers).
Los Angeles Rams E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) had two touchdown receptions in a 41-21 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1947.
Only NFL reception for E Maurice Britt (Arkansas hoops letterman in 1939) was 45-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give the Detroit Lions a 21-17 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1941. Lions B Whizzer White (two-time all-conference first-team hoops selection averaged 6.8 ppg for Colorado from 1935-36 through 1937-38) had a 71-yard pass reception for TD.
Los Angeles Rams rookie E Bob Carey (forward-center averaged 8.8 ppg in three-year Michigan State career in early 1950s) caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Norm Van Brocklin in 40-24 win against the Chicago Bears in 1952. Rams E Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (starting center for Michigan in 1944) caught two TD passes - one of them for 84 yards.
New Orleans Saints DB Chuck Crist (averaged more than 10 ppg last two seasons under Penn State coach John Bach, leading team in FG% as junior and FT% as senior) returned an interception 42 yards in 20-7 setback against the Minnesota Vikings in 1975.
New York Giants TB Ed Danowski (Fordham hoops letterman in 1932-33) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 49-14 win against the Cleveland Rams in 1941. Giants TB Tuffy Leemans (three-year hoops letterman for George Washington in mid-1930s) logged a rushing TD in his third consecutive contest. Rams TB Parker Hall (Ole Miss hoops letterman in 1938) threw two first-half TD passes.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes to Otis Taylor (backup small forward for Prairie View A&M in a 34-16 AFL win against the New York Jets in 1969.
Atlanta Falcons PK Bobby Etter (collected 10 points and five rebounds in 11 basketball games for Georgia in 1964-65 and 1965-66), in the midst of supplying two field goals in five contests during a seven-game span, converted all six extra points and both FGAs in 48-31 win against the Chicago Bears in 1969.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Jim Finks (led Tulsa with 8.9 ppg as sophomore in 1946-47) threw four second-half touchdown passes in a 29-28 setback against the Cleveland Browns in 1952.
Tennessee Titans WR Justin Gage (averaged 2.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg for Missouri from 1999-00 through 2001-02) caught four passes for 147 yards - including two second-half touchdowns from Kerry Collins - in a 24-14 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2008.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw three touchdown passes in a 37-14 AAFC win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1947.
Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (played in seven basketball games for Clemson in 2010-11) scored game's only touchdown with a 22-yard pass reception in fourth quarter of 10-6 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015.
Chicago Bears rookie E Luke Johnsos (Northwestern hoops letterman in 1927 and 1928) had two touchdown pass receptions in a 20-14 setback against the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1929.
A 25-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter by rookie B Art Jones (averaged 4.9 ppg as starting center for Richmond in 1940-41) propelled the Pittsburgh Steelers to 14-7 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941.
Dallas Cowboys DE Too Tall Jones (backup center averaged 1.7 ppg and 2.6 rpg for Tennessee State in 1969-70 and 1970-71) had three sacks in a 24-21 win against the San Diego Chargers in 1986.
San Francisco 49ers RB Terry Kirby (averaged 3.4 ppg as Virginia freshman in 1989-90 and 2.1 as sophomore in 1990-91) returned a kickoff 101 yards for touchdown in 27-19 win against the Carolina Panthers in 1997.
Chicago Cardinals E Mal Kutner (two-year Texas letterman in early 1940s) caught two touchdown passes from Paul Christman in a 21-20 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1947.
Atlanta Falcons CB Rolland Lawrence (captain of Tabor KS hoops squad as senior in 1972-73) had two interceptions in a 16-7 setback against the Los Angeles Rams in 1975.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) logged two goal-line plunges for touchdowns in a 31-10 win against the New York Giants in 1958.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) completed 24-of-30 passes for 314 yards in a 28-10 win against the New York Giants in 2003. Five years later, McNabb passed for 339 yards in a 13-13 tie against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008.
Chicago Bears DB R.W. McQuarters (Oklahoma State hooper in 1995-96 and 1996-97 started two games) returned a punt 60 yards for touchdown in 23-21 setback against the St. Louis Rams in 2003.
Green Bay Packers DE Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) returned an interception 52 yards for touchdown in 53-20 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014.
Denver Broncos WR Rod Smith (swingman was Missouri Southern State hoops letterman as sophomore in 1990-91) returned a punt 65 yards for touchdown and had 10 pass receptions in 37-8 win against the San Diego Chargers in 2003.
Dallas Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) completed 10-of-14 passes - including three touchdowns - in a 34-31 win against the New England Patriots in 1975.
New York Giants T Jim White (Notre Dame hooper in 1941) returned an interception 16 yards in 24-7 setback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1947.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 15 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 15 in football at the professional level (especially in 1964 plus ex-hoopers with the Cardinals and Eagles):
NOVEMBER 15
Detroit Lions TB Dutch Clark (four-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference hoops choice for Colorado College) rushed for two touchdowns in a 38-0 win against the New York Giants in 1936.
Rookie E Milan Creighton (All-SWC second-team guard for Arkansas in 1929-30) opened scoring for the Chicago Cardinals with a 27-yard touchdown reception from Ernie Nevers (All-Pacific Coast Conference second-five hoops choice for Stanford in 1924-25) in 21-13 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1931.
Cleveland Rams TB Parker Hall (Ole Miss hoops letterman in 1938) threw three touchdown passes in a 27-7 win against the Detroit Lions in 1942.
Chicago Cardinals RB Mal Hammack (played four basketball games with Florida in 1954-55) returned a blocked punt 17 yards for touchdown in 27-17 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1959. It was one of four TDs he scored against Philly in a three-year span from 1958 through 1960.
Philadelphia Eagles QB King Hill (Rice hoops letterman in 1955-56 and 1956-57) threw two touchdown passes - including a go-ahead 38-yarder to Pete Retzlaff - in 17-14 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 1964.
Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones (collected six points and six assists in eight basketball games for Texas-El Paso in 2013-14 under coach Tim Floyd) scored two touchdowns in a 27-24 setback against the Seattle Seahawks in 2018.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) passed for 345 yards and four touchdowns - three to WR Terrell Owens (UTC hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) - in a 49-21 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 2004. Five years later, McNabb passed for 450 yards - including two fourth-quarter TDs - in a 31-23 setback against the San Diego Chargers in 2009. The next year with the Washington Redskins, McNabb threw two second-quarter TD passes in a 59-28 setback against the Eagles in 2010.
Chicago Bears K Mac Percival (three-year hoops letterman was part of squad winning Texas Tech's first SWC championship in major sport in 1960-61) kicked four field goals in a 20-19 setback against the Green Bay Packers in 1970. It was Percival's third consecutive contest with at least three FGs.
TE Marcus Pollard (JC transfer averaged 7.3 ppg and 5 rpg for Bradley in 1992-93 and 1993-94) caught 14-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning with 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Indianapolis Colts a 24-23 win against the New York Jets in 1998.
Los Angeles Rams rookie WR Bucky Pope (two-time All-Carolinas Conference pick for Catawba NC averaged 19.4 ppg from 1961-62 through 1963-64) caught two touchdown passes from Roman Gabriel in a 34-24 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1964.
Oakland Raiders WR Art Powell (averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg for San Jose State in 1956-57) caught two second-half touchdown passes from Cotton Davidson in a 20-10 AFL win against the Houston Oilers in 1964.
Chicago Cardinals B Ray Ramsey (Bradley's top scorer in 1941-42 and 1942-43) returned an interception 37 yards for touchdown in 24-24 tie against the Los Angeles Rams in 1953.
Atlanta Falcons WR Andre Rison (backup hoops guard for Michigan State in 1987-88) caught two touchdown passes in a 20-17 win against the Phoenix Cardinals in 1992.
Washington Redskins DB Johnny Sample (freshman hooper for Maryland-Eastern Shore) had two interceptions - returning one 15 yards for touchdown - in a 30-0 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1964.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 14 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 14 in football at the professional level (especially in 1971 plus ex-hoopers with the Bears and Lions):
NOVEMBER 14
Washington Redskins QB Sammy Baugh (Texas Christian three-year hoops letterman was All-SWC honorable mention selection as senior in 1936-37) threw four touchdown passes in a 42-20 win against the Detroit Lions in 1943. Five years later, Baugh threw four TD passes in a 46-21 win against the Lions in 1948.
Chicago Bears E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) caught two touchdown passes from Sid Luckman in a 56-7 win against the New York Giants in 1943.
Detroit Lions rookie FB Bill Bowman (fouled out with four points in only basketball game with William & Mary in 1953-54) scored two touchdowns (66-yard pass reception and 43-yard rush) in a 48-7 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1954. Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw two first-half TD passes.
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-21 win against the New York Giants in 1965.
Minnesota Vikings TE Tyler Conklin (averaged 1.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 1.4 apg for Northwood MI as freshman in 2013-14 before transferring after first semester to Central Michigan to concentrate on football) caught two touchdown passes from Kirk Cousins in a 27-20 win against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021.
Oakland Raiders TE Rickey Dudley (averaged 13.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg as senior in 1994-95 when leading Ohio State in rebounding and finishing third in scoring) caught two touchdown passes from Rich Gannon in a 28-9 win against the San Diego Chargers in 1999.
Frankford Yellow Jackets RB Paul "Bob" Fitzke (hoops letterman for Wyoming and Idaho in first half of 1920s) scored a rushing touchdown against the Pottsville Maroons in 1925.
Miami Dolphins QB Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) threw three touchdown passes in a 24-21 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1971. Steelers WR Dave Smith (averaged 15.6 ppg and 11.6 rpg while shooting 51.1% from floor for Indiana PA in 1968-69 and 1969-70) caught two first-half TD passes from Terry Bradshaw.
Detroit Lions rookie B Vern Huffman (All-American was All-Big Ten Conference selection for Indiana in 1935-36 and 1936-37) threw a 28-yard touchdown pass in 17-0 win against the New York Giants in 1937.
New York Jets QB Steve Joachim (collected two points and two rebounds in one basketball contest with Penn State in 1971-72 under coach John Bach) appeared in only game of his NFL career in 1976.
Washington Redskins QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) passed for 313 yards in a 35-28 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999.
New York Jets RB Johnny Johnson (averaged 11.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 3.2 apg in 1988-89 after majority of hoop team members walked off San Jose State squad) rushed for 141 yards - including 57-yard touchdown - in a 31-17 win against the Indianapolis Colts in 1993.
B Ralph Kercheval (Kentucky hooper in 1932-33 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) accounted for the Brooklyn Dodgers' lone touchdown with a 54-yard pass to Jeff Barrett in 29-7 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1937.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie HB Johnny Lattner (Notre Dame forward in 1951-52) scored a touchdown in his third consecutive contest in 1954.
Atlanta Falcons CB Rolland Lawrence (captain of Tabor KS hoops squad as senior in 1972-73) had two interceptions in a 21-16 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1976.
Arizona Cardinals DB David Macklin (collected 13 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists for Penn State in 15 basketball games as freshman in 1996-97) had a career-high nine solo tackles in 17-14 win against the New York Giants in 2004.
Chicago Bears DB R.W. McQuarters (Oklahoma State hooper in 1995-96 and 1996-97 started two games) returned a punt 75 yards for touchdown in 19-17 win against the Tennessee Titans in 2004.
Houston Texans LB Antwan Peek (made one field goal and grabbed five rebounds in six basketball games for Cincinnati in 2000-01 under coach Bob Huggins) intercepted a pass from QB Peyton Manning in 49-14 setback against the Indianapolis Colts in 2004.
Chicago Bears K Mac Percival (three-year hoops letterman was part of squad winning Texas Tech's first SWC championship in major sport in 1960-61) kicked three field goals in a 16-15 win against the Washington Redskins in 1971.
E Ray Poole (Ole Miss' leading hoops scorer in 1942-43 with 12.3 ppg) opened the New York Giants' scoring with a touchdown reception from QB Charlie Conerly in 52-37 setback against the Los Angeles Rams in 1948. Later in the first half, Poole registered a safety by tackling Bob Waterfield in the end zone.
Buffalo Bills QB George Ratterman (third-leading scorer with 11.7 ppg for Notre Dame in 1944-45) threw three touchdown passes in a 27-20 AAFC setback against the Los Angeles Dons in 1948.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) passed for 311 yards in a 21-14 win against the Washington Redskins in 1965. Eagles DT John Meyers (played in seven basketball games with Washington in 1959-60) chipped in with an interception.
New York Giants rookie WR Bob Topp (Michigan forward averaged 1.4 ppg in 1951-52 and 1952-53) caught a third-quarter touchdown pass from QB Charlie Conerly for the second straight contest in 1954.
Dallas Cowboys P Ron Widby (three-time All-SEC selection averaged 18.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg for Tennessee from 1964-65 through 1966-67) punted six times for 275 yards (45.8 average) in a 20-7 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1971.
Tennessee Titans WR Kendall Wright (Baylor hooper as freshman in 2008-09) caught nine passes in a 30-27 setback against the Indianapolis Colts in 2013.
Political Perspective: Ex-Hoopers Pete Hegseth & John Thune in DC Headlines
Much is written about college basketball in the daily newspaper sports pages, weekly/monthly specialty magazines and on the internet. But you might be surprised the extent to which the written word beyond The Audacity of Hoop, much of it outside the world of sports, emanates from former college basketball players who became politicians. For instance, former college hoopers Pete Hegseth (played for Princeton against North Carolina in 2001 NCAA Tournament) and John Thune (Biola CA) generated national political headlines this week as Secretary of Defense nominee and Senate Majority Leader, respectively.
Back in the day, politician extraordinaire Dean Rusk, Davidson's most noted alumnus pre-Stephen Curry, wrote his memoirs in the book As I Saw It after being a star center in the late 1920s and early 1930s with former Davidson President Dr. D. Grier Martin (1957 until 1968).
"Basketball at Davidson reminds me of the old French proverb, 'Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose,'" said Rusk, who served as Secretary of State under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War era. "The game itself has been revolutionized since I played it. We once beat North Carolina 17-12; it was not a slowdown game. We both were trying like everything. What has remained the same has been the sheer fun of it, the stimulation of competition, the experience of losing as well as winning and the recognition that basketball is a sport in which a small college can take on the big fellows."
Former Princeton All-American Bill Bradley, a three-term U.S. Senator (Democrat-N.J.) until 1995, took on the "big fellows" as a presidential candidate in 2000 and wrote a book called We Can All Do Better. Bradley, a tax and trade expert with a strong voice on race issues and campaign finance reform, authored two basketball volumes (Life on the Run in 1976 and Values of the Game in 1998).
"The lessons learned from it (basketball) stay with you," Rhodes Scholar Bradley wrote of the sport he still loves. "I was determined that no one would outwork me."
The information is as difficult to pry loose as liberal lunatics in #MessMedia acknowledging recently-deceased Rush Limbaugh was infinitely more talented than them for decades, transcripts of #ShrillaryRotten's overpaid speeches before Wall Street benefactors and ledger detailing Congressional slush-fund payouts regarding representatives trafficking in creepy stuff. You might not know it, but there is a striking number of luminaries who displayed determination in the political arena and wrote books after "working the crowd" in a college basketball arena. Majority of them boasted a mite more dignity than disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and backtracking press puke previously fawning over him. Essentially, the following lineup represents a rebuttal to the chronic complainers who cite politicians generally and writers specifically as individuals who don't know anything about sports generally and college hoops specifically. In deference to #TheDonald trying to drain DC Swamp, following is an alphabetical list of additional politicians-turned-authors who played the game:
SCOTT BROWN, Tufts (Mass.)
Stunning upset victory in special election in January 2010, becoming the first Republican elected to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate since 1979. Brown, filling the Senate seat that opened when Ted Kennedy died the previous August, drove his GMC Canyon pickup with over 200,000 miles on it everywhere during a savvy campaign. Authored a book Against All Odds released in 2011.
At Tufts (class of '81), he was known as "Downtown" Scotty Brown because of his long-range marksmanship. Averaging 9 ppg as a freshman in 1977-78, he earned an ECAC Rookie of the Week award that season. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.9 ppg and scored 35 points in a victory against Bowdoin. As a junior, he made 54.3% of his shots and had back-to-back games of 26 and 25 points against Curry and Trinity, respectively, en route to averaging 10.8 ppg. Senior co-captain capped his career with a 10.3-point scoring average, including a 35-point outburst against Brandeis. "He was not born with great basketball attributes," said his coach (John White) in a feature about Brown during his senior season. "He has gone beyond his limitations, which is very admirable." Converted more than half of his career field-goal attempts (422 of 853). Brown's 6-0 daughter, Ayla, was a starting guard most of her career with Boston College from 2006-07 through 2009-10, posting career highs of 18 points against Clemson and 14 rebounds against Wake Forest. Ayla has also released three albums after being a semifinalist in the fifth season of "American Idol," impressing the judges with her rendition of Christina Aguilera's "Reflection."
ROBERT CASEY SR., Holy Cross
Pennsylvania's 42nd governor served two terms from 1987 to 1995 after winning in his fourth attempt for the office. Casey, a coal miner's son, ran in the Democratic presidential primary in 1996. Pro-life candidate suffered from a rare hereditary disease that caused him to become a heart-liver transplant recipient. He died in late May, 2000, at the age of 68. His son was a PA Senator from 2007 through 2024.
He was a 6-2 freshman in 1949-50 when Holy Cross senior Bob Cousy was an NCAA unanimous first-team All-American. The 6-2 Casey averaged 1.3 ppg in 1950-51 and 1952-53. Excerpt from Casey's 1996 autobiography Fighting for Life: "I remember best the moments I was on the court with Cousy. He was an icon in the making - a genius with a basketball. Our freshman team provided cannon fodder for Cousy and the rest of the varsity team in practice. What I remember most about Cousy was that he was always the first guy on the court at night, refining his moves a hundred times before practice even started."
WILLIAM COHEN, Bowdoin (Maine)
Moderate Republican was Secretary of Defense in President Clinton's administration after serving as a Senator from Maine. He moonlighted as an author and had a stint in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. Cohen's first bask in the national spotlight came when he voted, as a House member, to impeach President Nixon. In 1992, he pushed to reauthorize the "independent counsel" law and became a founder of the Republican Majority Coalition. "In team sports, there's a game plan," Cohen said in Ira Berkow's Court Vision. "When you're talking military it's still a game plan, but it's a war plan.
It's either how to prevent a war from taking place or what happens if you have to go to war and how you structure your forces, what happens if, what are the contingency plans, what is the escalation. All of that is not identical to a game plan, but it's training and practice." Cohen wrote The New Art of the Leader among several books, including mysteries, poetry and (with George Mitchell) an analysis of the Iran-contra affair. His second wife is author Janet Langhart, who was known as "First Lady of the Pentagon" during Cohen's tenure as Secretary.
The New England Basketball All-Star Hall of Fame inductee led Bowdoin in scoring all three varsity seasons from 1959-60 through 1961-62 (career-high 16 ppg as a junior). "A two-handed set shot was obsolete in college when I was playing, but I shot it," Cohen said. "I was able to shoot it from very far and get it off very fast. Dolph Schayes was kind of a role model for me."
ROBERT J. DOLE, Kansas
Represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1997. Senate majority leader from 1985 to 1987 and again starting in 1995 when he began his third quest for the Republican presidential nomination. He was the Republican nominee for Vice President as Gerald Ford's running mate in 1976.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Ben Cramer described Dole as a good player who "could handle the ball, shooting that newfangled one-hand push shot, and big and tough under the boards." Member of Kansas freshman basketball team in 1942-43 for one semester before enlisting in the Army during World War II, where his right shoulder was destroyed in a mortar barrage in the Italian mountains. He spent 39 months in and out of hospitals, returning to his hometown of Russell, Kan., to recuperate from the wound that also cost him a kidney. A book about his recovery, A Soldier's Story, was published in 2005.
JOHN H. GLENN JR., Muskingum (Ohio)
U.S. Senator (Democrat from Ohio) for 24 years and former astronaut. In 1962, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Nearly 40 years later, he became the oldest human to enter space when he joined the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998. Among the seven candidates who lost to Walter Mondale for the 1984 Democratic Party nomination.
In Glenn's memoir, he wrote: "I went out for the freshman basketball squad and made that, but I noticed that while I had not gotten any faster or grown any taller, the other players had." He also played freshman football in college before World War II interrupted his career. "Each individual has to prepare himself to do his very best, whether it's in an individual or team sport," Glenn said. "In team sports, you have to have great teamwork to reach any goal, which is exactly what we have to do in life after athletics and college."
AL GORE, Harvard
Democratic Presidential nominee against George W. Bush in 2000 waged a long-shot campaign for president in 1988, when he was 39. Vice President in Bill Clinton's administration was a Senator from Tennessee after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1985. Shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize after his film An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary on global warming, won an Academy Award. Gore's book with the same title was published concurrently with the theatrical release. For the "Unabomber" crowd that believes dinosaurs became extinct because they burped and farted too much, he subsequently wrote similar environmental-related books called The Assault on Reason, Our Choice and Earth in the Balance.
Gore averaged 2.8 ppg for Harvard's 12-4 freshman team in 1965-66. In the biography Inventing Al Gore, he was described as "rarely playing but working on his game incessantly." His competitive drive led him to challenge roommates "out of the blue" to push-ups, a vestige of the boyhood regimen imposed by his Senator father. He "wanted to challenge you or himself, intellectually or physically. He was always, 'I bet I can beat you at the last thing you did.'"
LEE H. HAMILTON, DePauw (Ind.)
Vice Chairman of 9/11 Commission and co-chair of Iraq Study Group in 2006 was a leading Democratic voice on foreign policy and a steadying force in the House of Representatives for 34 years from 1965 through 1998. He chaired three committees - Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Joint Economic - and was the ranking minority member of the House International Relations Committee. Representing Indiana's Ninth District, he retained not only his crew cut but also his moderate, common-sense approach and a Methodist work ethic that got him to his office nearly every day before 6 a.m. Wrote a book called How Congress Works and Why You Should Care.
Ranked fourth on DePauw's career scoring list when he graduated in 1952. The 6-4 Hamilton led the team in scoring as a junior (11.4 ppg) and was the second-leading scorer as a sophomore (9.8 ppg) and senior (10.9 ppg).
VANCE HARTKE, Evansville
Mayor of Evansville before serving as U.S. Senator from Indiana (1959-77). Democrat ran for President in 1972 as an anti-war candidate, finishing as high as fifth in the New Hampshire Primary. He wrote four books, including "The American Crisis in Vietnam."
Graduated in 1940.
HENRY "HANK" HYDE, Georgetown/Duke
Starting out as a Democrat, he became a 12-term Republican Congressman from Illinois and eventual chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. His towering stature as a lawmaker made him the ideal GOP point-man to lead an impeachment inquiry of President Clinton. Wrote books called Moral Universe and Forfeiting Our Property Rights.
He was a forward-center for Georgetown's 1943 NCAA Tournament runner-up that compiled a 22-5 record. The 6-3 Hyde scored two points in a 53-49 victory over a Chicago hometown team, DePaul, and fellow freshman George Mikan in the Eastern Regional final (playoff semifinals) before going scoreless in a championship game loss against Wyoming. "I can only say about the way I guarded him (Mikan scored one point in the second half) that I will burn in purgatory," Hyde deadpanned. "The rules were considerably bent." The next season as a Naval trainee at Duke, he earned a letter but was scoreless in the Blue Devils' 44-27 Southern Conference championship game victory over North Carolina. Hyde served as an ensign in the Asiatic and Pacific Theaters during World War II before re-enrolling at Georgetown, where he graduated in 1947. Twenty-one years later, Clinton earned his diploma from the same university. Sketch of Hyde in Georgetown guide: "Possesses a pivot shot, difficult to stop, and a shot made while cutting from the bucket to give his scoring threats a double edge."
TOM McMILLEN, Maryland
Co-chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness under Bill Clinton. Elected in 1987 as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland. From 1991 to 2003, he served on the Knight Foundation's Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics investigating abuses within college sports. He is co-author of Out of Bounds, a book on sports and ethics in America.
The 6-11 center averaged 20.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in three seasons for Maryland from 1971-72 through 1973-74. Member of 1972 U.S. Olympic team is the only player in Terrapins history to have a career scoring average above 20 ppg. Averaged 8.1 points and four rebounds in 11 NBA seasons (1975-76 through 1985-86) with four different franchises.
GEORGE MITCHELL, Bowdoin (Maine)
Devout Democrat assumed position as Majority Leader in 1989 after arriving in the Senate from Maine in 1980. The son of a janitor received more than 80% of the vote in 1988. He served as independent chairman of talks that culminated in the signing of the Northern Ireland peace accord in April, 1998 and was tapped by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to spearhead an investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs by players. Mitchell served as Disney Chairman of the Board from March 2004 until January 2007. He has written several books - Not For America Alone, World on Fire and Making Peace.
Wiry point guard was a senior in 1953-54 when he scored eight points in eight games.
SAM NUNN, Georgia Tech
Democratic Senator from Georgia retired in 1996 after four six-year terms. Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, who served in the Coast Guard, helped defeat President Clinton's intention to allow open gays and lesbians in the military. He authored books on working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
His sketch is included in the 1957-58 Georgia Tech guide as a non-scholarship sophomore. However, Nunn is not included in the 1957-58 school scoring statistics, which include all players who scored, and is not listed on the 1958-59 roster. His son, Brian, played for Emory University in Atlanta.
BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA, Occidental (Calif.)
U.S. Senator from Illinois outlasted Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election before defeating Republican John McCain to become the nation's first African-American commander-in-chief. Authored a book entitled Audacity of Hope.
The 6-1 1/2 lefthander played on Occidental's junior varsity squad in 1979-80 before transferring to Columbia and subsequently attending Harvard Law School. In Dreams From My Father, Obama described basketball as a comfort to a boy whose father was mostly absent, and who was one of only a few black youths at his school in Hawaii. "At least on the basketball court I could find a community of sorts," he wrote. Pickup basketball was his escape from the sport of politics. Brother-in-law Craig Robinson, a two-time Ivy League MVP with Princeton, was Oregon State's coach when Obama was elected.
PAUL SARBANES, Princeton
Democrat served as a member of House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 and Maryland Senator from 1977 to 2007. Consistent and staunch advocate for Greek-American issues. His son, John, held dad's old House seat.
Teammate of eventual MLB pitcher Dave Sisler scored 19 points in 12 games in 1951-52, including a made free throw against Dayton in East Regional third-place game.
ALAN K. SIMPSON, Wyoming
U.S. Senator from Wyoming (1978-96) was a staunch conservative and loyal lieutenant to Republican leader Bob Dole. Simpson's father, Milward, served in the same capacity (1962-67). The younger Simpson, who garnered 78% of the vote in 1984, served as chairman of Veterans' Affairs and Social Security and Family Policy. He charmed the Washington establishment with his earthy wit and folksy wisdom, becoming somewhat of a media darling because of his pithy quotes. Simpson authored a book Right in the Old Gazoo - a lifetime of scraping with the Press.
Forward-center earned a letter in 1952-53 after scoring seven points in six games for a team that went on to participate in the NCAA Tournament. He also played football for the Cowboys.
JOHN THUNE, Biola (Calif.)
South Dakota member of House of Representatives from 1997 to 2003 until the Republican defeated Democratic Senate leader Tom Daschle in 2004.
The 6-4 Thune played two seasons (1979-80 and 1982-83), averaging 1.9 ppg and 1.6 rpg in 37 games while shooting 40% from the floor and 73.3% from the free-throw line.
MORRIS "MO" UDALL, Arizona
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1961 to 1991) and candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Brother of former Secretary of the Interior Stew Udall served as Chairman of the House Interior and Insular Affairs. Stemming from his wit, columnist James J. Kilpatrick labeled him "too funny to be president," which wound up being the title of his autobiography.
He was the Wildcats' captain and second-leading scorer with an average of 10 points per game for the 1946-47 Border Conference titlist finishing with a 21-3 record. The next year, he was the leading scorer (13.3 average) on an Arizona squad that successfully defended its league crown. The 6-5, 200-pound forward-center was named to the first five on the 1947-48 Border Conference all-star team and finished second in the league in scoring. He played with Denver in the National Basketball League in 1948-49.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 13 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 13 in football at the professional level (especially in 1966 and ex-hooper representation from more than half of NFL's current franchises):
NOVEMBER 13
TE Martellus Bennett (averaged 1.9 ppg and 1.5 rpg as Texas A&M freshman in 2005-06 before playing briefly next season under coach Billy Gillispie) managed a season-high seven pass receptions for eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in 31-24 setback against the Seattle Seahawks in 2016.
Detroit Lions E Cloyce Box (combined with twin brother Boyce to help West Texas A&M win Border Conference hoop championship in 1943) caught two 35-yard touchdown passes from Frank Tripucka in a 27-24 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1949.
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for 173 yards in a 28-27 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960.
New York Giants B Chris Cagle (four-year hoops letterman for USL and Army in mid-1920s) scored two touchdowns (pass reception and 70-yard punt return) in a 27-7 win against the Staten Island Stapletons in 1932. Stapletons B Doug Wycoff (Georgia Tech hoops letterman in 1926) opened game's scoring with a rushing TD.
Chicago Bears FB Rick Casares (Florida's scoring and rebounding leader both seasons as All-SEC second-team selection in 1951-52 and 1952-53) rushed for two first-half touchdowns in a 24-20 setback against the Baltimore Colts in 1960. Colts DB Johnny Sample (freshman hooper for UMES) had an interception in his third consecutive contest.
Miami Dolphins WR Chris Chambers (played briefly for Wisconsin under coach Dick Bennett in 1997-98) caught two touchdown passes in a 23-16 setback against the New England Patriots in 2005.
New England Patriots WR Ray Crittenden (scored four points in four Virginia Tech basketball games in 1988-89) ignited comeback from a 17-point deficit with 31-yard touchdown reception from QB Drew Bledsoe in 26-20 win against the Minnesota Vikings in 1994.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes - including an 89-yarder to Otis Taylor (backup small forward for Prairie View A&M) - in 34-16 AFL win against the Miami Dolphins in 1966. It was Taylor's third TD catch of at least 74 yards in a four-game span.
Dallas Cowboys E Pete Gent (three-time All-Big Ten Conference selection averaged 17.4 ppg and 8.3 rpg in leading Michigan State in scoring each season from 1961-62 through 1963-64) had career highs of six pass receptions and 93 receiving yards in a 31-30 win against the Washington Redskins in 1966. Redskins E-P Pat Richter (three-year Wisconsin hoops letterman in early 1960s) averaged 47 yards on seven punts.
Green Bay Packers B Roger Grove (forward led Michigan State in scoring in 1929-30 and 1930-31) opened game's scoring with a 10-yard touchdown pass reception in 21-0 win against the Boston Braves in 1932.
Minnesota Vikings DB Dale Hackbart (averaged 4 ppg and 3.5 rpg in 10 contests for Wisconsin in 1958-59) returned an interception 41 yards for touchdown in 32-31 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1966.
Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones (collected six points and six assists in eight UTEP basketball games as freshman in 2013-14 under coach Tim Floyd) rushed for 138 yards in a 31-28 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 2022.
Houston Texans WR Jacoby Jones (part-time starter averaged 3.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg for Lane TN in 2004-05 and 2005-06) caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Matt Schaub in 37-9 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011.
A 37-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter by TE Greg Latta (two-year Morgan State letterman averaged 9.3 ppg and 5.4 rpg in 15 games in 1970-71) gave the Chicago Bears a 28-27 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1977.
Houston Oilers CB Zeke Moore (Lincoln MO hoops letterman in mid-1960s) returned a fumble recovery 66 yards for touchdown in 34-29 setback against the Oakland Raiders in 1977.
Carolina Panthers DE Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) had three sacks in a 24-10 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2006.
Oakland Raiders WR Art Powell (averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg for San Jose State in 1956-57) caught two first-half touchdown passes from Tom Flores in a 41-19 AFL win against the San Diego Chargers in 1966.
Philadelphia Eagles HB Bosh Pritchard (four-sport letterman for VMI) opened game's scoring with a four-yard rushing touchdown in 44-21 win against the Washington Redskins in 1949.
Atlanta Falcons LB Marion Rushing (Southern Illinois hooper from 1954-55 through 1956-57) had an interception in 19-7 setback against the Baltimore Colts in 1966.
Buffalo Bills TE Tom Rychlec (collected four points and six rebounds in one hoops game for American International MA in 1954-55) had a career-high 10 pass receptions in a 20-7 AFL setback against the Oakland Raiders in 1960.
Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton (SMU hooper for three games in 2015-16 under coach Larry Brown) contributed eight pass receptions in a 24-22 win against the Buffalo Bills in 2023.
Jacksonville Jaguars TE Julius Thomas (averaged 6.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg while shooting 66.3% from floor with Portland State from 2006-07 through 2009-10) had his third touchdown catch in four-game span in 2016.
(sm)All-Stars: Who'll Be Next Dynamo Added to List of Diminutive Dandies?
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind (about your size) don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss
Despite cancel culture's obsession with him, the good doctor (Seuss) must know big things can come in even smaller 24-carat packages. What they may lack in height, they more than compensate for with heart. Brimming with self-confidence and mental toughness, the premium point guards defy odds by excelling in a big man's game.
Who will be the next mighty mite of consequence at NCAA Division I level? He could eventually join the following alphabetical list examining top players in NCAA history shorter than 5-8:
| Mighty Mite | School | Height | Short Summary of College Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Anderson | San Diego | 5-7 | Averaged 9.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.9 apg and 2 spg for the Toreros from 2011-12 through 2014-15. Ranked among the nation's top 11 in assists average his final two seasons. |
| Kendall Anthony | Richmond | 5-7 | Shot 80.6% from the free-throw line and 39.2% from beyond the three-point arc en route to averaging 14.2 ppg from 2011-12 through 2014-15. The Spiders' leading scorer as a senior with 16.4 ppg after finishing runner-up as a freshman and junior. |
| Martin Badoian | Brown | 5-7 | Three-year letterman was captain as a senior in 1951-52 when he averaged 13.9 ppg. |
| Mike Belich | Pittsburgh | 5-7 | Led the Panthers in scoring as a senior in 1950-51 with 15.9 ppg. |
| Eric Bell | Stephen F. Austin | 5-6 | Ranked 30th in the nation in assists with 5.7 per game as a sophomore in 2007-08. |
| Arnold Bernard | Southwest Missouri State | 5-5 | J.C. transfer was an All-Mid-Continent Conference second-team selection in 1989-90. The next season, earned the same status in the Missouri Valley when he led the league in assists (7.6 apg) and steals (2.4 spg). |
| Tyrone Bogues | Wake Forest | 5-3 | All-ACC first-team selection as a senior averaged 8.3 ppg, 6.6 apg and 2.3 spg from 1983-84 through 1986-87. |
| Jermaine Bolden | Morgan State | 5-7 | Led MEAC in assists with 4.9 per game in 2008-09. |
| Jimmy Boothe | Xavier | 5-7 | Led the Musketeers' 1956 NIT team in scoring with 16.5 ppg. |
| Earl Boykins | Eastern Michigan | 5-6 | Two-time All-MAC first-team selection finished second in the nation in scoring in 1997-98 with 25.7 ppg, including 45 points vs. Western Michigan (tying school single-game record against a Division I opponent). MVP in the league's postseason tournament as a senior. |
| DeAndre Bray | Jacksonville State | 5-6 | Posted an OVC-leading 5.2 apg as a sophomore in 2006-07 and ranked 11th in the nation as a junior (6.4 apg). Assists average fell off to 4.9 per game as a senior. |
| Greg Brown | New Mexico | 5-7 | WAC Player of the Year as a senior in 1993-94 when he averaged 19.3 ppg and 4.4 apg. |
| Alex Bynum | Brown | 5-7 | Averaged 8.3 ppg with the Bears from 1980-81 through 1983-84. |
| Alton Byrd | Columbia | 5-7 | Three-time All-Ivy League first-team selection averaged 8.1 apg as a sophomore in 1976-77 en route to becoming the Lions' all-time leader in assists. Led the conference in assists as a sophomore and senior. |
| Joe Campbell | Purdue | 5-7 | Eventual PGA golfer averaged 7.7 ppg in three seasons of varsity basketball. He was the Boilermakers' third-leading scorer (11.9 ppg) and leading free-throw shooter (73.6%) as a senior in 1956-57. |
| Pete Carril | Lafayette | 5-6 | The 1952 graduate averaged 11.5 ppg in his career with the Leopards before becoming Princeton's all-time winningest coach. |
| Taurence Chisholm | Delaware | 5-6 | Blue Hens all-time leader in assists with 877 ranked among the top 12 in the nation all four years, including a runner-up finish as a sophomore. All-ECC second-team selection as a senior in 1987-88. |
| Jackie Crawford | Southwest Missouri State | 5-7 | J.C. transfer was an All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection and MVC Tournament MVP in 1991-92 (12 ppg, 4.5 apg, 83.5 FT%). |
| Jordon Crawford | Bowling Green | 5-6 | Shortest player among NCAA's top 150 scorers as a senior in 2012-13 when he averaged 15 ppg. Led Falcons in assists his last three seasons. |
| Johnny Dee | Notre Dame | 5-7 | Second-leading scorer (12.6 ppg) for the 15-5 Irish in 1944-45 before UND went 17-4 the next year when he averaged 5.8 ppg. |
| Jeremiah Dominguez | Portland State | 5-6 | Big Sky Conference MVP in 2007-08 and league tournament MVP the next season. Leading scorer for PSU's all-time two winningest DI teams those years. |
| Andy Dulik | Navy | 5-7 | Averaged 10.3 ppg from 1954-55 through 1956-57, finishing among the Midshipmen's top three scorers as a sophomore and junior. |
| Haywood Eaddy | Loyola Marymount | 5-5 | J.C. transfer led the WCC in steals (2.1 spg) in 1997-98 and in free-throw shooting (89.8%) and assists (5.6 apg) in 1998-99. |
| Chico Fletcher | Arkansas State | 5-6 | Two-time Sun Belt Conference MVP led league in assists four consecutive seasons from 1996-97 through 1999-2000. |
| Louis Ford | Howard | 5-6 | Contributed 14 assists and 10 steals in a game against Maryland-Eastern Shore when he averaged a team-high 14.1 ppg in an abbreviated junior campaign in 2004-05 before averaging 9.2 ppg and team-high 4.8 apg as a senior. Led the MEAC in assists as a sophomore (5 apg) and in steals as a senior (2.6 spg). |
| Tony Freeman | Indiana & Illinois-Chicago | 5-7 | Honorable mention All-Mid-Continent Conference in 1988-89 after playing for the Bob Knight-coached Hoosiers in 1986-87. |
| Petie Gibson | New Mexico | 5-7 | The Lobos' all-time leader in assists per game averaged 11.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 7.2 apg from 1968-69 through 1970-71. He led the WAC in scoring feeds all three seasons. |
| Jack Goldsmith | Long Island | 5-7 | Led the Blackbirds in scoring in 1945-46 when they posted their 13th of 18 consecutive winning records through 1950-51. |
| Marques Green | St. Bonaventure | 5-7 | Averaged 15.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.9 apg and 2.9 spg while shooting 83.5% from the free-throw line from 2000-01 through 2003-04. He finished seventh in school all-time scoring when his career ended while ranking first in assists and steals. All-Atlantic 10 Conference first-team selection as a junior when he led league in scoring (21.3 ppg), assists (8 apg), steals (2.6 spg) and free-throw shooting (87.9%) before earning second-team acclaim as a senior. He paced the A10 in steals his last three seasons. |
| George Harrington | Harvard | 5-7 | All-Ivy League second-team selection as a senior in 1958-59 when he averaged a team-high 14.6 ppg after averaging 11.4 ppg the previous two seasons. |
| Jason Harrison | Mississippi | 5-5 | Started every game as a senior for the Rebels' 2002 NCAA playoff team after serving as their "sixth-man" most of his first three seasons. Finished his career third on Ole Miss' all-time list for three-pointers (163), third in assists (427), third in steals (172) and fifth in free-throw shooting (82%). |
| Dick Hickox | Miami (Fla.) | 5-6 | Averaged 19.4 ppg from 1958-59 through 1960-61, leading the Hurricanes in scoring all three seasons. |
| Jermaine "Squirt" Hicks | Weber State & Chicago State | 5-6 | Co-Newcomer of the Year in Mid-Continent Conference in 1997-98. Scored 40 points at Fresno State the next season when he was an all-league second-team selection. |
| David Holston | Chicago State | 5-7 | Scored school DI record 43 points against St. Bonaventure in 2006-07 season opener. Mid-Continent Conference second-team selection as a freshman in 2005-06 (13.4 ppg, 2.8 apg, 85.7 FT%). Ranked 10th in the nation in scoring as a junior in 2007-08 (23.1 ppg) when pacing country in three-point field goals per game (4.6). Became school's all-time leading Division I scorer in 2008-09 when averaging 25.9 ppg (4th in nation). |
| Shawn Hood | Cleveland State | 5-7 | Leader in assists and steals in 1983-84 and 1984-85 for the Vikings. |
| Rod Hutchings | Northern Arizona | 5-7 | Shot 93.3% from the free-throw line as a senior in 2000-01 to finish his four-year career at 84%. Also contributed 285 assists for the Lumberjacks. |
| Demontrae Jefferson | Texas Southern | 5-7 | Averaged 18.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.2 spg in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Scored 27 points in his TSU debut at Louisville. |
| Keith "Mister" Jennings | East Tennessee State | 5-7 | All-American and Southern Conference Player of the Year as a senior. Two-time Southern Conference Tournament MVP averaged 15.7 ppg and 7.7 apg while shooting 86.1% from the free-throw line from 1987-88 through 1990-91. Paced the league twice in free-throw shooting, three times in steals and all four seasons in assists. |
| Aaron Johnson | UAB | 5-7 | Averaged 5.2 ppg and team-high 4.1 apg as a freshman in 2007-08. Named an All-Conference USA third-team selection as junior in 2009-10 before becoming league MVP as a senior when he led nation with 7.7 apg. |
| Omar Johnson | Texas-San Antonio | 5-7 | Averaged 12.6 ppg, 4.2 apg and 1.9 spg with the Roadrunners in 2008-09 and 11.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 3.4 apg in 2009-10. |
| Casey Jones | Northeast Louisiana | 5-7 | Led the Indians in assists as a senior in 1990-91 with 5.8 per game, finishing his career with 3.8 apg. |
| Reuben "Rip" Kaplinsky | St. John's | 5-6 | Averaged 6.7 ppg while finishing among team's top two scorers all three seasons from 1933-34 through 1935-36. |
| Victor Kelly | Hawaii | 5-6 | Averaged 12.6 ppg along with team highs of 5.1 apg and 1.9 spg in 1974-75. |
| Drew Lavender | Oklahoma & Xavier | 5-6 | Paced the Sooners' 2004 NIT team in assists and steals before finishing team runner-up in same two categories for their 2005 NCAA playoff squad. After transferring, he led Atlantic 10 Conference in assists with 4.8 per game in 2006-07. |
| Ken Leary | Boston University | 5-7 | Averaged 11.1 ppg, 2 rpg and 8.2 apg from 1962-63 through 1964-65, leading the Terriers in assists all three seasons. |
| Darryl "Pee Wee" Lenard | Georgia & St. Louis | 5-7 | Led the Midwestern City Conference in steals with 1.8 per game in 1983-84. |
| Terrell Lewis | Eastern Illinois | 5-7 | Averaged 9.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 5 apg from 2014-15 to 2018-19. He led EIU in assists each of his first three seasons. |
| Chris Lykes | Miami (Fla.) & Arkansas | 5-6 | Averaged 13.7 ppg and 2.7 apg with Miami from 2017-18 until injured early in 2020-21 campaign before playing for Arkansas' 2022 NCAA playoff team. |
| Sherry Marshall | Columbia | 5-7 | All-Ivy League first-team selection as a sophomore in 1947-48 when he averaged 8.2 ppg and shot 75.9% from the free-throw line. All-conference second-team pick as a freshman, junior and senior. |
| Kellen McCoy | Weber State | 5-6 | J.C. transfer was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Year in 2008-09 (team highs of 14.1 ppg and 1.3 spg) after averaging 8.8 ppg and 2.9 rpg the previous year. |
| Shandue McNeil | St. Bonaventure | 5-7 | Averaged 9.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.4 apg and 2.5 spg from 1993-94 through 1996-97. Led Atlantic 10 Conference in assists and steals as a sophomore (all-league second-team choice) and in assists as a senior. |
| Mark Morse | Tulsa | 5-7 | All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection in 1991-92 (14.9 ppg, 5.1 apg, 2.2 spg) and 1992-93 (17.4 ppg, 4.6 apg, 2.2 spg). J.C. recruit earned award as MVC Newcomer of the Year. |
| Johnny Nunziato | Boston University | 5-5 | Led the Terriers in scoring with 15.4 ppg as a senior in 1953-54 after averaging 6.6 ppg the previous season. |
| Billy Pappas | New Hampshire | 5-6 | Two-time All-Yankee Conference first-team selection averaged 18.9 ppg from 1952-53 through 1954-55 with the Wildcats. |
| Ronell Peters | Texas-Arlington | 5-6 | UTA's all-time leader in assists led the SLC in that category in 1983-84 (7 apg). He also paced the SLC in steals in 1983-84 (2 spg) and 1985-86 (2.4 spg). |
| Otto Petty | Florida State | 5-7 | The Seminoles' all-time leader in assists with 602 averaged 6.4 ppg for FSU's 1972 NCAA Tournament runner-up. Contributed 7.6 ppg in 1970-71 and 8.2 ppg in 1972-73. |
| Tajuan Porter | Oregon | 5-6 | Career averages of 14.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 2.1 apg while shooting 87% from the free-throw line and 38.5% from beyond the arc with the Ducks from 2006-07 through 2009-10. Averaged 31 points in his first three games as a freshman, including 38 with 10 three-pointers against Portland State. Pacific-10 Conference Tournament MVP in 2007 before setting school NCAA playoff record with 33 points against UNLV. |
| Jim "Miggs" Reilly | Georgetown | 5-7 | Starter for 1943 NCAA Tournament runner-up. |
| Junior Robinson | Mount St. Mary's | 5-7 | Averaged 14.3 ppg and 3.5 apg from 2014-15 through 2017-18. |
| Darnell Rogers | Florida Gulf Coast & UMBC | 5-2 | Son of Shawnta Rogers played for FGCU in 2017-18 before averaging 11.3 ppg and 3.1 apg with UMBC from 2019-20 through 2021-22. |
| Shawnta Rogers | George Washington | 5-4 | Leading scorer for Atlantic 10 Conference Western Division champion in 1998-99 (20.7 ppg) when he was named the league's MVP while also topping the A10 in assists (6.8 apg) and steals (3.6 spg). Three-time all-league selection twice paced the conference in free-throw shooting. |
| Chuck Rolles | Cornell | 5-6 | Two-time All-Ivy League first-team selection averaged 23 ppg as a senior in 1955-56 after averaging 16 ppg as a junior. |
| Gene Sosnick | Pacific | 5-6 | All-California Basketball Association first-team selection as a senior in 1952-53 when he averaged 17.6 ppg for the Tigers. |
| Jim Thacker | Idaho | 5-7 | Two-time All-Big Sky Conference selection averaged team-high 16.7 ppg in 1967-68 and 14.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg in 1968-69 with the Vandals. |
| Monte Towe | North Carolina State | 5-7 | All-ACC first-team selection as a junior averaged 11.1 ppg and 4.1 apg from 1972-73 through 1974-75. |
| Benny Valentine | Eastern Washington | 5-7 | All-Big Sky Conference second-team selection as a junior in 2008-09 (team highs of 15.1 ppg, 3.1 apg, 1.5 spg and 55 three-pointers). Texas Tech transfer contributed 8.2 ppg and 2.7 apg the next season. |
| Spud Webb | North Carolina State | 5-7 | J.C. transfer averaged 10.4 ppg and 5.7 apg with the Wolfpack in 1983-84 and 1984-85. Led the ACC in assists as a junior (6 apg). |
| Stan Williamson | Oregon | 5-4 | Four-year letterman was two-time All-PCC selection and captain of the Ducks in 1946-47 and 1947-48. |
| Willie Worsley | Texas Western | 5-6 | Averaged 8 ppg as a sophomore for the Miners' 1966 NCAA Tournament champion. Contributed 12.2 ppg in 1966-67 before sharing backcourt with Tiny Archibald and scoring 14.4 ppg in 1967-68. |
HONORABLE MENTION
| Mighty Mite | School | Height | Short Summary of College Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Adams | Portland | 5-7 | Led the Pilots in assists and steals as a freshman during first half of 2019-20 campaign. |
| Vin Albanese | Syracuse | 5-7 | Averaged 4.6 ppg for the Orangemen in 1955-56 and 1956-57. |
| Ken Alessi | West Virginia | 5-7 | The Mountaineers' second-leading scorer in 1950-51 (10.1 ppg) behind All-American Mark Workman. |
| Denzel Barnes | Stephen F. Austin | 5-7 | Juco recruit averaged 6.1 ppg, 2.9 apg and 1.2 spg in 2009-10 and 2010-11. |
| "Little" Johnny Campbell | Arkansas | 5-6 | Averaged 6.9 ppg for West Regional third-place team in 1949 NCAA playoffs. |
| John Carey | Iona | 5-6 | Averaged 7.6 ppg from 1967-68 through 1969-70. |
| Wayne Champeon | Maine | 5-7 | Averaged 10.7 ppg from 1958-59 through 1960-61 as school made transition to major-college level. All-Yankee Conference second-team selection as a sophomore. |
| David Cole | West Texas State | 5-7 | Averaged 4.4 ppg and 1.6 rpg from 1967-68 through 1969-70. Participated in 1969 NIT. |
| Ed Crescenze | Maryland | 5-4 | Averaged 3.2 ppg in 1948-49. |
| Jordan "June" Crump Jr. | New Orleans | 5-7 | Led UNO in assists with 4.2 per game in 1975-76 in the Privateers' inaugural season at NCAA DI level. |
| Damien Daniels | Abilene Christian | 5-7 | Kansas City product averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.8 apg as freshman in 2018-19 and 5.2 ppg and team-high 3.1 apg as sophomore in 2019-20. |
| Miles Davis | Delaware State | 5-7 | MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2000-01 and all-league second-team selection as a sophomore. Finished four-year career with averages of 8.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.6 apg and 1.1 spg while shooting 35.5% from beyond the three-point arc. |
| Gene Duffy | Notre Dame | 5-7 | Averaged 6.6 ppg for the Irish's 1958 Mideast Regional runner-up. Contributed 6.8 ppg as team captain the next season. |
| Don Ferguson | Iowa State | 5-7 | Averaged 5.1 ppg in 1948-49 and 8.9 ppg in 1949-50 with the Cyclones. |
| Robert Flynn | Dayton | 5-7 | Member of 1951 NIT runner-up as a senior averaged career-high 7.8 ppg as sophomore in 1948-49. Scored a total of 556 points in four-year career. |
| Alleo Frazier | Alcorn State | 5-6 | Averaged 4.4 ppg, 2 rpg, 2.9 apg and 1.3 spg from 2002-03 through 2005-06. He led the Braves in assists all three seasons he played with them. |
| Maurice "Kojak" Fuller | Southern (La.) | 5-7 | Averaged 10.5 ppg and 3.7 apg as a sophomore in 1995-96 with the Jaquars. |
| Tyquawn Goode | Fairfield | 5-5 | Averaged 5.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.5 spg from 2001-02 through 2004-05. MAAC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior led the Stags in assists all four seasons. |
| Reggie Jordan | Michigan State | 5-7 | Averaged 2.3 ppg in 1966-67 and 1967-68 before concentrating on baseball. Switch-hitting OF hit .187 in Pittsburgh Pirates' farm system in 1969. |
| Charles Katsiaficas | New Hampshire | 5-7 | Averaged 7.8 ppg in 1947-48 and 12.1 ppg in 1948-49 with the Wildcats. |
| Zach Lieberman | U.S. International | 5-3 | Regular for USIU from 1982-83 to 1984-85. |
| Bob Malone | Seattle | 5-7 | Averaged 4.6 ppg in 1953-54 and 6 ppg in 1954-55 after playing sparingly behind the O'Brien All-American twins in 1952-53. |
| James "Pepper" Martin | Furman | 5-7 | One of Southern Conference's top scorers when playing for Paladins from 1938-39 through 1940-41. |
| Mitch McDonald | Army | 5-7 | Part-time starter as a junior and senior in 2009-10 and 2010-11 led the Cadets in assists and steals his final season. |
| Bob Michel | New Hampshire | 5-6 | Averaged 9.1 ppg from 1953-54 through 1955-56 with the Wildcats. |
| Wendell "Cookie" Miller | Nebraska | 5-7 | Averaged 6.1 ppg plus team highs of 3.6 apg and 1.9 spg with the Huskers as a freshman in 2007-08 before posting similar figures the next season as a sophomore. |
| Wat Misaka | Utah | 5-7 | Averaged 6.9 ppg for the Utes' 1944 NCAA Tournament champion. He was also a member of 1947 NIT titlist. |
| Bernard "Barney" Passer | Missouri | 5-2 | Starter during first half of 1930s. |
| Bernie Pina | Rhode Island | 5-6 | Letterman from 1951-52 through 1953-54 averaged a career-high 8.5 ppg as a senior for the Rams. |
| Avery Queen | Michigan | 5-7 | Averaged 5.8 ppg and team-high 4.3 apg as a freshman in 2000-01 and 4.3 ppg and team-high 3.3 apg as sophomore in 2001-02 before dismissal from squad for multiple violations of team rules. |
| Calvin Rayford | Kansas | 5-7 | Wisconsin native averaged 2.3 apg from 1992-93 through 1995-96. Member of KU's 1993 Final Four squad. |
| Paul "Pablo" Robertson | Loyola of Chicago | 5-7 | Averaged 5.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg for eventual 1963 national champion before New York City native was ruled academically ineligible after the first semester. He went on to play seven years for the Harlem Globetrotters. |
| Sredrick Robinson | Northern Iowa | 5-7 | Led the Panthers in assists as freshman in 1994-95. |
| Jim Ross | Washington State | 5-7 | Averaged 9.2 ppg and 2.8 rpg from 1956-57 through 1958-59. Led the Cougars in free-throw percentage as a junior. |
| Javan Steadham | Delaware State | 5-7 | Averaged 8.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2.1 apg as a sophomore in 1995-96 after contributing 4 ppg as a freshman. Averaged 9.7 ppg and team-high 4.8 apg in 1996-97 with the Hornets. |
| Frank Sylvester | Bradley | 5-4 | Averaged 5.9 ppg from 1968-69 through 1970-71. Led the Braves in assists as a junior and senior. |
| Raymond Taylor | Florida Atlantic & Florida International | 5-6 | Averaged 11.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.8 apg and 1.4 for FAU from 2009-10 through 2011-12 before transferring to FIU, where he played briefly in 2013-14. |
| Pee Wee Thornton | Troy State | 5-7 | In 1994-95, he averaged 9.6 ppg and team-high 4.6 apg (third in Mid-Continent Conference). |
| Joe Tocci | Penn State | 5-7 | Averaged 7.5 ppg as Nittany Lions senior co-captain in 1949-50 after contributing 6.3 ppg the previous season. |
| Jimmy Viramontes | Texas | 5-7 | Averaged 3.5 ppg in 1950-51 and 1951-52, leading the Longhorns in assists his second season after they won SWC crown the previous year. |
| Leland "Pookey" Wigington | Seton Hall | 5-4 | Member of the Pirates' 1989 NCAA Tournament runner-up. |
| Rudy Zannini | San Francisco | 5-7 | First guard off bench as senior for 1955 NCAA Tournament champion featuring Bill Russell and K.C. Jones. |
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 12 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 12 in football at the professional level (especially in 1961 and ex-hoopers with Giants and Packers):
NOVEMBER 12
New York Giants B Erich Barnes (played hoops briefly for Purdue as sophomore in 1955-56) caught a 62-yard touchdown pass from Y.A. Tittle in 38-21 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1961. Giants LB Tom Scott (hoops letterman as Virginia forward in 1951) returned an interception 65 yards for TD and Giants WR Del Shofner (Baylor hoops letterman in 1956) had eight pass receptions for 137 yards.
Miami Dolphins WR Marlin Briscoe (averaged 9.5 ppg and 3.6 rpg for Nebraska-Omaha in 1964-65) caught two second-half touchdown passes in a 52-0 rout of the New England Patriots in 1972. Briscoe finished the game with four catches for 128 yards.
Dallas Texans WR Chris Burford (averaged 2.9 ppg and 2.3 rpg for Stanford in 1958-59 under coach Howie Dallmar) contributed nine pass receptions for 107 yards in a 30-20 AFL setback against the Buffalo Bills in 1961.
Philadelphia Eagles WR Harold Carmichael (starter two seasons for Southern LA averaged 9.8 ppg and 10.6 rpg in 1969-70) caught two touchdown passes from Ron Jaworski in a 17-9 win against the New York Jets in 1978. The next year, Carmichael caught two TD passes from Jaworski in a 31-21 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 1979 when Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) passed for 308 yards and three TDs.
San Francisco 49ers safety Chuck Crist (averaged more than 10 ppg last two seasons under Penn State coach John Bach, leading team in FG% as junior and FT% as senior) had two interceptions in a 16-10 setback against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1978.
QB Bob Davis (Kentucky hoops letterman in 1937 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) accounted for the Boston Yanks' lone touchdown with a 14-yard pass in 21-7 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1944.
Chicago Bears rookie TE Mike Ditka (averaged 2.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg for Pittsburgh in 1958-59 and 1959-60) caught nine passes for 190 yards - including three for touchdowns - in a 31-28 setback against the Green Bay Packers in 1961. Packers RB Paul Hornung (averaged 6.1 ppg in 10 contests for Notre Dame in 1954-55) scored two second-quarter TDs and Packers E Ron Kramer (three-time All-Big Ten Conference selection was Michigan's MVP each season and All-American as senior in 1956-57) caught two first-half TD passes from Bart Starr (one for 53 yards).
Dallas Cowboys TE Billy Joe Dupree (scored four points in total of four basketball games for Michigan State in 1971-72) caught two touchdown passes from Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) in a 42-14 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1978.
Los Angeles Rams E Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (starting hoops center for Michigan in 1944) caught two touchdown passes in a 45-14 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1950.
Minnesota Vikings DB Earsell Mackbee (teammate of Utah State All-American Wayne Estes averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.4 rpg in 1964-65) recovered a fumble and returned it 55 yards for touchdown in 10-10 tie against the Detroit Lions in 1967.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) threw two first-half touchdown passes in a 27-3 win against the Washington Redskins in 2006.
Chicago Bears rookie DB John "Red" O'Quinn (scored 91 points for Wake Forest's basketball team in 1947-48 under coach Murray Greason) returned an interception for touchdown in 28-20 win against the New York Yanks in 1950. Yanks QB George Ratterman (third-leading scorer with 11.7 ppg for Notre Dame in 1944-45) threw two first-half TD passes.
New York Jets DB Johnny Sample (freshman hooper for Maryland-Eastern Shore) returned an interception 41 yards for touchdown in 20-10 AFL win against the Buffalo Bills in 1967.
Denver Broncos SE Lionel Taylor (led New Mexico Highlands in scoring average with 13.6 ppg in 1955-56 and 20.3 in 1956-57) had 10 of his AFL-leading 100 pass receptions in a 19-16 AFL setback against the San Diego Chargers in 1961.
Green Bay Packers P Ron Widby (three-time All-SEC selection averaged 18.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg for Tennessee from 1964-65 through 1966-67) punted five times for 241 yards (48.2 average) in a 23-17 win against the Chicago Bears in 1972.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 11 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 11 in football at the professional level (especially in 1945 and 2001 plus one-on-one TE duel between ex-hoopers Tony Gonzalez and Jimmy Graham in 2012):
NOVEMBER 11
Detroit Wolverines E Carl Bacchus (three-year Missouri hoops letterman in mid-1920s) completed game's scoring with a 30-yard touchdown reception in 19-19 tie against the New York Giants in 1928 after Giants TB Hinkey Haines (Lebanon Valley PA transfer earned hoops letter for Penn State in 1920 and 1921) opened scoring by returning a punt 70 yards for TD.
Houston Texans LB Connor Barwin (played 34 games for Cincinnati in 2005-06 and 2006-07) contributed six solo tackles in a 13-6 win against the Chicago Bears in 2012.
Cleveland Rams E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) had an 84-yard touchdown reception from Bob Waterfield in 20-7 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1945.
Miami Dolphins rookie WR Chris Chambers (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin under coach Dick Bennett in 1997-98) caught two touchdown passes - including 74 yards for his first NFL score - in a 27-24 win against the Indianapolis Colts in 2001.
HB Bob Davis (Kentucky hoops letterman in 1937 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) accounted for the Boston Yanks' lone touchdown with an eight-yard pass in 34-7 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1945.
Dallas Texans QB Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes - including a 75-yarder to Abner Haynes - in 52-31 AFL win against the New York Titans in 1962.
Chicago Bears B-PK John "Paddy" Driscoll (Northwestern basketball letterman in 1916) opened game's scoring with a rushing touchdown and extra point in 27-0 win against the Dayton Triangles in 1928.
Atlanta Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez (averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg for California from 1994-95 through 1996-97) caught 11 passes - including two touchdowns - in a 31-27 setback against the New Orleans Saints in 2012. Saints TE Jimmy Graham (part-time starter for Miami FL averaged 4.2 ppg and 4.2 rpg from 2005-06 through 2008-09) caught seven passes for 146 yards (including two second-quarter TDs from Drew Brees).
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 20-17 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1951.
Brooklyn Dodgers B Jack Grossman (two-year Rutgers hoops letterman in early 1930s) threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Ralph Kercheval (Kentucky hooper in 1932-33 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) in 10-7 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1934.
Chicago Bears E Harlon Hill (Florence State AL hoops letterman in 1951) had two touchdown receptions in a 38-14 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1956.
Philadelphia Eagles QB King Hill (Rice hoops letterman in 1955-56 and 1956-57) punted 10 times for 456 yards (45.6 average) in a 49-0 setback against the Green Bay Packers in 1962.
Los Angeles Rams E Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (starting center for Michigan in 1944) caught two second-half touchdown passes (53 and 54 yards) in a 45-21 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1951.
New Orleans Saints WR Willie Jackson (started five games for Florida in 1989-90) had 11 pass receptions for 167 yards in a 28-27 setback against the San Francisco 49ers in 2001.
Denver Broncos QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 30-19 win against the San Diego Chargers in 1973.
Pittsburgh Steelers RB John Henry Johnson (made 5-of-8 FGAs in five games for Saint Mary's in 1950-51) rushed for 138 yards on 25 carries in a 26-17 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1962.
Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones (collected six points and six assists in eight basketball games for Texas-El Paso in 2013-14 under coach Tim Floyd) rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-12 win against the Miami Dolphins in 2018.
Baltimore Ravens WR Jacoby Jones (part-time starter averaged 3.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg for Lane TN in 2004-05 and 2005-06) returned a kickoff 105 yards for touchdown in 55-20 win against the Oakland Raiders in 2012.
Baltimore Colts CB Rex Kern (averaged 8.4 ppg for Ohio State's freshman squad in 1968-69) returned an interception 22 yards in 44-0 setback against the Miami Dolphins in 1973.
Washington Redskins QB Billy Kilmer (UCLA hooper under legendary coach John Wooden in 1959-60) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 33-9 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1973.
Oakland Raiders RB Terry Kirby (averaged 3.4 ppg as Virginia freshman in 1989-90 and 2.1 as sophomore in 1990-91) returned a kickoff 90 yards for touchdown in 34-27 setback against the Seattle Seahawks in 2001.
Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw four touchdown passes in a 41-28 win against the Chicago Bears in 1951. Bears QB Johnny Lujack (averaged 3.4 ppg as starting guard for Notre Dame in 1943-44) threw two second-half TD passes.
San Francisco 49ers DB Ronnie Lott (USC hooper as junior in 1979-80) had an interception in his third consecutive contest in 1985.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) threw three touchdown passes in a 48-17 win against the Minnesota Vikings in 2001. Six years later, McNabb completed 20-of-28 passes - including four TDs - in a 33-25 win against the Washington Redskins in 2007.
Duluth Eskimos rookie FB Ernie Nevers (All-Pacific Coast Conference second-five hoops choice for Stanford in 1924-25) rushed for two touchdowns in a 14-13 setback against the New York Giants in 1926.
San Francisco 49ers WR Terrell Owens (UTC hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) caught two first-half touchdown passes from Jeff Garcia in a 28-27 win against the New Orleans Saints in 2001. Six years later with the Dallas Cowboys, Owens caught two second-half TD passes from Tony Romo in a 31-20 win against the New York Giants in 2007.
Detroit Lions rookie B Dave Ryan (Hardin-Simmons TX hoops letterman in 1942 and 1943) opened game's scoring by throwing a 24-yard touchdown pass in 35-28 win against the Chicago Bears in 1945.
New York Giants DB Otto Schnellbacher (averaged 11 ppg in four-year Kansas career, earning All-Big Six/Seven Conference honors each season) returned an interception 40 yards for touchdown in 28-14 win against the Washington Redskins in 1951.
Detroit Lions WR Freddie Scott (averaged 5.3 ppg as sophomore forward for Amherst MA in 1972-73) had a career-high nine pass receptions in 16-14 setback against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1979.
New York Giants WR Del Shofner (Baylor hoops letterman in 1956) had six pass receptions for 158 yards - including three touchdowns - in a 41-10 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 1962.
E Hub Ulrich (Kansas hoops letterman in 1942) accounted for the Miami Seahawks' lone score with a 28-yard touchdown reception in 20-7 AAFC setback against the Chicago Rockets in 1946.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie HB Buist Warren (Tennessee hoops letterman in 1938 and 1940) had a 75-yard rushing touchdown in 23-0 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1945.
New England Patriots TE Bob Windsor (played two games for Kentucky in 1965-66 under coach Adolph Rupp) caught two touchdown passes from Jim Plunkett in a 33-13 setback against the New York Jets in 1973.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Roy Zimmerman (San Jose State hoops letterman as center in 1938 and 1939) threw two first-half touchdown passes in a 38-17 win against the New York Giants in 1945.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 10 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks about NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 10 in football at the professional level (especially in 1963 plus multiple players with the Eagles and Lions):
NOVEMBER 10
Philadelphia Eagles LB Connor Barwin (played 34 games for Cincinnati in 2005-06 and 2006-07) contributed 3 1/2 sacks and six solo tackles in a 45-21 win against the Carolina Panthers in 2014.
Philadelphia Eagles WR Harold Carmichael (starter two seasons for Southern LA averaged 9.8 ppg and 10.6 rpg in 1969-70) caught two first-half touchdown passes from Roman Gabriel in a 27-20 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1974.
Chicago Bears FB Rick Casares (Florida's scoring and rebounding leader both seasons as All-SEC second-team selection in 1951-52 and 1952-53) rushed for two touchdowns - including the decisive score in the fourth quarter - in a 21-14 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1957.
Miami Dolphins QB Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) threw three touchdown passes in a 21-0 win against the New Orleans Saints in 1974.
St. Louis Cardinals QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) threw three touchdown passes in a 24-20 win against the Washington Redskins in 1963. Redskins rookie E-P Pat Richter (three-year Wisconsin hoops letterman in early 1960s) averaged 48.8 yards on four punts.
Pittsburgh Steelers RB John Henry Johnson (made 5-of-8 FGAs in five games for Saint Mary's in 1950-51) rushed for 131 yards on 27 carries in a 9-7 win against the Cleveland Browns in 1963.
Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones (collected six points and six assists in eight basketball games for Texas-El Paso in 2013-14 under coach Tim Floyd) rushed for three of his league-high 16 touchdowns in a 24-16 win against the Carolina Panthers in 2019.
Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw three second-quarter touchdown passes in a 27-16 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1957.
New York Jets TE Dee Mackey (All-Lone Star Conference first-team hoops selection for East Texas State and member of NAIA All-Tournament team as senior) caught two second-half touchdown passes in a 31-27 AFL setback against the Houston Oilers in 1963.
RB Preston Pearson (swingman averaged 8.7 ppg and 6 rpg as Illinois senior in 1966-67) opened the Baltimore Colts' scoring by returning a kickoff 102 yards for touchdown in 27-10 win against the Detroit Lions in 1968.
New York Giants E Buster Poole (three-year Arkansas hoops letterman was senior captain in 1936-37) caught two touchdown passes in a 45-17 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1946.
Cleveland Browns RB Greg Pruitt (Oklahoma frosh hooper in 1969-70) opened game's scoring by returning a kickoff 88 yards for touchdown in 21-14 win against the New England Patriots in 1974.
Detroit Lions B Dave Ryan (Hardin-Simmons TX hoops letterman in 1942 and 1943) threw two long touchdown passes (72 and 88 yards) in a 17-7 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1946.
Baltimore Ravens DE Adalius Thomas (averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98) scored a touchdown on 25-yard interception return in 38-27 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002.
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