Between 1980 and 2020, the average price of tuition, fees, plus room and board for an undergraduate degree increased 169%. Instead of academic/diversity-driven exemptions and exceptions, it's too bad the institutions of lower learning didn't bother to raise scholastic and enrollment standards or at least devote portion of their endowment largesse toward conducting authentic background checks. In the aftermath of last year's disturbing shootout at 3:15 a.m. leading to postponing of New Mexico State/New Mexico rivalry games, there was also more than ample evidence that basketball is equally screwed up across the country. Three months before NMSU suspended program in aftermath of revelation of sexually-charged hazing incidents ending up costing school $8 million, questions linger in light of brawl at football contest between same schools the previous month. Despite eventually avoiding charges via self-defense, how in hell did NMSU gunman have a weapon following road trip on bus to Albuquerque? Why wasn't he adequately supervised in predawn hours? How did he travel to crime scene? Why wasn't law enforcement promptly notified by team of weapon left behind in hotel room? The NCAA should simply adorn coach/probation officer in a Statue of Liberality suit and inscribe: "Give me your troubled, your deranged, the wretch refuse . . . ." In essence, that message is their recruiting spiel. Much like abortion, we've become desensitized to sordid stories of smart-asset athletes getting in trouble. Last season also included Washington, D.C. product Darius Miles' arrest and subsequent indictment for capital murder after Alabama backup junior forward allegedly provided gun fired at a car in an area know as "The Strip," killing a 23-year-old woman.

Recently, former Arizona center Chance Comanche was in custody regarding accusation he fatally strangled an escort while in Las Vegas. Her remains were found in a ditch covered with rocks in desert area. There should just be a class-action lawsuit against some school and athletic departments for allowing someone like the accused murderers remotely close to their programs. Ditto innumerable females around the nation who should be seeking counsel upon impacted by social scholars involved in "War on Women" on college campuses.

One certainly can't count on the #MessMedia to do its job to help thwart the collegiate crap, let alone scummy George Soros and the FTX Crypto scam artist showering #Demonrats with campaign funds before going bankrupt. The Washington Compost, which previously described ISIS terrorist Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi as an "austere religious scholar," expressed its usual affinity for human debris by commending the alleged shooter (Christopher Jones Jr.) for overcoming a rough childhood. Are you kidding me? Jones allegedly told his victims he shot on a bus "you are always messing with me." But it's also college administrators and press puke messing with students specifically and public generally bringing athletes to campus who have no business being there. What will it take for some people to realize there is a tremendous risk allowing the admissions office to abdicate to athletics department solely to try to win a few more games? If priorities aren't modified, some coaches should be arrested for impersonating a warden.

NCAA (National Collection of Abusive Athletes). Seems as if that is what the organization's acronym should be in wake of former Missouri hooper James "Jed" Frost shooting and killing his estranged wife and himself inside the Dallas County medical examiner's office. A couple of years ago, George Mason signee Cameron Walker's was arrested with a GA high school teammate by SWAT team on murder charges and criminal attempt to commit armed robbery following recent death of a man in drug-related case at parking lot (allegedly sold drugs out of apartment via social media). The Patriots' program, coached by former Mizzou player Kim English, had lauded Walker's toughness and "competitive edge." In an era when getting correct answer in mathematics is deemed racist, some edgy ill-informed GMU students exhibiting questionable priorities were concerned with wanting Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh fired from a summer teaching position despite widely-discredited sexual misconduct allegations against him. No word on how many GMU students might have been involved in abortion-related protests at Kavanaugh's residence before or after a man was accused of threatening to assassinate him.

Disgruntled steamy-romance novelist Stacey Abrams, in the aftermath of multiple gubernatorial defeats, probably should be throwing #Dimorat diva's weight behind voting for moral compass classes in GA. Beneath its glitz and glamour, college basketball has a description-defying unruly rap sheet of human viruses appearing to include Tulane's Teshaun Hightower, who was denied bond after Georgia transfer's arrest and charge of felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and battery following an investigation in a fatal shooting this past spring.

A disturbing report bubbled up when Jarion Childs, a three-time CAA leader in steals (1997-98 through 1999-00), was killed in his hometown of Groton, Conn., in late June 2004 after an alleged "steal" of another kind - breaking into a Dairy Queen shortly after midnight. He was shot by the store's owner after prying the back door's lock with a crowbar and allegedly striking the owner three times with the crowbar. A local news channel reported that Childs, who led American University in assists each of his last two years, may be responsible for multiple murders in southeastern Connecticut. One elderly bedridden victim reportedly was "cared for" by Childs' sister working for home health care business called Good as Gold. The state police forensic lab apparently matched Childs' palm prints (usually good-as-gold evidence) to a set lifted from the window at victim's house.

The unruliness has spiked in recent years. While some selective-outrage fans might be more disappointed at Keith Appling's performance in final college game (2 points/0 rebounds/2 assists/4 turnovers/5 fouls in East Regional final vs. UConn), the former All-Big Ten Conference selection's manhunt arrest and murder charge regarding shooting death of a relative surfaced after team captain fled in newer model, tan-colored Buick Regal with girlfriend as getaway driver. Officers assisting at crime scene found a black revolver reportedly wrested from Michigan State's leader in assists from 2011-12 through 2013-14 deposited on the front lawn a few feet from green MSU ball cap. A vital question begs answering: Where's the accountability for school administration and athletic department with admittance standard allowing such a troubled individual to Dr. Larry Nassar's campus (sentenced in spring of 2023 to up to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder)? They should have promptly known something was amiss after disturbing strip miniature basketball incident during freshman orientation in September 2010. Didn't Spartans coach Tom Izzo proclaim Appling had "whole different perspective" after visiting him in jail in mid-December 2017 before turning attention to female victims of his recruits? Izzo mistakenly thought Appling was "becoming better at dealing with the real world." Instead of arranging etiquette and ethics classes for antisocial athletes she covered or covered up for, don't be surprised if self-absorbed journalistic jackal/ESPN reject Jemelle Hill blames "supremacist" #TheDonald, WV Senator Joe "White Dude" Manchin or untrustworthy Caucasian police officer on apprehension of hallowed hooper from The Atlantic contributor's hood (alma mater). "Keith is a killer (player)," his former AAU coach said. In public-school educated misguided minds, Appling has assembled rap-sheet street cred to become next BLM martyr like career criminals Andrew Brown Jr., Jacob Blake, Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd or Freddie Gray (a/k/a ambulance-chasing attorney Ben Crump's black cash cows).

In February of 2021, the hoop wickedness extended to Logan Kelley, a Rutgers walk-on in 2012-13 arrested in Tijuana, Mexico, for killing a strip club employee. Kelley pleaded guilty (sentenced to 22 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of about $40,000) to walking up behind the victim and fatally slicing her neck with a knife while she was speaking with another man in a hallway. Nightclubs and bars not serving food were supposed to be closed amid coronavirus restrictions, but the strip club/brothel enterprise apparently was operating anyway. In late summer of 2020, Romero Collier, a freshman with Niagara in 2015-16, was arrested and charged with one count each of first- and second-degree murder, first- and third-degree robbery and first-degree criminal use of a firearm. In mid-summer of 2021, Post University CT juco recruit Raekwon Drake was charged with first-degree murder after shooting a man in the head who chased him with other Hispanics and ran away with his dog in the heart of Chicago.

Entering dangerous terrain when comparing cancerous athletes to the public-at-large segment of our population, there is a seemingly congested intersection populating hot hoop prospects who become prime suspects. Rarely exposed to the rigid word "no," some of the hero worshiped think the world revolves around them and develop a sordid sense of "out-of-bounds" entitlement. Many of the misguided go from the brink of the pros to the clink with black-and-white striped (or orange) clothes.

"When you are among the high-flying adored, your view of the world becomes blurred," wrote psychologist Stanley Teitelbaum of the flouting-of-the-law behavior in the book "Sports Heroes, Fallen Idols: How Star Athletes Pursue Self-Destructive Paths and Jeopardize Their Careers."

"Off the field, some act as if they are above the rules of society; hubris and an attitude of entitlement become central to the psyche of many athletes. They may deny that they are vulnerable to reprisals and feel omnipotent and grandiose as well as entitled."

Sounds almost like lame-stream legacy press failing to pressure authorities to get their hands dirty and clean up collegiate cesspool. In the meantime, an excessive number of depraved derelicts can't resist and make the toxic transition from game-breakers to lawbreakers when seduced by the dark side such as "looting reparations." There have been a striking number of heart-breaking stories rocking the world of sports, derailing dreams and creating miscreants who are poster boys for bad behavior. In order to try to comprehend the absence of a moral compass in some communities, Billy Moore, who participated in killing the nation's No. 1 prep prospect (Chicago's Ben Wilson) in late 1984, said "I'm not a criminal" after serving nearly 20 years in prison. In aftermath of teenager Kyle Rittenhouse's "guilty verdict" killing clown-show careers of attorneys prosecuting him, perhaps Plagiarist Biledumb Administration, via spokesperson Ka-ringe Worthy, will deem hardened hoopers as mere protesters and finally have VP Cacklin' Kamala do something for which she is competent (arrange bail money). An astonishing number of professional athletes/social scholars sounded off on the verdict with as much expertise as hideous Hunter's artistry.

Idaho professor Sharon Stoll was not surprised when sports pages occasionally read like a police blotter focusing on 15 minutes of shame such as former Minnesota guard Daquein McNeil charged with arson in Baltimore in the summer of 2017 in connection with the homicide of a man who happened to be staying at the vacant house.

"In sport, we have moved away from honorable behavior," said Stoll, who operated the Center for Ethical Theory and Honor in Competitive Sports and conducted a 17-year study during which 72,000 athletes filled out questionnaires. "The environment of athletics has not been supportive of teaching and modeling moral knowing, moral valuing and moral action. Many of these young people have no sense of what is acceptable behavior."

It's unnerving when active or former narcissistic players go from the big time breaking ankles to the big house donning ankle bracelets. Infinitely more disconcerting is when deaths are involved amid the life and crimes. Despite some of the repulsive garbage, college hoops is too great a game to be ruined by moral malfeasance including a seven-footer from Duluth, Ga., reportedly recruited by Florida Gulf Coast, North Florida and Winthrop facing serious charges (robbery and assault with intent to commit a crime) in connection to the murder of a man several years ago, a Pitt-Greensburg letterman charged with criminal homicide involving his ex-girlfriend and Toledo high school star Carl Banks pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a shooting death in 2017.

Who are "reimagine" morons going to call when in dire straits or "reparations" thefts occur? Do they have emergency number for Ghostbusters? Mandated re-education camp (antithesis of "Hands Off! Don't Loot!"), including forced viewing of MSLSD's nauseating lineup soiled by Joyless Reid and tax cheat Al "Not So" Sharpton, might be on horizon for those individuals principled enough to state the obvious. But instead of "gangstas," why not support #BlueLivesMatter to avoid testing positive for stupid? Amid insane woke emphasis on defunding police rather than promoting more cooperation with law enforcement to diffuse longstanding snitches-get-stitches culture, we get former Oklahoma All-American Blake Griffin among prominent athletes and activists such as statuesque social scholar Kim Kardashian seeking clemency for Julio Jones, a black man on death row in Oklahoma stemming from crime (first-degree murder of local businessman) he claims he didn't commit. Griffin's father, Tommy, coached Jones on an undefeated state titlist in high school before he was slated to try to walk-on with the Kelvin Sampson-coached Sooners in fall of 1999. A two-hour ABC episode on "20/20" was an abridged version of the documentary series, "The Last Defense."

The accompanying "Thugs R Us" hoop-horror summaries aren't designed to defile hoopdom. Actually, if college basketball can survive such unsavory incidents and classless ambassadors, it must be a helluva sport. It's nearly the equivalent of our country surviving #Dimorat dolts pulling respective leech-like heads out of butts and "reclaiming their time" in judicial hearings. At any rate, how many schools wouldn't be tainted if they had just embraced modest academic standards rather than NABC drooling over eliminating emphasis on ACT and SAT results? How about more critical thinking about law and order than critical race theory? What went awry for the following alphabetical list of slam dunkers who wound up in the slammer after murder/manslaughter probes?

Richie Adams, UNLV (coached by Jerry Tarkanian) - A 1989 conviction for larceny and armed robbery led to a five-year prison term for the two-time Big West Conference Tournament MVP. Following his parole, Adams was convicted of manslaughter in September 1998 after being accused of stalking and killing a 14-year-old Bronx girl in a housing project where both lived. The girl's family said Adams attacked her because she rejected his advances. Adams, nicknamed "The Animal" because of his intense playing style, was considered a defensive whiz and led the Rebels in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots for their PCAA champions in 1983-84 and 1984-85. "I used drugs occasionally, when I wanted to do it," Adams said. "When I went to play basketball, if I needed a pain reliever, I would sniff some cocaine." His trouble with the law escalated in 1985, a day after he was drafted in the fourth round by the Washington Bullets, when the two-time All-PCAA first-team selection was arrested for stealing a car. In high school, Adams and several teammates allegedly stole their own coach's auto.

Clifford Allen, UNLV (Jerry Tarkanian) - November 1985 J.C. signee by the Rebels was sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading no contest to second-degree murder as part of a plea bargain in the 1989 death of a man in Milton, Fla. Allen, a native of Los Angeles, said in a recorded statement that he used a steak knife to kill a 64-year-old guidance counselor after the man allegedly made sexual advances in the counselor's trailer. Allen, driving the victim's auto when he was arrested, enrolled at several jucos and also reportedly considered an offer to play for Tim Floyd at New Orleans.

Justin "Spider" Burns, Cal State Fullerton (Bob Burton) - Two-year starter for the Titans (10.4 ppg and 6.7 rpg in 2005-06 and 2006-07; second-leading rebounder as junior and senior) was arrested in Jackson, Miss., in the spring of 2011 on a murder charge related to the strangulation slaying of his ex-girlfriend the previous fall. Her body was found by target shooters in a valley desert area under a pile of blackened rocks. According to Burns' arrest report, the brother of rapper Jason Douglas Burns (a/k/a WorldWideWebbb) was the last person to be seen with the West Covina, Calif., resident and had argued with her the night before she was killed after coming to Las Vegas to visit him. In the weeks after her burned body was found, his father (former UNLV player Michael "Spiderman" Burns) refused to cooperate with police about his son's whereabouts, the report said. Spider committed suicide (suffocation by strangulation) at the age of 39 in June of 2023 in prison.

Ritchie Campbell, Hawaii commitment (Riley Wallace) - Just days after leading scorer in Western New York high school history (for 27 years) left jail following stint there stemming from involvement with alcohol and drugs (weapons charge linked to August 1993 arrest while driving stolen vehicle), he was fiddling with a gun at 3 a.m. in spring of 1994 while drunk at his girlfriend's house. The weapon went off and the bullet struck a woman he didn't know (10 years older than him) in the back of her neck. After the mother of a baby girl died two days following the shooting, J.C. recruit was convicted of first-degree manslaughter and served 17 years in prison. In July 1992, a jury acquitted him of attempted murder and other charges involving a shootout with Buffalo police during the summer of 1991.

Jeff Clifton, Middle Tennessee State (Bruce Stewart)/Arkansas State (Nelson Catalina) - Two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection (1992-93 and 1993-94) who tied ASU's DI single-game scoring record with 43 points was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading no contest in fatal beating of his two-year-old son. He was charged with capital murder and abuse of a corpse (hiding it about 40 miles away for more than a year) after the toddler's remains were found in early December 2015 in a vacant lot.

Javaris Crittenton, Georgia Tech (Paul Hewitt) - All-ACC third-team selection as a freshman in 2006-07 was sentenced to 23 years as part of a plea deal stemming from charges of murder and gang activity (sentence subsequently reduced to 10 years before he was released in spring of 2023). Charged in late August 2011 after a woman was a drive-by shooting victim on a Southeast Atlanta street by someone inside a dark-colored SUV. The mother of four wasn't the intended target in what appeared to be retaliation for a $50,000 robbery of jewelry in the spring when Crittenton was a victim. Crittenton, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge in late January 2010 and received probation, was suspended 38 games by the NBA after he and teammate Gilbert Arenas acknowledged bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room following an altercation stemming from a card game on a team flight. While out on bond, Crittenton was arrested in mid-January 2014 in drug sting taking down more than a dozen persons accused of selling multiple kilos of cocaine and several hundred pounds of marijuana.

Ke'Vonte Davis and Jamontae Davis, Columbia State Community College TN - Brothers were charged with criminal homicide in connection with fatal shooting outside a Nashville high school in late January 2016 (victim shot four times in torso). The altercation stemmed from a lingering dispute over a girl. At the time of shooting, Jamontae Davis (Tennessee State signee in fall of 2012) attended Odessa College (Tex.) and had been kicked off team following arrest for allegedly assaulting a woman. Kevonte Davis was sentenced to five years' probation with a split confinement sentence (already in jail for 90 days and remained there until completing six months behind bars). Jamontae Davis was sentenced to two years' probation without confinement upon conviction of criminally negligent homicide.

Howell Emanuel "Trai" Donaldson III, St. John's (Steve Lavin) - Ordered held without bond following arrest by Tampa police after four separate shooting murders in six-week period during fall of 2017 involving victims ranging in ages from 22 to 60. A McDonald's manager received $110,000 reward for helping crack the case when coworker contacted police officer doing paperwork in restaurant after Donaldson asked her to hold bag containing loaded .40 Glock firearm while alleged serial killer went to nearby business to arrange a payday loan. Police said AT&T cellphone data put him in area of each killing and a hoodie seen in released surveillance videos was found in his Ford Mustang. Sports management major walked onto St. John's team during 2011-12 season when Lavin missed majority of year recovering from cancer surgery and only had seven scholarship players available. The 6-0 guard never played in a game for the program.

Carlton Dotson, Baylor (Dave Bliss) - Junior college recruit was sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering Baylor roommate/teammate Patrick Dennehy with a hand gun in the summer of 2003. Dennehy, shot twice above the right ear, was New Mexico's leading rebounder (7.5 rpg) in 2001-02 under coach Fran Fraschilla before he was dismissed from the squad when Ritchie McKay succeeded Fraschilla. Dotson was arrested upon telling FBI agents he shot Dennehy after the player tried to shoot him. Bliss was fired by Baylor, the world's largest Baptist school, before reports surfaced about his direct involvement in a Hall of Shame cover-up attempting to hide drug use and NCAA violations within his program by encouraging an assistant coach and Bears players to depict the slain Dennehy as a drug dealer.

James "Jed" Frost, Missouri (Norm Stewart) - Shot and killed his wife and himself in November 2022 inside the Dallas County medical examiner's office six months after she filed for divorce. Frost was a member of Mizzou's regional finalist team as a senior in 1993-94.

Brad Greene, Arizona (Bruce Larson) - Member of Black Panther Party twice went to prison. Chicago native served 8 1/3 years following conviction in circumstantial evidence case as part of group involved in murder of a policeman in mid-June of 1970. Arrested again in late 1979 while on parole and was incarcerated another 10 years. He averaged 8.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg for UA in 1966-67 and 1967-68.

DeAndre "Dre" Harrison, San Jacinto Junior College commitment (Scott Gernander) - Pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and received 10-year sentence in capital murder case. Brother of St. John's star D'Angelo Harrison was among seven men allegedly in a Tahoe van in drug deal gone bad in late May 2010 in parking lot outside a Dave & Buster's in Houston entertainment complex.

Parish Hickman, Michigan State (Jud Heathcote)/Liberty (Jeff Meyer) - Spartans regular for three seasons before transferring and becoming Liberty's second-leading scorer and rebounder in 1992-93 pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 3-to-15 years in prison for the January 2001 murder of a Detroit man outside a Westside gas station. Acquitted after appearing before a federal judge on cocaine charges in the spring of 1991 following his on-campus arrest at MSU.

Jerome "Lenny" Holly, Texas Tech (James Dickey)/Arizona State (Bill Frieder) - Found guilty in the fatal shooting of a man and the wounding of another outside a New Mexico nightclub in mid-September 2003 during a dispute over drugs (both victims shot in back). SWC freshman of the year in 1992-93 before attending a juco and transferring to ASU, where he was plagued by medical problems (placed on prescription medication after suffering seizure and losing consciousness while driving in Los Angeles).

Baskerville Holmes, Memphis State (Dana Kirk) - A starting forward who averaged 9.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Tigers' 1985 Final Four team, he was arrested twice for domestic violence. Later, Holmes, an out-of-work truck driver, and his girlfriend were found shot to death March 18, 1997, in an apparent murder-suicide in Memphis. Three children were at home at the time of shootings. He was 32.

LaKeith Humphrey, Kansas State (Lon Kruger)/Central Missouri State (Jim Wooldridge) - Sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in the late November 2006 death of his former girlfriend, who was shot through her bedroom window about 3:40 a.m. in his hometown of Memphis. Humphrey, a J.C. recruit, averaged 12.6 ppg and 3.6 apg for K-State's NCAA playoff team in 1988-89.

Joe Hurst, Iowa State (Glendon Anderson) - While on three-year probation for robbing CTA bus drivers, Hurst shot a Chicago patrolman to death and wounded his partner with bullet to the face in 1967 during a traffic stop. When Cyclones regular in 1963-64 was sentenced to death, self-proclaimed minister of the House of Islam told the judge, "Life and death is in God's hands. I may have been an instrument in (cop's) death, but it must have been his time to go." After the U.S. Supreme Court declared a moratorium on capital punishment in 1972, Hurst was resentenced to 100 to 300 years in prison. Controversial Cook County state's attorney Kim Foxx (remember mishandling of Jussie Smollett probe) inexplicably dropped her opposition to his parole bid, rankling police officers when 77-year-old Hurst was freed by parole board in late February 2021.

Lawrence Ingram, Murray State (Ron Greene) - Juco recruit who played in 17 games for the Racers' 1983 Ohio Valley Conference regular-season champion was sentenced to 20 years in prison for first-degree reckless homicide in early November 2017 killing at a squalid homeless encampment under a Milwaukee freeway overpass. Ingram abused cocaine and his criminal record began in 1988 with a conviction for robbery.

Joeviair Kennedy, Western Michigan (Steve Hawkins) - Convicted of armed robbery and a weapons charge but acquitted of murder, he was sentenced to at least 17 years in prison in the fatal shooting of a student at an off-campus apartment in December 2016 theft where he and a co-defendant allegedly got marijuana, a cellphone and about $25. Kennedy, a 6-4 redshirt guard who averaged 3.1 ppg in eight WMU contests, said a former Muskegon high school teammate sentenced to life in prison pulled the trigger.

William Langrum II, McLennan County Community College TX (Kevin Gill) - Starting power forward and H.S. teammate of Georgia Tech/NBA star Chris Bosh on Texas' 4A state championship club in 2002 (declared national champion by USA Today) was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole when a jury found him guilty of capital murder after a 50-year-old woman was stabbed to death with a hunting knife in a purse robbery outside her Dallas-area condominium in the fall of 2011 as she returned from church. In the aftermath of killing her, Langrum and an accomplice went to a different portion of Dallas and began stalking another potential victim before police arrested them. Coincidentally, Bosh's mother was the subject of a drug trafficking probe in December 2017.

Robert Littlejohn, Purdue (Gene Keady) - Junior college recruit who served as starting center for NCAA tourney team in 1984-85 was sentenced to 60 years in prison after conviction of chasing and stabbing a woman to death during fight in fall of 2019 in Fort Wayne, Ind. The 21-year-old female collapsed right in the middle of the street.

Leonel Marquetti, Southern California (Bob Boyd and Stan Morrison)/Hampton (Hank Ford) - Former McDonald's All-American was sentenced to life in prison without parole after being found guilty of first-degree murder in a March 25, 2010, slaying in Plant City, Fla. Prosecutors portrayed Marquetti as a hoarder who was jealous of a wrongly-assumed relationship with an ex-girlfriend, a German-born dog breeder. Marquetti shot a white handyman four times - once as he faced him and three times as his victim lay face down. Jurors also found him guilty of aggravated battery with a firearm and false imprisonment. The Los Angeles native averaged 4.8 ppg in 1978-79 and 1979-80 with USC before transferring.

Howard McNeil, Seton Hall (Bill Raftery) - Convicted at Norristown, Pa., in early February 1999 of third-degree murder in the stabbing death of a suspected prostitute. Police said the woman's skull was cracked when she was pushed into a wall before being stabbed to death. According to prosecutors, McNeil also stole a safe filled with drugs from the house. McNeil, an All-Big East Conference third-team selection as a junior in 1980-81 before being declared academically ineligible late in senior season, was found guilty of related drug and theft charges, but not convicted on more serious first- and second-degree murder charges. In 1976, he shot a friend in the head with a handgun at a Valentine's Day party, but was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and avoided jail.

Branden Miller, Montana State (Mick Durham) - Sentenced to 120 years in prison (100 for deliberate homicide, 10 for use of a weapon and 10 for tampering with evidence) after he was charged with murder in late June 2006 in the shooting death of a suspected cocaine dealer whose body was found at the school's agronomy farm. Investigators said the murder weapon was one of two .40-caliber handguns Miller bought from a pawn shop two weeks before the incident. He was the Bobcats' third-leading scorer in 2004-05 before becoming academically ineligible.

Ali Mohammed and Lavell White, Allan Hancock Community College CA (Tyson Aye) - Teammates were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole stemming from a late 2014 botched robbery of a drug dealer ending in murder. During the trial, witnesses testified that the killing occurred while Mohammed and White were in midst of a crime spree including burglarizing homes and robbing another drug dealer. They celebrated New Year's Eve by shooting off the murder weapon.

Mike Niles, Cal State Fullerton (Bobby Dye) - After playing briefly with the Phoenix Suns, the enforcer for the Titans' 1978 West Regional finalist, before booted from the squad due to academic anemia, was convicted in late January 1989 of hiring a man to murder his wife and received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. She died of a shotgun blast to the back of her skull from close range. According to the prosecution, Niles arranged to pay $5,000 to kill his wife, a prison guard, to collect $100,000 from a life insurance policy. A witness testified that Niles said he wanted his wife killed because she "messed me out" of money from basketball. The cycle of violence continued when his aspiring rapper son, Brandon, was buried at 17, the victim of a gunshot to the chest by a rival gang.

Stephen O'Reilly, North Florida (Matthew Driscoll) - Virgin Islands product who played briefly for UNF in 2009-10 was charged in the fatal stabbing of a roommate in Gwinnett County (Ga.) in late March 2013. The roommate, suffering from sickle cell anemia, was stabbed more than 18 times by assailant with a butcher knife.

Terry Pettis, Fresno State (Ray Lopes) - Sentenced to life in prison without parole for first-degree murder and armed robbery in the death of a junior college student who was behind the wheel of a car while her boyfriend sold marijuana in the seat next to her. Pettis had been arrested in his hometown of Minneapolis in May 2004 on charges of killing the woman when she tried to drive away during a botched drug robbery the previous month in Fresno, Calif., at a secluded lot near an apartment building. The crime was so grisly that the judge decided jurors couldn't see an autopsy photo showing the bullet's impact on the teenager's head. Pettis, a starting point guard for the Bulldogs in 2002-03 and 2003-04 before he was suspended for not completing a treatment program, pleaded no contest in September 2003 to misdemeanor vandalism and battery charges involving his girlfriend.

Bryan Randall, Dartmouth (Paul Cormier) - Facing a pending divorce, All-Ivy League selection in 1986-87 and 1987-88 dropped his two youngest children in the murky waters of an Orlando-area office park lake in mid-September 2003 (two-year-old girl drowned and four-year-old boy saved only by fate's hand and a passing fisherman) before loading his two older sons into the family's Dodge Durango and intentionally swerving in front of an oncoming semitrailer slicing his SUV nearly in two on the interstate (killing him and the one son bearing his name). In a suicide letter found in the wreckage, jobless-and-despondent Randall, who led Ivy League in assists as a senior, wrote he wanted to kill himself and his children because he disapproved of how his estranged wife cared for them. Randall, slapped with a restraining order hinging on sordid charges of sexual humiliation and blackmail, had discovered her infidelity by tapping their home's phone. In the late 1990s, he filed for bankruptcy and had bank foreclose on his condominium in Silver Spring, Md., prior to accepting a job with WorldCom before the telecom giant collapsed.

Derrick Riley, Fresno State (Boyd Grant)/Fresno Pacific - Part-time starter for FSU in 1984-85 was convicted of second-degree murder of his wife and unborn child and sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. He was accused of suffocating his wife, who was 7 1/2 months pregnant with their second child, after her body was found floating in a Bakersfield area aqueduct in early February 1994. Court papers said there had an argument over his using drugs and theft of a church's cash box.

Aaron Smith, Wyoming (Joby Wright) - Junior college recruit who averaged 5.2 ppg in 1994-95 and 1995-96 was found guilty of first-degree murder for shooting a construction worker in back of the head in early August 2005 (victim reportedly owed him about $400 from gambling debt from late 1990s).

Andre Smith, Xavier (Skip Prosser) - Son of Tulsa All-American Bingo Smith was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence as part of a plea deal. Prosecutors say he used a survival tool that included a machete and a saw to kill his Russian teenage friend in May 2004 in his apartment complex. Andre played for the Musketeers in mid-1990s.

Troy Smith, Louisville (Denny Crum) - Regular for three NCAA playoff teams in the early 1990s served one year of a 5-to-25-year prison term for the February 1994 involuntary manslaughter death of the mother of his infant son at her Cincinnati apartment. Police said the couple had been drinking when the woman was "body-slammed" to the floor during an argument, fracturing herskull and dying a few hours later.

Brett Studdard, Wyoming (Benny Dees) - Junior college recruit who averaged 4.3 ppg for the Cowboys in 1991-92 and 1992-93 shot his former girlfriend to death (once in the back and once in head) before committing suicide in the fall of 2003 in Cobb County (Ga.). The altercation occurred two days after a permanent restraining order was issued prohibiting him from contacting the pharmacist.

Johnathan Turner, Ranger Junior College TX (Billy Gillispie) - Arrested for murder in spring of 2014 following an argument with roommate over a video game. He was indicted for manslaughter in summer of 2014 and pleaded guilty in summer of 2015 (sentenced to seven years deferred probation).

Shaun Warrick, Maryland-Eastern Shore (Lawrence Lessett Jr.) - Convicted Valentine's Day killer was sentenced to two consecutive life prison terms without parole (plus 16 to 32 years for burglary and firearms charges) in late summer 2015 after a Philadelphia jury deadlocked on whether he should get the death penalty for murdering his ex-girlfriend and her cousin (each shot multiple times). Warrick did not testify in his defense and declined to speak before sentencing. The jury did not hear about Warrick featured in 2007 on America's Most Wanted after accusations of shooting two other students and stabbing a third (acquitted of attempted-murder charges in that case). He had been convicted of a misdemeanor escape charge in summer of 2004 when brought into a police barracks and ended up fleeing. In 2005, he was convicted of illegally possessing a gun on a public street (serial number obliterated) but still competed in 15 games for UMES in 2005-06. In summer of 2008, he was arraigned on charges of delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, receiving a stolen firearm and possession of marijuana.

Bobby Washington, Iowa (Sharm Scheuerman) - Paroled less than seven years after pleading guilty to second-degree murder following racially-laced pizza parlor/bar shooting in late summer 1964 using his roommate's .25-caliber handgun. The victim, a drunk father of four children barred from several taverns in town, was shot four times in the chest and neck. "I can't let people disrespect me," said Washington, who averaged 5.3 ppg in 1958-59 and 1959-60 before flunking out and serving stint in U.S. Army.

Kass Weaver, Wisconsin (Steve Yoder)/Richmond (Dick Tarrant and Bill Dooley) - Two-time All-CAA selection was charged in fall of 2021 with allegedly killing his toddler son before stashing the body in a garage freezer for at least 2 1/2 years. His wife told cops that at times he tied her up with an electrical cord and burned her with a curling iron.

Decensae White, Texas Tech (Bob Knight)/Santa Clara (Kerry Keating)/San Francisco State (Paul Trevor) - Arrested on a murder charge as part of an elaborate plot, including a Russian mobster, where a Louisiana rapper (Lil Phat) was killed in a revenge drive-by shooting the summer of 2012 in the parking deck of a hospital as his fiancee was preparing to give birth. White, extradited to Georgia in May 2013 before striking a deal with the prosecution, testified he was the one tracking Lil Phat's movements (after stealing 10 pounds of marijuana) via a GPS device installed in a rented white Audi vehicle. The vagabond hooper averaged 4.7 ppg and 2.2 rpg for Texas Tech in 2006-07 and 2007-08, 3.4 ppg and 2.4 rpg in 10 games with Santa Clara in 2008-09 and team highs of 12.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg for San Francisco State in 2012-13.

Jayson Williams, St. John's (Lou Carnesecca) - All-Big East Conference second-team selection in 1988-89 pleaded guilty in January 2010 to aggravated assault and served 18 months in prison for accidentally killing a limousine driver in his bedroom. Williams, boasting 25 stitches above his right eye after being charged with drunken driving when crashing his SUV into a tree the previous week, was awaiting retrial on a reckless manslaughter count before pleading guilty to to the lesser count. He had been cleared by jurors in the spring of 2004 of aggravated manslaughter, the most serious charge against him, but was found guilty of four lesser charges. He faced 55 years in prison if convicted on all counts stemming from a February 14, 2002, shooting with a 12-gauge shotgun of a limo driver at his mansion and an alleged attempt to make the death look like a suicide. Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter, but the jury deadlocked on a reckless-manslaughter count. Williams gave the driver's relatives $2.5 million to settle a civil suit. He had been charged in early 1995 with possession of a concealed dangerous weapon and reckless endangerment after firing a handgun at a hubcap on an empty truck lot at local arena. In late April 2009 following his wife filing for divorce claiming he was abusive, adulterous and had a drug problem, Williams was zapped with a stun gun by police in a lower Manhattan hotel suite after the reportedly suicidal athlete resisted attempts by officers to take him to a hospital. The next month, he was charged with assault after allegedly punching a man in the face outside a North Carolina bar, but charges were dropped. In January 2010, Williams was charged with driving while intoxicated after crashing his Mercedes into a tree in lower Manhattan (sentenced to an additional year in prison). In early February 2016, Williams was charged with drunken driving after hitting a utility pole along a road in a rural Delaware town, triggering him entering a rehabilitation facility. Part of his daily prison routine was writing "Humbled - Letters From Prison," which described tragedies in his life, including the deaths of his sisters (two from AIDS/one murdered) and being molested by his uncle when he was 10. His two daughters denounced St. John's in fall of 2022 for its decision to induct their father into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame. The Williams sisters accused their dad of being a "deadbeat," an alcoholic, failing to provide adequate financial support plus never making amends for emotional and verbal abusiveness.

Oscar Williams Jr., Utah State (Dutch Belnap) - The Aggies' assists leader in multiple categories from his mid-1970s exploits was sentenced to two life prison terms without the possibility of parole for the 1982 shooting death of his wife. Prosecutors contended that he murdered her to collect $220,000 worth of life insurance benefits after he failed in an effort to hire a contract killer. Toy Williams, a 24-year-old model, was shot at least five times in an alley near the couple's Las Vegas apartment after returning from her job at a nearby shopping mall.

Roy Williams, Cleveland State (Kevin Mackey and Mike Boyd) - Junior college recruit was suspended while facing a rape charge stemming from an on-campus incident at a fraternity party involving an honor student in early November 1990. He was questioned by California authorities the previous year about the suspicious death of a Compton College female student, whose body was found in the trunk of her gray Toyota car. Williams, the last person seen with her according to police, initially told investigators the student body vice president and peer counselor overdosed at a San Diego crack house the two had visited. In the spring of 1991, he pleaded innocent to charges of killing two young women and raping and attempting to strangle a third female. An attorney defending him threatened to sue over disclosure that his client was convicted of murder in California in 1981 when he was 14 and reportedly served nearly five years in California youth institutions. In early 1993, Williams pleaded guilty to the two killings.

Stanley Woods, Furman (Joe Williams) - Convicted of murder and originally sentenced to die in a January 1983 trial stemming from armed robbery and killing of a service station attendant in February 1981. The conviction was subsequently overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court because of remarks the prosecution made about him not testifying in his own behalf. In a second trial, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life plus 25 years. The 5-10 guard averaged 2.5 ppg in 1976-77 and 1977-78.

Erikk Wright Jr., Coppin State commitment (Ron "Fang" Mitchell) - Junior college wing for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in 2013-14 was convicted of third-degree murder and sentenced to 16 to 32 years in prison as well as five years of consecutive probation following a shooting in spring of 2016 outside a popular nightclub in Chester, Pa. Video evidence reportedly depicted Wright stepping off a curb to shoot the victim in the back as he crawled away for his life.

Chris Yates, Wisconsin-Green Bay (Dick Bennett) - Forward who averaged 3.2 ppg from 1987-88 through 1991-92 was sentenced to 15 years to life behind bars for the stabbing murder of his mother in spring of 2006. Addicted to crack cocaine, he previously was sentenced to five years in prison after found guilty of armed robbery in 1992. Following release from prison, criminal record for Michigan native reportedly included domestic violence and violating a restraining order.

Mark Yavorsky, San Diego (Phil Woolpert) - Backcourtmate of Bernie Bickerstaff for two seasons averaged 8.4 ppg from 1963-64 through 1965-66. In a neighbor's living room, where his mother had sought refuge, Yavorsky stabbed her to death with a three-foot antique saber in June 1979. Found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, a judge ruled him innocent by reason of insanity. In Yavorsky's disturbed mind, the murder was a reenactment of scene from a Greek tragedy in which he had been cast. After his release from a state hospital, he was in and out of custody, at one juncture escaping from a group home in downtown San Diego, taking off on a cross-country foray. The crime inspired a movie entitled My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done.

Two days before Christmas marks the 40th anniversary of a "David vs. Goliath" game hailed as one of biggest upsets in college basketball history when national player of the year Ralph Sampson and Virginia got coal in their stocking by losing at Chaminade, 77-72, in Hawaii in 1982-83. The contest triggered one of the greatest achievements in small-college history as Chaminade went on to defeat an NCAA Division I school winning at least one NCAA playoff game in three consecutive campaigns. Following is a chronological list of victories by small schools over major universities going on to win at least one NCAA playoff game that season:

NOTES: Michigan '89 became NCAA champion and Louisville '59 reached the Final Four. . . . UC Riverside subsequently moved up to the NCAA Division I level in 2000-01.

Virginia's Terry Holland was among many of the biggest names in college coaching history recovering from embarrassing defeats certainly not cited on their otherwise mostly-regal resumes. For instance, there are numerous mentors who captured NCAA championships despite losing to a small school at some point during their careers - Phog Allen (lost to Emporia State), Jim Calhoun (American International, Assumption, Brandeis, Bridgeport, Florida Southern, Merrimack, St. Anselm, Stonehill and Tufts), John Calipari (Florida Tech and Lowell), Denny Crum (Chaminade), Jim Harrick (Abilene Christian), Don Haskins (Louisiana College), Hank Iba (Abilene Christian and Westminster), George Ireland (Regis), Doggie Julian (Amherst, Colby, St. Anselm, St. Michael's, Springfield, Tampa and Williams), Mike Krzyzewski (King's, Scranton and SUNY-Buffalo), Rollie Massimino (New Orleans and Philadelphia Textile), Al McGuire (Evansville and Washington MO), Rick Pitino (Adelphi), Nolan Richardson Jr. (American-Puerto Rico), Norman Sloan (Presbyterian), John Thompson Jr. (Assumption, Gannon, Randolph-Macon and Roanoke) and Jim Valvano (Armstrong State, Bloomsburg, Gannon, Tampa and Wilkes).

Kansas' Bill Self lost 18 consecutive contests bridging the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons with Oral Roberts but at least he didn't lose a decision to a non-Division I institution. Last season, Bruce Weber joined the following alphabetical list "retracing steps" of prominent coaches losing games to non-Division I colleges during their major-college careers:

• Forrest "Phog" Allen - Lost to Emporia State (Kan.) in 1947-48 while coaching Kansas.
• Forrest "Forddy" Anderson - Lost to Emporia State (Kan.) in 1947-48 while coaching Drake. Lost to Northern Michigan in 1960-61 while coaching Michigan State.
• John Bach - Lost to Adelphi (N.Y.) in 1958-59 while coaching Fordham.
• Kevin Bannon - Lost to Grand Canyon (Ariz.) at Hawaii in 1991-92 while coaching Rider.
• Rick Barnes - Lost at Chaminade (Hawaii) in 1991-92 while coaching Providence and in 2012-13 while coaching Texas.
• J.D. Barnett - Lost to Louisiana Christian in 1995-96 while coaching Northwestern State (La.).
• Jim Baron - Lost to Walsh (Ohio) in 1992-93 while coaching St. Bonaventure. Lost to Lubbock Christian (Tex.) at Las Vegas in 2003-04 while coaching Rhode Island. Lost to Metro State (Colo.) in 2013-14 while coaching Canisius.
• Gene Bartow - Lost at American-Puerto Rico in 1994-95 while coaching UAB.
• Dick Bennett - Lost to Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1985-86 and 1986-87 while coaching Wisconsin-Green Bay.
• Eddie Biedenbach - Lost to Montreat (N.C.) in 2001-02 and Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) in 2005-06 while coaching UNC Asheville.
• Tom Blackburn - Lost to Anderson (Ind.) in 1947-48, Ohio Wesleyan in 1948-49, Muskingum (Ohio) in 1949-50 and Wittenberg (Ohio) in 1962-63 while coaching Dayton.
• Bill Blair - Lost to Morris Harvey (W. Va.) and twice to Roanoke (Va.) in 1972-73 and to West Virginia Tech and Shepherd (W. Va.) in 1973-74 while coaching VMI.
• George Blaney - Lost to Springfield (Mass.) in 1969-70 and 1971-72 while coaching Dartmouth. Lost to Assumption (Mass.) in 1973-74 and 1985-86 and at Florida Southern in 1979-80 while coaching Holy Cross.
• Dave Bliss - Lost to Rollins (Fla.) and Texas Wesleyan in 1980-81 and at Chaminade (Hawaii) in 1984-85 while coaching SMU. Lost to Eastern New Mexico in 1991-92 while coaching New Mexico.
• Bob Boyd - Lost to Tennessee-Martin in 1981-82 and Delta State (Miss.) in 1985-86 while coaching Mississippi State.
• Jim Brandenburg - Lost to South Dakota in 1979-80 while coaching Wyoming.
• Byron "Buster" Brannon - Lost to Sam Houston State (Tex.) twice in 1938-39 and once in 1940-41 while coaching Rice. Lost to East Texas State, at Hamline (Minn.) and twice to Austin (Tex.) College in 1948-49, Midwestern State (Tex.) in 1953-54 and Kentucky Wesleyan in 1955-56 while coaching Texas Christian.
• Tom Brennan - Lost to Florida Southern in 1982-83, Clark (Mass.) in 1985-86 and Trinity (Conn.) in 1985-86 while coaching Yale. Lost to St. Michael's (Vt.) in 1986-87, 1987-88 and 1988-89 while coaching Vermont.
• John Bunn - Lost to Eastern New Mexico (six times from 1957-58 through 1962-63), Fort Hays (Kan.) State (five times from 1957-58 through 1962-63), New Mexico Highlands in 1960-61, twice to Panhandle State (Okla.) in 1957-58, St. Cloud State (Minn.) in 1962-63, Southwestern Oklahoma State in 1956-57, Wayne State (Neb.) in 1962-63 and Western New Mexico in 1961-62 while coaching Northern Colorado.
• Jim Calhoun - Lost to Assumption (Mass.) in 1972-73; to Tufts (Mass.), American International (Mass.), Bridgeport (Conn.) and at Assumption (Mass.) in 1973-74; Assumption (Mass.) and Brandeis (Mass.) in 1974-75; Merrimack (Mass.) in 1975-76; Bridgeport (Conn.), Merrimack (Mass.), St. Anselm (Vt.) and Stonehill (Mass.) in 1976-77; American International (Mass.) and Assumption (Mass.) in 1978-79 and Florida Southern in 1980-81 while coaching Northeastern.
• John Calipari - Lost at Florida Tech in 1988-89 and to Lowell (Mass.) in 1989-90 while coaching Massachusetts.
• Lou Campanelli - Lost to West Virginia Tech in 1980-81 while coaching James Madison. Lost to Alaska-Anchorage in 1990-91 on neutral court while coaching California.
• Howard Cann - Lost to Panzer in 1938-39 and Brandeis (Mass.) in 1956-57 while coaching NYU.
• P.J. Carlesimo - Lost at Bentley (Mass.), to Southern Connecticut on a neutral court, to C.W. Post (N.Y.), at Springfield (Mass.) and at Bridgeport (Conn.) in 1976-77; to New Haven (Conn.) and at C.W. Post (N.Y.) in 1977-78, and at Staten Island (N.Y.) and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (N.Y.) in 1981-82 while coaching Wagner.
• Henry "Doc" Carlson - Lost to Bethany (W. Va.) in 1948-49, Geneva (Pa.) in 1941-42, 1950-51 and 1952-53 and Carnegie Tech (Pa.) three times in four seasons from 1938-39 through 1941-42 plus five times in six seasons from 1949-50 through 1954-55 while coaching Pittsburgh.
• Pete Carril - Lost to East Stroudsburg (Pa.) in 1966-67 while coaching Lehigh.
• Don Casey - Lost to Philadelphia Textile in 1975-76 while coaching Temple.
• Joe Cipriano - Lost at Hawaii-Hilo in 1976-77 while coaching Nebraska.
• Gary Colson - Lost to John Brown (Ark.) in 1972-73 and Moorhead (Minn.) State in 1973-74 while coaching Pepperdine. Lost to Alaska-Anchorage in 1983-84 while coaching New Mexico.
• Bobby Cremins - Lost to Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) in 1975-76 and twice in 1977-78 while coaching Appalachian State.
• Denny Crum - Lost at Chaminade (Hawaii) in 1983-84 and 1984-85 while coaching Louisville.
• Charles "Chick" Davies - Lost to Waynesburg (Pa.) in 1937-38 and 1938-39 and to Wooster (Ohio) in 1937-38 while coaching Duquesne.
• Tom Davis - Lost to Moravian (Pa.) in 1973-74 and at Albright (Pa.) in 1975-76 while coaching Lafayette. Lost to Chico State (Calif.) in 1982-83 while coaching Stanford. Lost to UC Riverside in 1988-89 while coaching Iowa.
• Johnny Dee - Lost to Jacksonville (Ala.) State in 1952-53 while coaching Alabama.
• Don DeVoe - Lost to Johns Hopkins (Md.) in 2002-03 while coaching Navy.
• Ed Diddle - Lost to Kentucky Wesleyan in 1955-56, David Lipscomb (Tenn.) in 1962-63 and LeMoyne (N.Y.) in 1963-64 while coaching Western Kentucky.
• Bob Donewald - Lost to Cal State Bakersfield in 1980-81 while coaching Illinois State.
• Homer Drew - Lost to Bethel (Ind.) in 1997-98 while coaching Valparaiso.
• Charles "Lefty" Driesell - Lost to Catawba (N.C.) twice in 1960-61 and to Carson-Newman (Tenn.) and Erskine (S.C.) in 1961-62 while coaching Davidson.
• Hugh Durham - Lost at Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in 2001-02 while coaching Jacksonville.
• Bobby Dye - Lost at Chapman (Calif.) in 1975-76 while coaching Cal State Fullerton. Lost to Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) in 1985-86 while coaching Boise State.
• Norm Ellenberger - Lost at Hawaii-Hilo in 1976-77 while coaching New Mexico.
• Fred Enke - Lost to Regis (Colo.) in 1959-60 while coaching Arizona.
• Larry Eustachy - Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 1991-92 and to Elizabeth City State (N.C.) in 1992-93 while coaching Idaho.
• Paul Evans - Lost at Rollins (Fla.) in 1981-82 while coaching Navy.
• Bill C. Foster - Lost at University of the South (Tenn.) and Roanoke (Va.) in 1970-71 and to Valdosta (Ga.) State in 1971-72 while coaching UNC Charlotte. Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 1987-88 while coaching Miami (Fla.).
• Bill E. Foster - Lost at Albright (Pa.) in 1964-65 while coaching Rutgers. Lost at Chaminade (Hawaii) in 1981-82 while coaching South Carolina. Lost to Rollins (Fla.) in 1986-87 and 1987-88 while coaching Northwestern.
• Harold "Bud" Foster - Lost to South Dakota in 1956-57 while coaching Wisconsin.
• Bill Frieder - Lost to Alaska-Anchorage on a neutral court in 1988-89 while coaching Michigan.
• Jack Friel - Lost at Centenary (La.) and to Spring Hill (Ala.) in 1955-56 and Whitworth (Wash.) five times from 1951-52 through 1956-57 while coaching Washington State.
• John "Taps" Gallagher - Lost to Wayne State (Mich.) in 1951-52 and Gannon (Pa.) and Rochester (N.Y.) in 1964-65 while coaching Niagara.
• Dave Gavitt - Lost at Springfield (Mass.) in 1967-68 while coaching Dartmouth.
• Boyd Grant - Lost to Wisconsin-Parkside in 1978-79 while coaching Fresno State.
• Murray Greason - Lost to Rio Grande (Ohio) in 1953-54 while coaching Wake Forest.
• Ron Greene - Lost to Spring Hill (Ala.) in 1966-67 while coaching Loyola of New Orleans. Lost to Tennessee Wesleyan and Mississippi College in 1978-79, Arkansas College in 1981-82, West Virginia Tech in 1982-83 and Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) in 1984-85 while coaching Murray State. Lost to Rollins (Fla.) in 1986-87 while coaching Indiana State.
• Tim Grgurich - Lost to Morris Harvey (W. Va.) in 1977-78 while coaching Pittsburgh.
• Frank Haith - Lost to Southeastern Oklahoma State in 2014-15 while coaching Tulsa.
• Leonard Hamilton - Lost at BYU-Hawaii in 1987-88 while coaching Oklahoma State.
• Jim Harrick - Lost at Abilene (Tex.) Christian in 1984-85 while coaching Pepperdine.
• Dick Harter - Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 1978-79 while coaching Penn State.
• Jack Hartman - Lost to Kentucky Wesleyan four times in three years from 1967-68 through 1969-70 while coaching Southern Illinois.
• Don Haskins - Lost to Louisiana College in 1977-78 while coaching Texas-El Paso.
• George "Jud" Heathcote - Lost at Puget Sound (Wash.) in 1972-73, 1973-74 and 1975-76 and at Southern Colorado in 1972-73 while coaching Montana.
• Bill Henderson - Lost to Howard Payne (Tex.) in 1955-56 while coaching Baylor.
• Lou Henson - Lost to Howard Payne (Tex.) twice, Midwestern State (Tex.), Eastern New Mexico and Abilene Christian (Tex.) in 1962-63; Abilene Christian and Midwestern State in 1964-65, and Pittsburg State (Kan.) in 1965-66 while coaching Hardin-Simmons. Lost at Eastern New Mexico in 1966-67, to Angelo State (Tex.) in 1971-72, at Alaska-Fairbanks in 1998-99 and at BYU-Hawaii in 2001-02 while coaching New Mexico State.
• Eddie Hickey - Lost to South Dakota in 1938-39 and 1939-40 while coaching Creighton.
• Bernard "Peck" Hickman - Lost to Georgetown College (Ky.) in 1958-59 while coaching Louisville.
• Paul "Tony" Hinkle - Lost to Wabash (Ind.) in 1959-60, twice in 1960-61 and in 1966-67 while coaching Butler.
• Terry Holland - Lost at Chaminade (Hawaii) in 1982-83 while coaching Virginia.
• Ben Howland - Lost to Concordia (Calif.) in 1994-95 while coaching Northern Arizona.
• Henry "Hank" Iba - Lost to Westminster (Mo.) in 1934-35 and 1936-37 and Abilene (Tex.) Christian in 1965-66 while coaching Oklahoma A&M/Oklahoma State.
• Moe Iba - Lost to Union (Tenn.) in 1968-69 and 1969-70 while coaching Memphis State.
• George Ireland - Lost to Regis (Colo.) in 1954-55, North Dakota State in 1966-67, Illinois Wesleyan in 1970-71 and Missouri Western in 1972-73 while coaching Loyola of Chicago.
• Maurice "Maury" John - Lost to South Dakota State in 1958-59 and Washington (Mo.) in 1963-64 while coaching Drake.
• Alvin "Doggie" Julian - Lost to St. Michael's (Vt.), at St. Anselm (N.H.) and at Tampa (Fla.) in 1950-51; to Amherst (Mass.) in 1952-53; at St. Michael's (Vt.), to Williams (Mass.) and at Springfield (Mass.) in 1960-61; to Colby (Maine) in 1961-62, and to Williams (Mass.) in 1964-65 while coaching Dartmouth.
• Jim Killingsworth - Lost to Westmont (Calif.) in 1980-81 while coaching Texas Christian.
• Bob King - Lost at Washington (Mo.) in 1963-64 while coaching New Mexico.
• Dana Kirk - Lost to Wisconsin-Parkside in 1979-80 while coaching Memphis State.
• Jack Kraft - Lost to Assumption (Mass.) in 1974-75 while coaching Rhode Island.
• Mike Krzyzewski - Lost to SUNY-Buffalo, Scranton (Pa.) and King's College (Pa.) in 1975-76 while coaching Army.
• Steve Lappas - Lost to Springfield (Mass.) in 1988-89 while coaching Manhattan.
• Jim Larranaga - Lost to Findlay (Ohio) in 1991-92 while coaching Bowling Green.
• Frank Layden - Lost to Thomas More (Ky.) in 1970-71 while coaching Niagara.
• Jack Leaman - Lost to American International (Mass.) in 1966-67 and 1969-70, Springfield (Mass.) in 1970-71 and Bentley (Mass.) in 1978-79 while coaching Massachusetts.
• A.E. "Abe" Lemons - Lost to Centenary (La.) in 1958-59, McMurry (Tex.) in 1960-61 and Wayland Baptist (Tex.) in 1984-85 while coaching Oklahoma City. Lost to Texas A&I in 1973-74 while coaching Pan American.
• Jim Les - Lost to Lubbock (Tex.) Christian at Las Vegas in 2003-04 while coaching Bradley.
• Guy Lewis - Lost to St. Mary's (Tex.) in 1969-70 and 1974-75, Texas A&I in 1979-80 and Alaska-Anchorage and Biscayne (Fla.) in 1980-81 while coaching Houston.
• Harry Litwack - Lost to West Chester (Pa.) in 1969-70 while coaching Temple.
• Taylor "Tates" Locke - Lost to North Park (Ill.) in 1978-79 while coaching Jacksonville.
• Ken Loeffler - Lost to Centenary (La.) in 1956-57 while coaching Texas A&M.
• Jim Lynam - Lost to Saint Leo (Fla.) and at Assumption (Mass.) in 1968-69 and to Southern Connecticut in 1969-70 while coaching Fairfield. Lost at King's (Pa.) in 1975-76 while coaching American University. Lost at Rollins (Fla.) in 1979-80 while coaching St. Joseph's.
• Nick Macarchuk - Lost to Buffalo State in 1982-83 while coaching Canisius.
• John MacLeod - Lost to Samford (Ala.) in 1971-72 while coaching Oklahoma. Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 1998-99 while coaching Notre Dame.
• John "Red" Manning - Lost to Carnegie-Mellon (Pa.) in 1959-60 while coaching Duquesne.
• Rollie Massimino - Lost at New Orleans in 1973-74 and to Philadelphia Textile in 1975-76 and 1976-77 while coaching Villanova.
• James "Babe" McCarthy - Lost to University of the South (Tenn.) in 1955-56 and Mississippi College in 1964-65 while coaching Mississippi State.
• Neil McCarthy - Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 1978-79 while coaching Weber State. Lost to Western New Mexico in 1986-87 while coaching New Mexico State.
• Al McGuire - Lost at Washington (Mo.) in 1964-65 and Evansville in 1965-66 while coaching Marquette.
• Frank McGuire - Lost at Florida Southern in 1979-80 while coaching South Carolina.
• Jack McKinney - Lost to Catholic (D.C.) in 1966-67 while coaching St. Joseph's.
• Eddie Melvin - Lost to Cortland (N.Y.) State in 1947-48 and Gannon (Pa.) in 1948-49 while coaching St. Bonaventure. Lost to Morris Harvey (W. Va.) in 1956-57 and Wittenberg (Ohio) in 1958-59 and 1959-60 while coaching Toledo.
• Shelby Metcalf - Lost at Eastern Montana in 1980-81 and to St. Mary's (Tex.) in 1984-85 while coaching Texas A&M.
• Ray Meyer - Lost to Beloit (Wis.) in 1950-51, Wayne State (Mich.) in 1955-56, at North Dakota in 1965-66 and to St. Joseph's (Ind.) in 1969-70 while coaching DePaul.
• Eldon Miller - Lost to Winona (Minn.) State and Wisconsin-Platteville in 1986-87 and at American-Puerto Rico and to Morningside (Iowa) in 1990-91 while coaching Northern Iowa.
• Ralph Miller - Lost at Beloit (Wis.) in 1951-52 while coaching Wichita.
• Charles Moir - Lost to Dillard (La.) in 1973-74 and 1974-75 and Xavier (La.) in 1973-74 while coaching Tulane.
• Mike Montgomery - Lost to Puget Sound (Wash.) in 1978-79 and 1980-81 while coaching Montana. Lost at Chaminade (Hawaii) in 1992-93 while coaching Stanford.
• Stan Morrison - Lost to San Francisco State in 1974-75 and at North Dakota in 1978-79 while coaching Pacific.
• Joe Mullaney - Lost to Assumption (Mass.) in 1963-64 and 1984-85 while coaching Providence. Lost to Stonehill (Mass.) in 1979-80 while coaching Brown.
• Jeff Mullins - Lost at Florida Southern in 1987-88 while coaching UNC Charlotte.
• Gerald Myers - Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 1990-91 while coaching Texas Tech.
• Lynn Nance - Lost to Nebraska-Omaha in 1979-80 while coaching Iowa State.
• Danny Nee - Lost to Charleston (W. Va.) in 1980-81 while coaching Ohio University.
• Jim O'Brien - Lost at Florida Tech in 1988-89 while coaching Boston College.
• Dave Odom - Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 1993-94 while coaching Wake Forest.
• Johnny Orr - Lost at Washington (Mo.) in 1964-65 while coaching Massachusetts. Lost at Eastern Montana in 1981-82 while coaching Iowa State.
• Bobby Paschal - Lost to Tampa in 1986-87 and 1987-88 while coaching South Florida.
• Tom Penders - Lost at CCNY in 1974-75 and at San Francisco State in 1977-78 while coaching Columbia. Lost at Hawaii-Pacific in 1985-86 while coaching Fordham.
• Jerry Pimm - Lost to Midwestern State (Tex.) in 1979-80 while coaching Utah. Lost to San Francisco State in 1983-84 while coaching UC Santa Barbara.
• Rick Pitino - Lost to Adelphi (N.Y.) in 1978-79 while coaching Boston University.
• Harry Rabenhorst - Lost to Louisiana College in 1955-56 and at Centenary (La.) in 1956-57 while coaching Louisiana State.
• Bill Raftery - Lost to Siena (N.Y.) in 1972-73, at Rollins (Fla.) in 1973-74 and to King's College (Pa.) in 1975-76 while coaching Seton Hall.
• Jack Ramsay - Lost to Albright (Pa.) in 1957-58 and 1961-62 while coaching St. Joseph's.
• George Raveling - Lost to St. Martin's (Wash.) in 1980-81 and Eastern Montana in 1981-82 while coaching Washington State.
• Roger Reid - Lost to Colorado-Colorado Springs in 2007-08 while coaching Southern Utah.
• Nolan Richardson Jr. - Lost at American-Puerto Rico in 1997-98 while coaching Arkansas.
• Alfred "A.J." Robertson - Lost to South Dakota in 1947-48 while coaching Bradley.
• Les Robinson - Lost to Francis Marion (S.C.) in 1983-84 while coaching The Citadel.
• Lee Rose - Lost at Eastern Montana in 1977-78 while coaching UNC Charlotte.
• Lou Rossini - Lost to Scranton (Pa.) in 1975-76 and Bentley (Mass.) in 1978-79 while coaching St. Francis (N.Y.).
• John "Honey" Russell - Lost at Saint Thomas (Minn.) in 1937-38, to David & Elkins (W. Va.) in 1949-50 and to Albright (Pa.) in 1949-50 and 1957-58 while coaching Seton Hall.
• Herb Sendek - Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 2017-18 while coaching Santa Clara.
• Alex Severance - Lost to Albright (Pa.) in 1941-42, Swarthmore (Pa.) in 1943-44 and 1944-45 and Scranton (Pa.) in 1957-58 while coaching Villanova.
• Norman Sloan - Lost at Presbyterian (S.C.) in 1956-57 while coaching The Citadel.
• Jim Snyder - Lost to Marietta (Ohio) four times in five years from 1949-50 through 1953-54 and in 1959-60, Mount Union (Ohio) in 1949-50, Muskingum (Ohio) in 1950-51, Beloit (Wis.) and Lake Forest (Ill.) in 1951-52, Ohio Wesleyan in 1952-53 and Otterbein (Ohio) in 1966-67 while coaching Ohio University.
• Norm Stewart - Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 1985-86 while coaching Missouri.
• John Thompson Jr. - Lost to Assumption (Mass.) in 1973-74; Gannon (Pa.) in 1975-76; Randolph-Macon (Va.) in 1974-75; Roanoke (Va.) in 1972-73, and at South Florida in 1972-73 while coaching Georgetown.
• Ken Trickey - Lost to Union (Tenn.) in 1965-66, Transylvania (Ky.) in 1966-67 and 1968-69 and Oglethorpe (Ga.) in 1967-68 while coaching Middle Tennessee State. Lost to Nebraska-Omaha and South Dakota in 1975-76 while coaching Iowa State. Lost to Cameron (Okla.) in 1980-81 while coaching Oral Roberts.
• Billy Tubbs - Lost to Ohio Northern in 1980-81 while coaching Oklahoma. Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 1995-96 while coaching Texas Christian. Lost to Delta State (Miss.) in 2005-06 while coaching Lamar.
• M.K. Turk - Lost at Florida Southern in 1979-80 and to Fairmont State (W. Va.) in 1984-85 while coaching Southern Mississippi.
• Jim Valvano - Lost to Armstrong State (Ga.) and Gannon (Pa.) in 1972-73, Wilkes (Pa.) in 1973-74 and Bloomsburg (Pa.) in 1974-75 while coaching Bucknell. Lost at Tampa in 1986-87 while coaching North Carolina State.
• Bob Vanatta - Lost at Centenary (La.) in 1956-57 while coaching Memphis State.
• Willem "Butch" van Breda Kolff - Lost at Albright (Pa.) in 1951-52 while coaching Lafayette. Lost at Florida Southern in 1988-89 while coaching Hofstra.
• Perry Watson - Lost to Wayne State (Mich.) in 1993-94 while coaching Detroit.
• Stan Watts - Lost to Hamline (Minn.) in 1951-52 while coaching Brigham Young.
• Bruce Weber - Lost to Fort Hays State (Kan.) in 2020-21 while coaching Kansas State.
• Clifford Wells - Lost to Spring Hill (Ala.) in 1953-54 and Louisiana College in 1962-63 while coaching Tulane.
• Bob Weltlich - Lost at Alaska-Anchorage in 1986-87 while coaching Texas.
• Paul Westhead - Lost at Biscayne (Fla.) in 1971-72 and Florida Southern in 1978-79 while coaching La Salle.
• Davey Whitney - Lost to Delta State (Miss.) six times in five years from 1985-86 through 1989-90; Dillard (La.) in 1986-87; Miles (Ala.) in 1988-89 and 1990-91; Mississippi College in 1990-91, 1992-93 and 1993-94; Slippery Rock (Pa.) in 1993-94, and Tougaloo (Miss.) in 1996-97 while coaching Alcorn State.
• Ralph Willard - Lost to Williams (Mass.) in 2003-04 while coaching Holy Cross.
• Carroll Williams - Lost to San Francisco State in 1970-71 and at Alaska-Anchorage in 1991-92 while coaching Santa Clara.
• Charlie Woollum - Lost to Rochester (N.Y.) in 1975-76 and 1976-77, Upsala (N.J.) in 1977-78 and Messiah (Pa.) in 1981-82 while coaching Bucknell.
• Jay Wright - Lost at Chaminade (Hawaii) in 2003-04 while coaching Villanova.
• Ned Wulk - Lost to Lawrence Tech (Mich.) and twice to Baldwin-Wallace (Ohio) in 1952-53 while coaching Xavier. Lost to Cal Poly Pomona in 1969-70 while coaching Arizona State.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as ill-informed GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick and his supporters spurring politicized multiple anthems and league funding anti-cop activist groups, 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 who promptly were 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 December 19 in football at the professional level (especially in 2010):

DECEMBER 19

• Kansas City Chiefs LB Bobby Bell (first African-American hooper for Minnesota in 1960-61) returned an interception 26 yards for touchdown in a 22-9 win against the Buffalo Bills in 1971.

• E Billy Dewell (three-time All-SWC first-team pick for SMU in late 1930s) and E Mal Kutner (two-year Texas hoops letterman in early 1940s) each had one of the Chicago Cardinals' three pass receptions in a 7-0 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1948 NFL championship game. Eagles HB Bosh Pritchard (four-sport letterman for VMI) rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries.

• New Orleans Saints rookie 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 first-half touchdown passes from Drew Brees in a 30-24 setback against the Baltimore Ravens in 2010.

• Kansas City Chiefs rookie WR Tony Hargain (averaged 2.3 ppg for Oregon from 1986-87 through 1988-89 under coach Don Monson) posted career highs of six pass receptions and 76 receiving yards in a 35-21 setback against the New York Giants in 1992.

• Baltimore Ravens TE Todd Heap (grabbed 14 rebounds in 11 games for Arizona State in 1999-00) caught nine passes - including two touchdowns - in a 48-3 win against the Green Bay Packers in 2005. Ravens LB Adalius Thomas (averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98) scored a TD on 35-yard fumble recovery return.

• Oakland Raiders TE Teyo Johnson (part-time starting forward for Stanford averaged 4.9 ppg and 3 rpg in 2000-01 and 2001-02) opened the game's scoring with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Kerry Collins in 40-35 win against the Tennessee Titans in 2004.

• 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 on 20 carries in a 24-16 win against the Carolina Panthers in 2020.

• Jacksonville Jaguars TE Damon Jones (averaged 3.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg for Southern Illinois in 1995-96 under coach Rich Herrin) opened game's scoring with a touchdown reception from Mark Brunell in 24-14 win against the Cleveland Browns in 1999.

• 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) had a career-high seven pass receptions in 31-17 setback against the Tennessee Titans in 2010.

• Miami Dolphins rookie 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 for 148 yards in a 47-34 setback against the Buffalo Bills in 1993.

• Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 14-10 win against the Cleveland Browns in 1954.

• Green Bay Packers TE Rich McGeorge (all-league hooper for Elon averaged 13.7 ppg and 9.1 rpg while making 59% of his field-goal attempts) had a career-high five pass receptions in 27-6 setback against the Miami Dolphins in 1971.

• Cleveland Browns rookie HB Ara Parseghian (Miami of Ohio hooper in 1946-47 and 1947-48) rushed for 14 yards on four carries in a 49-7 win against the Buffalo Bills in 1948 AAFC championship game.

• Dallas Cowboys RB Preston Pearson (swingman averaged 8.7 ppg and 6 rpg as Illinois senior in 1966-67) rushed 13 times for 43 yards and caught six passes for 41 yards in a 14-12 playoff setback against the Los Angeles Rams in 1976.

• Cleveland Browns TE Robert Royal (collected 10 points and six rebounds in five LSU basketball games in 2000-01) opened game's scoring with a 20-yard touchdown reception from Colt McCoy in 19-17 setback against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010.

• Washington Redskins CB Lonnie Sanders (averaged 10.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg as Michigan State forward in 1961-62) closed out 1965 campaign with an interception in his second straight game.

• Philadelphia Eagles rookie WR Troy Smith (played four basketball games for East Carolina in 1996-97) tore ligament in his leg making only pro reception - 14 yards from QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) - in a 24-9 win against the New England Patriots in 1999.

• New York Jets DE Jason Taylor (averaged 8 ppg and 5.4 rpg for Akron in 1994-95) recorded a safety in 22-17 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010.

• Kansas City Chiefs FL Otis Taylor (backup small forward for Prairie View A&M) caught a touchdown pass in each of last three AFL games of his rookie season in 1965.

• E Will Walls (starting forward with Texas Christian for three years from 1935 through 1937) had one of the New York Giants' four pass receptions in a 28-0 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1943 NFL championship game.

• Minnesota Vikings CB Charlie West (collected two points and one rebound in two Texas-El Paso games in 1967-68 under Don Haskins) had a league-high 89-yard interception return in 27-10 win against the Chicago Bears in 1971 regular-season finale.

• San Diego Chargers DB Bud Whitehead (averaged 2.8 ppg and 2.5 rpg in 15 games for Florida State in 1959-60) had two interceptions in a 24-14 AFL win against the Oakland Raiders in 1965.

It's no secret that Greek philosopher Rick Pitino directed both Kentucky and Louisville to NCAA Tournament championships. Although their much-anticipated matchup (Will embattled coach Kenny Payne succumb at home by more than 54 points?) was cancelled several seasons ago due to COVID considerations, they can't cancel another fact in their respective histories. Here is a UK/UL connection hoop secret ESPN's best researcher doesn't know: Centre College in Danville, Ky., boasts a distinction possibly rendering effervescent Dickie V speechless insofar as the Colonels blew up both Death Stars - UK (87-17 in 1909-10) and UL (61-7 in 1919-20) - by more than 50 points, handing each perennial power the most lopsided defeat in their vaunted history. The Cardinals lost five consecutive contests against Centre from 1939 to 1941 after the Wildcats dropped six straight decisions against Centre from 1918 to 1921. Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum, who passed away earlier this year, compiled an anemic 7-13 record vs. UK. If he was crummy against the Big Blue, how much pain will Payne endure?

If you need bar-bet winning information, additional major universities succumbing by staggering record-setting margins in the Dinosaur Age against obscure opponents include Bradley (bowed to Millikin), Cincinnati (Circleville), Connecticut (Wesleyan), Duke (Washington & Lee), Massachusetts (Williams), Memphis (Elks Club), North Carolina (Lynchburg YMCA Elks), Oklahoma State (Southwestern KS), Pittsburgh (Westminster), Rhode Island (Amherst), USC (L.A. Athletic Club) and Wichita State (Ottawa).

The "Final Five" DI schools reaching the NCAA playoff national semifinals at some point in their careers to win at least 20 games in a major-college season when suffering their most-lopsided setback include Indiana (1993-94), Louisiana State (1969-70), St. John's (1951-52), Texas-El Paso (2000-01) and UCLA (1996-97). Kentucky was the opponent when Florida, Georgia, St. John's, Temple, Tennessee, Tennessee-Martin, Tulsa and Vanderbilt were saddled with their worst reversals. UCLA, after averaging 29 victories the previous two seasons, nearly set a new school standard for most lopsided loss with a 46-point setback at Utah this season.

IU's 106-56 loss against Minnesota in 1993-94 came only two years after the Big Ten Conference rivals reversed roles when the Hoosiers handed the Gophers their most-lopsided setback in history (96-50). In 1997-98, Missouri rebounded from the Tigers' most-lopsided reversal in school history (111-56 at Kansas State in Big 12 Conference opener) to defeat the Wildcats in their return engagement (89-59 at Mizzou in regular-season finale) for an incredible 85-point turnaround in margin.

Dr. James Naismith founded the game of basketball but he apparently didn't boast any "inside" information gaining a competitive edge. In fact, Naismith is the only one of Kansas' first nine full-season head coaches to compile a career losing record (55-60 in nine campaigns from 1898-99 through 1906-07). One of the defeats was by an all-time high 40 points against Nebraska.

Naismith is among the following coaches, including a striking number of luminaries (such as Harold Anderson, Gene Bartow, Ben Carnevale, Gale Catlett, Chick Davies, Bill Foster, Marv Harshman, Doggie Julian, Bob Knight, Guy Lewis, Rick Majerus, Phil Martelli, Frank McGuire, Shelby Metcalf, Lute Olson, Johnny Orr, Vadal Peterson, Digger Phelps, Honey Russell and Norm Stewart) wrestling with status incurring the most-lopsided smack-down in history for an NCAA Division I university (info unavailable for some DI schools listed alphabetically below):

Losing DI School	Season	Record	Coach	Victorious Opponent	Result	Margin
Air Force	1965-66	14-12	Bob Spear	Utah	108-57	51
Alabama	1997-98	15-16	David Hobbs	Auburn	94-40	54
Alabama State	1996-97	8-21	Rob Spivery	Minnesota	114-34	80
American	1964-65	4-19	Jimmy Williams	Syracuse	127-67	60
Appalachian State	1972-73	6-20	Press Maravich	North Carolina State	130-53	77
Arizona	1955-56	11-15	Fred Enke	Utah	119-45	74
Arizona State	1955-56	10-16	Bill Kajikawa	Texas Tech	113-63	50
Arkansas	1973-74	10-16	Lanny Van Eman	Mississippi	117-66	51
Army	1913-14	5-7	Joseph Stilwell	Union	81-13	68
Auburn	1912-13	6-9	Mike Donahue	Georgia	92-12	80
Austin Peay	1981-82	6-20	Ron Bargatze	Clemson	102-53	49
Ball State	1946-47	9-8	Pete Phillips	Notre Dame	80-31	49
Ball State	1987-88	14-14	Rick Majerus	Purdue	96-47	49
Baylor	1944-45	0-17	Van Sweet	Arkansas	94-28	66
Bethune-Cookman	1991-92	4-25	Jack "Cy" McClairen	Arkansas	128-46	82
Boston College	1955-56	6-18	Don Martin	Marshall	130-69	61
Boston University	1905-06	2-4	unavailable	Wesleyan CT	74-7	67
Bowling Green	1954-55	6-16	Harold Anderson	Dayton	109-38	71
Bradley	1913-14	10-10	Fred Brown	Millikin IL	62-10	52
Brigham Young	1996-97	1-25	Roger Reid	Washington	95-44	51
Brown	1988-89	7-19	Mike Cingiser	Kansas	115-45	70
Butler	1954-55	10-14	Tony Hinkle	Illinois	88-34	54
California	1999-00	18-15	Ben Braun	Stanford	101-50	51
UC Irvine	1975-76	14-12	Tim Tift	UNLV	129-57	72
UC Santa Barbara	1966-67	10-16	Ralph Barkey	UCLA	119-75	44
UC Santa Barbara	1976-77	8-18	Ralph Barkey	UNLV	113-69	44
Cal State Fullerton	1964-65	1-25	Alex Omalev	U.S. International	91-32	59
Campbell	1997-98	10-17	Billy Lee	Florida International	96-43	53
Centenary	1987-88	13-15	Tommy Canterbury	Oklahoma	152-84	68
Central Connecticut State	1995-96	13-15	Mark Adams	Connecticut	116-46	70
Central Michigan	1911-12	2-5	Harry Helmer	Michigan State	72-10	62
Cincinnati	1901-02	5-4	Henry S. Pratt	Circleville OH	84-13	71
Clemson	1954-55	2-21	Banks McFadden	Duke	115-54	61
Colorado	1951-52	8-16	Horace "Bebe" Lee	Kansas State	92-40	52
Connecticut	1905-06	6-3	unofficial	Wesleyan CT	86-12	74
Creighton	1948-49	9-14	Duce Belford	Illinois	96-30	66
Dartmouth	1966-67	7-17	Alvin "Doggie" Julian	Princeton	116-42	74
Davidson	1908-09	1-3	J.W. Rhea	Georgia	100-12	88
Dayton	1994-95	7-20	Oliver Purnell	Cincinnati	116-63	53
DePaul	2010-11	7-24	Oliver Purnell	Syracuse	107-59	48
Detroit	2015-16	16-15	Ray McCallum	Vanderbilt	102-52	50
Drake	1998-99	10-17	Kurt Kanaskie	Indiana	102-46	56
Duke	1912-13	11-8	J.E. Brinn	Washington & Lee VA	90-15	75
Duquesne	1937-38	6-11	Charles "Chick" Davies	Stanford	92-27	65
East Carolina	1963-64	9-15	Wendell Carr	Davidson	105-45	60
East Tennessee State	1996-97	7-20	Ed DeChellis	Davidson	97-47	50
East Tennessee State	2007-08	19-13	Murry Bartow	Syracuse	125-75	50
Eastern Illinois	2001-02	15-16	Rick Samuels	Oklahoma	109-50	59
Eastern Michigan	1957-58	1-20	James Skala	Southern Illinois	128-60	68
Evansville	1960-61	11-16	Arad McCutchan	Utah	132-77	55
Fairfield	2014-15	7-24	Sydney Johnson	Duke	109-59	50
Florida	1947-48	15-10	Sam McAllister	Kentucky	87-31	56
Florida A&M	1992-93	10-18	Willie Booker	Oklahoma	146-65	81
Florida Atlantic	2000-01	7-24	Sidney Green	Florida	100-42	58
Florida International	1989-90	7-21	Rich Walker	Ball State	105-50	55
Florida State	1957-58	9-16	J.K. "Bud" Kennedy	West Virginia	103-51	52
Fordham	1908-09	17-12	Chris Mahoney	Williams MA	77-12	65
George Mason	1970-71	9-17	John Linn	Randolph-Macon VA	118-36	82
George Washington	1961-62	9-15	Bill Reinhart	West Virginia	120-68	52
Georgetown	1912-13	11-5	James Colliflower	Navy	67-18	49
Georgia	1955-56	3-21	Harbin Lawson	Kentucky	143-66	77
Georgia State	1994-95	11-17	Carter Wilson	Memphis State	124-52	72
Georgia Tech	1908-09	1-6	John Heisman	Georgia	78-9	69
Gonzaga	1945-46	6-14	Gordon White	Montana	103-34	69
Grambling State	1999-00	1-30	Larry Wright	Louisiana State	112-37	75
Harvard	1989-90	12-14	Peter Roby	Duke	130-54	76
Hawaii	1965-66	0-18	Ephraim "Red" Rocha	Washington	111-52	59
Hofstra	1944-45	8-13	Jack Smith	USMMA	66-15	51
Holy Cross	1901-02	4-5	Fred Powers	Dartmouth	78-27	51
Houston	1975-76	17-11	Guy Lewis	Arkansas	92-47	45
Howard	2000-01	10-18	Frankie Allen	Memphis	112-42	70
Idaho	1976-77	5-21	Jim Jarvis	UNLV	135-78	57
Idaho State	1992-93	10-18	Herb Williams	Oklahoma	112-59	53
Illinois	1973-74	5-18	Harv Schmidt	Indiana	107-67	40
Illinois State	1958-59	24-4	James Collie	Tennessee State	131-74	57
Indiana	1993-94	21-9	Bob Knight	Minnesota	106-56	50
Indiana State	1910-11	2-8	John P. Kimmel	Purdue	112-6	106
Iona	1967-68	13-9	Jim McDermott	Duquesne	100-47	53
Iowa	1974-75	10-16	Lute Olson	Indiana	102-49	53
Iowa State	1989-90	10-18	Johnny Orr	Indiana	115-66	49
Jacksonville	2017-18	15-18	Tony Jasick	North Carolina State	116-64	52
James Madison	2005-06	5-23	Dean Keener	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	93-52	41
Kansas	1899-00	3-4	Dr. James Naismith	Nebraska	48-8	40
Kansas State	1945-46	4-20	Fritz Knorr	Marshall	88-42	46
Kentucky	1909-10	4-8	R.E. Spahr/E.R. Sweetland	Centre KY	87-17	70
Lafayette	1994-95	2-25	John Leone	Connecticut	110-48	62
Lamar	1963-64	19-6	Jack Martin	St. Louis	113-63	50
La Salle	2015-16	9-22	John Giannini	Miami (Fla.)	95-49	46
Lehigh	1901-02	9-5	J.W. Pollard	Bucknell	68-3	65
Long Beach State	1990-91	11-17	Seth Greenberg	UNLV	114-63	51
Long Island	1998-99	10-17	Ray Martin	Florida	119-61	58
Louisiana-Monroe	1997-98	13-16	Mike Vining	Xavier	118-61	57
Louisiana State	1969-70	22-10	Press Maravich	UCLA	133-84	49
Louisiana Tech	1974-75	12-13	Emmett Hendricks	Tulane	88-40	48
Louisville	1919-20	6-5	Tuley Brucker	Centre KY	61-7	54
Loyola of Chicago	1916-17	1-3	unavailable	Whiting Owls	91-21	70
Loyola Marymount	1990-91	16-15	Jay Hillock	Oklahoma	172-112	60
Maine	1973-74	13-10	Tom "Skip" Chappelle	Massachusetts	108-38	70
Manhattan	1985-86	2-26	Thomas Sullivan	North Carolina	129-45	84
Marquette	2004-05	19-12	Tom Crean	Louisville	99-52	47
Marshall	1913-14	2-6	Boyd Chambers	Cincinnati Church of Christ	68-10	58
Maryland	1943-44	4-14	H. Burton Shipley	Army	85-22	63
Massachusetts	1907-08	4-11	unofficial	Williams MA	60-3	57
Memphis	1927-28	10-11	Zach Curlin	Elks Club	79-30	49
Miami (Fla.)	1969-70	9-17	Ron Godfrey	UCLA	127-69	58
Miami (Ohio)	1948-49	8-13	Blue Foster	Cincinnati	94-36	58
Michigan	1999-00	15-14	Brian Ellerbe	Michigan State	114-63	51
Michigan State	1974-75	17-9	Gus Ganakas	Indiana	107-55	52
Middle Tennessee State	1954-55	11-16	Charles Greer	Morehead State	123-68	55
Milwaukee	1962-63	4-17	Russ Rebholz	Loyola of Chicago	107-47	60
Minnesota	1991-92	16-16	Clem Haskins	Indiana	96-50	46
Mississippi	1913-14	8-7	B.Y. Walton	Mississippi State	84-18	66
Mississippi State	1992-93	13-16	Richard Williams	Arkansas	115-58	57
Missouri	1997-98	17-15	Norm Stewart	Kansas State	111-56	55
Missouri State	1980-81	9-21	Bob Cleeland	Puget Sound WA	103-50	53
Morehead State	1992-93	6-21	Dick Fick	Michigan State	121-53	68
Murray State	1960-61	13-10	Cal Luther	St. Bonaventure	92-39	53
Navy	1963-64	10-12	Ben Carnevale	Duke	121-65	56
Nebraska	1957-58	10-13	Jerry Bush	Kansas	102-46	56
Nevada	1990-91	17-14	Len Stevens	UNLV	131-81	50
New Mexico	1954-55	7-17	Woody Clements	UCLA	106-41	65
New Orleans	2013-14	11-15	Mark Slessinger	Michigan State	101-48	53
NYU	1912-13	1-11	James Dale	Navy	74-13	61
Niagara	1996-97	11-17	Jack Armstrong	Kansas	134-73	61
Nicholls State	2002-03	3-25	Ricky Blanton	Texas Tech	107-35	72
North Carolina	1914-15	6-10	Charles Doak	Lynchburg YMCA Elks	63-20	43
UNC Asheville	1997-98	19-9	Eddie Biedenbach	Maryland	110-52	58
North Carolina A&T	1976-77	3-24	Warren Reynolds	North Carolina State	107-46	61
North Carolina State	1920-21	6-14	Richard Crozier	North Carolina	62-10	52
UNC Wilmington	1996-97	16-14	Jerry Wainwright	Villanova	87-38	49
North Texas	1998-99	4-22	Vic Trilli	Maryland	132-57	75
Northern Arizona	1991-92	7-20	Harold Merritt	Louisiana State	159-86	73
Northern Illinois	1966-67	8-12	Tom Jorgensen	Bradley	117-66	51
Northern Iowa	1906-07	5-4	R.F. Seymour	Iowa	73-16	57
Northwestern	1986-87	7-21	Bill E. Foster	Duke	106-55	51
Northwestern State	2000-01	19-13	Mike McConathy	Arkansas	115-47	68
Notre Dame	1971-72	6-20	Digger Phelps	Indiana	94-29	65
Ohio	1902-03	TBD	unavailable	Ohio State	88-2	86
Ohio State	1955-56	16-6	Floyd Stahl	Illinois	111-64	47
Oklahoma	1916-17	13-8	Bennie Owen	Oklahoma A&M	58-11	47
Oklahoma State	1919-20	1-12	James Pixlee	Southwestern KS	53-9	44
Oral Roberts	1992-93	5-22	Ken Trickey	Kansas	140-72	68
Oregon	1921-22	7-24	George Bohler	Washington	76-15	61
Oregon State	1996-97	7-20	Eddie Payne	Arizona	99-48	51
Oregon State	2009-10	14-18	Craig Robinson	Seattle	99-48	51
Pacific	1952-53	2-20	Van Sweet	California	87-30	57
Penn	1987-88	10-16	Tom Schneider	UCLA	98-49	49
Penn State	1985-86	12-17	Bruce Parkhill	Navy	103-50	53
Pepperdine	1965-66	2-24	Robert "Duck" Dowell	Iowa	111-50	61
Pittsburgh	1905-06	2-9	Benjamin Printz	Westminster PA	106-13	93
Portland	1966-67	10-16	Al Negratti	UCLA	122-57	65
Portland State	1964-65	8-18	Loyal "Sharkey" Nelson	Montana State	97-43	54
Prairie View	1995-96	4-23	Elwood Plummer	Tulsa	141-50	91
Princeton	1908-09	8-13	Harry Shorter	Penn	55-10	45
Providence	1954-55	9-12	Vin Cuddy	Holy Cross	101-47	54
Purdue	1947-48	11-9	Mel Taube	Illinois	98-54	44
Rhode Island	1916-17	2-6	Jim Baldwin	Amherst MA	65-5	60
Rice	1971-72	6-20	Don Knodel	North Carolina	127-69	58
Rider	1989-90	10-18	Kevin Bannon	Minnesota	116-48	68
Robert Morris	1996-97	4-23	Jim Boone	Arizona	118-54	64
Rutgers	1906-07	0-3	Frank Gorton	Lehigh	88-23	65
St. Francis (N.Y.)	1993-94	1-26	Ron Ganulin	Providence	108-48	60
St. John's	1951-52	25-6	Frank McGuire	Kentucky	81-40	41
St. John's	2015-16	8-24	Chris Mullin	Creighton	100-59	41
St. John's	2016-17	14-19	Chris Mullin	Villanova	108-67	41
Saint Joseph's	2014-15	13-18	Phil Martelli	Gonzaga	94-42	52
Saint Louis	1945-46	13-11	John Flanigan	Oklahoma A&M	86-33	53
Saint Mary's	2000-01	2-27	Dave Bollwinkel	Arizona	101-41	60
Saint Peter's	1941-42	5-11	Morgan Sweetman	St. Francis (N.Y.)	85-29	56
Sam Houston State	1991-92	2-25	Jerry Hopkins	Lamar	126-57	69
Samford	1957-58	7-17	Virgil Ledbetter	Alabama	105-44	61
San Diego State	1998-99	4-22	Fred Trenkle	Utah	86-38	48
San Jose State	1970-71	2-24	Danny Glines	New Mexico State	114-55	59
Santa Clara	2001-02	13-15	Dick Davey	Ohio State	88-41	47
Seton Hall	1957-58	7-19	John "Honey" Russell	Cincinnati	118-54	64
Siena	1987-88	23-6	Mike Deane	Syracuse	123-72	51
South Alabama	1994-95	9-18	Ronnie Arrow	Southern Utah	140-72	68
South Carolina	1929-30	6-10	A.W. "Rock" Norman	Furman	70-11	59
South Florida	1987-88	6-22	Bobby Paschal	Syracuse	111-65	46
Southeastern Louisiana	1998-99	6-20	John Lyles	Auburn	114-60	54
Southern California	1913-14	5-7	unavailable	L.A. Athletic Club	77-14	63
Southern Illinois	2016-17	17-16	Barry Hinson	Wichita State	87-45	42
Southern Methodist	1980-81	7-20	Dave Bliss	Arkansas	92-50	42
Southern Mississippi	2001-02	10-17	James Green	Cincinnati	89-37	52
Southern Utah	1988-89	10-18	Neil Roberts	Oklahoma	132-64	68
Stanford	1975-76	11-16	Dick DiBiaso	UCLA	120-74	46
Stetson	2018-19	7-24	Corey Williams	Duke	113-49	64
Syracuse	1961-62	8-13	Fred Lewis	NYU	122-59	63
Temple	1946-47	8-12	Josh Cody	Kentucky	68-29	39
Tennessee	1992-93	13-17	Wade Houston	Kentucky	101-40	61
Tennessee-Martin	1994-95	7-20	Cal Luther	Kentucky	124-50	74
Tennessee Tech	1962-63	16-8	John Oldham	Loyola of Chicago	111-42	69
Texas	1971-72	19-9	Leon Black	UCLA	115-65	50
Texas A&M	1971-72	16-10	Shelby Metcalf	UCLA	117-53	64
Texas-Arlington	1993-94	7-22	Eddie McCarter	Iowa State	119-55	64
Texas Christian	1977-78	4-22	Tim Somerville	Clemson	125-62	63
Texas-El Paso	2000-01	23-9	Jason Rabedeaux	Fresno State	108-56	52
Texas-San Antonio	2015-16	5-27	Brooks Thompson	Texas	116-50	66
Texas Southern	1993-94	19-11	Robert Moreland	Arkansas	129-63	66
Texas State	1918-19	TBD	unavailable	Texas	89-6	83
Texas Tech	2007-08	16-15	Pat Knight	Kansas	109-51	58
Toledo	1932-33	3-13	Dave Connelly	Ohio State	64-10	54
Tulane	2000-01	9-21	Shawn Finney	Cincinnati	105-57	48
Tulsa	1947-48	7-16	John Garrison	Kentucky	72-18	54
UAB	1990-91	18-13	Gene Bartow	UNLV	109-68	41
UCF	1988-89	7-20	Phil Carter	Florida State	133-79	54
UCLA	1996-97	24-8	Steve Lavin	Stanford	109-61	48
UNLV	1970-71	16-10	John Bayer	Houston	130-73	57
U.S. International	1989-90	12-16	Gary Zarecky	Oklahoma	173-101	72
Utah	2011-12	6-25	Larry Krystkowiak	Oregon	94-48	46
Utah State	1909-10	3-7	Clayton Teetzel	Utah	69-15	54
Utah State	1925-26	13-5	Lowell Romney	Southern California	82-28	54
Valparaiso	1967-68	11-15	Gene Bartow	Houston	158-81	77
Vanderbilt	1946-47	7-8	Norm Cooper	Kentucky	98-29	69
Villanova	1921-22	11-4	Michael Saxe	Army	58-11	47
Virginia	1964-65	7-18	Bill Gibson	Duke	136-72	64
Virginia Commonwealth	1976-77	13-13	Dana Kirk	Auburn	109-59	50
Virginia Tech	1952-53	4-19	Gerald "Red" Laird	Marshall	113-57	56
Wagner	1998-99	9-18	Tim Capstraw	Connecticut	111-46	65
Wake Forest	1913-14	10-7	J.R. Crozier	Virginia	80-16	64
Washington	1988-89	12-16	Andy Russo	Arizona	116-61	55
Washington State	1964-65	9-17	Marv Harshman	UCLA	93-41	52
Washington State	2004-05	12-16	Dick Bennett	Oklahoma State	81-29	52
Weber State	1988-89	17-11	Denny Huston	Akron	92-50	42
West Virginia	1978-79	16-12	Gale Catlett	Louisville	106-60	46
Western Carolina	1998-99	8-21	Phil Hopkins	Maryland	113-46	67
Western Kentucky	1990-91	14-14	Ralph Willard	Georgia	124-65	59
Western Michigan	1988-89	12-16	Vern Payne	Michigan	107-60	47
Wichita State	1912-13	1-11	E.V. Long	Ottawa KS	80-8	72
William & Mary	1918-19	3-6	V.M. Geddy	Roanoke VA	87-6	81
Wisconsin	1975-76	10-16	John Powless	Indiana	114-61	53
Wisconsin	1985-86	12-16	Steve Yoder	Iowa	101-48	53
Wright State	1976-77	11-16	Marcus Jackson	Cincinnati	120-52	68
Wyoming	1910-11	1-4	Harold Dean	Colorado	65-12	53
Xavier	1966-67	13-13	Don Ruberg	Kansas	100-52	48
Yale	1976-77	6-20	Ray Carazo	Clemson	104-50	54
Youngstown State	1941-42	9-12	Dom Rosselli	Toledo	88-32	56

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as ill-informed GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick and his supporters spurring politicized multiple anthems and league funding anti-cop activist groups, 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 who promptly were 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 December 16 in football at the professional level (especially in 1973):

DECEMBER 16

• 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 three touchdown passes for third time in last four games of 1973 campaign.

• San Francisco 49ers RB Joe Arenas (averaged 6.2 ppg in 1949-50 and 1950-51 for Nebraska-Omaha) scored go-ahead touchdown in fourth quarter with a 67-yard punt return in 30-17 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1956 season finale.

• Washington Redskins B Steve Bagarus (Notre Dame hooper in early 1940s) had a 38-yard pass reception for the game's first touchdown in a 15-14 setback against the Cleveland Rams in 1945 NFL championship contest. E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) scored the Rams' first TD with a 37-yard pass reception from Bob Waterfield en route to game highs of nine catches and 125 receiving yards. Rams E Steve Pritko (Villanova two-year hoops letterman) caught two passes for 17 yards.

• Pittsburgh Steelers DB Tony Dungy (roommate of Flip Saunders averaged 2.6 ppg for Minnesota in 1973-74 under coach Bill Musselman) intercepted a pass in second consecutive contest in 1978.

• Carolina Panthers DE Greg Hardy (Ole Miss backup forward as freshman in 2006-07) had two sacks and five tackles in a 31-7 victory against the San Diego Chargers in 2012.

• Los Angeles Rams E Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (starting hoops center for Michigan hoops in 1944) had three of his league-high 17 touchdown receptions in a 42-14 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1951 season finale.

• 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 three touchdown passes from Philip Rivers in a 34-7 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 2010.

• St. Louis Cardinals QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) passed for 386 yards - including 77-yard touchdown reception to Sonny Randle (scoreless in seven basketball games in Virginia's third season in ACC in 1955-56) - in a 45-35 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1962 season finale.

• Washington Redskins QB Billy Kilmer (UCLA hooper under legendary coach John Wooden in 1959-60) threw four touchdown passes - three to Larry Brown - in a 38-20 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1973 season finale.

• Green Bay 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) opened the game's scoring with a 45-yard touchdown catch in 20-17 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1962 season finale.

• Baltimore Colts TE Tom Mitchell (averaged 6.1 ppg and 9.4 rpg in 10 basketball games for Bucknell in 1963-64) provided a fourth-quarter, go-ahead touchdown reception in 18-13 win against the New England Patriots in 1973 regular-season finale.

• San Francisco 49ers E R.C. Owens (led small colleges with 27.1 rpg in 1953-54 while also averaging 23.5 ppg for College of Idaho) caught two touchdown passes from John Brodie in a 27-24 setback against the Baltimore Colts in 1961 season finale.

• Dallas Cowboys WR Terrell Owens (UTC hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) caught two first-half touchdown passes from Tony Romo in a 38-28 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 2006.

• Dallas Cowboys RB Preston Pearson (swingman averaged 8.7 ppg and 6 rpg as Illinois senior in 1966-67) had five pass receptions for 108 yards in a 35-34 win against the Washington Redskins in 1979 season finale. Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) passed for 336 yards and three TDs. Six years earlier, Staubach completed 14-of-19 passes - including three touchdowns - in a 30-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973 season finale.

• New York Giants DB Emlen Tunnell (forward was top reserve for Toledo team compiling 22-4 record and finishing second in 1943 NIT) returned a punt 74 yards for touchdown in 27-17 win against the New York Yanks in 1951 season finale.

Has there ever been a coach with consistent track record for dramatic player development anywhere close to matching Gonzaga's Mark Few? The Zags, capturing outright or sharing 22 of the previous 23 WCC regular-season championships, catapulted to annual high rankings in national polls due largely to significant increases in scoring average from previous season for their top point producers. Vastly-improved Anton Watson and Nolan Hickman are on the following alphabetical list of many Few pupils starting with All-American Dan Dickau at the turn of the century who blossomed under him after redshirt season or undistinguished freshman campaign:

• Joel Ayayi - freshman RS in 2017-18 and 1.7 ppg in 2018-19 to 10.6 ppg in 2019-20 and 12 ppg as All-WCC first-team selection in 2020-21
• Casey Calvary - 3.7 ppg and 2.7 rpg as freshman in 1997-98 (when Few was Zags assistant) to All-WCC selection with 19.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg in 2000-01
• Dan Dickau - 4 ppg as Washington freshman/sophomore in 1997-98 and 1998-99 to transfer becoming NCAA consensus first-team All-American in 2001-02 with 21 ppg
• Sam Dower - freshman RS in 2009-10 to All-WCC selection with 14.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg in 2013-14
• Rui Hachimura - 2.6 ppg as freshman in 2016-17 to NCAA consensus first-team All-American with 19.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg in 2018-19
• Josh Heytvelt - 3.4 ppg and 2 rpg as freshman in 2005-06 to All-WCC selection with 14.9 ppg and 6.5 rpg in 2008-09
• Nolan Hickman - 5.1 ppg in 2021-22 to 12.6 ppg early in 2023-24
• Korey Kispert - 8 ppg as freshman in 2018-19 to All-WCC first-team selection with 13.9 ppg in 2019-20 and 18.6 as NCAA consensus first-team All-American in 2020-21
• Zach Norvell Jr. - freshman RS in 2016-17 to All-WCC selection with 14.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 3.1 apg in 2018-19
• Kelly Olynyk - 3.8 ppg as freshman in 2009-10 and RS season in 2011-12 to NCAA unanimous first-team All-American with 17.8 ppg and 7.3 rpg as junior in 2012-13
• Jeremy Pargo - 2.7 ppg as freshman in 2005-06 to All-WCC selection with 12.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 4.6 apg in 2006-07
• Filip Petrusev - 6.5 ppg as freshman in 2018-19 to WCC Player of the Year with 17.5 ppg in 2019-20
• Derek Raivio - 3.1 ppg and 1 apg as freshman in 2003-04 to All-WCC selection with 13 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.8 apg and 1.6 spg in 2004-05
• Robert Sacre - 2.8 ppg and 1.8 rpg as freshman in 2007-08 to All-WCC selection in 2010-11 with 12.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 1.9 bpg
• Julian Strawther - 3.4 ppg as freshman in 2020-21 to 11.8 ppg in 2021-22 to 15.2 ppg in 2022-23
• Killian Tillie - 4.2 ppg as freshman in 2016-17 to All-WCC second-team selection with 12.9 ppg the next season
• Drew Timme - 9.8 ppg as freshman in 2019-20 to 19 ppg as NCAA consensus second-team All-American in 2020-21, 18.4 ppg in 2021-22 to 21.2 ppg in 2022-23
• Anton Watson - 4.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg as freshman in 2019-20 to 11.1 ppg and 6.2 rpg in 2022-23 and 13.9 ppg and 8.2 rpg early in 2023-24
• Kyle Wiltjer - 5 ppg and 1.8 rpg as Kentucky freshman in 2011-12 to transfer becoming NCAA consensus second-team All-American in 2015-16 with 20.4 ppg and 6.3 rpg

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as ill-informed GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick and his supporters spurring politicized multiple anthems and league funding anti-cop activist groups, 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 who promptly were 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 December 13 in football at the professional level (especially in 1959 and 1964):

DECEMBER 13

• 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) had a career-high seven pass receptions in 45-38 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.

• Detroit Lions E Cloyce Box (combined with twin brother Boyce to help West Texas win Border Conference hoop championship in 1943) closed out 1952 campaign with his third consecutive contest contributing three pass receptions for touchdowns (including 77-yarder).

• In his lone NFL appearance, Detroit Lions E Gene Cook (averaged 5.1 ppg and 4.2 rpg for Toledo from 1955-56 through 1957-58) caught one pass for 43 yards in a 25-14 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1959.

• Kansas City Chiefs QB Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) threw four touchdown passes in a 49-6 AFL win against the San Diego Chargers in 1964.

• Chicago Bears rookie WR George Farmer (teammate of UCLA legend Lew Alcindor in 1968-69) caught a career-high nine passes for 142 yards in 35-17 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1970. Bears QB Jack Concannon (grabbed one rebound in one Boston College basketball contest in 1961-62) threw four touchdown passes en route to a career-high 338 yards.

• Ray Flaherty (four-sport Gonzaga athlete including hoops) coached the Washington Redskins in 1942 when they registered a 14-6 win against the Chicago Bears in the NFL championship game. Bears B Ray Nolting (Cincinnati hoops letterman in 1936) rushed for 25 yards on eight carries, caught one pass for 11 yards, had one interception and returned a kickoff for 23 yards.

• Chicago Cardinals QB King Hill (Rice letterman in 1955-56 and 1956-57) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 35-20 setback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1959.

• Green Bay Packers RB Paul Hornung (averaged 6.1 ppg in 10 contests for Notre Dame in 1954-55) rushed for three touchdowns in a 36-14 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1959.

• St. Louis Cardinals QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) passed for 371 of a league-high 3,045 yards - including two third-quarter touchdowns - in 36-34 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1964.

• New Orleans Saints QB Billy Kilmer (UCLA hooper under legendary coach John Wooden in 1959-60) threw three touchdown passes in a 38-27 setback against the San Francisco 49ers in 1970. The next year with the Washington Redskins, Kilmer threw three TD passes in a 38-24 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1971.

• Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 41-6 win against the Dallas Texans in 1952. The next year, Layne threw two first-half TD passes in a 27-16 win against the New York Giants in 1953. In 1959 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Layne threw four TD passes in a 35-20 win against the Chicago Cardinals.

• New York Giants DE George Martin (Oregon hoops teammate of freshman sensation Ron Lee in 1972-73) returned a fumble recovery 20 yards for touchdown in 20-10 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1981.

• 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) opened game's scoring by catching a 95-yard touchdown pass from Bill Munson in 24-24 tie against the Green Bay Packers in 1964.

• New York Giants CB Jason Sehorn (averaged 12.5 ppg and 6 rpg for Shasta Community College CA in 1990-91) had two interceptions - returning one 35 yards for touchdown - in 30-10 win against the Washington Redskins in 1997.

• Philadelphia Eagles QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) passed for 301 yards - including three second-quarter touchdowns - in a 36-34 setback against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964.

• Atlanta Falcons LB Kenny Tippins (made one basket and grabbed six rebounds in three hoops games with Middle Tennessee State in 1989-90) had two sacks in a 35-7 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992.

• Dallas Cowboys P Ron Widby (three-time All-SEC selection for Tennessee averaged 18.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg from 1964-65 through 1966-67) punted seven times for 324 yards (46.3 average) in a 27-10 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1969.

• San Francisco 49ers E Billy Wilson (averaged 3.3 ppg as senior letterman for San Jose State in 1950-51) caught a touchdown pass in last four games to finish with league-high 10 TD catches in 1953.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as ill-informed GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick and his supporters spurring politicized multiple anthems and league funding anti-cop activist groups, 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 who promptly were 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 December 11 in football at the professional level (especially in 1938 championship contest, 1949 and 1960):

DECEMBER 11

• Philadelphia Eagles E Neill Armstrong (played one game under legendary Oklahoma A&M coach Hank Iba in 1944) caught a touchdown pass in his fourth consecutive contest in 1949.

• 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 53-27 setback against the Los Angeles Rams in 1949. Rams E Bob Shaw (Ohio State hoops starter in 1942 and 1943) had four TD pass receptions.

• New York Giants B Len Barnum (West Virginia Wesleyan hoper) had a nine-yard run from scrimmage and 20-yard pass reception in 23-17 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1938 NFL championship game. Packers E Wayland Becker (Marquette hoops letterman in mid-1930s) had a game-high 78 receiving yards. Giants TB Ed Danowski (Fordham hoops letterman in 1932-33) threw two touchdown passes, including a 21-yarder to rookie E Hap Barnard (four-year hoops letterman for Central Oklahoma played in 1938 NAIA Tournament as senior). C-LB Mel Hein (Washington State hoops letterman in 1930), the only offensive lineman earning NFL MVP award, recovered a fumble near midfield to help set up a Giants TD. Giants E Jim Lee Howell (All-SWC first-five selection as Arkansas senior in 1935-36) had two pass receptions. Giants TB Tuffy Leemans (three-year hoops letterman for George Washington in mid-1930s) had a six-yard rushing TD.

• Philadelphia Eagles CB Jimmy Carr (three-year hoops letterman for Morris Harvey WV appeared in NAIA Tournament in 1953 and 1954) had an interception in his second consecutive contest in 1960. Pittsburgh Steelers RB John Henry Johnson (made 5-of-8 FGAs in five games for Saint Mary's in 1950-51) scored two first-half touchdowns - including an 87-yard run from scrimmage - in 27-21 win against the Eagles.

• Miami Dolphins WR Chris Chambers (played briefly for Wisconsin under coach Dick Bennett in 1997-98) caught two third-quarter touchdown passes in a 23-21 win against the San Diego Chargers in 2005. Chargers TE Antonio Gates (second-team All-MAC selection in 2002 when Kent State finished runner-up in South Regional) caught 13 passes for 123 yards. Six years later, Gates caught two TD passes from Philip Rivers in a 37-10 win against the Buffalo Bills in 2011.

• Chicago Bears B-PK John "Paddy" Driscoll (Northwestern basketball letterman in 1916) threw a touchdown pass, rushed for TD and kicked three extra points in 27-14 win against the Duluth Eskimos in 1927 season finale.

• New Orleans Saints rookie WR Eugene Goodlow (scored 38 points in 19 games for Kansas State in 1977-78 and 1978-79) caught a career-high seven passes in 20-17 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1983.

• 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 35-24 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1955.

• New York Giants TB Hinkey Haines (Lebanon Valley PA transfer earned hoops letter for Penn State in 1920 and 1921) rushed for a 60-yard touchdown in 13-0 win against the New York Yankees in 1927.

• Dallas Cowboys DB Manny Hendrix (All-WAC second-team selection for Utah as senior in 1985-86 averaged 12.1 ppg and team-high 5.1 apg as sophomore) had an interception in 24-17 win against the Washington Redskins in 1988.

• 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 155 yards in a 3-0 win against the Washington Redskins in 1993.

• San Francisco 49ers DB Ronnie Lott (USC hooper as junior in 1979-80) had two interceptions in a 23-10 win against the Buffalo Bills in 1983.

• Chicago Bears QB Johnny Lujack (averaged 3.4 ppg as starting guard for Notre Dame in 1943-44) threw six of his league-high 23 touchdown passes in a 52-21 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1949.

• New York Titans WR Art Powell (averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg for San Jose State in 1956-57) had 10 catches for 179 yards - including two touchdowns (one for 72 yards) - in a 31-28 AFL win against the Oakland Raiders in 1960. Six years later with the Raiders, Powell caught two TD passes from Tom Flores (46 and 45 yards) in a 28-10 win against the Denver Broncos in 1966. In his lone professional game, Raiders QB Charlie Green (averaged 3.7 ppg and 2 rpg for Wittenberg OH runner-up in 1963 NCAA Division II Tournament) completed both pass attempts for a total of 17 yards against the Broncos.

• Atlanta Falcons WR Andre Rison (backup hoops guard for Michigan State in 1987-88) had two of his league-high 15 touchdown receptions in a 27-24 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1993.

• Atlanta Falcons LB Marion Rushing (Southern Illinois hooper from 1954-55 through 1956-57) had an interception in 16-10 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966.

• New York Giants LB Tom Scott (hoops letterman as Virginia forward in 1951) returned an interception 14 yards for touchdown in 17-3 win against the Washington Redskins in 1960.

It might not generate national headlines, but there is always something of significance going on at the small-college basketball level. Earlier this season, Georgetown KY became the first NAIA institution to reach the 2,000-win plateau.

There were also noteworthy events in recent years. Defensive-minded coaches are not green with envy or greenlighting their troops playing "D" like Greenville (Ill.) College, which allowed an average of 165.5 points per game in its first four contests three seasons ago (defeats against NCAA DI opponents Samford, UMKC, Murray State and Illinois State by an average of 65.75 points). The spotlight was also on small-college hoopdom four seasons ago when J.J. Culver, the older brother of 2018-19 Texas Tech All-American Jarrett Culver, erupted for 100 points (34-of-62 field-goal shooting including 12-of-33 from three-point range plus 20-of-27 free-throw accuracy) in a 124-60 thumping by Wayland Baptist (Tex.) of Southwest Adventist (Tex.). This year, Grinnell (Iowa) was back in the headlines by taking 111 field-goal attempts vs. Emmaus Bible College (Iowa) and every single one was a three-point shot.

In a caste-like era separating the haves from the have-nots, imperial universities are seeking mega-conferences and, perhaps in the near future, an even more restrictive upper division. But the elitist institutions aren't able to exclude humble small schools from making a big impact on college basketball such as Culver's outburst. Jack Taylor of Grinnell (Iowa) lit up scoreboards several seasons ago, pouring in 71 points in his season opener against Finlandia (Mich.) before exploding for 109 points against Crossroads (Minn.). Even when Taylor was out of the lineup in mid-season, Grinnell generated national headlines after Pat Maher set an NCAA single-game mark with 37 assists in a 164-144 win over College of Faith. In the afterglow of focusing on small colleges via scoring outbursts from Culver and G-men at Greenville and Grinnell, following is a chronological notebook with items detailing what will always be appealing about the little guy:

Basketball was a new demonstration sport at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, which also was part of the World's Fair the same year. Hiram College (Ohio), Wheaton College (Ill.) and the University of Latter Day Saints (known today as Brigham Young) were the three college teams invited to compete in what was officially called the "Olympic Collegiate Basketball Championship." Hiram finished the round-robin tournament 2-0 and was declared the champion and awarded the first Olympic gold medal in basketball.

College of Charleston (S.C.) went winless 10 seasons from 1913-14 through 1923-24 (0-56 record; did not compete in 1918-19). . . . Paul Davis, after leaving Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Oklahoma State), guided North Dakota State (18-0 in 1916) and North Dakota (16-0 in 1920) to undefeated seasons in a five-year span. He was also the football coach for these schools. . . . Indiana State's coach for five seasons from 1918-19 through 1922-23 after playing for the institution (known as Indiana State Normal School at the time) was Birch E. Bayh Sr. His son with the same name is a former U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1963 to 1981 and candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in the 1976 election. His grandson, Birch E. "Evan" Bayh III, is a former Indiana Governor and U.S. Senator (from 1999 to 2011). . . . Peru (Neb.) State Teachers won 55 consecutive games over a five-year span from 1921-26. . . . Earl Kinzie, a member of McPherson's 1928 Kansas Conference championship team that placed third in the national AAU Tournament in Kansas City, became a doctor and practiced family medicine in Texas for 50 years. He delivered more than 2,000 babies, including standout running back Earl Campbell.

Longtime radio and TV personality Art Linkletter was San Diego State's leading scorer in 1932-33 and 1933-34. . . . Stanford All-American Hank Luisetti is usually credited with introducing the jump shot but fans of Glenn Roberts from Emory & Henry (Va.) beg to differ. Roberts led the nation in scoring in 1933 and 1935 en route to tallying 2,013 career points. . . . Westminster (Pa.), playing in the first-ever collegiate basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden on December 29, 1934, upset St. John's, 37-33. . . . Tarleton (Tex.), coached by W.J. Wisdom, posted 86 straight victories from 1934 to 1937 en route to winning 112 of 113 games in a seven-year span. . . . Amos Alonzo Stagg Jr., the son of a legend who had the longest coaching career in the history of football (71 years), guided the basketball squad at Susquehanna (Pa.) for 16 seasons from 1935-36 through 1950-51. . . . Carleton (Minn.) forward Wayne Sparks, a "Little All-American" in 1936-37, died in a bomber crash in World War II. . . . Drury's Eugene "Peaches" Westover (class of '38), a four-time All-MCAU forward, was killed January 1, 1945, during WWII at the Battle of the Bulge. . . . Western Kentucky was the only school to defeat Murray State in a 79-game span from January 3, 1936 through March 10, 1938. . . . The leading scorer for champion Central Missouri State in the first NAIA tourney in 1937 (when it was known as the National Intercollegiate Tournament) was eventual major leaguer Chuck Workman, an outfielder-third baseman who finished second in the National League in home runs in 1945 with 25 for the Boston Braves. . . . Louisville lost a school-record 19 consecutive contests in the midst of a six-year stretch from 1936-37 through 1941-42 when the Cardinals were 57 games below the .500 mark. Louisville was a long way from becoming a major-college power in 1944 when Peck Hickman was hired as coach for $200 per month. The Cardinals won a total of 29 games over the previous seven seasons. In that span, they lost at least three times to Alfred Holbrook (three defeats), Berea (four), Centre (seven), Georgetown College (nine), Hanover (nine), Oakland City (three) and Transylvania (six). . . . Ulyss "Useless" Brock, a 6-0, 135-pound forward, scored 83 points (22 field goals and 39 free throws) for Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) in a 101-21 verdict over Bethel in February, 1940. . . . UC Santa Barbara reached the 1941 NAIA Tournament semifinals although All-CCAA first-team center Lowell Steward, the league's first black player, couldn't compete because Missouri was a Jim Crow state at the time. Steward would later fly 143 combat missions in Europe as a P-51 pilot for the famed Tuskegee Airmen. . . . George Barr, regarded as probably the finest player in Northland (Wis.) history when he competed in the early 1940s, entered the Army Air Corps as a senior during World War II, earning his diploma in absentia. Barr volunteered for the Jimmy Doolittle raids over Tokyo in 1942. His plane was forced down on mainland China after the raid and the crew imprisoned. Barr was a prisoner of the Japanese for 3 1/2 years with most of the time spent in solitary confinement. Teammate Duane Borst served as a First Lieutenant with the Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauder Group in France, flying 43 missions over Germany. . . . Lefthander Dr. Tom Amberry played for North Dakota in the early 1940s before podiatrist set the Guinness world record for most consecutive successful free throws (2,750 in span of 12 hours in mid-November 1993 at the age of 71; mark broken 2 1/2 years later).

Ben Booker, Carson-Newman TN captain in 1942, was a research chemist at Oak Ridge on atomic bomb "Manhattan Project." . . . Football legend Eddie Robinson won more than 70% of his games as Grambling's basketball coach from 1942-56. . . . Bob Barker, longtime host of highly-rated daytime game show The Price is Right, played for Drury (Mo.) in the early 1940s before serving in the military during WWII. . . . York (Neb.) College, boasting an enrollment of 50, upset Akron, 52-49, in the first round of the 1943 NAIA Tournament before losing to North Texas, 51-49, in the second round. Brothers Jim and Wayne Kaeding scored 78 of York's 101 points in the two contests. . . . North Carolina College's Rocky Roberson scored 58 points in a game against Shaw (N.C.) during the 1942-43 season for what was believed to be a college record at the time. . . . Fulfilling a pre-tournament agreement in 1943, players from Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) marched to the local blood bank to donate blood to the armed forces following a 50-30 defeat against Cape Girardeau State (Mo.) in the NAIA Tournament's opening game. The two opponents had agreed the loser would donate blood. . . . More than 100 current NCAA Division I schools previously competed in the NAIA Tournament. Thirteen of the 17 different colleges to win NAIA titles from 1941 through 1963 are currently classified as NCAA Division I institutions. One of the 13 universities is Southeast Missouri State, which captured the 1943 crown after losing its first four games of the season. . . . Mississippi College defeated Mississippi State three times by double-digit margins in 1944-45. . . . Howie Schultz, a star for Hamline (Minn.) in the early 1940s, replaced Jackie Robinson at first base in Robinson's first regular-season game for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. . . . CIAA champion West Virginia State was the nation's only undefeated college team in 1947-48, finishing with a 23-0 record. The squad, coached by Mark Cardwell, included future NBA players Bob Wilson and Earl Lloyd. . . . UCLA legend John Wooden was in his final season as coach of Indiana State when the Sycamores lost to Louisville in the 1948 NAIA final. Curtis Walker, Indiana State's 12th man, was the first African-American player in the NAIA Tournament. The all-tourney first five included Beloit's Johnny Orr, who went on to become a longtime major-college coach. Two years later, Indiana State won the NAIA title. . . . Tennessee A&I, coached by Henry A. Kean, was the nation's only undefeated team in 1948-49 with a 24-0 record. The Tigers' leading scorers, Clarence Wilson and Joshua Grider, were both eventually longtime standouts with the Harlem Globetrotters. . . . Hamline (Minn.), the 1949 NAIA champion, had two players - center Vern Mikkelsen and forward Hal Haskins - on Converse's first three five-man All-American teams. In 1950, scribes named Haskins winner of the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association's Gold Star Award as the outstanding visitng player in New York. In what might be the most impressive honor ever received by a small-college player, he virtually doubled the vote total of runner-up Chuck Cooper of Duquesne. North Carolina State's Sam Ranzino finished third, UCLA's George Stanich placed fourth and Holy Cross' Bob Cousy was fifth. The first five winners of the award were Penn's Howie Dallmar, DePaul's George Mikan, Kentucky's Ralph Beard, St. Louis' Ed Macauley and Denver's Vince Boryla. Haskins was among seven Hamline players who started their professional careers in an eight-year span from 1946 through 1953 under coach Joe Hutton Sr.

Morris Harvey's George King became the first college player to average 30 or more points per game in a seson when he led the nation's small-college players with a 31.2-point average in 1949-50. King went on to become a prominent major-college coach. . . . Sewanee (Tenn.) played 58 games in 10 weeks during the summer of 1951 while touring Africa and Europe with Goose Tatum, Marques Haynes and the Harlem Globetrotters. This reportedly was the first international trip for any college basketball team. . . . John Chaney scored 57 points for Bethune-Cookman FL in a 1952 game against Knoxville before becoming a Hall of Fame coach with Temple. . . . Florida A&M won the 1952 SIAC Tournament final against host Alabama State, 71-67, despite having just four players on the court the final 13-plus minutes (including two overtimes) because of players fouling out. . . . The first predominantly black college to take the floor in an integrated national collegiate tournament was Tennessee State (then Tennessee A&I) in 1953. Hall of Famer John McLendon coached Tennessee State to three consecutive national titles (1957-59). Oddly, the '53 Tennessee State team defeated McLendon-coached North Carolina College for the opportunity to go to Kansas City. . . . Seven years earlier, McLendon led North Carolina College to a 64-56 triple-overtime victory over Virginia Union in the final of the first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament. The CIAA Tournament blossomed into one of the premier postseason events in the country, including major-college tourneys. . . . Alderson-Broaddus College's Joe Miller (3,666) and Carl Hartman (3,373) became the only pair of 3,000-point scorers in college history to be teammates (1954 and 1955). . . . Southwest Missouri, winning the 1953 NAIA crown to become the first school to capture back-to-back titles with a 32-team format, played the last 3 1/2 minutes of its semifinal game with only four players on the court after encountering foul problems. The principal reason Southwest Missouri was shorthanded stemmed from two squad members being in spring training on their way to playing 12 seasons of major league baseball - infielder Jerry Lumpe and first baseman/outfielder Norm Siebern.

Ted Cassidy, Stetson's leading scorer and rebounder in 1954-55, played the role of Lurch in The Addams Family comedy TV series. . . . Tom Hart of Middlebury (Vt.) became the greatest rebounder in collegiate history. He still holds the record for most rebounds per game in a single season (29.5 rpg as a junior in 1954-55) and in a career (27.6 rpg). His coach was former baseball major leaguer Tony Lupien. The 6-4 Hart had two 46-rebound games in 1955 and grabbed 45 in a contest the next year as a senior. In track meets, Hart routinely entered six events and often scored over half his team's points, specializing in the high jump and pole vault. . . . West Virginia Tech averaged more than 100 points per game four consecutive seasons from 1954-55 through 1957-58. . . . Bill Reigel, playing for his third college in six seasons, led the nation's small-college players with a 33.9-point average when he paced McNeese State to the 1956 NAIA Tournament title. Reigel had averaged 18 points per game for the Duquesne freshman team in 1950-51 and 16.3 points per game for the Duke varsity in 1952-53 before entering military service. He later coached McNeese for three seasons from 1971-72 through 1973-74. . . . One of McNeese's three defeats in its championship season was at Lamar, 61-60, after the Cowboys had clobbered the Cardinals (12-12) by a total of 84 points in two early-season contests. The governor of Louisiana threatened McNeese to pull out of tourney if HBCU were allowed to participate. The Cowboys ultimately went against the governor's wishes and defeated HBCU powerhouse Texas Southern in national final. . . . Long-time Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy directed the basketball squad from Coe (Iowa) in the 1956 NAIA Tournament. . . . Lee Pfund, the coach for 1957 NCAA Division II champion Wheaton (Ill.), compiled a 3-2 pitching record for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945. The all-time winningest coach for Wheaton had three sons (John, Kerry and Randy) each score more than 1,150 points for the school. Randy went on to become coach of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers before becoming vice-president of the Miami Heat. NBA coach Donn Nelson, who gained a reputation as an authority on foreign basketball talent, collected 1,460 points and 538 rebounds for Wheaton in the mid-1980s. . . . Western Illinois missed an opportunity to become the nation's only undefeated college team in 1957-58 when it lost to Tennessee State, 85-73, in the NAIA Tournament championship game. Western had defeated Tennessee State, 79-76, earlier in the season. It was one of three consecutive NAIA titles won by Tennessee State, which boasted future pros Dick Barnett, John Barnhill and Ben Warley. . . . Davis & Elkins' Paul Wilcox, 6-6, is the only player to lead the NAIA in scoring (22.6 ppg) and rebounding (22.3 rpg) in the same season (1958-59). . . . In 1959, North Carolina A&T became the first predominantly black institution to participate in NCAA Division II national playoff competition. The Aggies finished third in the tourney. . . . Jack Madden, the dean of NBA referees for an extended period, graduated from Rider (N.J.) in 1959 as the school's career leader in scoring and rebounding.

Jazz vocalist Al Jarreau, a five-time Grammy winner, played for Ripon (Wis.) in the early 1960s. . . . The NAIA All-Stars upset NCAA champion Ohio State, 76-69, in a first-round game in the 1960 Olympic Trials. The NAIA zone defense limited Buckeye All-American Jerry Lucas to 14 points. . . . The first final NCAA College Division poll in 1960-61 included three coaches - Stan Albeck (Northern Michigan), Harry Gallatin (Southern Illinois) and Butch van Breda Kolff (Hofstra) - who went on to coach in the NBA for at least four seasons. In the next 10 campaigns, three other coaches - Bill Fitch (North Dakota), Bill Musselman (Ashland) and Scotty Robertson (Louisiana Tech) - guided College Division schools to a final Top 10 spot before moving up to the NBA for at least five years. Fitch and his successor, Jimmy Rodgers, coached multiple NBA teams. . . . The 1961-62 All-SWAC first-team selections included three frontcourters who later played at least 10 seasons in the pros - Prairie View's Zelmo Beaty, Southern's Bob Love and Grambling's Willis Reed. . . . Grambling finished in the top 10 of the first 76 weeks of College Division/Division II polls from January 5, 1961 through the end of the 1966-67 campaign. The Tigers, coached by Fred Hobdy, placed in the top five 40 consecutive weeks from March 2, 1961, through January 28, 1965. Grambling supplied seven top 20 NBA draft choices in a 20-year span from 1957 through 1976 before moving up to the NCAA Division I level - Bob McCoy (10th in 1957), Hershell West (16th in 1963), Reed (10th in 1964), Wilbert Frazier (12th in 1965), Jimmy Jones (13th in 1967), Fred Hilton (19th in 1971) and Larry Wright (14th in 1976).

Ronnie Maravich, a letterman for Georgia Southern in 1961-62, is a half-brother of Hall of Famer Pete Maravich (NCAA DI all-time leading scorer from LSU). . . . North Carolina A&T's Hugh Evans, a 12th-round draft choice by the St. Louis Hawks in 1963, went on to become a long-time NBA referee. Evans, a high school teammate in New York with Connie Hawkins and a college teammate of Al Attles, spent three years in the San Francisco Giants' minor league system. . . . Longtime Harlem Globetrotter Fred "Curly" Neal was an All-CIAA selection for Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) in 1962-63. . . . South Dakota State's decisive basket in a 44-42 decision over Wittenberg (Ohio) in the 1963 College Division Tournament final was a 40-foot baseball pass by Sid Bostic that went in after the buzzer sounded while the ball was in flight. . . . Winthrop "Wink" Davenport, who holds career average (19.6 ppg) and single-game (44 points as a junior vs. Bowdoin on February 2, 1963) scoring records for Wesleyan (Conn.), is the father of former women's tennis sensation Lindsay Davenport. He played for the U.S. volleyball team in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. . . . John Fred Gourrier, the lead vocalist for rock-and-roll group John Fred and the Playboy Band featuring hit single Judy in Disguise, was a 6-5 forward for Southeastern Louisiana in the mid-1960s. . . . Sam Alford, father of former Indiana All-American guard Steve Alford, led the NAIA in free-throw shooting in 1963-64. The elder Alford hit 91.2% of his foul shots for Franklin (Ind.) that season. . . . Midwestern (Tex.) defeated Austin College, 14-11, in overtime in 1964. Midwestern held a 4-1 halftime lead and the teams were tied at 8-8 at the end of regulation. Midwestern had won an earlier game that season with Austin by 40 points, 92-52. . . . Bob Jones, the all-time leading rebounder for Georgetown College (Ky.), is the father of former Virginia All-American guard and coach Jeff Jones. . . . Evansville was ranked No. 1 for 19 consecutive weeks from January 30, 1964, through the end of the 1964-65 season. . . . Jerry Sloan outscored Walt Frazier, 25-16, in Evansville's 85-82 victory over Southern Illinois in the 1965 NCAA College Division Tournament final. They went on to become NBA All-Defensive Team first-team selections the same year four times in seven seasons from 1968-69 through 1974-75. . . . Emmy Award-winning writer Bob Einstein, who created the Super Dave Osborne hapless stuntman character, averaged 5 ppg and 2.9 rpg for Chapman (Calif.) in 1963-64 and 1964-65. . . . Writer-director Ron Shelton, synonymous with numerous sports movies, scored 1,420 points for Westmont (Calif.) in the mid-1960s. . . . Ken Howard, street-savvy high school teacher in CBS classic drama The White Shadow, was third-leading all-time scorer for Amherst (Mass.) when his career ended in 1966. . . . Shippensburg's team in the mid-1960s had four different players eventually coach high school state championship teams in the mid-1980s during their careers following graduation. Art Taneyhill and Reggie Weiss coached basketball champions in Pennsylvania while Harry Chapman and Jim Deibler coached football titlists. . . . Wilberforce (Ohio) forward Lonnie Lynn Sr., a 1966 NBA draft choice of the St. Louis Hawks who played in the ABA in 1969-70, is the father of entertainer "Common" (previously Common Sense), a hip hop artist, actor and rap poet who was invited to the White House by the Obama Administration. . . . In 1966-67, Cleveland State's John McLendon became the first African-American to coach at an integrated college in the United States. He had previously been the first black coach at the professional level with the ABL's Cleveland Pipers. . . . In 1966-67, Kentucky Wesleyan had its first of 13 full seasons ranked in the top 10 of College Division/Division II polls (1967-68-69-82-84-87-90-98-99-00-01-02-03). . . . Rockhurst's Ed McKee, a 10th-round choice of the ABA's Indiana Pacers in its initial draft in 1967, went on to become P.R. director of the franchise after it merged with the NBA. McKee was also SID for Indiana State when Larry Bird gained national notoriety. . . . Ashland (Ohio) was coached by Bill Musselman in 1967-68 when the school allowed only 33.9 points per game, an NCAA record. . . . Scranton (Pa.), boasting a 20-5 record in 1968-69 under coach Nat Volpe, defeated five different major colleges that season - Lehigh, Rider, Lafayette, Colgate and Seton Hall. . . . Youngstown State's John McElroy became the shortest player (6-0) ever to score 70 or more points in a game involving NCAA colleges when he scored 72 against Wayne State (Mich.) on February 26, 1969. . . . Mickey Gibson, a transfer from Kentucky who was dismissed from the Wildcats' squad by coach Adolph Rupp because he got married, set the UNC-Asheville single-game scoring record with 44 points against Washington & Lee on February 8, 1969.

The first family of small-college basketball, if not all of hoopdom, could be the six brothers Jones from McGehee, Ark., all 6-8 or taller, who became the top six rebounders in Albany (Ga.) State history during the 1960s and 1970s. Oliver and Melvin were borderline pro prospects before Wil (nine), Caldwell (17), Major (six) and Charles (15) each played a minimum of six ABA/NBA seasons. Major Jones, 6-9, led NCAA Division II rebounders in 1974-75 with an average of 22.5 per game. He is the last Division I or Division II player to average at least 20 per game.

Doug Williams, a 32-year-old Air Force veteran, earned NAIA first-team All-American honors for St. Mary's (Tex.) in 1969-70 when he averaged 18.9 points per game. He scored 24 in a 76-66 upset of Houston. . . . Elmore Smith, a 7-0 center for 1970 NAIA champion Kentucky State, was called for goal tending 12 times in a 116-98 defeat against Eastern Michigan. . . . New Orleans won 38 consecutive home games in a small arena nicknamed the "Chamber of Horrors" after losing its opener against Louisiana College in the Privateers' varsity debut in 1969-70. LC, coached by Billy Allgood, also defeated Mississippi State that season. LC beat the following six eventual DI in-state schools at least five times apiece from 1964-65 through 1974-75: Louisiana Tech, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Northeast Louisiana, Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana. The Wildcats also upended Tulane three times from 1962-63 through 1967-68 before becoming the first predominantly white school to play a home-and-home season series against a HBCU (Grambling in 1971-72). . . . Stephen F. Austin, the top-ranked team at the NCAA College Division level in 1969-70, had four players selected in the NBA draft after the season - Narvis Anderson, George E. Johnson, Surry Oliver and Erwin Polnick. . . . Curlee Conners, Southeastern Louisiana's leading scorer and rebounder in 1969-70 and 1970-71, is an uncle of Marcus Dupree from Philadelphia, Miss., and a central figure in the recruiting of the nation's premier prep running back by Oklahoma in the early 1980s. . . . In 1970, with an enrollment under 650 students, three Maryland State College players from a 29-2 team were selected in the NBA draft - Jake Ford (2nd round), Levi Fontaine (5th) and James "Bones" Morgan (7th). Four years later, the school (now known as Maryland-Eastern Shore) had three more players chosen from a 27-2 squad - Rubin Collins (2nd), Talvin Skinner (3rd) and William "Billy" Gordon (4th). . . . Tennessee State edged Oglethorpe (Ga.), 7-4, on February 16, 1971, in what is believed to be the lowest-scoring college game since the center jump was eliminated prior to the 1937-38 season. Tennessee State had overwhelmed Oglethorpe, 82-43, earlier in the season. . . . Louisiana Tech had two players selected fourth overall in an NBA draft - Jackie Moreland (Detroit Pistons in 1960) and Mike Green (Seattle SuperSonics in 1973). . . . Birmingham-Southern's Russell Thompson scored 25 points without making a field-goal attempt in a 55-46 victory over Florence State in the 1970-71 season. He converted 25 of 28 free throws. . . . Less than seven hours after returning to campus following a quarterfinal defeat against eventual 1971 NAIA champion Kentucky State, Grambling's Charlie Anderson died as a result of injuries suffered in a hit-and-run auto accident. Anderson, who averaged 18.3 ppg and 17.8 rpg, provided the game-winning basket in the Tigers' overtime win against Glassboro State (N.J.) in second round. . . . Kentucky State's Travis "Machine Gun" Grant set the single-game NAIA Tournament scoring record with 60 points against Minot State in 1972. Grant finished his four-year college career with 4,045 points and a 33.4-point average. . . . Roanoke guard Hal Johnston, whose athletic career was almost ended when he fractured his skull in a fall from a truck as a senior in high school, was a runaway choice for most outstanding player honors at the 1972 NCAA College Division Tournament. . . . Robert "Firechief" Smith came to USC-Spartanburg in 1972 as a 34-year-old center, powering USCS to its first two winning seasons. He averaged 9.9 rpg in 1973-74, when he was named MVP of the Palmetto Conference Tournament - the first title of any kind in the history of the program. . . . Guilford won the 1973 NAIA Tournament with a lineup that included included three future NBA players - Lloyd Free, M.L. Carr and Greg Jackson. Guilford's top reserve was Steve Hankins, a 6-6, 220-pound, 28-year-old Marine Corps veteran who had served 44 months in Vietnam and was one of the military pallbearers at President Kennedy's funeral. . . . Guilford (N.C.) and Tennessee State are the only two small colleges to have two alums score more than 20 points per game in an NBA season - Free and Bob Kaufmann attended Guilford, while Dick Barnett and Truck Robinson attended Tennessee State.

Guard Greg Procell averaged 11.5 ppg in two seasons for Northwestern State in 1972-73 and 1973-74. Procell, a native of Noble, La. (Ebarb H.S.), held the national high school scoring record (6,702 points) until 2002 when it was broken by Jeremy Monceaux at Parkway Christian Academy of Birmingham, Ala., after Monceaux played varsity as a seventh- and eighth-grader at Spencer, La. Procell's NSU-career high was 27 points as a junior in a 76-70 overtime loss at Northeast Louisiana. He originally signed with Southwestern Louisiana, but when the Rajun Cajuns' program was shut down for NCAA infractions Procell attended Panola (Tex.) Community College, where he averaged 33.7 ppg as a freshman and 28.5 ppg as a sophomore. Procell, who had a J.C. single-game high of 57 points, became a fishing guide on Toledo Bend and an assistant principal at Huntington High in Shreveport. . . . Leon Gobczynski, a 6-10 center, averaged 36.1 points per game for Millikin (Ill.) in the 1973-74 season despite being blanked by Augustana (Ill.) in an 88-61 defeat. Gobczynski, who had scored 43 points in an earlier game that year between the two teams, missed all nine of his field-goal attempts in 36 minutes of playing time. . . . Salem (W. Va.) College's Archie Talley set an NAIA record for most points in a season (1,347) in 1975-76 when he averaged 40.8 per game. . . . Philadelphia Textile defeated a different Big Five school in three consecutive seasons from 1975-76 through 1977-78 - Villanova twice, Temple and St. Joseph's. . . . Amherst's Jim Rehnquist, son of Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, finished fifth in NCAA Division III scoring in 1976-77 with an average of 27.8 points per game. . . . Dave Robbins, who is white, became coach at Virginia Union in 1978-79 in the predominantly black CIAA. Robbins went on to win more CIAA Tournaments than any coach in league history. VUU finished in the Top 10 of final national rankings nine consecutive seasons from 1987-88 through 1995-96 and 12 of 13 beginning in 1983-84. . . . Former Briar Cliff (Iowa) players comprised Panama's entire starting lineup in the 1987 Pan American Games. Four members of Briar Cliff's "Panamanian Pipeline" were selected in NBA drafts from 1978 through 1981 (Mario Butler, Rolando Frazer, Tito Malcolm and Ed Warren). In the late 1980s, the first five spots on the school's career scoring list were Panamanians.

Mark Curry, a comedian starring in ABC's hit black sitcom Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, played center with California State-Hayward for three seasons in the early 1980s. . . . When Tampa resurrected its men's program in 1983-84 after a 13-year hiatus, coach Richard Schmidt took his first-year squad, starting one junior transfer and four freshmen, and won the Sunshine State Conference postseason tournament and automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs en route to a 20-11 record. It was the first time in NCAA history that a first-year team in any division qualified for the national tourney. Schmidt is a professional aviculturist who breeds exotic birds and raises other prize-winning animals on his ranch. Entertainer Wayne Newton has purchased birds from him. . . . Ron Morse, averaging a modest 3.6 ppg, lifted Fort Hays State (Kan.) to an 82-80 overtime triumph against Wayland Baptist (Tex.) in 1985 NAIA tourney final with a 15-fgoot game-winning, buzzer-beater. The unlikely hero is the son of Fort Hays coach Bill Morse. . . . Southeastern Oklahoma's Dennis Rodman registered 46 points and 32 rebounds in a single NAIA Tournament game in 1986. His rebounding total is tied for the most in a single game in tourney history. . . . Former Phoenix Suns/Seattle SuperSonics coach Paul Westphal guided Grand Canyon (Ariz.) to the 1988 NAIA title. . . . Four of the eight NAIA finals from 1981 through 1988 required extra sessions. Nine of 11 championship games in one stretch were decided in overtime or by fewer than six points in regulation. . . . Chuck Randall, Western Washington's longtime coach, invented the Slam-Dunk basketball rim. . . . Gary Lydic, a guard for the junior varsity as a freshman at McPherson (Kan.) and student assistant coach as a senior, served as director of ministry services for Focus on the Family when the organization was headquartered in Pasadena, Calif. On the morning Hall of Famer Pete Maravich died of a heart attack stemming from a heart defect, Lydic was among the men playing with him in a pickup game before the 40-year-old legend was slated to be interviewed on a Christian radio program. . . . Michael Jordan wasn't the best former college basketball standout performing as an outfielder with Birmingham (AA Southern League) in the Chicago White Sox's farm system in 1994. The superior baseball player was teammate Scott Tedder, a 6-4 lefthander who graduated as Ohio Wesleyan's all-time leading scorer in 1988. Tedder, playing about 1/4 of the '94 season in the league with Orlando, hit .281 while Jordan managed a lowly .202 and amassed more than 2 1/2 times as many strikeouts (114). Tedder posted a .261 average over five years with the Barons. Another ex-college hoop standout on the Barons' roster that year was Ken Coleman, a utilityman who hit .191. Coleman is New Haven's all-time leader in assists after leading the Chargers in scoring feeds all four seasons from 1984-85 through 1987-88. Coleman, a two-time All-NECC basketball selection, played seven years in the minor leagues. . . . The pep song for Chadron (Neb.) State should have been "Here's to Mrs. Robinson" during eight seasons from 1988-89 through 1995-96 when three brothers (Josh, Jason and Jeremy Robinson) played for the Eagles. Each of Gerry and Triss Robinson's sons was a four-year starter and they collaborated for 5,081 points and 2,138 rebounds in a total of 330 games. No one can determine for sure, but they might have combined for more points and rebounds than any other trio of brothers at any single college. Josh, the eldest brother, finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer (2,041 points). . . . Marquette's Al McGuire wasn't the only former Belmont Abbey (N.C.) coach to make a name for himself at the major-college level. All four Belmont Abbey coaches in the 1980s went on to coach Division I schools - Bobby Hussey (Davidson/Virginia Tech), Eddie Payne (East Carolina/Oregon State), Kevin Eastman (UNC Wilmington/Washington State) and Rick Scruggs (Gardner-Webb). . . . Todd Beamer, a backup guard for Wheaton (Ill.) in 1988-89, was the Oracle Corp account manager traveling from New Jersey to California on United Airlines Flight 93 for a business meeting on September 11, 2001, when helping lead a "let's roll" takeover by passengers from Islamic terrorists, forcing the plane down in Pennsylvania countryside about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. . . . Glenn Jacobs, the leading rebounder for Northeast Missouri State (now known as Truman State) in 1988-89 with 6.8 rpg, went on to become a three-time world champion in wrestling with ring name of Kane. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.

Todd Rowe, a 1992 graduate who is the all-time leading scorer for Malone (Ohio), became the first player in a professional Chinese league to score 3,000 points before he moved on to a league in Japan. . . . Bob Hoffman was deprived of becoming the first coach in NAIA history to guide men's and women's champions when No. 1 seed Oklahoma Baptist bowed to Hawaii Pacific (88-83) in the 1993 championship game. Hoffman had directed Southern Nazarene (Okla.) to the 1989 NAIA women's title. . . . John Pierce of David Lipscomb (Tenn.) became college basketball's all-time leading scorer after totaling 33 points in his 1993-94 regular-season finale, a 119-102 triumph over Cumberland. Pierce's 4,110 total career points broke former roommate Phil Hutcheson's mark of 4,106 set in the 1990 NAIA Tournament. . . . NAIA powerhouse Life (Ga.) had a 99-game homecourt winning streak, the third longest in college history, snapped by Talladega (Ala.), 75-72, in January 1999. Talladega was an unlikely spoiler, having won just two of its first 16 games that season. Life went on to become the first unseeded team to win the NAIA Tournament by overcoming a 26-point deficit to frustrate Mobile, 63-60. . . . Central Arkansas ranks among the schools for most NAIA Tournament appearances but none of those were when 1992 U.S. basketball Olympian and Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen played for the Bears. . . . David Lipscomb's Don Meyer reached the 700-win plateau quicker than any coach in college history. He compiled 702 victories through 1998-99 in 24 seasons before leaving for Northern State (S.D.) when he disagreed with Lipscomb's decision to move up to NCAA Division I. His 1989-90 squad won a college basketball-record 41 games. Meyer, atop the NCAA win list among active coaches with 891 at the time in 2008, had his left leg amputated below the knee after an auto accident. Meyer either fell asleep or was distracted when his car crossed the center line and collided with a semi. Meyer, 63, was diagnosed with a slow-growing cancer in his liver and bowels that doctors said might not have been found had he not been injured. . . . Six different members of the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) from the state of Missouri - Central Missouri State, Missouri-Rolla, Missouri Southern, Missouri Western, Northwest Missouri State and Southwest Baptist - finished with a final Top 10 ranking in a 12-year span from 1990-91 through 2001-02. . . . Prior to the inaugural season for Westminster (Pa.) in the NCAA in 1998-99, the Titans were acknowledged as the all-time winningest program in NAIA history with 1,299 victories. . . . Danny Miles, en route to reaching the 1,000-win plateau in 2013-14, earned triumph No. 400 in 4 1/2 hours because a broken rim at Simpson College in Redding, Calif., forced the game to be moved 20 miles to another facility. In college at Southern Oregon, Miles set the all-time pass completion percentage record for both NCAA and NAIA for a single season based on 225 attempts (1965, 190-247, .769) and career percentage based on 500 completions (1964-67, 577-871, .662).

Three different North Dakota State coaches the first three years of the 21st Century - Ray Giacoletti, Greg McDermott and Tim Miles - went on to guide other schools at the NCAA Division I level to national postseason competition. . . . Kenyan Charles Maina, who led Lynn (Fla.) in blocked shots two seasons in the late 1990s, starred in the nationally-acclaimed movie "The Air Up There." . . . Haitian Robert Joseph of Union (Tenn.) surpassed David Robinson's record by becoming the single-season blocked shots leader for all levels of college basketball with 242 rejections in 2001-02. . . . The College of Staten Island (N.Y.) started hosting an in-season tournament, called CSI Tournament of Heroes, to pay homage to three former CSI players (Terrance Aiken, Scott Davidson and Tom Hannafin) who perished during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Aiken had just started a computer consulting job on the 97th floor of World Trade Center Tower I while Davidson and Hannafin were New York City firefighters. . . . Jaeson Maravich, a son of NCAA all-time leading scorer Pete Maravich, was an NAIA All-American for William Carey (Miss.) in 2002-03 and 2003-04. Jaeson previously had stints with Alabama and McNeese State sidetracked by a back ailment. . . . Hope International (Calif.) ended a 60-game losing streak with a 94-84 win over Redlands (Calif.) in 2003-04. . . . Jack Bennett, the coach of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's 2004 NCAA Division III champion, is a brother of Dick Bennett, who guided Wisconsin to the 2000 NCAA Division I Tournament Final Four. Just like Dick had a son (Tony) play for him at Wisconsin-Green Bay, Jack had a son (Nick) who supplied 83 three-pointers for the Pointers in 2003-04. . . . Grinnell (Iowa) set an NCAA single-season scoring record for all levels by averaging 126.2 points per game in 2003-04. The Pioneers (18-6) had more three-pointers (530) than either two-point baskets (472) or free throws (495). Boasting eight players with more than 25 treys, they scored fewer than 100 points only three times. Grinnell coach David Arseneault had his teams press from the start and they would surrender a layup for a chance to come back down and take a three-point shot. The Pioneers hit 530 of 1,582 attempts from beyond the arc (33.5%).

The Moir family has accounted for more than 1,500 college victories. Page Moir became the all-time winningest coach for a school, Roanoke (Va.), where his father, Charles, won the 1972 NCAA College Division crown before coaching at the Division I level with Virginia Tech and Tulane. Charles' brother, Sam, coached at Catawba (N.C.) for 31 seasons. . . . In 2006, Texas Wesleyan became the fourth unseeded team in eight years to capture the NAIA Division I title. Three years later, Rocky Mountain (Mont.) defeated Columbia (Mo.) in the first championship game between two unseeded teams since seeding was introduced in 1957. . . . In 2011, Georgetown College (Ky.) became the first school to appear in at least 30 NAIA tourneys while becoming the initial institution to make 20 consecutive trips. Georgetown's emotional run to the 1996 tourney final was in honor of its dying coach, Jim Reid, who battled cancer before dying less than a month after the campaign concluded. . . . Brian Rice, a 43-year-old Navy retiree, was a backup for Geneva (Pa.) in 2012-13.

Numerous small-college hoopers were so versatile they eventually excelled professionally in other major sports. Earning acclaim as MLB All-Stars were George Altman (Tennessee State), Glenn Beckert (Allegheny PA), Frank Bolling (Spring Hill AL), Al Bumbry (Virginia State), Mickey Cochrane (Boston University), George Crowe (Indiana Central), Larry Doby (Virginia Union), Rick Ferrell (Guilford NC), Wayne Gross (Cal Poly Pomona), Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State), Bill Henry (Houston), Chuck Hinton (Shaw NC), Gil Hodges (St. Joseph's IN/Oakland City IN), Monte Irvin (Lincoln PA), Duane Josephson (Northern Iowa), David Justice (Thomas More KY), Dave Lemanczyk (Hartwick NY), Danny Litwhiler (Bloomsburg PA), Davey Lopes (Iowa Wesleyan/Washburn KS), Jerry Lumpe (Southwest Missouri State), Bake McBride (Westminster MO), Graig Nettles (San Diego State), Bill Nicholson (Washington College MD), Joe Niekro (West Liberty WV), Claude Passeau (Millsaps MS), Gary Peters (Grove City PA), Rip Repulski (St. Cloud State MN), Preacher Roe (Harding AR), Richie Scheinblum (LIU-C.W. Post), Hal Schumacher (St. Lawrence NY), Jeff Shaw (Rio Grande OH), Norm Siebern (Southwest Missouri State), Dick Siebert (Concordia-St. Paul MN), Matt Thornton (Grand Valley State MI), Bob Veale (Benedictine KS), Wes Westrum (Bemidji State MN) and Bill White (Hiram OH). Among current small-college alums, Bumbry, Doby, Hodges, Irvin, Justice, Litwhiler, Lopes, McBride, Nicholson, Niekro, Passeau, Repulski, Roe, Schumacher, Veale, Westrum and White participated in World Series competition along with former small-school hoopers Mike Adams (Texas A&M-Kingsville), Morrie Arnovich (Wisconsin-Superior), Clyde Barnhart (Shippensburg PA), Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State NC), Donn Clendenon (Morehouse GA), Jack Coombs (Colby ME), Harry Craft (Mississippi College), Jean Dubuc (Saint Michael's VT), George Earnshaw (Swarthmore PA), Ray Fisher (Middlebury VT), Jake Flowers (Washington College MD), Gene Freese (West Liberty State WV), Mike Gazella (Mansfield PA), Charlie Gelbert (Lebanon Valley PA), Dick Hall (Swarthmore PA), Bobby Humphreys (Hampden-Sydney VA), Lou Johnson (Kentucky State), Lynn Jones (Thiel PA), Ernie Krueger (Lake Forest IL), Dave Leonhard (Johns Hopkins MD), Les Mann (Springfield MA), Roger Mason (Saginaw Valley State MI), Jimmy Moore (Union TN), Red Murray (Lock Haven PA), Greasy Neale (West Virginia Wesleyan), Billy North (Central Washington), Jim Northrup (Alma College MI), Curly Ogden (Swarthmore PA), Joe Ostrowski (Scranton PA), Jack Phillips (Clarkson NY), Carl Reynolds (Southwestern TX), Paul Splittorff (Morningside IA), Kent Tekulve (Marietta OH), Bill Virdon (Drury MO), Ray Washburn (Whitworth WA), Monte Weaver (Emory & Henry VA), Dib Williams (Hendrix AR) and Tom Zachary (Guilford NC).

Ex-hoopers among NFL/AFL Pro Bowl selections included: Ken Anderson (Augustana IL), Ordell Braase (South Dakota), Marlin Briscoe (Nebraska-Omaha), Buck Buchanan (Grambling), Harold Carmichael (Southern LA), Ben Coates (Livingstone NC), Charley Cowan (New Mexico Highlands), Elbert Dubenion (Bluffton OH), London Fletcher (John Carroll OH), Len Ford (Morgan State), Jean Fugett (Amherst MA), Bill Groman (Heidelberg OH), Harlon Hill (Florence State AL), Vincent Jackson (Northern Colorado), Dave Jennings (St. Lawrence NY), Ed "Too Tall" Jones (Tennessee State), Jacoby Jones (Lane TN), Gary Larsen (Concordia MN), Joe Lavender (San Diego State), Rolland Lawrence (Tabor KS), Cy McClairen (Bethune-Cookman FL), Bob McLeod (Abilene Christian TX), Zeke Moore (Lincoln MO), Elvin "Kink" Richards (Simpson IA), Art Shell (Maryland-Eastern Shore), Rod Smith (Missouri Southern State), Ed Sprinkle (Hardin-Simmons TX), Lionel Taylor (New Mexico Highlands), Otis Taylor (Prairie View A&M) and Rayfield Wright (Fort Valley State GA). Anderson, Braase, Briscoe, Buchanan, Carmichael, Coates, Fletcher, Fugett, J. Jones, Larsen, Shell, Smith, O. Taylor and Wright were Super Bowl participants along with former small-college hoopers Don Beebe (Aurora College IL junior varsity), Kevin Boss (Western Oregon), Vern Den Herder (Central College IA), Jim Duncan (Maryland-Eastern Shore), Bob Lurtsema (Michigan Tech), Keith McKeller (Jacksonville State AL), Herb McMath (Morningside IA), Pete Metzelaars (Wabash IN), Wayne Moore (Lamar), Charles Philyaw (Texas Southern), Charlie Stukes (UMES) and Fuzzy Thurston (Valparaiso). Larsen (Minnesota Vikings) and Den Herder (Miami Dolphins) opposed each other as defensive linemen in Super Bowl VIII following the 1973 season. The next year, Larsen and Lurtsema were DL teammates when Vikes lost back-to-back Super Bowls. Beebe caught TD passes for the Buffalo Bills in back-to-back Super Bowls but is best known for iconic hustle play in SB XXVII against the Dallas Cowboys when he chased down and stripped defensive end Leon Lett of the ball for a touchback just before showboating Lett crossed the goal line following running more than 60 yards after fumble recovery.

Smaller colleges, many from the hinterlands, supplied a striking number of the biggest names in major-college coaching. From 1995 through 2000, five of the six NCAA Division I Tournament championship coaches graduated from obscure colleges with significantly smaller enrollments - Jim Calhoun (American International MA), Jim Harrick (Charleston WV), Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan), Lute Olson (Augsburg MN) and Tubby Smith (High Point NC). In fact, it is rare for a Final Four not to feature at least one coach from a humble background. John Calipari, a graduate of Clarion (Pa.) State, guided Kentucky to the 2012 national championship before Michigan's John Beilein (Wheeling Jesuit NY), Wichita State's Gregg Marshall (Randolph-Macon VA) and Butler's Brad Stevens (DePauw IN) directed teams to the Final Four in the last decade or so. Small-school hoopers who coached prominent universities to multiple bowl games include Dan Devine (Minnesota-Duluth), Tom Osborne (Hastings NE) and Bobby Petrino (Carroll MT). Title game coaches in the NFL and AFL after playing small-college hoops include Wally Lemm (Carroll WI) and Marv Levy (Coe IA). Status as a cash cow notwithstanding, it would appear no one should have been able to accuse the NCAA hierarchy of unabashed favoritism for the DI level. After all, former Executive Director Cedric Dempsey (Albion MI) and former enforcement chief David Berst (MacMurray IL) were small-school hoopers. Dempsey coached his alma mater after he was named MIAA MVP in 1953-54. Berst averaged 6.3 ppg and 4 rpg and held the school's baseball record for best ERA in a career before coaching both sports at his alma mater.

When Holy Cross All-American Tommy Heinsohn passed away three years ago, most observers dwelled upon his many significant achievements with the Boston Celtics. But there should have been much more than a cursory mention of him achieving status as the only player in NCAA history to collect more than 50 points and 40 rebounds in a single game against a major-college opponent (51/42 vs. Boston College in his next-to-last collegiate contest in 1955-56). Heinsohn is the headliner regarding the following handful of Herculean players - only one in the last 54 years (Oklahoma's Wayman Tisdale) - providing a total of more than 80 points and rebounds in a single contest against an NCAA Division I foe (minimum of more than 35 points and 20 rebounds):

DI Player	School	Total (Points/Rebounds)	DI Opponent	Date	Result
Tom Heinsohn	Holy Cross	93 (51 points/42 rebounds)	Boston College	3-1-56	W 111-75
Bill Chambers	William & Mary	88 (37 points/51 rebounds)	Virginia	2-14-53	W 105-84
Lew Alcindor	UCLA	85 (61 points/24 rebounds)	Washington State	2-25-67	W 100-78
Ronnie Shavlik	North Carolina State	84 (49 points /35 rebounds)	Villanova	1-29-55	L 91-78
Wilt Chamberlain	Kansas	83 (52 points/31 rebounds)	Northwestern	12-5-56	W 91-70
Wayman Tisdale	Oklahoma	83 (61 points/22 rebounds)	Texas-San Antonio	12-28-83	W 112-72

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as ill-informed GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick and his supporters spurring politicized multiple anthems and league funding anti-cop activist groups, 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 who promptly were 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 December 7 in football at the professional level (especially in 1947, 1952 and 1975):

DECEMBER 7

• St. Louis Cardinals DE Bubba Baker (averaged 4.1 ppg and 3.5 rpg as forward-center for Colorado State from 1974-75 through 1977-78) posted 2 1/2 sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 10-10 tie in 1986.

• 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 20-14 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1941.

• Detroit Lions 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 25-21 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1975. Briscoe finished game with five catches for 119 yards.

• Seattle Seahawks rookie TE John Carlson (played in three Notre Dame basketball games in 2003-04 under coach Mike Brey) collected a career-high eight pass receptions in 24-21 setback against the New England Patriots in 2008.

• New York Giants rookie E Ed Crawford (Ole Miss hoops letterman averaged 2.8 ppg and 5.3 rpg in eight games in 1954-55) had a 27-yard pass reception in 21-10 setback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957.

• Washington Redskins LB London Fletcher (started two games for St. Francis PA as freshman in 1993-94 before transferring to John Carroll OH) had at least 10 tackles for the second consecutive contest 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 42-0 AAFC win against the Baltimore Colts in 1947. Browns HB Bill Lund (hooper for Case Western Reserve OH) scored two second-half TDs (including a 63-yard run from scrimmage).

• Philadelphia Eagles E Bud Grant (third-leading scorer for Minnesota in 1948-49 after named team MVP previous season over first-team All-American Jim McIntyre) caught two touchdown passes in a 38-21 win against the Dallas Texans in 1952.

• Dallas Cowboys SS Cornell Green (Utah State's all-time leading scorer and rebounder when career ended in 1961-62) had two interceptions in a 41-17 win against the Cleveland Browns in 1974. Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) threw three touchdown passes including career-long 42-yard TD reception by TE Billy Joe Dupree (scored four points in total of four basketball games for Michigan State in 1971-72).

• E Red Hickey (three-time All-SWC selection and member of Arkansas' 1941 Final Four team) caught 20-yard touchdown pass from Bob Waterfield in fourth quarter to give the Los Angeles Rams a 17-14 win against the Chicago Bears in 1947.

• 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 159 yards in a 34-17 setback against the Detroit Lions in 2014.

• Chicago Cardinals FB Bert Johnson (played one game in 1934-35 under legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp) had a 26-yard touchdown reception in 34-24 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1941.

• 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-quarter touchdown passes in a 14-7 win against the New Orleans Saints in 2003.

• Chicago Bears E Luke Johnsos (Northwestern hoops letterman in 1927 and 1928) caught two touchdown passes from Red Grange (21 and 30 yards) in a 21-0 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1930.

• Washington Redskins QB Billy Kilmer (UCLA hooper under legendary coach John Wooden in 1959-60) passed for 320 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-27 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 1975.

• Chicago Cardinals E-DB Mal Kutner (two-year Texas hoops letterman in early 1940s) scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns - including 56-yard interception return - in a 45-21 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1947.

• Washington Redskins DB Joe Lavender (averaged 13.4 ppg and 6.6 rpg for San Diego State in 1969-70 and 1970-71) had three interceptions - returning one 51 yards for touchdown - in a 40-17 win against the San Diego Chargers in 1980.

• Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw four touchdown passes in a 45-21 win against the Chicago Bears in 1952. Three of league-high 15 TD receptions for Lions E Cloyce Box (combined with twin brother Boyce to help West Texas win Border Conference hoop championship in 1943) each was at least 25 yards in the first half. Six years later with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Layne threw two second-half TD passes - including a 28-yarder to E Cy McClairen (two-time all-league selection scored 36 points for Bethune-Cookman in 1953 SIAC Tournament championship game) - in a 14-14 tie against the Washington Redskins in 1958.

• New York Giants WR Bob McChesney (Hardin-Simmons TX hoops letterman in 1945-46) caught a career-long 72-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Rote in 27-17 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1952. Redskins E Hugh Taylor (OCU leading scorer with 11.4 ppg as senior in 1947) caught three TD passes from Eddie LeBaron.

• 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 36-10 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 2003.

• Houston Oilers CB Zeke Moore (Lincoln MO hoops letterman in mid-1960s) returned an interception 74 yards in a 27-13 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1975. It was Moore's first of three INTs in as many games to close the season.

• 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 50-14 win against the Arizona Cardinals in 2003.

• Dallas Cowboys RB Preston Pearson (swingman averaged 8.7 ppg and 6 rpg as Illinois senior in 1966-67) had eight pass receptions in a 31-17 setback against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1975.

• Cleveland Browns RB Greg Pruitt (Oklahoma frosh hooper in 1969-70) had 10 pass receptions - including go-ahead touchdown in fourth quarter - in a 17-14 win against the New York Jets in 1980.

• Chicago Rockets B Ray Ramsey (Bradley's top scorer in 1941-42 and 1942-43) had an 80-yard touchdown reception in 34-14 AAFC setback against the Los Angeles Dons in 1947.

• Buffalo Bills rookie QB George Ratterman (third-leading scorer with 11.7 ppg for Notre Dame in 1944-45) threw three touchdown passes in a 21-21 AAFC tie against the San Francisco 49ers in 1947.

• Denver Broncos WR Rod Smith (swingman was Missouri Southern State hoops letterman as sophomore in 1990-91) caught two first-half touchdown passes from John Elway (37 and 25 yards) in a 35-24 setback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997.

• Minnesota Vikings DB Charlie West (collected two points and one rebound in two UTEP games in 1967-68 under Don Haskins) returned a kickoff 78 yards in 20-13 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1969.

• San Francisco 49ers E Billy Wilson (averaged 3.3 ppg as senior letterman for San Jose State in 1950-51) caught two first-quarter touchdown passes from Y.A. Tittle (44 and 22 yards) in a 48-21 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1958.