Will they be able to keep their plans? Coaches and players are optimistic at this stage, but the start of the regular season will begin to provide authentic answers to the most vital questions heading into the 2013-14 campaign. The truth won't eventually clutter any filtered message being circulated now. In the meantime, following is a preseason game of 20 Questions with links to nerd-tears analysis amplifying on the Q&A:

• How in the name of James Naismith is anyone supposed to keep track of the almost 50 schools changing conference affiliation this season?

• What are the prospects for Michigan returning to the Final Four after the Wolverines lost multiple undergraduates early in the NBA draft?

• Will any Big 12 Conference opponent keep Kansas from becoming the fourth DI school in NCAA history to capture 10 consecutive regular-season league titles?

• Will Creighton's McDermott duo continue its ascension to the top among the premier father-son, coach-player combinations in NCAA history?

• Will Doug McDermott join North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough as the only three-time first-team All-Americans since the mid-1980s?

• Will McDermott become the first MVP in two different conferences after Creighton moved from the Missouri Valley to the Big East?

• Will Kentucky's regal recruiting class live up to billing and become one of the elite crops since freshmen became eligible in the early 1970s?

• What is the historical perspective if Gonzaga returns to the top of the WCC standings under coach Mark Few?

• How will Butler, Creighton, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Xavier fare in their new power conference digs?

• Which schools are overdue to end a drought by supplying an all-conference selection?

• Which power conference members should be ashamed of themselves because of their lame non-league schedules?

• Will POTUS need to issue his brother-in-law a presidential pardon if Oregon State continues to struggle under coach Craig Robinson?

• Will Denver forward Chris Udofia become the first player to earn all-league first-team acclaim in three different DI conferences?

• Which schools such as Grambling (winless last season) should consider moving back to small-college status?

• What coaching fraternity was joined by new L.A. crosstown rivals Steve Alford (UCLA) and Andy Enfield (Southern California)?

• Which coaches have security via contracts extending into the next decade?

• What can we expect from NCAA Division I newcomers?

• How many coaches such as Butler defector Brad Stevens have reneged on long-term contracts?

• Which Wisconsin player is most likely to become the latest Badger earning status as an All-Big Ten selection after averaging fewer than three points per game as a freshman?

• What significant achievement could former small-college player Davion Berry make if he becomes Big Sky Conference MVP for Weber State?

Numerous universities have had versatile athletes who played college basketball before going on to major league baseball careers. While many single-minded basketball fans are assessing polls and rankings in preseason hoop magazines and websites, following is an incisive "Who Am I?" quiz for well-rounded basketball/baseball enthusiasts taking a toll on their memories as they try to recall World Series participants, including former members of the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, who played varsity basketball for a current NCAA Division I college.

Keep your chin up if you need relief answering the following questions because they're almost as difficult as both teams probably will find scoring off brilliant bullpens:

I was a 13-year major league second baseman who set several fielding records and played in the 1967 World Series with the Boston Red Sox after ranking among the nation's top 12 free-throw shooters both of my college basketball seasons with Oklahoma State.
Who am I? Jerry Adair

I was a 17-year first baseman who hit four homers and a double in a single game and played in back-to-back World Series with the Milwaukee Braves after being LSU's leading scorer (18.6 points per game) for the Tigers' 1945-46 team that compiled an 18-3 record and lost against Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference Tournament final.
Who am I? Joe Adcock

I was a 10-year pitcher who led the A.L. in winning percentage in 1935 with an 18-7 record (.720) for the World Series-bound Detroit Tigers after I was named to the first five on an all-conference basketball team in my final season at Kansas State. I was a submariner who hurled a complete game victory in a 10-4 verdict over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the '34 Series before losing Game 7 to Dizzy Dean.
Who am I? Eldon Auker

I was a shortstop who participated in five World Series, four with the champion, in a six-year span from 1910 through 1915 after earning a basketball letter for Holy Cross in 1908.
Who am I? John "Jack" Barry

I was a rookie pitcher in 1978 with the New York Yankees who went the distance for the first time in my major league career in a Game 5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. I was a 6-5 forward who averaged 14.3 points and a team-high 8.9 rebounds per game for Dartmouth in 1974-75 when I was selected team MVP and honorable mention All-Ivy League.
Who am I? Jim Beattie

I was a catcher who appeared in back-to-back World Series with the New York Yankees (1927 and 1928) after being a basketball letterman for Niagara from 1916-17 through 1918-19.
Who am I? Bernard "Benny" Bengough

I was an outfielder who, during my 11-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, hit a double in the 1925 World Series to help them become the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in a seven-game series. I played with my brother on Oregon's basketball squad before we briefly played alongside each other with the Pirates.
Who am I? Carson "Skeeter" Bigbee

I was a player-manager who earned American League MVP honors in leading the Cleveland Indians to the 1948 World Series after being the top scorer for an Illinois team that shared a Big Ten basketball title.
Who am I? Lou Boudreau

I was a pitcher who appeared in the 1947 and 1949 World Series with the Brooklyn Dodgers after notching 21-12 and 13-5 won-loss marks, respectively, following a basketball career at NYU, where I was the Violets' sixth-leading scorer in 1943-44 with an average of 3.8 points per game. Major league player and manager Bobby Valentine is my son-in-law.
Who am I? Ralph Branca

I was a 12-year outfielder who played in three World Series with the New York Yankees and hit 38 home runs in one season with Kansas City after finishing my college basketball career ranking fourth on Nebraska's career scoring list.
Who am I? Bob Cerv

I am a Hall of Fame catcher who participated in five World Series (1929-30-31-34-35) with the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers after playing basketball for Boston University.
Who am I? Mickey Cochrane

I posted a 1.88 ERA in 14 1/3 innings for the Boston Red Sox against the New York Giants in the 1912 World Series after being a two-year basketball letterman with Vermont.
Who am I? Ray Collins

I am a Hall of Fame outfielder for the New York Yankees who compiled a .350 batting average in four World Series (1926-27-28-32) after being captain with Eastern Kentucky's basketball squad.
Who am I? Earle Combs

I am a three-time All-Star Game performer who pitched in the 1957 World Series for the Milwaukee Braves after being an All-Pacific Coast Conference first-team selection in 1949-50 when the 6-7 sophomore center led Washington State and the PCC North Division in scoring (13.3 points per game).
Who am I? Gene Conley

I hit .323 in three World Series (1948 with Boston Braves; 1951 and 1954 with New York Giants). Member of LSU's 1942-43 basketball squad before entering military service (Marine Corps V-12 program) during World War II. Known as the "Swamp Fox," I was a five-sport letterman with Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now Louisiana-Lafayette) during 1943-44.
Who am I? Alvin Dark

I led N.L. outfielders in putouts three years and hit near or over .300 for three St. Louis Cardinal pennant winners (1926, 1928 and 1930) after lettering three seasons in basketball for California.
Who am I? Taylor Douthit

I was a 10-year utility infielder who saw action in two World Series games in 1959 with the Chicago White Sox after averaging seven points per contest as a 5-9 starting guard for Indiana in 1951-52.
Who am I? Sammy Esposito

I was a catcher who appeared in two World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1974 and 1978). Pacific teammate of All-American Keith Swagerty averaged 3.7 ppg and 2.3 rpg in 1965-66 and 1966-67 under coach Dick Edwards, scoring two points against eventual NCAA champion UCLA in the 1967 West Regional final.
Who am I? Joe Ferguson

I led the A.L. in won-loss percentage in 1946 with a 25-6 mark before pitching a shutout in Game 3 of the World Series for the Boston Red Sox against the St. Louis Cardinals after being a basketball letterman for Mississippi State in 1940-41.
Who am I? Boo Ferriss

I was a lefthanded hitting backup outfielder who participated in the 1929 World Series with the Philadelphia Athletics after being a basketball letterman for Army's 18-5 team in 1921.
Who am I? Walter French

I wasa righthanded pitcher who appeared in the 1980 World Series with the Kansas City Royals after leading New Hampshire with 7.2 rpg in 1975-76.
Who am I? Rich Gale

I was a first baseman-outfielder who hit 103 major league homers and pinch hit four times for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1961 World Series after earning a letter with Temple's basketball team in 1948-49 when I averaged 2.7 points per game.
Who am I? Dick Gernert

I was a lefthanded pitcher who appeared in the 1960 World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates after finishing my four-year college career as Mississippi's leader in career scoring and rebounds following a senior season when my scoring average was higher than first-team All-Americans Elgin Baylor (Seattle) and Wilt Chamberlain (Kansas).
Who am I? Joe Gibbon

I am a Hall of Fame pitcher who set a record with 17 strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers in my third World Series in five years after becoming the first player in Creighton history to average at least 20 points per game in a career.
Who am I? Bob Gibson

I am a palm-ball specialist who blanked the Baltimore Orioles in 5 1/3 innings in three relief appearances for the champion Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1971 World Series after becoming the first N.L. pitcher to appear in each contest of a four-game LCS. I connected on 6 of 10 field-goal attempts in two games for Syracuse in 1959-60.
Who am I? Dave Giusti

I am an eight-time All-Star Game shortstop who started for World Series championship teams with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960 and St. Louis Cardinals in 1964 after twice ranking among the top four scorers in the country with Duke.
Who am I? Dick Groat

I was a perennial All-Star outfielder with multiple Gold Gloves and N.L. batting titles who sparked the San Diego Padres to two World Series (1984 and 1998) after being a two-time All-WAC second-team selection as a San Diego State guard who led the league in assists as a sophomore and junior.
Who am I? Tony Gwynn

I was a three-time All-Star catcher who played in the 1962 World Series with the San Francisco Giants (swatted a two-run homer off Hall of Famer Whitey Ford of the Yankees in Game Four) after playing as a backup forward for Illinois' basketball squad as a sophomore (1956-57) and junior (1957-58).
Who am I? Tom Haller

I was a 12-year lefthanded reliever who appeared in back-to-back World Series with the New York Yankees after being a 6-7 Morehead State forward-center who ranked 15th in the country in scoring as a junior (24.2 ppg) and among the nation's top 10 rebounders as a senior (19.1 rpg).
Who am I? Steve Hamilton

I was a 12-year lefthanded pitcher who appeared in the 1989 World Series with the San Francisco Giants after being a 6-2 guard who averaged 5.3 points per game as a freshman in 1976-77 and 4.9 ppg as a sophomore in 1977-78 for East Tennessee State.
Who am I? Atlee Hammaker

I was a first baseman-outfielder who participated in the 1942 World Series with the New York Yankees after playing for Manhattan basketball teams that won a school-record 17 consecutive games in 1930 and 1931.
Who am I? John "Buddy" Hassett

I was a lefthanded hitting utilityman who participated as a rookie with the New York Yankees in the 1923 World Series against the New York Giants after being a basketball letterman for Vanderbilt in 1918.
Who am I? Harvey Hendrick

I was a 10-year pitcher who hurled four shutout innings as the fourth-game starter for the New York Yankees in the 1939 World Series after being a basketball All-American for Butler. I was named to the first A.L. All-Star team in 1933.
Who am I? Oral Hildebrand

I was a 16-year first baseman/outfielder who homered in Game 4 of the 1963 World Series to help the Los Angeles Dodgers sweep the New York Yankees and twice led the A.L. in homers after leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding as a junior and senior.
Who am I? Frank Howard

I was a 13-year infielder who slugged 43 of my 136 career homers for the Atlanta Braves in 1973 after appearing in four World Series with the Baltimore Orioles (1966, 1969, 1970 and 1971). I averaged 1.7 points per game as a sophomore in my only varsity basketball season (1961-62) with Texas A&M before signing a pro baseball contract.
Who am I? Davey Johnson

I was a 13-year outfielder who hit .306 for the New York Yankees in 19 World Series games after being a three-year basketball letterman for Maryland.
Who am I? Charlie Keller

I was a Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher who became N.L. MVP but lost the 1950 World Series opener to the New York Yankees as a starter, 1-0, after playing two seasons for Syracuse basketball teams.
Who am I? Jim Konstanty

I began my rookie year with the Chicago Cubs by winning nine of my first 10 decisions before becoming a reliever for the 1969 Amazin' Mets World Series champion. I was a standout basketball player for Campbell in 1960 and 1961 when the North Carolina-based school was a junior college.
Who am I? Cal Koonce

I was an infielder-outfielder who hit .303 in my 15-year career. When I was with the Detroit Tigers, I led the A.L. in batting average once (.353 in 1959), hits four times (209 in 1953 when he was rookie of the year, 201 in 1954, 196 in 1956 and 198 in 1959) and doubles on three occasions (38 in 1955, 39 in 1958 and 42 in 1959) before appearing in the 1962 World Series with the San Francisco Giants. I managed the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1982 World Series. I played in five games for Wisconsin's basketball team in the 1951-52 season.
Who am I? Harvey Kuenn

I was a three-time All-Star outfielder who posted a .331 average with 22 HRs and 107 RBI in my first full season with the New York Giants in 1935 before appearing in the World Series in 1936 and 1937. I had two hits in a six-run second inning of Game Four in the Giants' lone victory against the New York Yankees in 1937 after scoring 16 points in nine basketball games for Arizona in 1931.
Who am I? Hank Lieber

I am an outfielder who led the A.L. in stolen bases, a record for an A.L. rookie, and appeared in the World Series with three different teams (Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants) after setting Arizona basketball records for steals in a season and career.
Who am I? Kenny Lofton

I was a 12-year infielder who played in the 1957 and 1958 World Series with the New York Yankees after being a member of Southwest Missouri State squads that won 1952 and 1953 NAIA Tournament titles.
Who am I? Jerry Lumpe

I was a lefthanded outfielder who appeared in 1943 World Series for the New York Yankees against the St. Louis Cardinals after being a basketball letterman with William & Mary from 1935-36 through 1937-38.
Who am I? Arthur "Bud" Metheny

I was a Gold Glove left fielder in 1960 between participating in two World Series with the Dodgers (1959 and 1965) after averaging 4.3 ppg with Texas A&M in 1948-49 and 1949-50.
Who am I? Wally Moon

I was a righthander who appeared in 1934 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals' Gas House Gang against the Detroit Tigers. I was an all-around athlete at East Tennessee State.
Who am I? Jim Mooney

I was an infielder who hit .303 with the Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox in 17 A.L. seasons from 1925 through 1941, participating in two World Series (1925 and 1933). I was a basketball letterman for Mississippi State in 1923-24.
Who am I? Charles "Buddy" Myer

I was a five-time All-Star who holds the A.L. record for most homers by a third baseman (319), but was homerless in five World Series (four with the New York Yankees and one with the San Diego Padres). The highlight of my career was four dazzling stops in Game 3 of the 1978 World Series to help the Yankees win their first of four consecutive games. I averaged 5.3 points per game while earning basketball letters in my hometown for San Diego State in 1963-64 and 1964-65, shooting 87.8% from the free-throw line (36 of 41) as a sophomore.
Who am I? Graig Nettles

I was a 19-year pitcher who appeared in two World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies after averaging 18.9 points and 14.3 rebounds in three varsity basketball seasons with Notre Dame.
Who am I? Ron Reed

I was a catcher who played with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1967 and 1968 World Series. I led Duquesne in scoring in my senior season with a 17.9 average in 1956-57 when I finished fourth in the nation in free-throw percentage (86.2). As a sophomore, I was a starter for an NIT championship team that compiled a 22-4 record and finished sixth in the final AP poll.
Who am I? Dave Ricketts

I appeared in 1915 World Series with the Philadelphia Phillies en route to becoming the N.L.'s winningest lefthanded pitcher until Warren Spahn broke my record. I earned basketball letters with Virginia in 1911-12 and 1913-14.
Who am I? Eppa Rixey Jr.

I am a Hall of Fame pitcher who was a 20-game winner for six consecutive seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies after leading Michigan State in field-goal percentage as a junior captain. In 1950, I lost my only World Series start, 2-1, when the Yankees' Joe DiMaggio homered off me in the 10th inning.
Who am I? Robin Roberts

I am a Hall of Fame infielder who was a regular for six National League pennant winners after compiling league-high scoring averages in both of my seasons with UCLA. I collected two homers and seven doubles in World Series competition for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Who am I? Jackie Robinson

I was a four-time All-Star third baseman with the New York Yankees who appeared in six of the seven World Series from 1936 through 1942. I managed the Detroit Tigers after being a head basketball coach at Yale and with the Toronto Huskies of the Basketball Association of America. I played in a handful of basketball games for Dartmouth.
Who am I? Robert "Red" Rolfe

I was a New York Yankees lefthander who registered a pair of 2-1 World Series victories (over the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941 and St. Louis Cardinals in 1943) after playing for two of the premier teams in college basketball history when LIU went 24-2 in 1934-35 and 26-0 in 1935-36. I was named to the first five on the Metropolitan New York Basketball Writers Association All-Star Team after the undefeated season.
Who am I? Marius Russo

I pitched in two World Series games for the New York Yankees in 1964 after being a 6-4 sophomore forward who averaged 13.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for Connecticut's NCAA Tournament team in 1959-60.
Who am I? Rollie Sheldon

I was a three-time All-Star first baseman-outfielder who played in the 1956 and 1958 World Series with the New York Yankees and 1967 World Series with the Boston Red Sox. I was a member of Southwest Missouri State squads that won back-to-back NAIA Tournament titles in 1952 and 1953.
Who am I? Norm Siebern

I was an infielder-outfielder who batted .319 or better in 12 of 14 major league seasons with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs from 1921 through 1934. In 1927, my first full season with the Cubs, I led the N.L. with 46 doubles. In the Cubs' 1929 pennant-winning season, I combined with Hall of Famers Kiki Cuyler and Hack Wilson to become the first outfield in N.L. history to have each starter finish with more than 100 RBI. I hit .378 in nine World Series games with the Cubs in 1929 and 1932 after being a guard who earned a basketball letter with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 1920.
Who am I? Riggs Stephenson

I was a 10-year switch-hitting utilityman who played in the 1970 World Series with the Cincinnati Reds. I was an all-conference selection both years when I finished third in scoring for Austin Peay teams in 1959-60 (11.5 points per game) and 1960-61 (10.4 ppg) that participated in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Who am I? Jimmy Stewart

I was a 13-year veteran who appeared in 485 major league games, all as a reliever, and won a 1979 World Series game with the Baltimore Orioles after being a starting forward opposite national player of the year David Thompson of North Carolina State for an NCAA basketball champion.
Who am I? Tim Stoddard

I was a lefthander who led the N.L. in won-loss percentage in 1973 (12-3 mark with the New York Mets) before appearing in the World Series and notching a save in Game 2 against the Oakland A's. Basketball letterman for Louisiana Tech in 1964-65 and 1965-66 (averaged 14.7 ppg as teammate of noted women's coach Leon Barmore).
Who am I? George Stone

I was a lefthanded swinging catcher-utilityman who participated in 1940 World Series with the Detroit Tigers after being a basketball letterman for Portland in the late 1920s.
Who am I? Billy Sullivan

I was an 11-year infielder who led the A.L. in stolen bases three times and hit .326 in the World Series for back-to-back N.L. pennant winners with the Cincinnati Reds after becoming the first Duke player to earn All-American honors in basketball. I was the initial player to bat in a televised major league game (Reds vs. Brooklyn on August 26, 1939) and the only player ever to hit four consecutive doubles in a game in both leagues.
Who am I? Billy Werber

I was an outfielder who played in 12 All-Star Games and had over 3,000 career hits after playing the entire game for Minnesota in the Gophers' first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1972. I participated in the World Series with the New York Yankees (1981) and Toronto Blue Jays (1992).
Who am I? Dave Winfield

If Doug McDermott (#3) lives up to billing in Creighton's inaugural season in the Big East Conference, he could join North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough as the only three-time first-team All-American since Georgetown's Patrick Ewing and Oklahoma's Wayman Tisdale in the mid-1980s. Hansbrough (2007 through 2009) is the only three-time first-team All-American in the previous 28 campaigns.

There were a total of 15 three-time first-teamers in less than 20 years from 1960 (Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson) to 1978 (North Carolina's Phil Ford). After several decades when a majority of players departed at the first scent they could possibly play in the pros, following is an alphabetical list of the individuals earning All-American recognition three or four college seasons:

Player	Pos.	College	Three- or Four-Year All-American Recognition
Mark Aguirre	F	DePaul	1979 (C2), 1980 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1981 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Danny Ainge	G	Brigham Young	1979 (NABC4), 1980 (NABC3) and 1981 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Lew Alcindor	C	UCLA	1967 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1), 1968 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1969 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Marvin Barnes	C	Providence	1972 (NABC4), 1973 (C2, UPI3, NABC4) and 1974 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Ralph Beard	G	Kentucky	1947 (C1, NABC1), 1948 (AP1, C1, NABC1) and 1949 (AP1, NABC1, UP1, C2)
Kent Benson	C	Indiana	1975 (C2, NABC4), 1976 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1977 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1)
Larry Bird	F	Indiana State	1977 (NABC3, UPI3), 1978 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1979 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Bill Bradley	F	Princeton	1963 (AP2, C2, UPI2, NABC3), 1964 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1965 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Quinn Buckner	G	Indiana	1974 (NABC4), 1975 (C2, UPI2, NABC3) and 1976 (C2)
Bill Cartwright	C	San Francisco	1977 (AP2, UPI2, NABC3), 1978 (C2) and 1979 (AP1, C1, USBWA1, NABC2, UPI2)
Calbert Cheaney	F	Indiana	1991 (USBWA2, AP3, NABC3, UPI3), 1992 (AP3, NABC3, UPI3) and 1993 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Mateen Cleaves	G	Michigan State	1998 (USBWA1, AP2, NABC3), 1999 (AP1, NABC1, USBWA1) and 2000 (AP2, NABC3)
Bob Cousy	G	Holy Cross	1948 (NABC2, AP3), 1949 (AP2, UP2, C4) and 1950 (AP1, NABC1, UP1, C2)
Dave DeBusschere	F	Detroit	1960 (C2, UPI3), 1961 (C2, NABC2, UPI3) and 1962 (C2, AP3, NABC3, UPI3)
Terry Dischinger	C-F	Purdue	1960 (C1, USBWA1, AP2, NABC2, UPI1), 1961 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1962 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Tim Duncan	C	Wake Forest	1995 (AP3, NABC3), 1996 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1997 (AP1, NABC1, USBWA1)
Paul Ebert	C	Ohio State	1952 (C3), 1953 (AP2, C3, UP3) and 1954 (C3, UP3)
Maurice "Bo" Ellis	F	Marquette	1975 (C2, NABC4), 1976 (C2) and 1977 (C2, NABC2, AP3)
Patrick Ewing*	C	Georgetown	1982 (C2), 1983 (AP1, C1, NABC1, USBWA1, UPI2), 1984 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1985 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Arnie Ferrin*	F	Utah	1944 (C1), 1945 (C1), 1947 (C2, NABC3) and 1948 (C1, AP2)
Phil Ford*	G	North Carolina	1975 (C2), 1976 (C1, NABC1, AP2, UPI2), 1977 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1978 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Mike Gminski	C	Duke	1978 (C2), 1979 (NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1, AP2, C2) and 1980 (AP2, NABC2, UPI2)
Tom Gola*	C-F	La Salle	1952 (C1), 1953 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UP1), 1954 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UP1) and 1955 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UP1)
Sihugo Green	G	Duquesne	1954 (C4), 1955 (C1, NABC1, UP1, AP2) and 1956 (AP1, NABC1, UP1, C2)
Darrell Griffith	G	Louisville	1978 (C2), 1979 (C1, NABC3) and 1980 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Alex Groza	C	Kentucky	1947 (NABC1, C2), 1948 (C1, AP2, NABC2) and 1949 (AP1, C1, UP1)
Tyler Hansbrough*	F-C	North Carolina	2006 (AP3, NABC3), 2007 (NABC1, USBWA1, AP2), 2008 (AP1, NABC1, USBWA1) and 2009 (AP1, NABC1, USBWA1)
Elvin Hayes	F-C	Houston	1966 (C2), 1967 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1968 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Fred Hetzel	F-C	Davidson	1963 (C2), 1964 (C1, AP2, UPI2, NABC3) and 1965 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Art Heyman	F	Duke	1961 (C2, AP3, UPI3), 1962 (USBWA1, AP2, C2, NABC2, UPI2) and 1963 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Grant Hill	F	Duke	1992 (UPI2), 1993 (NABC2, UPI2, USBWA2, AP3) and 1994 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
"Hot" Rod Hundley	G-F	West Virginia	1955 (C4), 1956 (AP2, C2, NABC2, UP2) and 1957 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UP1, USBWA1)
Tony Jackson	F	St. John's	1959 (NABC3), 1960 (AP1, C2, NABC2, UPI2) and 1961 (AP2, C2, NABC2, UPI2)
Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones	F-C	Kentucky	1947 (C2), 1948 (C3) and 1949 (C1, UP1, AP2)
Bernard King	F	Tennessee	1975 (C2, UPI2, NABC3), 1976 (USBWA1, C2, UPI2, AP3, NABC3) and 1977 (AP1, C1, UPI1, USBWA1, NABC2)
Bob Kurland	C	Oklahoma A&M	1944 (C2), 1945 (C1) and 1946 (C1)
Bob Lanier	C	St. Bonaventure	1968 (USBWA1, AP2, C2, NABC2, UPI2), 1969 (AP2, C2, NABC2, UPI2) and 1970 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
York Larese	G	North Carolina	1959 (AP3), 1960 (C2, NABC3) and 1961 (NABC2, AP3, UPI3)
Tony Lavelli*	F	Yale	1946 (C3), 1947 (NABC2), 1948 (NABC1, AP2, C2) and 1949 (AP1, UP1, C2)
Keith Lee*	F-C	Memphis State	1982 (C1, AP2), 1983 (C1, UPI1, USBWA2, AP2, NABC2), 1984 (NABC2, UPI2, USBWA2, AP3) and 1985 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Ron Lee	G	Oregon	1974 (C2, NABC4), 1975 (NABC1, C2, UPI2, AP3) and 1976 (AP2, C2, NABC3, UPI3)
Clyde Lovellette	C	Kansas	1950 (C2, AP3), 1951 (AP1, NABC1, UP1, C2) and 1952 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UP1)
Jerry Lucas	C	Ohio State	1960 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1), 1961 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1962 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
John Lucas Jr.	G	Maryland	1974 (AP2, C2, NABC3), 1975 (C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1, AP2) and 1976 (AP1, C1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Angelo "Hank" Luisetti	F	Stanford	1936 (C1), 1937 (C1) and 1938 (C1)
Kyle Macy	G	Kentucky	1978 (UPI3), 1979 (C2, NABC3) and 1980 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Mike Maloy	C	Davidson	1968 (C2), 1969 (C1, USBWA1, AP2, UPI2, NABC3) and 1970 (C2, AP3, NABC3, UPI3)
Danny Manning	F	Kansas	1986 (AP2, NABC2, UPI2, USBWA2), 1987 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1988 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Pete Maravich	G	Louisiana State	1968 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1), 1969 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1970 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Billy McGill	C	Utah	1960 (AP3, NABC3), 1961 (USBWA1, AP2, C2, NABC2, UPI2) and 1962 (AP1, C1, UPI1, USBWA1, NABC2)
Tom McMillen	F	Maryland	1972 (C2, AP3, UPI3), 1973 (C1, NABC2, UPI2, AP3) and 1974 (C1, NABC2, UPI2, AP3)
Jim McMillian	F	Columbia	1968 (UPI3), 1969 (USBWA1, C2, NABC2, UPI3) and 1970 (C2, AP3)
George Mikan	C	DePaul	1944 (C1), 1945 (C1) and 1946 (C1)
John Moir	F	Notre Dame	1936 (C2), 1937 (C1) and 1938 (C1)
Rick Mount	G	Purdue	1968 (C1, UPI2, AP3, NABC3), 1969 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1970 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Alonzo Mourning*	C	Georgetown	1989 (AP3, UPI3), 1990 (NABC1, AP2), 1991 (NABC3) and 1992 (AP1, UPI1, USBWA1, NABC2)
Chris Mullin	G-F	St. John's	1983 (C2, UPI3), 1984 (NABC1, UPI1, AP2, USBWA2) and 1985 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Calvin Murphy	G	Niagara	1968 (UPI1, USBWA1, AP2, C2, NABC2), 1969 (AP1, C1, UPI1, USBWA1, NABC2) and 1970 (AP1, C1, UPI1, USBWA1, NABC2)
Charles "Cotton" Nash	F-C	Kentucky	1962 (USBWA1, AP2, C2, UPI2, NABC3), 1963 (USBWA1, AP2, C2, NABC2, UPI2) and 1964 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Mike O'Koren	F	North Carolina	1978 (C2, NABC3), 1979 (C1, USBWA1, NABC2, UPI2) and 1980 (C1, USBWA1, NABC2, UPI2)
Kevin O'Shea*	G	Notre Dame	1947 (NABC3), 1948 (AP1, C1, NABC1), 1949 (AP3) and 1950 (AP1, UP1, C2)
Robert Parish	C	Centenary	1974 (NABC5), 1975 (NABC5) and 1976 (AP2, C2)
Sam Perkins	F-C	North Carolina	1982 (USBWA1, C2, NABC2, UPI2), 1983 (C1, UPI1, USBWA1, NABC2, AP3) and 1984 (AP1, UPI1, USBWA1, NABC2)
Bob Pettit	C	Louisiana State	1952 (AP2, UP2, C4), 1953 (AP2, NABC2, UP2, C3) and 1954 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UP1)
Andy Phillip	F	Illinois	1942 (C3), 1943 (C1) and 1947 (NABC1)
Howard Porter	F	Villanova	1969 (C2, AP3, NABC3, UPI3), 1970 (C2) and 1971 (C1, NABC2, UPI2, AP3)
Mark Price	G	Georgia Tech	1984 (UPI3), 1985 (AP2, NABC2, UPI3) and 1986 (NABC2, AP3, UPI3)
Frank Ramsey	F	Kentucky	1951 (AP3, C3, UP3), 1952 (C1, AP2, UP2) and 1954 (C1, AP2, NABC2, UP2)
Jonathan "J.J." Redick	G	Duke	2004 (NABC3), 2005 (AP1, NABC1, USBWA1) and 2006 (AP1, NABC1, USBWA1)
Oscar Robertson	F	Cincinnati	1958 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UP1, USBWA1), 1959 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1960 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
John Roche	G	South Carolina	1969 (C2), 1970 (C1, USBWA1, AP2, UPI2, NABC3) and 1971 (C1, UPI1, USBWA1, AP2, NABC2)
Cazzie Russell	G	Michigan	1964 (C1, USBWA1, AP2, NABC2, UPI2), 1965 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1966 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Ralph Sampson*	C	Virginia	1980 (C2), 1981 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1), 1982 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1983 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Don Schlundt	C	Indiana	1953 (AP2, C2, NABC2, UP2), 1954 (AP1, NABC1, UP1, C2) and 1955 (NABC1, AP2, UP2, C4)
Charlie Scott	G-F	North Carolina	1968 (C2), 1969 (C1, NABC1, USBWA1, AP2, UPI2) and 1970 (C1, NABC1, USBWA1, AP2, UPI2)
Frank Selvy	F	Furman	1952 (C3), 1953 (AP2, C2, UP2) and 1954 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UP1)
Paul Silas	C	Creighton	1962 (C2), 1963 (C2) and 1964 (C2, NABC2, AP3, UPI3)
Lionel Simmons	F	La Salle	1988 (UPI3), 1989 (NABC2, UPI2, USBWA2, AP3) and 1990 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Meyer "Whitey" Skoog	G-F	Minnesota	1949 (AP3), 1950 (AP2) and 1951 (C2, NABC2, AP3, UP3)
Doug Smart	F-C	Washington	1957 (C2), 1958 (C2) and 1959 (C2)
Dave Stallworth	F	Wichita State	1963 (C1, UPI3), 1964 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1965 (C1, USBWA1, AP2, NABC2, UPI2)
David Thompson	F	North Carolina State	1973 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1), 1974 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1975 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Wayman Tisdale	C-F	Oklahoma	1983 (AP1, C1, USBWA1, UPI2, NABC3), 1984 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1985 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Kelly Tripucka	F-G	Notre Dame	1979 (USBWA1, NABC2, UPI2, AP3), 1980 (UPI3) and 1981 (UPI1, NABC2)
Wes Unseld	C	Louisville	1966 (C2), 1967 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1968 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Darnell Valentine*	G	Kansas	1978 (C2), 1979 (C2), 1980 (C1) and 1981 (C1, AP2)
Jacque Vaughn	G	Kansas	1995 (UPI3), 1996 (AP2, NABC2, UPI2, USBWA2) and 1997 (AP2, NABC2, USBWA2)
Chet Walker	F	Bradley	1960 (AP2, C2, NABC2, UPI2), 1961 (AP1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1, C2) and 1962 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Jimmy Walker	G	Providence	1965 (C2, AP3, NABC3), 1966 (UPI1, USBWA1, AP2, C2) and 1967 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Bill Walton	C	UCLA	1972 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1), 1973 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1974 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Jerry West	F-G	West Virginia	1958 (C2, AP3, UP3), 1959 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1) and 1960 (AP1, C1, NABC1, UPI1, USBWA1)
Joseph "Jo Jo" White	G	Kansas	1967 (C2), 1968 (USBWA1, C2, NABC2, AP3, UPI3) and 1969 (C1, AP2, NABC2, UPI2)

*Among the total of 11 four-time All-Americans.

By any measure, it was shortsighted of Indiana and Kentucky to let their "Clash of the Titans" rivalry expire because of colossal coaching egos. Regrettably, the schedule neglect doesn't end there. Notre Dame finally met Purdue last year but it's obscene that fans aren't able to enjoy the following potentially great natural non-league matchups between in-state power league members: Cincinnati/Ohio State, DePaul/Illinois, Georgetown/Maryland and Penn State/Villanova.

Misguided Memphis mentor Josh Pastner didn't see the benefit in continuing the Tigers' series with Tennessee. He'd rather just sit at home and beat up on out-of-state fodder. Do you think there is any connection between that misguided mindset and Pastner going winless in his first 11 assignments against opponents ranked in the Top 25? But mark a date on your calendar. Instead of Memphis vs. Tennessee, we get the titantic tilt featuring the Volunteers vs. Tusculum.

Maryland, rather than coping with an exit fee lawsuit from the ACC, should face litigation from Terrapin fans because of a woeful non-league home schedule that probably cost them an at-large berth in the NCAA playoffs. To their credit, the Terps are playing a better non-league slate this season (incuding George Washington) but not enough to still be in a category with other schools that could be denied an at-large bid because of a lack of foresight. Ohio State and Pittsburgh could succeed Maryland this campaign as the most shortsighted schools possibly ending up in the NIT rather than the NCAA tourney. Shouldn't the overriding view be what's best for the fans, players and game in general? Instead, a striking number of schools should be criticized for their fiasco picking on an excessive number of patsies. Kudos to Virginia for scheduling Virginia Commonwealth although the Cavaliers succumbed at home against VCU in a credential-building contest.

The last two NCAA titlists - Kentucky and Louisville - should be embarrassed about their non-conference schedules leading up to their annual battle. Thankfully, Oklahoma is finally opposing Tulsa, Penn State is pitted against Pittsburgh in ACC/Big Ten Challenge and Purdue meets Butler. But rather than insomnia-curing mismatches, how much more interest would there be in Wichita State opposing Kansas and Kansas State, Akron and Dayton against Cincinnati and Ohio State, Tulsa against Oklahoma State, Illinois State against DePaul and Illinois, Missouri against Missouri State and Saint Louis, plus Belmont against Tennessee and Vanderbilt? KU may have the nation's most rigorous non-league slate for a Top 20 team but the Jayhawks should still have an entertaining duel with the Shockers on the heels of their Final Four appearance. At some point, Self-serving needs to defer to what's best for the sport.

Isn't this supposed to be the era for putting an end to bullying? The hoop haughtiness of power schools denying fans stimulating non-league games isn't a new phenomenon. For instance, LSU avoided potentially attractive in-state assignments for decades by never opposing McNeese State's Joe Dumars, Tulane's Jerald Honeycutt, New Orleans' Ervin Johnson, Louisiana Tech's Karl Malone, Northeast Louisiana's Calvin Natt, Centenary's Robert Parish and Southwestern Louisiana's Andrew Toney. Similarly, North Carolina shunned Davidson first- and second-team All-Americans Stephen Curry, Mike Maloy and Dick Snyder during the regular season. The Tar Heels did defeat Davidson in exciting back-to-back East Regional finals by a total of six points in 1968 and 1969 when Maloy averaged 21.5 ppg and 13 rpg.

Don't we deserve to see national players of the year such as Indiana State's Larry Bird (never opposed Indiana), Navy's David Robinson (Georgetown and Maryland) and Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (Illinois) strut their stuff in regular-season contests against nearby prominent programs? The Terrapins only met "The Admiral" upon being forced to compete in the second round of 1985 Southeast Regional when Robinson contributed game-high figures in scoring, rebounding and blocks.

In a form of "gaming," a striking number of power league schools "man up" by appearing as if they want to celebrate Black History month in advance during their non-conference slates by overdosing on scheduling outmatched opponents from the MEAC and SWAC. Mississippi State, infamous 50 years ago for failing to compete against black players, is virtually an HBCU adjunct member this season in an effort to try to avoid repeating as the nation's worst power conference team.

Utah players, officials and coaching staff should don hoodies hiding their faces in shame during the Utes' non-league home slate. Why would anyone spend their hard-earned money on attending many of these mismatches? Even if an observer detests government involvement, perhaps state legislatures should step in where they can and force power league members to get off their high horse and play the following potentially entertaining intra-state games against quality mid-level opponents:

Power League Member	Shunned Quality In-State Mid-Major Foes	Out-of-State Non-League Weak Sisters on 2013-14 Home Schedule
Alabama	South Alabama and UAB	Charleston Southern, Georgia State, North Florida, Robert Morris and Stillman
Arizona State	Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona	UC Irvine, Grambling State, Idaho State, Maryland-Baltimore County and Miami (Ohio)
Arkansas	Arkansas State and UALR	High Point, Louisiana-Lafayette, Savannah State, South Alabama, Southeastern Louisiana, SIU-Edwardsville, Tennessee-Martin and Texas-San Antonio
Auburn	South Alabama and UAB	Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Florida A&M, Jacksonville State, Nicholls State, Northwestern State and Tennessee State
Baylor	numerous school in Texas	Charleston Southern, Hardin-Simmons, Louisiana-Lafayette, Northwestern State, Oral Roberts, Savannah State and Southern (La.)
California	Saint Mary's, San Francisco, San Jose State and Santa Clara	UC Irvine, Coppin State, Denver, Furman, Nevada, Oakland and Southern Utah
Cincinnati	Cleveland State, Dayton and MAC schools	Appalachian State, Campbell, Chicago State, Kennesaw State, Massachusetts-Lowell, Middle Tennessee State, North Carolina Central and USC Upstate
Connecticut	Central Connecticut State, Fairfield, Hartford, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart	Boston University, Detroit, Eastern Washington, Harvard, Loyola (Md.), Maine and Yale
Georgetown	American, George Mason and George Washington	Colgate, Elon, Florida International, High Point, Lipscomb and Wright State
Georgia	Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Kennesaw State and Mercer	Appalachian State, Chattanooga, Gardner-Webb, Lipscomb, Western Carolina and Wofford
Georgia Tech	Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Mercer	Delaware State, East Tennessee State, Mississippi Valley State, North Carolina A&T and Presbyterian
Illinois	Bradley, Illinois State, Loyola of Chicago and Southern Illinois	Alabama State, Chicago State, Dartmouth, IPFW, Jacksonville State, UIC and Valparaiso
Iowa	Northern Iowa	Abilene Christian, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Fairleigh Dickinson, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Nebraska-Omaha, UNC-Wilmington and Penn
Kansas State	Wichita State	Central Arkansas, George Washington, Long Beach State, Northern Colorado, Oral Roberts, South Dakota and Troy
Kentucky	Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Murray State and Western Kentucky	Belmont, Boise State, Cleveland State, Eastern Michigan, UNC-Asheville, Northern Kentucky, Robert Morris and Texas-Arlington
Louisville	Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State and Murray State	College of Charleston, Cornell, Hartford, Hofstra, Louisiana-Lafayette, Missouri-Kansas City, Missouri State and Southern Mississippi
Marquette	Green Bay and Milwaukee	Ball State, Grambling State, IUPUI, New Hampshire, Samford and Southern (La.)
Maryland	American, George Mason and Loyola (Md.)	Abilene Christian, Boston University, Florida Atlantic, Morgan State, North Carolina Central and Tulsa
Memphis	Belmont, Chattanooga and Middle Tennessee	Arkansas-Little Rock, Austin Peay, Jackson State, LeMoyne-Owen, Nicholls State, Northwestern State and Southeast Missouri State
Michigan State	Detroit and MAC members	Columbia, McNeese State, Mount St. Mary's, New Orleans, North Florida, Oakland and Portland
Mississippi	Southern Mississippi	Louisiana-Monroe, Mercer, Middle Tennessee State, North Carolina A&T, MVSU and Troy
Mississippi State	Southern Mississippi	Florida A&M, Florida Gulf Coast, Jackson State, Kennesaw State, Loyola of Chicago, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M and Southeastern Louisiana
Notre Dame	Ball State and Butler	Army, Bryant, Canisius, Cornell, Delaware, Miami (Ohio), North Dakota State, Santa Clara and Stetson
Ohio State	Akron, Cleveland State, Dayton and Xavier	American, Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Delaware, Louisiana-Monroe, Morgan State, North Dakota State, North Florida and Wyoming
Oklahoma	Oral Roberts	Arkansas-Little Rock, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, Mercer, North Texas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas-Arlington
Oregon	Portland and Portland State	UC Irvine, Cal Poly, Morgan State, North Dakota, Pacific, San Francisco, Utah Valley and Western Carolina
Oregon State	Portland State	Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Coppin State, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Quinnipiac, SIU-Edwardsville and Towson
Pittsburgh	Robert Morris	Albany, Cal Poly, Fresno State, Howard, Loyola Marymount, Savannah State and Youngstown State
Purdue	Evansville, Indiana State and Valparaiso	Central Connecticut State, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Northern Kentucky, Rider and Siena
Rutgers	FDU, Monmouth, Rider and Saint Peter's	Army, Canisius or Elon, Florida A&M, UNC-Greensboro, William & Mary and Yale
St. John's	Iona, Long Island, Manhattan and Stony Brook	Bucknell, Columbia, Longwood, Monmouth, San Francisco, Wagner and Youngstown State
UCLA	Fresno State, Long Beach State and Loyola Marymount	UC Santa Barbara, Chattanooga, Drexel, Morehead State, Oakland, Prairie View A&M, Sacramento State and Weber State
Utah	Utah State and Utah Valley	Ball State, UC Davis, Evergreen State, Fresno State, Grand Canyon, Idaho State, Lamar, St. Katherine, Savannah State and Texas State
Wake Forest	Appalachian State, East Carolina and Western Carolina	The Citadel, Colgate, Jacksonville, UNC-Greensboro, Presbyterian, St. Bonaventure, Tulane and Virginia Military

Extra! Extra! Read all about memorable major league baseball achievements and moments involving former college basketball players! Baseball is portrayed as a thinking man's game but only four percent of active MLB players earned college diplomas.

Nonetheless, numerous ex-college hoopsters had front-row seats to many of the most notable games, transactions and dates in MLB history. Unless you habitually pore over the content at baseballlibrary.com, baseballreference.com and nationalpastime.com, following is an October calendar involving such versatile athletes:

OCTOBER
31 - SS Alvin Dark (basketball letterman for LSU and USL during World War II) traded by the Milwaukee Braves to the San Francisco Giants in 1960. . . . Baltimore Orioles P Mike Flanagan (averaged 13.9 ppg for Massachusetts' 15-1 freshman squad in 1971-72) named winner of the 1979 A.L. Cy Young Award.
30 - Los Angeles Dodgers P Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman squad in 1953-54) and St. Louis Cardinals SS Dick Groat (two-time All-American with Duke in 1950-51 and 1951-52 when finishing among nation's top five scorers each season) finished 1-2 in N.L. MVP voting in 1963. . . . 1B Gary Holle (Siena's scoring and rebounding leader in 1974-75 and 1975-76) traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1981. . . . Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg with Texas A&M in 1961-62) hired as manager of the Baltimore Orioles in 1995.
29 - Dallas Green (Delaware's second-leading scorer and rebounder in 1954-55) stepped down as president and general manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1987. . . . OF Wally Roettger (Illinois letterman in 1921-22 and 1922-23) purchased from the New York Giants by the Cincinnati Reds in 1930.
28 - St. Louis Cardinals P Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer in 1955-56 and 1956-57) captured the Cy Young Award in 1968. . . . A homer by Atlanta Braves RF David Justice (led Thomas More, KY, in assists in 1984-85) against the Cleveland Indians accounted for the only run in Game 6 of the 1995 World Series as the Braves became the first franchise to win championships representing three different cities (previously Boston and Milwaukee). . . . SS Don Kessinger (three-time All-SEC selection for Mississippi from 1961-62 through 1963-64 while finishing among nation's top 45 scorers each year) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1975. . . . OF Randy Winn (Santa Clara backcourtmate of eventual two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash in 1993-94) traded by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to the Seattle Mariners in 2002.
27 - SS Dick Groat (two-time All-American with Duke in 1950-51 and 1951-52 when finishing among nation's top five scorers each season) traded with 1B Bill White (played two years with Hiram, OH, in early 1950s) and C Bob Uecker by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies for C Pat Corrales, OF Alex Johnson and P Art Mahaffey in 1965.
26 - Detroit Tigers OF Hank Greenberg (attended NYU briefly on basketball scholarship in late 1920s) won 1940 A.L. MVP. . . . In 1960, Washington Senators President Calvin Griffith (letterman in 1934 and 1935 when George Washington compiled 25-10 record) made decision to move franchise to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. . . . P Oral Hildebrand (All-American for Butler in 1928-29 and 1929-30) traded by the St. Louis Browns to the New York Yankees in 1938. . . . P Sonny Siebert (team-high 16.7 ppg for Mizzou in 1957-58 as All-Big Eight Conference second-team selection) traded by the Texas Rangers to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1973.
25 - OF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA titlist) traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Chicago White Sox in 1955. . . . C Tom Haller (backup forward for Illinois in 1956-57 and 1957-58 under coach Harry Combes) purchased from the Detroit Tigers by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1972. . . . 1B Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State letterman) traded by the Texas Rangers to the San Diego Padres in 1978. . . . In 1977, P Jim Todd (played for Parsons IA before averaging 16 ppg with Millersville State PA in 1968-69) shipped by the Chicago Cubs to the Seattle Mariners to complete an earlier deal in the spring.
24 - Philadelphia Athletics SS Jack Barry (basketball letterman for Holy Cross in 1908) stroked two doubles among his three hits in a 4-2 Game 4 victory against the New York Giants and Hall of Fame P Christy Mathewson in the 1911 World Series. . . . Brooklyn Dodgers INF Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in PCC both of his seasons for UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41), the first black major leaguer of the 20th Century, died of heart disease at the age of 53 in 1972. . . . DH-RF Dave Winfield (starting forward with Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) banged out a two-out, two-run double in the top of the 11th inning to spark the Toronto Blue Jays to their first World Series championship with a 4-3 decision over the Atlanta Braves in Game 6 in 1992.
23 - Boston Red Sox P Bruce Hurst (played J.C. basketball for Dixie, UT, in mid-1970s) notched a 4-2 complete-game victory against the New York Mets in Game 5 of the 1986 World Series. . . . Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg with Texas A&M in 1961-62) hired as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1998. . . . Gene Michael (Kent State's leading scorer with 14 ppg in 1957-58) replaced by Bob Watson as general manager of the New York Yankees in 1995. . . . INF Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in PCC both of his seasons for UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41) signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, paving the way for MLB integration. . . . OF Richie Scheinblum (averaged 6.1 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 1962-63 and 1963-64 with LIU-C.W. Post) purchased from the Cleveland Indians by the Washington Senators in 1970.
22 - P Danny Coombs (Seton Hall's third-leading scorer and rebounder in 1961-62) purchased from the Houston Astros by the San Diego Padres in 1969. . . . C Art Kusnyer (led Kent State in field-goal percentage in 1965-66 when he was team's third-leading scorer and rebounder) traded by the California Angels to the Milwaukee Brewers in a nine-player swap in 1973. . . . OF Joe Lahoud (letterman for New Haven, CT, in mid-1960s) traded by the Milwaukee Brewers to the California Angels in a nine-player swap in 1973.
21 - 1B Bill Davis (averaged 12.5 ppg in 1963-64 for Minnesota team including eventual NBA standouts Archie Clark and Lou Hudson) traded by the Cleveland Indians to the San Diego Padres in 1968. . . . Kansas City Royals P Rich Gale (led New Hampshire with 7.2 rpg in 1975-76) lost Game 6 when the Philadelphia Phillies clinched the 1980 World Series championship. . . . P Dave Giusti (made 6 of 10 field-goal attempts in two games for Syracuse in 1959-60) traded with C Dave Ricketts (Duquesne's leading scorer with 17.9 ppg in 1956-57) by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1969. . . . In 1995 opener against the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians CF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four squad compiling 35-3 record) became the first player since 1921 to steal two bases in one inning of a World Series game. . . . P Claude Passeau (played for Millsaps, MS, in late 1920s and early 1930s) traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1935. . . . OF Richie Scheinblum (averaged 6.1 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 1962-63 and 1963-64 with LIU-C.W. Post) purchased from the Texas Rangers by the Kansas City Royals in 1971.
20 - Philadelphia Athletics SS Jack Barry (basketball letterman for Holy Cross in 1908) contributed three hits and three runs against the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the 1910 World Series. . . . St. Louis Cardinals 2B Frankie Frisch (Fordham basketball captain) captured the 1931 N.L. MVP. . . . Detroit Tigers 1B Hank Greenberg (attended NYU briefly on basketball scholarship in late 1920s) won 1935 A.L. MVP. . . . Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State letterman) named manager of the Seattle Mariners in 2004.
19 - P Bob Garibaldi (starting forward for Santa Clara in 1961-62 when averaging 10.6 ppg and 5.6 rpg) traded by the San Francisco Giants to the Kansas City Royals in 1970. . . . In 1978, Don Kessinger (three-time All-SEC selection for Mississippi from 1961-62 through 1963-64 while finishing among nation's top 45 scorers each year) named player-manager of the Chicago White Sox after they dismissed Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA titlist).
18 - P Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State, NC, backup player and brother of UCLA All-American Henry Bibby) traded by the New York Mets to the St. Louis Cardinals in an eight-player swap in 1971. . . . Boston Red Sox P Bruce Hurst (played J.C. basketball for Dixie, UT, in mid-1970s) notched a 1-0 victory against the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series opener.
17 - OF George Altman (appeared in 1953 and 1954 NAIA Tournament with Tennessee State) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1962. . . . Pittsburgh Pirates P Jim Bibby (Fayetteville State NC backup player and brother of UCLA All-American Henry Bibby) started decisive Game 7 of the 1979 World Series but wasn't involved in the decision (4-1 win against the Baltimore Orioles). . . . Alvin Dark (letterman for Louisiana State and Louisiana-Lafayette during World War II) fired as manager of the Oakland A's in 1975. . . . OF David Justice (led Thomas More, KY, in assists in 1984-85), winner of the 2000 ALCS MVP award, contributed a three-run homer to help the New York Yankees defeat the Seattle Mariners, 9-7. . . . After winning the opener of the 1911 World Series, New York Giants Hall of Fame P Christy Mathewson (played for Bucknell at turn of 20th Century) took a shutout into the ninth inning in Game 3 when 3B John Baker belted a contest-tying homer for the Philadelphia Athletics, who went on to win in the 11th frame. The clutch blast helped him become known as "Home Run" Baker. . . . Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Kent Tekulve (played as freshman in mid-1960s for Marietta, OH) notched a save in decisive Game 7 of the 1979 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles.
16 - 1B Donn Clendenon (played for Morehouse, GA) homered in Game 5 against the Baltimore Orioles to help power the New York Mets to the 1969 World Series title. . . . Hall of Fame P Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) purchased from the Philadelphia Phillies by the New York Yankees in 1961. . . . 1B Dick Siebert (played for Concordia-St. Paul, MN, in 1929 and 1930) traded by the Philadelphia Athletics to the St. Louis Browns in 1945.
15 - 2B Jerry Adair (one of Oklahoma State's top three scorers in 1956-57 and 1957-58 while ranking among nation's top 12 free-throw shooters each season) selected from the Boston Red Sox by the Kansas City Royals in 1968 expansion draft. . . . New York Yankees rookie P Jim Beattie (Dartmouth's top rebounder in 1974-75 when selected team MVP and honorable mention All-Ivy League) went the distance, striking out eight Los Angeles Dodgers batters in a 12-2 success, in Game 5 of the 1978 World Series. . . . OF Bob Cerv (ranked fourth on Nebraska's career scoring list in 1949-50 when finishing his career) purchased from the New York Yankees by the Kansas City Athletics in 1956. . . . In 1957, 2B Jack Dittmer (played for Iowa in 1949-50) traded by the Detroit Tigers to the New York Giants for 2B Wayne Terwilliger (two-year letterman for Western Michigan in late 1940s). . . . St. Louis Cardinals P Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer in 1955-56 and 1956-57) won decisive Game 7 against the New York Yankees in the 1964 World Series. . . . Dallas Green (Delaware's second-leading scorer and rebounder in 1954-55) stepped down as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies to become general manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1981. . . . P Rich Hand (averaged 6.2 ppg for Puget Sound, WA, in 1967-68) shipped by the California Angels to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1974 to complete an earlier deal. . . . Mike Hargrove (Northwestern Oklahoma State letterman) fired as manager of the Cleveland Indians in 1999. . . . In 2001, OF David Justice (led Thomas More, KY, in assists in 1984-85) whacked a pinch-hit homer to help the New York Yankees defeat the Oakland A's and become the first team ever to capture a best-of-5 series after dropping the first two contests at home. . . . P Don Kaiser (one semester on scholarship at East Central, OK) traded by the Milwaukee Braves to the Detroit Tigers in 1959.
14 - Montreal Expos P Ray Burris (Southwestern Oklahoma State player) hurled a shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of 1981 NLCS. Five days later in Game 5, Burris yielded only five hits in eight innings. . . . 1B Donn Clendenon (played for Morehouse, GA) selected from the Pittsburgh Pirates by the Montreal Expos in 1968 expansion draft. . . . P Dave Giusti (made 6 of 10 field-goal attempts in two games for Syracuse in 1959-60) selected from the St. Louis Cardinals by the San Diego Padres as the third pick in 1968 expansion draft. . . . New York Yankees reliever Steve Hamilton (Morehead State's leading scorer and rebounder in 1956-57 and 1957-58) saved Game 6 in the 1964 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals after replacing starter Jim Bouton. . . . New York Yankees OF David Justice (led Thomas More, KY, in assists in 1984-85) homered in a 5-0 win against the Seattle Mariners in Game 4 of 2000 ALCS. . . . Toiling on two days rest, Los Angeles Dodgers P Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman squad in 1953-54) hurled a three-hit shutout in Game 7 of the 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins. Supporting Koufax with a fourth-inning homer was LF "Sweet" Lou Johnson (Kentucky State teammate of legendary coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52). . . . OF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling a 35-3 record) delivered the game-winning safety in the bottom of the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2002 NLCS to send the San Francisco Giants to the World Series. . . . In Game 5, New York Giants Hall of Fame P Christy Mathewson (played for Bucknell at turn of 20th Century) tossed his third shutout against the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1905 World Series. . . . Philadelphia Phillies OF Bake McBride (averaged 12.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg in 21 games with Westminster, MO, in 1968-69 and 1969-70) homered in a 7-6 decision over the Kansas City Royals in the opener of 1980 World Series. . . . New York Yankees 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) singled twice in a seven-run fourth inning in Game 2 of the 1981 ALCS against the Oakland A's to become the first player ever to collect two safeties in a single frame in LCS competition. . . . P George Stone (averaged 14.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg for Louisiana Tech in 1965-66) notched a save in Game 2 of the 1973 World Series when the New York Mets outlasted the Oakland A's, 10-7, in 12 innings. . . . INF Gary Sutherland (Southern California's fifth-leading scorer in 1963-64 when averaging 7.4 ppg) selected from the Philadelphia Phillies by the Montreal Expos in 1968 expansion draft. . . . 1B-OF Preston Ward (second-leading scorer for Southwest Missouri State in 1946-47 and 1948-49) purchased from the Brooklyn Dodgers by the Chicago Cubs for $100,000 in 1949.
13 - 1B Gail Hopkins (averaged 2.5 ppg for Pepperdine in 1963-64) traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Kansas City Royals in 1970. . . . Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection when leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding in 1956-57 and 1957-58) fired as manager of the San Diego Padres in 1981. . . . OF Jim Lyttle (led Florida State in free-throw shooting in 1965-66 when averaging 12.4 ppg) traded by the New York Yankees to the Chicago White Sox in 1971. . . . 3B Graig Nettles (shot 87.8% from free-throw line for San Diego State in 1963-64) hit a three-run, first-inning double to spark the New York Yankees to a 3-1 victory against the Oakland A's in the 1981 ALCS opener. Nettles' spectacular defense highlighted a 5-1 triumph for the Yankees against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the 1978 World Series. Nettles whacked two homers in Game 4 of the 1976 ALCS for the Yankees but they weren't enough to prevent a 7-4 loss against the Kansas City Royals. . . . Philadelphia Phillies P Eppa Rixey (Virginia letterman in 1912 and 1914) allowed two homers in 6 2/3 innings in a 5-4 defeat against the Boston Red Sox in Game 5 of the 1915 World Series. . . . Baltimore Orioles reliever Tim Stoddard (starting forward opposite All-American David Thompson for North Carolina State's 1974 NCAA champion) won Game 4 against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1979 World Series.
12 - St. Louis Cardinals P Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer in 1955-56 and 1956-57) won decisive Game 7 against the Boston Red Sox in the 1967 World Series. Gibson helped his cause with a homer. Three years earlier, Gibson whiffed 13 batters in a 10-inning, 5-2 win against the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the 1964 WS. . . New York Yankees OF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling 35-3 record) socked a homer in a 10-7 triumph against the Boston Red Sox in the opener of the 2004 ALCS. . . . In Game 3, New York Giants Hall of Fame P Christy Mathewson (played for Bucknell at turn of 20th Century) tossed his second of three shutouts against the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1905 World Series. . . . Philadelphia Phillies P Ron Reed (Notre Dame's leading rebounder in 1963-64 and 1964-65) yielded back-to-back homers to LF George Foster and C Johnny Bench to start the ninth inning as the Cincinnati Reds came from behind to win, 7-6, and sweep their 1976 NLDS. . . . Toronto Blue Jays DH-RF Dave Winfield (starting forward with Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) walloped a homer but it was in vain as the Oakland A's avoided elimination with a 6-2 Game 5 victory in the 1992 ALCS.
11 - In 1948, SS Lou Boudreau (leading scorer for Illinois' 1937 Big Ten Conference co-champion) doubled for the third consecutive World Series contest with the champion Cleveland Indians in Game 6 against the Boston Braves. . . . St. Louis Cardinals P Roger Craig (forward with North Carolina State's 1949-50 freshman team) earned a victory by fanning eight New York Yankees batters in 4 2/3 innings of shutout relief in Game 4 of the 1964 World Series. . . . P Dave Giusti (made 6 of 10 field-goal attempts in two games for Syracuse in 1959-60) traded by the Houston Astros to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1968. . . . P Jim Hearn (Georgia Tech letterman in 1941-42) traded by the New York Giants to the Philadelphia Phillies for P Stu Miller in 1956. . . . INF Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg with Texas A&M in 1961-62) was the on-deck batter in Japan in 1976 when Sadaharu Oh stroked his 715th homer to pass Babe Ruth's mark. Incredibly, Johnson was also the next hitter in April 1974 when Atlanta Braves OF Hank Aaron hammered his 715th round-tripper. . . . Los Angeles Dodgers P Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman squad in 1953-54) hurled a four-hit shutout in Game 5 of the 1965 World Series against the Minnesota Twins. . . . Cleveland Indians OF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling 35-3 record) whacked a homer but it wasn't enough to prevent a 5-3 defeat against the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the 1998 ALCS.
10 - OF Ethan Allen (Cincinnati letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) and P Jim Mooney (played for East Tennessee State) traded by the New York Giants to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1932. . . . Increasing his hitting streak in World Series competition to eight in a row, Philadelphia Athletics SS Jack Barry (basketball letterman for Holy Cross in 1908) banged out two doubles among three safeties against the New York Giants in Game 4 of 1913 WS. . . . 1B Kevin "Chuck" Connors (scored 32 points in 15 varsity games for Seton Hall in 1941-42 before leaving school for military service) traded by the Brooklyn Dodgers to the Chicago Cubs in 1950. Connors, star of the television series The Rifleman, gained critical acclaim playing the role of a slave owner in the TV mini-series Roots (1977). . . . In the 1961 expansion draft, the New York Mets selected P Roger Craig (forward with North Carolina State's 1949-50 freshman team) from the Los Angeles Dodgers, OF John DeMerit (letterman for Wisconsin in 1956-57) from the Milwaukee Braves, 1B Gil Hodges (played for Oakland City, IN, in 1947 and 1948) from the Dodgers and P Jay Hook (Northwestern's third-leading scorer with 10.7 ppg as sophomore in 1955-56) from the Cincinnati Reds. The same expansion draft also had the Houston Colt .45s selecting 1B-OF Dick Gernert (letterman with Temple in 1948-49 when averaging 2.7 ppg) from the Reds and P Jim Umbricht (Georgia's captain in 1951-52) from the Pittsburgh Pirates. . . . Baltimore Orioles P Mike Flanagan (averaged 13.9 ppg for Massachusetts' 15-1 freshman squad in 1971-72) won the 1979 World Series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. . . . Los Angeles Dodgers LF Lou Johnson (Kentucky State teammate of legendary coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52) lashed a Game 4 homer in a 7-2 win against the Minnesota Twins in the 1965 World Series. . . . OF Joe Lahoud (letterman for New Haven, CT, in mid-1960s) traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Milwaukee Brewers in a 10-player swap in 1971. . . . Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as All-Iowa Conference freshman selection in 1964-65 and 12.1 as sophomore in 1965-66) collected two homers and five RBI in an 11-5 triumph against the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 1978 World Series. . . . In decisive Game 7, Chicago White Sox P Ted Lyons (two-time All-SWC first-team selection for Baylor in early 1920s) tossed his second five-hit win in the 1939 World Series in City Series against the Cubs. . . . Breaking up a scoreless duel in Game 7 of the 1968 World Series, Detroit Tigers RF Jim Northrup (second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder for Alma, MI, in 1958-59) stroked a decisive seventh-inning triple off St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame P Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer in 1955-56 and 1956-57). . . . New York Yankees P Marius Russo (member of LIU teams compiling a 50-2 record in 1934-35 and 1935-36 under legendary coach Clair Bee) hurled a complete game and knocked in the decisive run with a double in a 2-1 decision over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the 1943 World Series. . . . 1B Bill "Moose" Skowron (scored 18 points in eight games for Purdue in 1949-50) smashed a grand slam to help the New York Yankees win Game 7 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. . . . Kansas City Royals P Paul Splittorff (runner-up in scoring and rebounding for Morningside, IA, in 1967-68) won Game 2 of the 1976 ALCS with 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief against the New York Yankees.
9 - Boston Red Sox P Ray Collins (Vermont letterman in 1907 and 1908) started Game 2 of the 1912 World Series against the New York Giants when they tied, 6-6, in a contest called after 11 innings. . . . Before a crowd of 81,897, OF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA titlist) contributed the first homer of the 1948 World Series to spark the Cleveland Indians to a 2-1 victory against the Boston Braves in Game 4. . . . Boston Red Sox P Boo Ferriss (Mississippi State letterman in 1941) hurled a 4-0 shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the 1946 World Series. . . . In the first World Series utilizing a seven-game format, New York Giants Hall of Fame P Christy Mathewson (played for Bucknell at turn of 20th Century) blanked the Philadelphia Athletics, 3-0, in the opener of the all-shutout 1905 WS. Mathewson also tossed whitewashes in Game 3 and Game 5. . . . Bill Virdon (played for Drury, MO, in 1949) stroked a two-run single propelling the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 3-2 triumph against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the 1960 World Series. . . . Washington Senators P Tom Zachary (Guilford, NC, letterman in 1916) hurled a complete-game, 2-1 win against the New York Giants in Game 6 of the 1924 World Series. Zachary also won Game 2.
8 - George Earnshaw (played for Swarthmore PA in 1922), clearly the pitching standout of the 1930 World Series, carried the Philadelphia Athletics to a decisive 7-1 triumph against the St. Louis Cardinals. . . . San Francisco Giants C Tom Haller (backup forward for Illinois in 1956-57 and 1957-58 under coach Harry Combes) supplied a go-ahead homer off Whitey Ford in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the 1962 World Series. . . . P Oral Hildebrand (All-American for Butler in 1928-29 and 1929-30) hurled four scoreless innings as the New York Yankees' starter in Game 4 of the 1939 World Series when they swept the Cincinnati Reds. . . . In Game 2, P Christy Mathewson (played for Bucknell at turn of 20th Century) hurled a 10-inning shutout for the New York Giants' lone victory against the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1913 World Series. . . . P Roy Parmelee (letterman for Eastern Michigan in 1924-25 and 1925-26) traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Chicago Cubs in 1936.
7 - Hall of Fame OF Tony Gwynn (All-WAC second-team selection with San Diego State in 1979-80 and 1980-81) played final game of his 20-year career for the San Diego Padres. . . . In Game 7, Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (played for Oakland City, IN, in 1947 and 1948) went hitless again against the New York Yankees and finished 0-for-21 in the 1952 World Series. . . . 1B-OF Doug Howard (All-WAC second-team selection with Brigham Young in 1968-69 and 1969-70) shipped by the California Angels to the St. Louis Cardinals to complete an earlier deal in 1974. . . . New York Yankees OF Charlie Keller (three-year letterman with Maryland from 1934-35 through 1936-37) clobbered two homers in a 7-3 triumph at Cincinnati in Game 3 of the 1939 World Series. . . . In the 1939 Windy City World Series, Chicago Cubs OF Hank Lieber (played for Arizona in 1931) hammered a game-winning, two-out, three-run homer in the ninth inning for a 5-3 verdict over the White Sox in Game 4. . . . Hall of Fame P Christy Mathewson (played for Bucknell at turn of 20th Century) died of tuberculosis in 1925 at the age of 45. . . . P Chris Young (All-Ivy League first-team selection for Princeton in 1999-00) notched the San Diego Padres' only victory in the 2006 NLCS (3-1 against the St. Louis Cardinals).
6 - Detroit Tigers P Elden Auker (All-Big Six Conference first-five selection with Kansas State in 1931-32) went the distance in whipping the St. Louis Cardinals, 10-4, in Game 4 of the 1934 World Series. . . . St. Louis Cardinals CF Taylor Douthit (California letterman from 1922 through 1924) collided with a teammate in Game 4 and was sidelined for the remainder of the 1926 World Series against the New York Yankees. . . . P George Earnshaw (Swarthmore, PA, player in 1922) square the 1931 World Series with a two-hit, 3-0 shutout for the Philadelphia Athletics against the St. Louis Cardinals. The previous year, Earnshaw combined Hall of Famer Lefty Grove for a three-hit shutout against the Cardinals in Game 5 of the 1930 World Series. . . . P Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman squad in 1953-54) outdueled fellow lefthander Whitey Ford as the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the 1963 World Series from the New York Yankees. RF Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection when leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding in 1956-57 and 1957-58) contributed both of L.A.'s safeties off Ford, including a long homer in the fifth inning. . . . Davey Johnson (averaged 1.7 ppg with Texas A&M in 1961-62) fired as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2000. . . . Chicago White Sox rookie P Ted Lyons (two-time All-SWC first-team selection for Baylor in early 1920s) secured his first two of 260 MLB victories by winning both ends of a 1923 doubleheader in relief against the Cleveland Indians. . . . Brooklyn Dodgers P Preacher Roe (played for Harding, AR, in late 1930s) tossed a shutout against the New York Yankees in game 2 of the 1949 World Series. The contest's only RBI was supplied by 1B Gil Hodges (played for Oakland City, IN, in 1947 and 1948), who drove in 2B Jackie Robinson (highest scoring average in PCC both of his seasons with UCLA in 1939-40 and 1940-41).
5 - P Ralph Branca (sixth-leading scorer for NYU in 1943-44) won Game 6 of the 1947 World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers when he was helped by Al Gionfriddo's famous catch of New York Yankees Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio's long drive to left field. . . . St. Louis Cardinals SS Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of last three seasons in late 1920s with Lebanon Valley PA) hit safely in first four World Series games against the Philadelphia Athletics in 1930. . . . New York Giants INF Eddie Grant (paced Harvard's freshman squad in scoring in 1902 and played varsity as sophomore before declared ineligible for receiving money in independent summer baseball league) died from German shelling in 1918 in the Argonne Forest, France, during WWI while in charge of his battalion after his commanding officer was killed. . . . New York Giants OF Monte Irvin (played for Lincoln, PA, 1 1/2 years in late 1930s) hit safely seven straight times in the 1951 World Series against the New York Yankees. . . . Los Angeles Dodgers RF Lou Johnson (Kentucky State teammate of legendary coach Davey Whitney averaged 5.7 ppg and 2 rpg in 1951-52), blanked by Dave McNally and Moe Drabowsky of the Baltimore Orioles in the 1966 opener, went hitless for the only time in his last nine World Series contests. . . . DH David Justice (led Thomas More KY in assists in 1984-85) homered off Dwight Gooden to help the Cleveland Indians square their 1997 ALDS at two games apiece with the New York Yankees. . . . Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg as All-Iowa Conference freshman selection in 1964-65 and 12.1 as sophomore in 1965-66) contributed a homer and triple while knocking in three runs in a 4-0 decision over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of 1978 NLCS. . . . OF Bake McBride (averaged 12.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg in 21 games with Westminster, MO, in 1968-69 and 1969-70) accounted for the Philadelphia Phillies' lone run with a homer in a 7-1 setback against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the 1977 NLCS. . . . Chicago Cubs P Claude Passeau (letterman with Millsaps, MS, in late 1920s and early 1930s) hurled a one-hit shutout against the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the 1945 World Series. . . . P Nels Potter (leading scorer during two years he attended Mount Morris, IL, in early 1930s) selected from the St. Louis Cardinals by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1937 Rule 5 draft. . . . Philadelphia Phillies P Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) lost Game 2 of the 1950 World Series against the New York Yankees, 2-1, on Joe DiMaggio's leadoff homer in the 10th inning. . . . New York Giants P Hal Schumacher (played for St. Lawrence, NY, in early 1930s) notched the victory in Game 5 of the 1936 World Series against the New York Yankees. Schumacher lost Game 2 three days earlier. . . . Kansas City Royals P Paul Splittorff (runner-up in scoring and rebounding for Morningside, IA, in 1967-68) yielded only one hit in combining with Rich Gale (led New Hampshire with 7.2 rpg in 1975-76) for a 4-0 triumph against the Minnesota Twins in 1980. . . . St. Louis Cardinals P Ray Washburn (led Whitworth, WA, in scoring and named All-Evergreen Conference in 1958-59 and 1959-60) won Game 3 of the 1968 World Series against the Detroit Tigers. . . . In 1985, RF Dave Winfield (starting forward with Minnesota's first NCAA playoff team in 1972) became the first New York Yankee to collect 100 RBI and score 100 runs in a single season since Joe DiMaggio in 1942.
4 - Elden Auker (All-Big Six Conference first-five selection with Kansas State in 1931-32) helped the Detroit Tigers capture their first World Series in 1935, starting Game 3 against the Chicago Cubs and allowing two earned runs in six innings in a contest Detroit won in extra frames. . . . In a one-game playoff for the 1948 A.L. pennant, Cleveland Indians player-manager Lou Boudreau (leading scorer for Illinois' 1937 Big Ten Conference co-champion) banged out four hits, including two homers, in an 8-3 win at Boston. He finished the year with only nine strikeouts, the lowest number by any regular since 1922. . . . Alvin Dark (letterman for LSU and USL during World War II) dismissed as manager of the San Francisco Giants in 1964. . . . INF Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of his last three seasons with Lebanon Valley, PA, in late 1920s) selected by the Washington Senators from the St. Louis Browns in 1938 Rule 5 draft. . . . In the opener of the 1967 World Series, St. Louis Cardinals P Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer in 1955-56 and 1956-57) fanned 10 Boston batters in a 2-1 triumph against the Red Sox. . . . Detroit Tigers OF Hank Greenberg (attended NYU briefly on basketball scholarship in late 1920s) whacked a homer in a 4-1 Game 2 victory against the Chicago Cubs in the 1945 World Series. . . . In the opening game of the 1951 World Series, OF Monte Irvin (played for Lincoln, PA, 1 1/2 years in late 1930s) stole home and collected four hits to spark the New York Giants to a 5-1 victory against the New York Yankees. . . . P Jim Konstanty (Syracuse player in late 1930s), after making 133 straight relief appearances for the Philadelphia Phillies, started Game 1 of the 1950 World Series but lost against the New York Yankees, 1-0. . . . Minnesota Twins 2B Dan Monzon (played briefly for Buena Vista IA in 1964-65) scored four runs against the Chicago White Sox in 1972. . . . OF Bill Nicholson (played for Washington College, MD, in mid-1930s) traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Philadelphia Phillies for former N.L. batting champion Harry Walker in 1948. . . . P Roy Parmelee (letterman for Eastern Michigan in 1924-25 and 1925-26) selected from the Boston Red Sox by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1938 Rule 5 draft. . . . P Cotton Pippen (Texas Western letterman in 1929-30) selected from the St. Louis Cardinals by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1938 Rule 5 draft. . . . Jim Riggleman (two-year letterman for Frostburg State, MD, averaged 7.2 ppg in early 1970s) fired as manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1999. . . . New York Yankees P Marius Russo (member of LIU teams compiling a 50-2 record in 1934-35 and 1935-36 under legendary coach Clair Bee) hurled a four-hitter in a 2-1 verdict over the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 3 of the 1941 World Series. In the seventh inning of a scoreless tie, Russo broke P Fred Fitzsimmons' knee with a line drive.
3 - New York Yankees rookie P Jim Beattie (Dartmouth's top rebounder in 1974-75 when selected team MVP and honorable mention All-Ivy League) won the opener of the 1978 ALCS against the Kansas City Royals, yielding only two hits in 5 1/3 innings. . . . Brooklyn Dodgers P Ralph Branca (sixth-leading scorer for NYU in 1943-44) sustained his sixth setback of the 1951 season against the New York Giants when Bobby Thomson hit the "shot heard round the world" (three-run homer in bottom of the ninth inning) to decide the N.L. playoff. A single by SS Alvin Dark (letterman for LSU and USL during World War II) started the rally climaxed by Thomson's historic blast. . . . 1B George Crowe (four-year letterman from 1939-40 through 1942-43 for Indiana Central after becoming first high school player named the state's "Mr. Basketball") traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958. . . . Jim Fanning (played for Buena Vista, IA, in late 1940s) resigned as manager of the Montreal Expos in 1982. . . . P Bill Krueger (led WCAC in free-throw percentage as a Portland freshman in 1975-76) traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1988. . . . In 1904, New York Giants P Christy Mathewson (played for Bucknell at turn of 20th Century) fanned 16 St. Louis Cardinals in a 3-1 triumph. . . . Washington Senators 2B Buddy Myer (Mississippi State letterman in 1923-24) committed three errors in the opener of the 1933 World Series against the New York Giants. . . . Despite striking out seven consecutive New York Mets hitters, Montreal Expos P Steve Renko (averaged 9.9 ppg and 5.8 rpg as Kansas sophomore in 1963-64) had his record fall to 1-10 with a 5-2 defeat against Hall of Famer Tom Seaver in the opener of a 1972 doubleheader. . . . Brooklyn Dodgers P Preacher Roe (played for Harding, AR, in late 1930s) registered a complete-game victory against the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the 1952 World Series. . . . New York Yankees 1B Bill "Moose" Skowron (scored 18 points in eight games for Purdue in 1949-50) smashed a three-run, first-inning homer to ignite a 5-1 Game 6 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1955 World Series.
2 - P Ralph Branca (sixth-leading scorer for NYU in 1943-44) yielded the first pinch-hit homer in World Series history (by Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees in 1947) but the Brooklyn Dodgers still prevailed in Game 3, 9-8. Two days earlier, Branca lost Game 1 when he was knocked out in the fifth inning. . . . OF Earlie Combs (three-year captain for Eastern Kentucky) clubbed a homer and scored four runs as the New York Yankees swept the 1932 World Series by crushing the Chicago Cubs, 13-6. It was the Bronx Bombers' 12th straight WS game win. . . . Brooklyn Dodgers rookie P Roger Craig (forward with North Carolina State's 1949-50 freshman team) notched a 5-3 victory against the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the 1955 World Series. . . . OF Larry Doby (reserve guard for Virginia Union's 1943 CIAA titlist) contributed four hits as the Cleveland Indians assure themselves of a tie for the 1948 a.L. title with an 8-0 triumph against the Detroit Tigers. . . . In 1950, Boston Red Sox 1B Walt Dropo (Connecticut's first player ever to average 20 points for a season with 21.7 in 1942-43) became the first player to surpass 100 with more RBI (144) than games played (136). . . . Detroit Tigers 1B Darrell Evans (member of Jerry Tarkanian-coached Pasadena City, CA, club winning 1967 state community college crown) hammered his MLB-leading 40th homer in 1985, becoming the first player to reach that plateau in each league (41 round-trippers for the Atlanta Braves in 1973). . . . In the opener of the 1968 World Series, St. Louis Cardinals P Bob Gibson (Creighton's leading scorer in 1955-56 and 1956-57) outdueled 30-game winner Denny McLain, 4-0, and established a WS record by fanning 17 Detroit Tigers. . . . Frank Howard (two-time All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection when leading Ohio State in scoring and rebounding in 1956-57 and 1957-58) fired as manager of the New York Mets in 1983. . . . In 1966, Los Angeles Dodgers P Sandy Koufax (Cincinnati's freshman squad in 1953-54) concluded his final season with career bests of 27 victories and 1.73 ERA. The previous year, Koufax finished with a single-season MLB-mark 382 strikeouts after fanning 13 Milwaukee Braves batters. In the 1963 World Series opener, the first five batters he faced whiffed en route to 15 strikeouts in a 5-2 win against the New York Yankees. . . . OF Kenny Lofton (Arizona's leader in steals for 1988 Final Four team compiling a 35-3 record) supplied a homer to help the Cleveland Indians edge the New York Yankees, 4-3, in Game 3 of their 1998 A.L. playoff series. . . . Bud Metheny (letterman for William & Mary from 1935-36 through 1937-38) belted a first-game homer against the St. Louis Browns to help power the New York Yankees to their 14th sweep of a doubleheader in 1943.
1 - P Ralph Branca (sixth-leading scorer for NYU in 1943-44) incurred the loss for the Brooklyn Dodgers when they dropped the first-ever N.L. playoff in 1946 at St. Louis, which got three hits from C Joe Garagiola. . . . In the first game ever broadcast live coast-to-coast, P Jim Hearn (Georgia Tech basketball letterman in 1941-42) notched a career-high 17th victory for the New York Giants in the opener of 1951 N.L. playoff series against Branca and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Supporting Hearn with a homer was OF Monte Irvin (played for Lincoln, PA, 1 1/2 years in late 1930s). . . . Brooklyn Dodgers 1B Gil Hodges (played for Oakland City, IN, in 1947 and 1948) contributed three hits and three RBI in an 8-5 triumph against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the 1955 World Series. . . . Cincinnati Reds OF Earle "Greasy" Neale (West Virginia Wesleyan College hoopster graduated in 1915) contributed three hits in a 9-1 success against the Chicago White Sox in the opener of the 1919 World Series. . . . In his third start in five days, P Robin Roberts (Michigan State's second-leading scorer in 1945-46 and 1946-47) defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-1, in 1950 as the Whiz Kids clinched the Philadelphia Phillies' first pennant in 35 years. Roberts became the first 20-game winner for the Phils since Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1917. . . . In 1970, New York Mets OF Ken Singleton (Hofstra freshman team in mid-1960s) supplied the only two hits (both doubles) off Chicago Cubs standout Ferguson Jenkins. . . . St. Louis Cardinals closer Lee Smith (averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.9 rpg with Northwestern State in 1976-77) established a N.L. record for most saves in a single season in 1991. . . . In 1954, OF Ted Tappe (leading scorer in 1949 NJCAA Tournament was Washington State's third-leading scorer the next year in 1949-50) traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the Chicago Cubs in a deal involving P Jim Willis (Northwestern State letterman in late 1940s). . . . St. Louis Cardinals 1B Bill White (played two years with Hiram, OH, in early 1950s) played the entire schedule in 1963.

MLB achievements/highlights in September by former college basketball players

MLB achievements/highlights in August by former college basketball players

MLB achievements/highlights in July by former college basketball players

MLB achievements/highlights in June by former college basketball players

MLB achievements/highlights in May by former college basketball players

MLB achievements/highlights in April by former college basketball players

By any measure, basketball can be categorized as a series of rhythmic or dance moves. Former college hoopster Pat Cleland, going by the stage name Rick Chyme, entered the Guinness Book of World Records recently by freestyling rap for 17 hours straight at ArtPrize, a nearly three-week long art festival/competition in Grand Rapids, Mich. Cleland scored 32 points in his 41-game Western Michigan career from 1999-2000 through 2002-03.

Additional hoopsters also proved they could carry a tune by going on to secure marquee status in the music industry. Whether or not they sang a better game than they actually played, following is an alphabetical list of musicians who "had game" as college basketball players:

ISHMAEL BUTLER, Massachusetts
Known as Butterfly with the hip-hop group Digable Planets, which was nominated for a 1994 Grammy Award as the "Best New Artist."

He averaged 3.8 ppg and 2 rpg in John Calipari's first season as UMass coach in 1988-89.

JOHN FRED GOURRIER, Southeastern Louisiana
Lead vocalist and harmonica player for the rock-and-roll group John Fred and the Playboy Band that boasted a hit single "Judy in Disguise" in 1967 and 1968.

The 6-5, 185-pound forward averaged eight points per game for Southeastern Louisiana as a junior in 1962-63 before scoring 248 points as a senior. The Baton Rouge native also played two seasons for SLU's baseball team and still shares the school single-game record for most RBI with eight.

VAUGHN HARPER, Syracuse
New York City disc jockey, the host with the mellow voice on "The Quiet Storm," for more than a quarter century in the New York City area.

One of the Orange's all-time leaders in rebounds per game (11.1). Harper also averaged 13.5 ppg from 1965-66 through 1967-68, leading SU in scoring as a senior (15.8 ppg). Teammate of All-American Dave Bing and all-time winningest coach Jim Boeheim grabbed team-high 10 rebounds in 91-81 loss to Duke in 1966 East Regional final. Ninth-round selection in the 1968 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons.

AL JARREAU, Ripon (Wis.)
Innovative musical expressions made him one of the most exciting and critically-acclaimed performers of our time, winning five Grammys, including best jazz vocalist in 1978 and 1979. He began singing at the age of four, and was soon harmonizing with his brothers and performing solo at a variety of local events in his hometown of Milwaukee. Following an extended stint in Los Angeles, he was spotted by Warner Brothers Records talent scouts and signed to a recording contract in 1975. Two years later, Jarreau embarked on his first world tour. While on a break from touring in 1996, he accepted a three-month stint on Broadway playing the role of the Teen Angel in the hit musical Grease!

Member of Ripon's basketball team from 1958-59 through 1961-62 posted career highs of 5.9 ppg and 4.3 rpg as a sophomore. While attending college, he performed locally with a group called The Indigos on weekends and holidays before graduating with a B.S. in Psychology.

MARK MILLER, Central Florida
Front man and principal songwriter for Sawyer Brown, one of the nation's most popular and enduring country music bands. Sawyer Brown, the top grossing country group in 1994, has sold more than 11 million records since getting a jump start in 1984 on Ed McMahon's Star Search and was named the Top Vocal Group in 1997 by the Academy of Country Music. Sawyer Brown's "Six Days on the Road" video, which came out in early 2000, emphasized the baldheaded Miller's shooting ability.

The 5-8 guard was scoreless in a total of 13 minutes in seven games for Central Florida in 1978-79. He had one assist and committed three turnovers. "I play whenever I can," Miller said. "I go at it really hard. I think my greatest strength in basketball is just seeing the floor and having a feel for where everything should go. And maybe that's my strength in music, too."

Miller, who majored in physical education, joined UCF the year after it went to the Final Four in Division II, and coach Torchy Clark was a local legend. "He (Torchy) wanted you to play hard, but he also wanted you to be a good person," Miller said. "If it came between winning and being a good person, he would rather you be a good person. He helped me as a player, and the lessons I learned from him have helped me in my career. Late at night while on tour, I still call him."

PERCY ROMEO MILLER JR., Southern California
Rapper/actor, son of entertainment mogul and entrepreneur Master P, has released multiple studio albums and compilation albums. His debut album titled after his original alias Lil' Romeo contained the hit single "My Baby" that charted #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-hop Singles.

Signed with the Trojans with friend Demar DeRozan, who left for the NBA after only one season. Romeo, a 5-9 point guard, played 19 minutes in nine games in 2008-09 and 2009-10, scoring a total of five points.

KENNY PARKER, St. Peter's
Brother of one of the most influential rap and hip-hop artists of the 1980s and early 1990s--KRS-ONE (born Kris Parker). Kenny, who performed as a DJ alongside his brother and in music videos as part of the hard-core hip-hop outfit Boogie Down Productions, was a producer for BDP recordings. He has produced TV commercials for Nike.

Parker was a four-year regular who had his best scoring season as a freshman (8.4 ppg in 1985-86 when he supplied a 26-point, nine-rebound effort against MAAC power La Salle).

DARRYL SHEPHERD, Pittsburgh
Produced two #1 hits on the R&B charts. An accomplished keyboard player, he also worked on movie soundtracks and for numerous artists (including Smokey Robinson).

The 6-6 forward, who averaged 6.3 ppg and 2.5 rpg while shooting 53.3% from the floor, participated in national postseason competition each year from 1984 through 1986. He posted game highs of 18 points and 5 steals in Pitt's 78-54 loss against Louisiana Tech in the first round of the 1985 NCAA playoffs. His wife, attorney Renee Henderson, was a former Pitt sprinter who won the 60- and 200-meter dashes in France at the 2008 World Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships (setting two American records en route to winning gold).

Much is written about college basketball in the daily newspaper sports pages, weekly/monthly specialty magazines and on the internet. But you might be surprised the extent to which the written word, much of it outside the world of sports, emanates from former college basketball players.

For instance, politician extraordinaire Dean Rusk, Davidson's most noted alumnus who wrote his memoirs in the book "As I Saw It", was a star center in the late 1920s and early 1930s with former Davidson President Dr. D. Grier Martin (1957 until 1968).

"Basketball at Davidson reminds me of the old French proverb, 'Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose,'" said Rusk, who served as Secretary of State under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War era. "The game itself has been revolutionized since I played it. We once beat North Carolina 17-12; it was not a slowdown game. We both were trying like everything. What has remained the same has been the sheer fun of it, the stimulation of competition, the experience of losing as well as winning and the recognition that basketball is a sport in which a small college can take on the big fellows."

Former Princeton All-American Bill Bradley, a three-term U.S. Senator (Democrat-N.J.) until 1995, took on the "big fellows" as a presidential candidate in 2000. Bradley, a tax and trade expert with a strong voice on race issues and campaign finance reform, authored two basketball books (Life on the Run in 1976 and Values of the Game in 1998).

"The lessons learned from it (basketball) stay with you," Rhodes Scholar Bradley wrote of the sport he still loves. "I was determined that no one would outwork me."

You might not know it, but other luminaries who've displayed determination in the political arena and written books after "working the crowd" in a college basketball arena include former Pennsylvania governor Robert Casey, former U.S. Senator Robert Dole and former vice president Al Gore.

Casey, who ran in the Democratic presidential primary as a pro-life candidate, was a heart and liver transplant recipient who addressed that battle in his book called "Fighting for Life." Casey, a freshman with Holy Cross in 1949-50 when senior Bob Cousy was an NCAA unanimous first-team All-American, appeared in two NCAA Tournament games in 1953.

Dole, a member of Kansas' freshman basketball team for one semester before enlisting in the Army during World War II, wrote a book on political humor and Gore, who averaged 2.8 points per game for Harvard's 12-4 freshman team in 1965-66, wrote a book on global warming.

Joining Bradley and Gore among former Ivy League hoopsters in the political arena is Richard Stengel, who is leaving his post as the managing editor of Time magazine to become under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs at the State Department. Stengel became a Rhodes Scholar after being the fourth-leading scorer for Princeton's 1973-74 freshman team with eight points per game. He was a 5-11, 165-pound backup sophomore guard who scored two points in 11 games for the Princeton squad that won the 1975 NIT.

In a TIME essay in the March 16, 1998, edition, Stengel wrote: "I was a scrub who occasionally forced the first team to work up a sweat in practice. The real curse of a Princeton basketball education is that it renders you unfit for pickup games for the rest of your life. No one looks for the open man. No one sees you when you go backdoor. Guys hog the ball and force shots from 30 feet. My inner coach wants to bench all these Michael Jordan wannabes. But it's a lost cause. Basketball is more than just a metaphor for who we are; we show who we are when we play it. I've never bothered to try to explain to the guys I play with (in pickup games) why I don't shoot more. Mainly, I'm just trying to get a workout and not get hurt, but I suppose on another level, I'm still looking for the open man."

Stengel, the former managing editor of time.com, was a major political commentator and TIME essayist who collaborated on the definitive biography of Nelson Mandela - "Long Walk to Freedom" (1994). He became the National Constitution Center's President & CEO in the spring of 2004 before returning to Time magazine in 2006 as managing editor.

The aforementioned are part of a lineup representing a rebuttal to the chronic complainers who cite writers as individuals who don't know anything about sports in general and college hoops specifically. Following is an alphabetical list of additional authors who played the game:

Sam Balter, UCLA
All-American for the Bruins in 1929 was a sports columnist for the Los Angeles Herald-Express from 1955 to 1964. He also was a broadcaster for the Mutual Network.

Stan Baumgartner, University of Chicago
Member of championship team of 1914 predecessor to the Big Ten Conference. After pitching in the majors for eight years, he was a sportswriter with the Philadelphia Inquirer for 20 years and co-authored a history of the Phillies.

Clair Bee, Waynesburg (Pa.)
Coach guided LIU to the best record of any program during the decade of the 1930s. His stories about Chip Hilton, an All-American boy and athlete, were among the most beloved books of a certain generation of school children.

Ira Berkow, Roosevelt (Ill.)
Played for Roosevelt University in Chicago in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The New York Times sports columnist and senior writer authored more than a dozen books, including volumes on Hank Greenberg, Casey Stengel, Red Smith, Rod Carew and Walt Frazier.

Bob Bigelow, Penn
Star for Penn's three consecutive Ivy League champions from 1973 through 1975 co-authored Just Let the Kids Play, a mission to return youth sports to its rightful owners: the kids who play.

Doyle Brunson, Hardin-Simmons (Tex.)
Promising basketball career ended in the early 1950s because of a summer job accident when his leg was broken in two places while unloading some sheetrock. The first player to earn $1 million in poker tournaments is the author of several poker books, including Super/System and Poker Wisdom of a Champion. Winner of 10 World Series of Poker bracelets won the main event in back-to-back years in 1976 and 1977.

Pat Conroy, The Citadel
The 5-10, 185-pound guard averaged 7.8 points per game for The Citadel in three varsity seasons (1964-65 through 1966-67). The Bulldogs' third-leading scorer as a senior with 11.8 ppg had a career high of 25 points. Here is an excerpt from a school guide about him: "Exceptional ball control ability and fighting spirit. English major is poetry editor of the Spinx (yearbook)."

Conroy became a best-selling novelist after his dismissal from a teaching post for unorthodox instruction methods. His Houghton-published books include The Water is Wide (1972 release), The Great Santini (1976), The Lords of Discipline (1980), The Prince of Tides (1986) and Beach Music (1995). Several of his novels became hit movies, including Conrack with Jon Voight, The Great Santini with Robert Duval, The Lords of Discipline about The Citadel, and Prince of Tides with Barbara Streisand and Nick Nolte.

John Corcoran, Texas Western
The 6-4 forward averaged 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for Texas Western in 1958-59 and 1959-60 after attending junior college.

The author of a book titled "The Teacher Who Couldn't Read" (published by Focus on the Family) was appointed to the National Literacy Board by former First Lady Barbara Bush. Corcoran was illiterate, a burden he carried with him throughout his days at what is now Texas-El Paso and through 18 years as a school teacher and later while dabbling in real estate. After learning to read at the age of 48 at an adult learning program in the late 1980s, the national spokesman on literacy founded the for-profit Cornerstone Learning Systems, Inc., and the non-profit Cornerstone Learning Foundation.

Michael Crichton, Harvard
The tallest player (6-8) on Harvard's squad as a sophomore in 1961-62 scored three points (all free throws) in nine games. He averaged 6.3 points per game in 12 outings for Harvard's freshman team the previous year when his best performance was a 16-point, 14-rebound effort against Andover.

The nationally-acclaimed fiction writer authored numerous best-selling novels, including "Andromeda Strain" (1969), "The Terminal Man" (1972), "The Great Train Robbery" (1975), "Jurassic Park" (1991), "Disclosure" (1994) and "The Lost World" (1995). Jurassic Park was made into one of the biggest blockbuster movies of all-time, grossing more than $900 million worldwide in its first release alone. The nation's fourth highest-paid entertainer in 1996 ($102 million) also served as co-executive producer for the NBC hit series ER.

Jim Cymbala, Rhode Island
One of the top free-throw shooters in Rhode Island history, he hit 82% of his fouls shots from 1963-64 through 1965-66.

After graduating from URI, he entered the seminary to study for the ministry. He and his wife, Carol, had three books on the best-selling list of the national religious clothbound non-fiction books, including Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. In 1971, Jim and Carol took over leadership of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a small struggling congregation of some 30 people gathered in a run-down building in the inner city. The Brooklyn Tabernacle now numbers more than 5,000 members from all walks of life. As senior pastor, Cymbala has a staff of nine associate pastors.

Rob Dauster, Vassar (N.Y.)
Averaged 2.5 ppg in 36 contests from 2004-05 through 2006-07, competing in more than half of those games in 2005-06 as a sophomore. Took almost 90% of his field-goal attempts from beyond the three-point arc. . . . Editor of Ballin' is a Habit web site wrote for SI.com before becoming head writer and editorial manager of @CBTonNBC in early January 2013.

Frank Deford, Princeton
Deford was a practice player for Princeton (class of '61) under coach Cappy Cappon, who told him he wrote basketball better than he played it.

Deford has chronicled sports for half a century in the pages of Sports Illustrated, feature reports on HBO's Real Sports and commentaries on NPR among other venues. He has been a tireless advocate for research and treatment of cystic fibrosis after his daughter died of the disease in 1980 when she was 8 years old.

Pete Gent, Michigan State
He averaged 17.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in leading Michigan State in scoring each of his three varsity seasons (1961-62 through 1963-64). The 6-4, 200-pound forward scored 34 points against Bowling Green State in his senior year when he ranked 62nd in the country in scoring with 21.1 ppg before becoming a 14th-round choice by Baltimore in the NBA draft.

He became an NFL flanker and tight end who caught 68 passes for 989 yards and four touchdowns with the Dallas Cowboys from 1964-68. Gent authored several novels, including "North Dallas Forty" and "The Franchise." One of his most recent titles is "The Conquering Heroes", a cynical look at a fictional renegade college basketball program.

Stedman Graham, Hardin-Simmons (Tex.)
The 6-6, 200-pound forward averaged 10.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game for Hardin-Simmons (Tex.) in his three-year varsity career (41-35 record), averaging 12.3 ppg and 10 rpg as a junior in 1972-73 and 15.2 ppg and 8.5 rpg as a senior in 1973-74. He played his freshman season in junior college for Weatherford (Tex.).

Graham dabbled briefly in modeling and played professional basketball in Europe before conceding the NBA was out of his reach. The former beau of TV mega-personality Oprah Winfrey is president of a marketing and consulting firm with offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C. He founded Athletes Against Drugs in 1985 and was a regular columnist for Inside Sports magazine. Overcoming the "Mr. Oprah" label was a small portion of the eight-year "inner struggle" to discover himself outlined in his book titled "You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan for Success" (Simon & Schuster/1997).

Sean Gregory, Princeton
Member of three straight Ivy League championship teams from 1996 through 1998 under coaches Pete Carril and Bill Carmody. Played one minute in the Tigers' 69-57 victory over UNLV in the opening round of the 1998 NCAA playoffs.

TIME Magazine staff writer penned the cover story on America's gold medal-winning men's basketball Olympic "Redeem Team." Keeping Score, his sports column for TIME.com, usually appears every Friday.

Andy Hill, UCLA
The 6-1 guard was a member of three consecutive NCAA championship teams under legendary coach John Wooden from 1970 through 1972 that lost a total of only three contests in that span. He averaged 2.1 points per game while shooting 34.3 percent from the floor and 73.8 percent from the free-throw line.

The former CBS Productions president authored a book titled by one of Wooden's most famous sayings: "Be Quick - But Don't Hurry."

Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
Three-year All-American center for Ohio State authored more than 60 books on learning, including The Memory Book, which was on the New York Times' best-seller list for 50 weeks and reached the No. 2 position behind All the President's Men, the investigative story uncovering the Watergate scandal.

Tony Lupien, Harvard
The 5-10, 185-pound guard was captain of the 1938-39 Harvard basketball squad. The previous season, he was the school's second-leading scorer in conference competition with 5.4 points per game. Lupien was a lefthanded first baseman who hit .268 in six seasons (1940, 1942 through 1945 and 1948) with the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox.

The former baseball coach at Dartmouth was co-author of the book "The Imperfect Diamond: The Story of Baseball's Reserve Clause and the Men Who Fought to Change It."

James Michener, Swarthmore (Pa.)
Details of his playing career at Swarthmore are sketchy. Of seeing all-time great Hank Luisetti perform his acrobatics in 1941, Michener wrote: "It was a marvelous night, one I can never forget. It demonstrated that there is always the possibility someone will come along who will be able to do old things in bold new ways. And it taught me humility. Nobody that I ever played with or against could go on the same floor with Luisetti. He paved the way for Pettit and Mikan and Fulks and Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar. He was a revelation."

The internationally-acclaimed novelist authored more than 40 books, including blockbusters like Hawaii (1959), Centennial (1974), Space (1982) and Texas (1985). After visiting 50 islands while serving in the Navy, Michener used those experiences to write his first fiction, Tales of the South Pacific, which he published at age 40. The work won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize and was turned into the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. He gave the University of Texas $44.2 million and his alma mater 60 gifts for a total of more than $7.2 million.

In Michener's 1976 volume entitled Sports in America, he wrote that "I am very doubtful that big-time sports, whether high school, college university or professional, do much to alter or enhance the character of the young men who participate. Those who enter the system with strong characters formed at home and who fall under the guidance of a good coach emerge strengthened in their convictions. The athlete lives in a world the rest of us can scarcely imagine. That any survive to live reasonably decent lives is a miracle."

Dr. James Nagel, Moorhead State (Minn.)
Three-time All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference selection was the league's scoring champion as a senior in 1991-92.

Student body president obtained his Ph.D. from Penn State before becoming an endowed English professor at Georgia. A widely-published author and an international authority on American fiction, especially Ernest Hemingway, Nagel is credited with the screen play for the 1997 movie "In Love and War."

Bill Reynolds, Brown
The 6-3, 170-pound guard scored 909 points in three varsity seasons for Brown from 1965-66 through 1967-68, finishing his career as the school's seventh-leading career scorer. He led the Bears in scoring as a junior and senior.

The sports columnist for the Providence Journal has authored books about Big East Conference, Bob Cousy, Rick Pitino, Chris Herren (Basketball Junkie) and Glory Days.

Charley Rosen, Hunter (N.Y.)
Novelist was leading scorer and rebounder for Hunter College for three consecutive seasons from 1959-60 through 1961-62. His critically-acclaimed basketball books include The House of Moses All-Stars, Have Jump Shot Will Travel, The Cockroach Basketball League and Scandals of '51: How the Gamblers Almost Killed College Basketball.

Former CBA coach was an assistant of Phil Jackson with the Albany Patroons.

Stephen A. Smith, Winston-Salem State
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, ESPN commentator and former host of "Quite Frankly" played under legendary coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines in the early 1990s. College career ended after blowing out a knee. Former Cleveland Cavliers beat writer Branson Wright, who covered WSSU for the local paper, said Smith's nickname was The Pedestrian because every time he went through the lane he walked.

Watson Spoelstra, Hope (Mich.)
The grandfather of Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was his college alma mater's all-time leading scorer upon graduating in 1932 after becoming Hope's first player to earn All-MIAA recognition.

Sportswriter with the Detroit News for nearly 30 years before founding the Baseball Chapel, a Christian ministry for professional baseball players. Tigers pitcher Denny McLain was suspended for a week after dousing him with a bucket of ice water.

Warren "Rick" Talley, Southern Illinois
Averaged 11.9 ppg for SIU from 1955-56 through 1957-58. Led the Salukis in scoring as a sophomore (14 ppg) before becoming their second-leading scorer each of the next two seasons.

Talley was a sports columnist for the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Daily News before working as a talk show host with the Las Vegas-based Sports Entertainment Network.

Robert James Waller, Northern Iowa
Averaged 11.8 points per game as a 6-0 guard for Northern Iowa in three varsity seasons (1959-60 through 1961-62). Waller earned All-North Central Conference honors as a senior when he finished 10th in the league in scoring (14.2 ppg) and fourth in free-throw shooting (78.4 percent) for Norm Stewart in his first year as a head coach. Helped the Panthers earn their initial NCAA Tournament appearance in the college division when the school was known as the State College of Iowa.

Waller is the best-selling author of Warner Books products "The Bridges of Madison County" and "Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend." His most recent well-received book is "Puerto Vallarata Squeeze".

Dr. John Edgar Wideman, Penn
Two-time All-Ivy League second-team selection led Penn in scoring as a junior (13.2 points per game in 1961-62) and as a senior (13.8 ppg in 1962-63). The 6-1, 180-pound swingman from Pittsburgh also paced the Quakers in rebounding as a junior (7.6 rpg). Wideman was named to the Big Five Hall of Fame in 1974.

Wideman, an award-winning writer/novelist, has taught at Wyoming, Penn, Massachusetts, Brown and Amherst. The 20-plus books he has authored includes two - "Sent For You Yesterday" (1984) and "Philadelphia Fire" (1990) - enabling him to become the first individual to twice win the International PEN/Faulkner Award. Rhodes Scholar, the second African-American recipient, has been listed in Who's Who in America.

According to Wideman, "it's (renamed) the passing game and coaches get the credit, but what in fact happened is that the players remade the game according to their skills and the coaches tried to catch up (to style that originated on the playground). As in most things in this country, if it comes from the street, if it comes from the underclass, it doesn't exist until it's given a name, until it's patented. Then the credit goes to somebody who's very late in the field."

Wideman told ESPN.COM that "the primary thing writing and basketball share is the sense that each time you go out, each time you play or begin a piece, it's a new day. You can score 40 points one game, bu the next game, those points don't count. You can win the Nobel Literature Prize, but that doesn't make the next sentence of the next book appear. With both writing and basketball, it really is a question of starting fresh each time out - you have a chance, but you're also tested each time.

"We have those little moments in games when we feel in synch, when we feel that time has kind of stopped and we're on stage and we're in control of our lives. That's a very rare feeling. Most of us don't feel that way most of the time. Basketball can give us a kind of mystical awareness. Everything seems focused and in balance."

The celebrated author is the father of Jamila Wideman, a standout guard for Stanford who went on to start as a rookie in the inaugural season of the WNBA. His brother (Robbie) and son (Jacob) each served time in prison after being convicted of murder. Robbie was the centerpiece of his nonfiction book "Brothers and Keepers" that received a National Book Critics Circle nomination.

His book "Hoop Roots" (2003) tells the story of the roots of black basketball in our culture, a tale inextricable from that of racism in America. Wideman said "basketball is fluid, flexible, and as open to interpretation as a song." One of our nation's preeminent literary and social voices wrote: "You whisper the secret of who you are, who you want to be, into the ear of the game, and once it knows your secrets, it plays them back to you and you must dance to them, the sense, nonsense, and music nothing less than revealed and revealing truth - your song of self the game makes real. . . For a moment on the court you can play at that level of seriousness. Those are the stakes of the playground game."

Has there ever been a coach in an elite "Power 6" league with a consistent track record for dramatic player development anywhere close to matching Wisconsin's Bo Ryan? This will likely be the fifth consecutive campaign where a UW player becomes an All-Big Ten Conference selection after previously averaging fewer than three points per game as a freshman. In the next couple of years, Ben Brust (0.7 ppg in 2010-11), Traevon Jackson (1.1 in 2011-12) and Frank Kaminsky (1.8 in 2011-12) could join the following chronological list of Badgers who became an all-league choice under Ryan after averaging fewer than 3 ppg as a freshman:

G Kammron Taylor (1.2 ppg in 2003-04 to 13.3 ppg in 2006-07)
G Michael Flowers (1.2 ppg in 2004-05 to 9.6 ppg in 2007-08)
G Trevon Hughes (1.4 ppg in 2006-07 to 15.3 ppg in 2009-10)
F Jon Leuer (2.9 ppg in 2007-08 to 18.3 ppg in 2010-11)
G Jordan Taylor (1.6 ppg in 2008-09 to 18.1 ppg in 2010-11 and 14.8 ppg in 2011-12)
C Jared Berggren (1.1 ppg in 2009-10 to 11 ppg in 2012-13)

"Saving" his program time and time again by turning scars into stars, it is no wonder Wisconsin won 50 consecutive contests under "General" Ryan in one stretch when the Badgers were ahead or tied with five minutes remaining in regulation. They never finished lower than fourth place in the Big Ten standings in his first 12 years at their helm. Kaminsky scored a school-record 43 points early in the 2013-14 campaign. There is no satisfactory explanation why neither Ryan, the Big Ten's coach of the year last season, nor Billy Donovan, who directed Florida to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007, have ever been named national coach of the year. Ditto for Rick Barnes, Texas' all-time winningest coach.

If you need any more vivid examples to prove who are the best team-sport athletes in the world, just check out the list of premier tight ends in the NFL. A striking number of the elite players at that rigorous position are former college basketball players. What kind of "picks" do you think imposing Mike Ditka (Pittsburgh) and John Mackey (Syracuse) set back in the day before the Big East Conference was formed? Wouldn't you love to see LeBron James maneuver down the field like Charles Atlas the same way he does when driving down the lane?

Ditka didn't commit a blunder by not pursuing a professional basketball career but he said one of his biggest mistakes was not running for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois in 2004. The former Chicago Bears All-Pro TE and Super Bowl-winning coach would have opposed Barack Obama, who went on to win the race and, in 2008, became the first African-American elected President.

"Biggest mistake I've ever made," Ditka said of failing to run against Obama. "Not that I would have won, but I probably would have and he wouldn't be in the White House."

The first week of the NFL season could have been a "Battle of the Titans" at the TE position when the Atlanta Falcons (California's Tony Gonzalez) opposed the New Orleans Saints (Miami's Jimmy Graham). But fellow ex-college hoopster Julius Thomas, a relatively unknown TE for the Denver Broncos, stole the thunder from more prominent versatile athletes in this category. Another budding TE standout who played college hoops is Cleveland's Jordan Cameron.

Thomas, an All-Big Sky Conference hoopster with Portland State, flashed potential to become the next game-changing tight end when he caught more touchdown passes in the opening quarter of the NFL season-opening game than he had receptions in his first two seasons. A 74-yard TD strike to Thomas at San Diego in mid-season showed that QB Peyton Manning intends to capitalize on Thomas' athleticism the same way he did ex-hoopster Marcus Pollard (Bradley) with the Indianapolis Colts. It may be premature if he was a flash in the pan, but Thomas has already cracked the Top 20 among the following list of Top 25 NFL tight ends who were former college basketball players:

Rank	Former College Hoopster	Alma Mater	Summary of NFL Tight End Career
1.	Tony Gonzalez	California	First tight end in NFL history with 100 touchdowns completed his 17-year career in 2013 with 1,325 receptions for 15,127 yards and 111 TDs. He was 13-time Pro Bowl selection.
2.	Antonio Gates	Kent State	Set an NFL single-season record with 13 TD receptions in 2004 en route to becoming San Diego Chargers' all-time leader for TD catches (87) and receptions (719) entering 2013 playoffs.
3.	Mike Ditka	Pittsburgh	Five-time Pro Bowl selection caught 427 passes for 5,812 yards and 43 TDs in 12 seasons.
4.	John Mackey	Syracuse	Hall of Famer caught 331 passes for 5,236 yards and 38 TDs in 10 seasons.
5.	Jimmy Graham	Miami (Fla.)	Led New Orleans Saints in pass receptions in 2012 and 2013. Twice has had streaks of at least four games with more than 100 yards in pass receptions. After only four years, he ranked second all-time among New Orleans Saints' tight ends in receiving.
6.	Todd Heap	Arizona State	Caught 467 passes for 5,492 yards and 41 TDs with the Baltimore Ravens from 2001 through 2010, leading them in receptions in 2002 with 68.
7.	Ben Coates	Livingstone (N.C.)	Established NFL single-season record for most receptions by a TE with 96 in 1994.
8.	Marcus Pollard	Bradley	Finished his 13-year career with 349 receptions for 4,280 yards and 40 TDs (long of 86 yards in 2001 midway through stint as starter for the Indianapolis Colts).
9.	Pete Metzelaars	Wabash (Ind.)	Played in more games at TE than any player in NFL history when he retired. Led the Buffalo Bills with 68 receptions in 1993.
10.	Joe Senser	West Chester State (Pa.)	Caught 165 passes for 1,822 yards and 16 TDs in four-year career with the Minnesota Vikings in early 1980s.
11.	Andrew Glover	Grambling State	Caught at least one TD pass each of his 10 pro seasons from 1991 through 2000, finishing with 208 receptions for 2,478 yards and 24 TDs.
12.	Rich McGeorge	Elon (N.C.)	Caught 175 passes for 2,370 yards and 13 TDs with the Green Bay Packers in nine years from 1970 through 1978.
13.	Rickey Dudley	Ohio State	Scored 29 TDs in five seasons with the Oakland Raiders before hooking on with two other teams.
14.	Julius Thomas	Portland State	Began 2013 campaign with a bang by catching two TD passes from Peyton Manning for the Denver Broncos and was team runner-up with 12 entering NFL playoffs.
15.	Derrick Ramsey	Kentucky	Caught 188 passes for 2,364 yards and 21 TDs with three different teams from 1978 to 1987.
16.	Reuben Gant	Oklahoma State	Caught 127 passes for 1,850 yards and 15 TDs with the Buffalo Bills in seven seasons from 1974 through 1980.
17.	Bob Windsor	Kentucky	Caught 185 passes for 2,307 yards and 14 TDs with the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots in nine years from 1967 through 1975.
18.	Keith McKeller	Jacksonville State (Ala.)	Caught 124 passes for 1,464 yards and 11 TDs with the Buffalo Bills in seven years from 1987 through 1993.
19.	Greg Latta	Morgan State (Md.)	Caught 90 passes for 1,081 yards and seven TDs with the Chicago Bears in five years from 1975 through 1979.
20.	Pat Richter	Wisconsin	Caught 99 passes for 1,315 yards and 14 TDs in nine seasons for the Washington Redskins after being their first-round pick in 1962.
21.	Jeff King	Virginia Tech	Registered 93 receptions for 802 yards and seven TDs with the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals in first seven years from 2006 through 2012.
22.	Ulysses Norris	Georgia	Best season of seven-year career was in 1983 when he had seven TDs with the Detroit Lions.
23.	Dee Mackey	East Texas State	Caught 94 passes for 1,352 yards and eight TDs in six NFL/AFL seasons from 1960 through 1965.
24.	Al Dixon	Iowa State	Caught 84 passes for 1,248 yards and eight TDs with four different teams from 1977 through 1984.
25.	Ron Howard	Seattle	Caught 72 passes for 850 yards and two TDS with three different teams in the last half of the 1970s.

A majority of the establishment media has been flogging the NCAA for an extended period regarding a series of mishaps and missteps. But the press has stepped over to the dark side mirroring the NCAA with an obsession concerning nicknames.

A new NFL microsite, "TheMMBQ.com" spearheaded by Peter King, SI's chief NFL scribe and a contributor for NBC's Football Night in America, intends not to use the nickname "Redskins" no matter how many touchdowns RGIII generates for Washington. ESPN's Bill Simmons (Grantland impresario), Edward R. Murrow-Olbermann and Outside the Lines know-it-alls among other self-appointed sensitivity arbiters followed suit. King, Olbermann, Simmons and their politically-correct cohorts are trying to teach heathens a thing or two about tackling civility. Rather than weighing in on the petty topic, doesn't POTUS have something more important to do such as inspiring the Senate to finally submit a budget for the first time in years? In a poll conducted for AP, only 14 percent of respondents agreed with broadcasters who refuse to use "the R-word."

Don't the PC police from outlets such as the Extra Sensitive Pious Network (ESPN) have anything better to do? Aren't media outlets supposed to be covering news; not making it? A year ago, North Dakota voters approved a ballot measure by a 2-to-1 margin allowing the University of North Dakota, an NCAA Division I newcomer, to discontinue using its controversial nickname - the Fighting Sioux. There are groups continuing an exercise-in-futility fight for nickname retention. Thus angst over a new nickname and logo will simmer until early 2015, which is the earliest the current moniker will be jettisoned.

A re-branding process is necessary after the most recent furor stemming from the state Board of Higher Education yielding to the NCAA's meddling progressive policy police following a six-year battle over the nickname and logo allegedly being hostile to American Indians. The school chose to respect the state's referendum process and resumed using the nickname in mid-season after an intense debate spurred supporters to file petitions demanding a statewide vote on the issue. Eventually, the heavyhanded NCAA responded by saying the school risked forfeiting postseason games if it failed to "take measures to minimize or eliminate the presence of the imagery."

Previous schools failing to exhibit nearly as much spunk as North Dakota's citizenry and making politically-correct decisions by switching their supposedly demeaning and highly-insensitive nicknames were Arkansas State (changed from Indians to Red Wolves), Colgate (Red Raiders to Raiders), Eastern Michigan (Hurons to Eagles), Louisiana-Monroe (Indians to Warhawks), Marquette (Warriors to Golden Eagles), Miami of Ohio (Redskins to RedHawks), Oklahoma City (Chiefs to Stars), Quinnipiac (Braves to Bobcats), St. John's (Redmen to Red Storm), Seattle (Chieftains to Redhawks), Siena (Indians to Saints) and Southeast Missouri State (Indians to Redhawks). Can Miami of Ohio fans stop seeking penance since shedding "Redskins"?

It might be wise for touchy-feely elites such as King and Simmons plus the NCAA to assert themselves if the origin of some of the more clever nicknames were tinkered with and became too risque such as Flipu, Gamblers, Haters, Hell on Heels, Horny Frogs, Truncated Trojans and Trenchcoat Flashes. But for the numerous insensitive louts nonpulsed by this holier-than-thou victimization obsession, are they to feel shame at the extent of the alleged discrimination? Rather than bow to pressure, many traditional observers hope the following "Last of the Mohegans" remain steadfast and retain their time-honored monikers: Alcorn State (Braves), Bradley (Braves), Central Michigan (Chippewas), Florida State (Seminoles), Illinois (Fighting Illini), Utah (Utes) and William & Mary (Tribe).

What's next? Left-wing zealots from PETA (unless they are card-carrying members of the parallel universe People for Eating Tasty Animals) and the Bird Lovers International crowd could possibly feel empowered to capitalize on this catalyst for constructive social change by making it a heartless foul to have any nickname referencing a precious animal or fowl.

What was the cumulative cost, including personnel at the NCAA home office in Indianapolis, for nickname changes and how many mental midgets did it take at the NCAA to concoct this colossal caricature intervention? No wonder it's so easy to ridicule the governing body with a name-calling barrage. In the aftermath of widespread authentic turmoil at Miami (FL), North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Southern California and Syracuse, many think there are more significant issues in intercollegiate athletics requiring "fighting" or "suing" by the purulent NCAA rather than giving a selective outrage forum to pious pinheads manufacturing a mascot/nickname crisis that really didn't exist to any meaningful degree.

How many casinos need to be exchanged for wampum before the PC police and other individuals afflicted by white guilt such as NBC's Bob Costas are satisfied? If a fraction of Washington Redskins loyalists find Lil' Bob's last name offensive, shouldn't he be "forced" to change it to appease them? Never before rooted for franchise in entire lifetime, but "Hail to the Redskins!" despite their probable struggles this season. In a worst-case scenario, can they retain their nickname via appeasing elitists leftists by just changing their logo from an Indian to a red potato?

Each Final Four since 1995 had at least one school promptly lose a minimum of one player early to the NBA, including all four participants in 2007 (Florida, Georgetown, Ohio State and UCLA). But what happened to those national semifinal schools such as Michigan last season that had multiple players declare early for the NBA? The first 15 "star light" schools with multiple defectors failed to reach an NCAA regional final the next season until Kentucky reversed the trend with a national championship in 2012 after losing Brandon Knight and DeAndre Liggins in 2011.

It would have been one of the greatest achievements in college basketball history if UK returned to the 2013 Final Four after losing five undergraduates from the 38-2 NCAA titlist. The perils of losing so much young talent was reflected in the Wildcats' failure to reach the NCAA playoffs and losing in the opening round of the NIT against Robert Morris. The only team in this category other than UK to lose fewer than seven games was Duke (29-5 in 1999-00). After the first 12 squads thus far this century suffered an average of nine defeats in the wake of such pro defections, Michigan faces an uphill climb based on the following chronological look at how Final Four schools fared the year after having multiple players renounce their college eligibility:

Year	Final Four Team	Multiple Undergraduates Lost to NBA Draft	Record	Postseason Outcome Next Season
1995	Arkansas (2)	Scotty Thurman, Corliss Williamson	20-13	Lost regional semifinal
1995	North Carolina (2)	Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace	21-11	Lost in second round
1996	Mississippi State (2)	Erick Dampier, Dontae' Jones	12-18	Did not qualify
1998	North Carolina (2)	Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison	24-10	Lost in first round
1999	Duke (3)	William Avery, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette	29-5	Lost regional semifinal
2000	Florida (2)	Donnell Harvey, Mike Miller	24-7	Lost in second round
2001	Arizona (3)	Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, Michael Wright	24-10	Lost regional semifinal
2001	Michigan State (2)	Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson	19-12	Lost in first round
2004	Connecticut (2)	Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor	23-8	Lost in second round
2005	Illinois (2)	Dee Brown, Deron Williams	26-7	Lost in second round
2005	North Carolina (4)	Raymond Felton, Sean May, Rashad McCants, Marvin Williams	23-8	Lost in second round
2007	Florida (4)	Corey Brewer, Taurean Green, Al Horford, Joakim Noah	24-12	Reached NIT semifinals
2007	Ohio State (3)	Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook, Greg Oden	24-13	Won NIT
2008	Kansas (3)	Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush	27-8	Lost regional semifinal
2008	UCLA (3)	Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Russell Westbrook	26-9	Lost in second round
2011	Kentucky (2)	Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins	38-2	Won national title
2012	Kentucky (5)	Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague	21-12	Lost in NIT first round
2013	Michigan (2)	Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr.	TBD	TBD

NOTE: Arkansas' Scotty Thurman went undrafted in 1995.