Former Illinois college hoopers Tom Haller (Illinois), Cal Neeman (Illinois Wesleyan), Champ Summers (SIU Edwardsville) and Jay Ward (McKendree) were traded by major-league baseball franchises this month in a 15-year span from 1963 through 1977. Summers, a transfer from Nicholls State, also joined prominent ex-Louisiana college hoopers Joe Adcock (LSU), Zeke Bonura (Loyola New Orleans) and George Stone (Louisiana Tech) in MLB February transactions. They are among the following former college hoopers involved in MLB off-season transactions during the month of February:

FEBRUARY

1: OF Jim Lyttle (led Florida State in free-throw shooting in 1965-66 when averaging 12.4 ppg) traded by the Chicago White Sox to Kansas City Royals in 1973. . . . C Ebba St. Claire (Colgate hoops letterman in 1941-42) traded by the Milwaukee Braves to New York Giants in 1954.
2: INF Billy Harrell (averaged 10.3 ppg in three seasons for Siena in early 1950s) awarded on waivers from the Cleveland Indians to St. Louis Cardinals in 1959.
3: RHP Paul Hartzell (averaged 5.9 ppg and 3.4 rpg as Lehigh forward in 1972-73) traded by the California Angels to Minnesota Twins in 1979. . . . INF Larry Wolfe (Sacramento City College CA letterman in 1971-72 and 1972-73 scored juco game-high 33 points) traded by the Minnesota Twins to Boston Red Sox in 1979.
5: OF Ethan Allen (Cincinnati hoops letterman in 1924-25 and 1925-26) purchased from the St. Louis Cardinals to Philadelphia Phillies in 1934. . . . OF Sam Mele (NYU's leading scorer in 1943 NCAA playoffs) traded by the Chicago White Sox to Baltimore Orioles in 1954. . . . OF Leon Roberts (played in four basketball games for Michigan in 1970-71 under coach Johnny Orr) traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to Kansas City Royals for 1B Cecil Fielder in 1983.
6: INF Jake Flowers (member of 1923 "Flying Pentagon" championship hoops squad for Washington College MD) purchased from the Brooklyn Dodgers by Buffalo (International) in 1934.
7: INF Charlie Gelbert (scored at least 125 points each of last three seasons in late 1920s for Lebanon Valley PA) purchased from the Boston Red Sox by Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942. . . . 1B-OF Bud Sharpe (hoops letterman for Penn State in 1902) purchased from the Boston Rustlers by Buffalo (Eastern) in 1911.
8: RHP Elden Auker (All-Big Six Conference first five selection with Kansas State in 1931-32) purchased from the Boston Red Sox by St. Louis Browns in 1940. . . . RHP Ownie Carroll (Holy Cross hoops letterman in 1922) traded with INF Jake Flowers (member of 1923 "Flying Pentagon" championship hoops squad for Washington College MD) by the St. Louis Cardinals to Brooklyn Dodgers in 1933. . . . 2B-OF Davey Lopes (NAIA All-District 15 selection for Iowa Wesleyan averaged 16.9 ppg and 3.4 rpg as freshman in 1964-65 and 12.1 ppg as sophomore in 1965-66 before transferring with his coach to Washburn KS where he became All-CIC choice for 1968 NAIA Tournament team) traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to Oakland Athletics in 1982.
9: RHP Bobby Munoz (scored 35 points in game for Polk Community College FL in 1986-87) traded by the New York Yankees to Philadelphia Phillies in 1994.
10: LHP Al Downing (attended Muhlenberg PA on hoops scholarship but left before ever playing) traded by the Milwaukee Brewers to Los Angeles Dodgers in 1971. . . . OF Les Mann (Springfield MA hooper in 1913 and 1914) purchased from the Chicago Whales by Chicago Cubs in 1916. . . . C-UTL Billy Sullivan Jr. (Portland hoops letterman in 1927-28) traded by the Cleveland Indians to St. Louis Browns in 1938.
11: INF Rob Sperring (averaged 8.7 ppg and 2.9 rpg for Pacific from 1968-69 through 1970-71) traded by the Chicago Cubs to San Francisco Giants in 1977.
12: 2B Jack Dittmer (Iowa hooper in 1949-50) traded by the Milwaukee Braves to Detroit Tigers in 1957. . . . SS Doc Lavan (Hope MI hooper from 1908 through 1910) purchased from the Philadelphia Athletics by St. Louis Browns in 1914. . . . LHP Joe Ostrowski (leading scorer for Scranton PA in 1942-43) purchased from the New York Yankees by Chicago Cubs in 1953.
13: INF Tim Cullen (starting guard for Santa Clara in 1962-63 when averaging 10 ppg and 3.4 rpg) traded by the Washington Senators to Chicago White Sox in 1968. . . . C Tom Haller (backup forward for Illinois in 1956-57 and 1957-58 under coach Harry Combes) traded by the San Francisco Giants to Los Angeles Dodgers in 1968.
14: C Cal Neeman (Illinois Wesleyan's leading scorer in 1947-48 and 1948-49) traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to St. Louis Cardinals in 1963.
15: 1B Zeke Bonura (best basketball forward for Loyola New Orleans in late 1920s and early 1930s) purchased from the Chicago Cubs by Minneapolis (American Association) in 1941. . . . OF Pip Koehler (Penn State hoops letterman in 1921-22 and 1922-23) shipped as player to be designated by the New York Giants to Toledo (American Association) in 1926 to complete swap made the previous summer.
16: 1B Joe Adcock (Louisiana State's leading scorer in 1945-46 traded by the Cincinnati Reds to Milwaukee Braves as part of a four-team swap in 1953. . . . OF Bake McBride (averaged 12.7 ppg and 8.1 rpg in 21 games for Westminster MO in 1968-69 and 1969-70) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to Cleveland Indians in 1982. . . . OF-DH Champ Summers (led SIU-Edwardsville in scoring in 1969-70 after doing likewise with Nicholls State in 1964-65) traded by the Chicago Cubs to Cincinnati Reds in 1977.
18: INF Owen Kahn (basketball letterman for William & Mary in 1924-25 and 1925-26) purchased from Manchester (New England) by the Boston Braves in 1930. . . . INF Jay Ward (attended McKendree IL for one semester as freshman in 1956-57) traded by the Cleveland Indians to Cincinnati Reds in 1970.
19: INF Billy Hunter (multi-sport athlete for Indiana PA post-WWII) traded with OF Irv Noren (1945 player of the year for California community college state basketball champion Pasadena City) and multiple additional players by the New York Yankees to Kansas City Athletics for multiple players in 1957.
20: 1B-OF Buddy Hassett (hooper for Manhattan teams winning school-record 17 consecutive contests in 1930 and 1931) traded by the New York Yankees to Brooklyn Dodgers in 1936.
22: C Art Kusnyer (led Kent State in field-goal percentage in 1965-66 as team's third-leading scorer and rebounder) traded by the Milwaukee Brewers to Kansas City Royals in 1978.
23: LHP Stan Baumgartner (hooper for Western Conference champion University of Chicago in 1914) traded by New Haven (Eastern) to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1924. . . . OF Jerry Martin (Furman's second-leading scorer in 1969-70 and third-leading scorer in 1970-71) traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to Chicago Cubs in 1979. . . . 1B Dick Siebert (Concordia-St. Paul MN hooper in 1929 and 1930) purchased from the Chicago Cubs by St. Louis Cardinals in 1937.
24: 1B Tony Lupien (Harvard hoops captain in 1938-39) purchased from the Philadelphia Phillies by Pittsburgh Pirates in 1946. . . . LHP George Stone (averaged 14.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg for Louisiana Tech in 1964-65 and 1965-66) traded by the New York Mets to Texas Rangers in 1976.

OFF-SEASON WHEELING AND DEALING PREVIOUS THREE MONTHS
MLB January Transactions Involving Former College Hoopers
MLB December Transactions Involving Former College Hoopers
MLB November Transactions Involving Former College Hoopers

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map before spurring politicized multiple anthems and hug-a-thug NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on January 30 in football at the professional level (especially Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII):

JANUARY 30

• St. Louis Rams MLB London Fletcher (started two basketball games as St. Francis PA freshman in 1993-94 before transferring home to Cleveland to play hoops for John Carroll OH in 1995-96) recorded a game-high seven solo tackles in 23-16 win against the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV following the 1999 season.

• Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy (earned hoops letter with Coe IA in 1949-50) lost his fourth consecutive Super Bowl game (30-13 against Dallas Cowboys in XXVIII following 1993 season). Bills TE Keith McKeller (starting center for Jacksonville State's 1985 NCAA Division II championship team led Gulf South Conference in rebounding each of his first three seasons and finished second as senior) had at least one pass reception in his fourth straight Super Bowl while teammate Pete Metzelaars (1982 NCAA Division III Tournament MOP for Wabash IN in 1982) did likewise in his third consecutive SB.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map before spurring politicized multiple anthems and hug-a-thug NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on January 26 in football at the professional level in Super Bowl competition:

JANUARY 26

• Mike Ditka (averaged 2.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg for Pittsburgh in 1958-59 and 1959-60) coached Chicago Bears to a 46-10 win against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX following 1985 season. Patriots TE Derrick Ramsey (grabbed three rebounds in two Kentucky games in 1975-76) caught two passes for 16 yards.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) threw two touchdown passes in a 48-21 win against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII following 2002 season.

• Buffalo Bills TE Pete Metzelaars (averaged 19.2 ppg and 11.4 rpg for Wabash IN while setting NCAA Division III field-goal shooting records for single season as senior in 1981-82 and career) caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Jim Kelly in 37-24 setback against the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXVI following 1991 season.

• Green Bay Packers WR Andre Rison (backup hoops guard for Michigan State in 1987-88) opened game's scoring with a 54-yard touchdown reception from Brett Favre in 35-21 win against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI following 1996 season.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map before spurring politicized multiple anthems and hug-a-thug NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on January 24 in football at the professional level:

JANUARY 24

• QB Ken Anderson (swingman finished Augustana IL career in early 1970s as fifth-leading scorer in school history with 1,044 points) accounted for all three of the Cincinnati Bengals' three touchdowns (two passing/one rushing in second half) in a 26-21 setback against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XVI following 1981 season.

• Green Bay Packers LB Fred Carr (played for defending NCAA champion Texas Western in 1967 playoffs) shared the NFL Pro Bowl MVP award following 1970 season.

• Arizona Cardinals TE Darren Fells (averaged 10.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg from 2004-05 through 2007-08, leading UCI in rebounding each of last three seasons) caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer in 49-15 setback against the Charlotte Panthers in NFC championship game following 2015 season.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map before spurring politicized multiple anthems and hug-a-thug NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former NCAA DI basketball players Rodney Harrison (Western Illinois) and Donovan McNabb (Syracuse) making a name for themselves on January 23 in conference championship games following 2004 season:

JANUARY 23

• New England Patriots SS Rodney Harrison (averaged 7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3 apg and 1.6 spg for Western Illinois in 1992-93) returned an interception 87 yards for touchdown in 41-27 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Championship following 2004 campaign.

• Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) threw two touchdown passes in a 27-10 NFC Championship win against the Atlanta Falcons following 2004 season.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map before politicized multiple anthems and hug-a-thug NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on January 22 in football at the professional level (especially Green Bay Packers defense in NFC championship contest following 2016 season):

JANUARY 22

• Green Bay Packers CB Quinten Rollins (led Miami OH in steals all four seasons from 2010-11 through 2013-14 including Mid-American Conference as senior) had four tackles in a 44-21 setback against the Atlanta Falcons in NFC championship game following 2016 season. Packers LB Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) chipped in with two tackles.

It's patently clear not every coach departs with pomp-and-circumstance style such as luminaries John Wooden, Al McGuire, Ray Meyer, Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski when they bowed out. From 1964 to 1975 with Wooden at the helm, UCLA won an NCAA-record 10 national titles, including seven straight from 1967 through 1973. McGuire's goodbye in 1977 with an NCAA title marked Marquette's eighth straight season finishing among the Top 10 in a final wire-service poll. Meyer directed DePaul to a Top 6 finish in a final wire-service poll six times in his final seven seasons from 1978 through 1984. Smith won at least 28 games with North Carolina in four of his final five seasons from 1992-93 through 1996-97. Coach K tied Wooden by reaching Final Four with Duke for 13th time in his swan song.

But fond farewells are the exception, not the rule, in coping with Father Time. Notre Dame's Mike Brey should have asked Smith pupil Roy Williams, who registered a losing ACC record (16-20) over his final two campaigns before retiring a couple of years ago. That was more league losses than he incurred over a five-year span when NCAA titles bookended no-show class seasons from 2005 through 2009. How many school all-time winningest mentors rode off into the sunset donning at least a partial black hat rather than a white one? How much they may have tarnished their legacy is debatable but hanging around too long probably caused a few of the following celebrated coaches to lose a portion of their luster:

• Dave Bike, Sacred Heart - four straight losing records from 2009-10 through 2012-13 at end of career

• Jim Boeheim, Syracuse - incurred at least 14 defeats in six of last seven seasons (2016-17 through 2022-23)

• Mike Brey, Notre Dame - only one winning ACC record in last six seasons after reaching second weekend of NCAA Tournament three consecutive campaigns from 2015 through 2017

• Dale Brown, Louisiana State - 23 games below .500 with four straight losing campaigns after 10 consecutive NCAA playoff appearances from 1984 through 1993

• Howard Cann, NYU - 12 games below .500 in last six seasons after six national postseason tournament appearances from 1943 through 1952

• Ben Carnevale, Navy - four non-winning seasons after three national postseason tournament appearances in a four-year span from 1959 through 1962

• Everett Case, North Carolina State - only four games above .500 in final five full seasons after averaging 24.6 victories annually his first 13 campaigns from 1946-47 through 1958-59

• Gale Catlett, West Virginia - 11 games below .500 in last four seasons after 15 national postseason tournament appearances in an 18-year span from 1981 to 1998

• John Chaney, Temple - only 11 games above .500 in final five seasons after 17 NCAA playoff appearances in an 18-year span from 1984 through 2001

• Charlie Coles, Miami (Ohio) - 12 games below .500 in last five seasons after appearing in 2007 NCAA playoffs

• Denny Crum, Louisville - breakeven mark last four seasons while winless in national postseason play after missing national postseason competition only twice in his first 26 campaigns from 1972 through 1997

• Howie Dickenman, Central Connecticut State - five consecutive losing records from 2011-12 through 2015-16

• Ed Diddle, Western Kentucky - 5-16 mark each of his final two seasons after only one losing record in his previous 32 campaigns from 1930-31 through 1961-62

• Don Donoher, Dayton - 12 games below .500 with three straight losing campaigns after 15 national postseason tournament appearances in first 22 seasons from 1965 through 1986

• Fred Enke, Arizona - only four games above .500 in final five seasons after averaging more than 20 victories annually in nine campaigns from 1942-43 through 1950-51

• Jack Friel, Washington State - 71 games below .500 in final six seasons after averaging 19 victories annually with only one losing record in 23-year span from 1929-30 through 1951-52

• Taps Gallagher, Niagara - 17 games below .500 in final two seasons after only two losing records in first 29 campaigns from 1931-32 through 1962-63

• Tom Green, Fairleigh Dickinson - 30 games below .500 in final three seasons after appearing in NCAA playoffs and NIT in 2005 and 2006

• Jack Hartman, Kansas State - minimum of 14 defeats each of his last four seasons after 11 consecutive first-division finishes in the Big Eight Conference from 1971-72 through 1981-82

• Don Haskins, Texas-El Paso - three games below .500 in final four years after 16 consecutive winning campaigns (including 12 20-win seasons) from 1979-80 through 1994-95

• Nat Holman, CCNY - losing records each of final five seasons after incurring only two losing marks in first 32 campaigns from 1919-20 through 1950-51

• Hank Iba, Oklahoma State - 33 games below .500 his final five campaigns after last NCAA playoff appearance of 36-year tenure with the school in 1965

• George Ireland, Loyola of Chicago - 32 games below .500 his final seven campaigns after third NCAA playoff appearance in five years following 1963 NCAA title

• Doggie Julian, Dartmouth - seven straight losing campaigns with fewer than eight victories after five consecutive first- or second-place finishes in the Ivy League with three NCAA playoff appearances from 1955-56 through 1959-60

• Gene Keady, Purdue - eight games below .500 his final four seasons after 12 consecutive national postseason tournament appearances from 1990 through 2001

• Mike Krzyzewski - 12 consecutive campaigns without a regular-season conference crown until final season when ACC was at a low ebb

• Piggy Lambert, Purdue - three games below .500 his final four seasons after 23 consecutive winning records from 1920 through 1942

• Dave Loos, Austin Peay State - six consecutive non-winning seasons despite reaching NCAA tourney in 2016

• Don Maestri, Troy - total of 30 games below .500 over final three campaigns from 2010-11 through 2012-13

• Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph's - three consecutive non-winning campaigns and four in last five years

• Fang Mitchell, Coppin State - only one winning record in last 10 seasons from 2004-05 through 2013-14

• Speedy Morris, La Salle - 47 games below .500 his final six campaigns from 1995-96 through 2000-01 after appearing in national postseason competition each of his first six seasons from 1987 through 1992

• Gregg Nibert, Presbyterian - 10 losing records in as many seasons at NCAA Division I level through 2016-17

• Jim Phelan, Mount St. Mary's - 50 games below .500 his final four campaigns after reaching the 800-win plateau with an NCAA Division I Tournament appearance in 1999

• Digger Phelps, Notre Dame (all-time leader before Brey) - five games below .500 his final two campaigns after averaging 21 victories annually in a 17-year span from 1972-73 through 1988-89

• Harry Rabenhorst, Louisiana State - 35 games below .500 in final three seasons after going undefeated in SEC competition in back-to-back years in 1952-53 and 1953-54

• Rick Samuels, Eastern Illinois - 21 games below .500 in final four seasons after appearing in 2001 NCAA playoffs

• Fred Taylor, Ohio State - 20 games below .500 in final three seasons after 11 top three finishes in Big Ten Conference standings in a 14-year span from 1959-60 through 1972-73

• M.K. Turk, Southern Mississippi - nine games below .500 in final five seasons after back-to-back NCAA playoff appearances in 1990 and 1991

• Ralph Underhill, Wright State - nine games below .500 in final three seasons after NCAA playoff appearance in 1993

• Mike Vining, Louisiana-Monroe - 22 games below .500 in final three seasons after sixth 20-win campaign in 2001-02

• Sox Walseth, Colorado - 40 games below .500 in final seven seasons after Big Eight Conference championship in 1969

• Clifford Wells, Tulane - 12 games below .500 in final six seasons after 12 non-losing campaigns from 1945-46 through 1956-57

• Carroll Williams, Santa Clara - eight games below .500 in final three seasons after five 20-win campaigns in seven years from 1982-83 through 1988-89

• Roy Williams, North Carolina - four games below .500 in league competition (16-20) in final two seasons in "down" ACC in 2019-20 and 2020-21 after finishing among top three in league standings 13 of previous 15 campaigns

Tagging along with new head coaches Dan Earl, Dennis Gates and Matt McMahon, transfers Jake Stephens (leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker), D'Moi Hodge (steals leader and runner-up in scoring) and K.J. Williams (leading scorer and rebounder) are striving to help Chattanooga, Missouri and Louisiana State generate headlines, respectively. They joined the following alphabetical list of prominent players who transferred from one major college to another with the same head coach although he wasn't his biological father:

*Erdmann played for a junior college between four-year school stints.

NOTES: Aaman committed to Wagner before choosing to enroll with Hurley at Rhode Island, Fisher signed with Pepperdine but never played there before choosing to follow Romar to SLU, Kilgore never played for EMU after transferring there from Central Michigan, Lyons was an academic partial qualifier in 2008-09 and Pendleton signed with Iowa but never played for the Hawkeyes because of scholastic shortcomings. . . . Anthony originally played for Virginia. . . . Mitchell played two seasons at Fresno State under Grant's successor (Ron Adams). . . . Varner went on an LDS Mormon mission for two years between stints at Pepperdine and Saint Louis. . . . Demetre Roberts, Grant Singleton and Sean Moore transferred with coach Tobin Anderson to Fairleigh Dickinson's 2023 NCAA tourney team from St. Thomas Aquinas NY.

Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick tried to pinpoint where Iran is on a map before politicized multiple anthems and hug-a-thug NFL funding anti-cop activist groups, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.

Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoops selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.

Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on January 18 in football at the professional level (especially for Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X):

JANUARY 18

• Dallas Cowboys TE Jean Fugett (leading scorer and rebounder for Amherst MA as junior in 1970-71) had a pass reception in 21-17 setback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl X following 1975 season. Cowboys WR Percy Howard (All-OVC selection as senior averaged 12.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg for Austin Peay from 1972-73 through 1974-75) caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) in fourth quarter. Staubach threw two TD passes in the game.

• Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) threw three second-half touchdown passes in a 32-25 NFC championship game setback against the Arizona Cardinals following 2008 season.

• Indianapolis Colts TE Marcus Pollard (JC transfer averaged 7.3 ppg and 5 rpg for Bradley in 1992-93 and 1993-94) had a game-high 90 receiving yards in 24-14 AFC championship game setback against the New England Patriots following 2003 season.

Coast-to-coast is a colloquial term describing successful basketball play going purposefully from one end of the court to the other end of the floor. The hoop version of Webster's Dictionary may need a new coastal definition for two of Oregon's top four scorers - Jermaine Couisnard (South Carolina) and Quincy Guerrier (Syracuse) - who went coast-to-coast to impact the Ducks.

Following is a summary of growing trend where prominent players such as Couisnard and Guerrier transfer at least three time zones away from one coast to university on opposite coast:

Distracted by gun-running in your automobile to a nightclub or not, how does national Player of the Year race stack up as we reach mid-season? Whether or not they receive a grotesque pregame routine involving a staged pat down by teammate, following are the top candidates:

"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." - Abraham Lincoln

Unless you're a devotee of Congressional Odd Squad, #MSLSD host Joy-less "Hacking Claimer" Reid or ex-#Dimorat presidential candidate Mr. Groper (a/k/a T-Bone's friend), certainly it's not a Jussie Smollett hate-crime to also claim "White Players Matter." But when Martin Luther King's birthday is celebrated and Black History Month is around the corner, accompanying these benchmarks are an assortment of facts and opinions acknowledging positive contributions African-Americans have made to the American landscape. Granted, Robin Roberts' lame circling-the-drain ABC interview of Smollett, Michael Vick's fondness for dogs plus traction-less presidential campaigns of Cory Booker and Kamela Harris aren't among them. Still, taking more than 100 years after emancipator Abraham Lincoln to make a nationwide transition, nowhere is that emphasis more evident than in an athletic world bereft of quotas and unconnected to alleged Oscar-snubbing. Rest assured civil rights stories such as high school coach Ken Zacher are plentiful. There clearly is more evidence of joyful honor in basketball arenas than in the Smollett-hoax political arena, where a tax cheat such as Al "Not So" Sharpton has been given a freeloader forum by Mess-LSD and brotherly backdoor free-pass entrance to previous POTUS' Oval Office (perhaps skinny-jeans version of H&R Block seminar from #AudacityofHype to set him lien free at last).

Letting authentic freedom ring a mite more than "The View" host-ettes and #Dimorat Divas' Odd Squad America Last policy, frisky billionaire Michael "Throw Them Up Against the Wall" Bloomberg and CNN's identity politics, every sports fan acknowledges the cultural significance of Jackie Robinson (180 degrees removed from smug Smollett's nutrition plan). A movie (42) debuted several springs ago regarding Robinson beginning his major league baseball career, but it is easy to forget there was a time when the now 75% black National Basketball Association was 100% white. Similar to remembering Dems largely opposed the 13th Amendment and Plagiarist Bile-dumb claiming he "got started" at Delaware State, it's also easy to forget how Robinson was instrumental in college basketball's "civil rights" movement.

Before Robinson arrived on the scene in the National League, however, there was Columbia's George Gregory, who became the first African-American to gain college All-American honors in 1930-31. In an era of low scoring, he was the team's second-leading scorer with a 9.2-point average. But he was proudest of his defense, and a statistic that is no longer kept: "goals against." In 10 games, Gregory held rival centers to only eight baskets. "That's less than one goal a game," he told the New York Times. "I think they should have kept that statistical category. Nowadays, one guy scores 40 points but his man scores 45. So what good is it?

"It's funny, but even though I was the only black playing for Columbia, and there was only one other black playing in the Ivy League - Baskerville of Harvard - I really didn't encounter too much trouble from opponents. Oh, I got into a couple of fights. And one time a guy called me 'Nigger,' and a white teammate said, 'Next time, you hit him high and I'll hit him low.' And we did, and my teammate, a Polish guy named Remy Tys, said to that other player, 'That's how we take care of nigger callers.'"

As pitiful as a New York Slimes dual endorsement and "courteous" #NannyPathetic's prayerful paper shredding, Gregory said the worst racial incident he encountered was at his own school. "After our last game in my junior year, the team voted me captain for the next season. Well, there was a hell of a battle when this came out. Columbia didn't want a black captain, or a Jewish captain, either, I learned. The dean was against it, and the athletic director was against it, and even the coach was against it.

"The coach told me, 'Get yourself together, Gregory, or I'll take your scholarship away.' They were worried that if we played a school in the South and met the other captain before the game, the guy would refuse to come out and it would embarrass the school. But the campus was split 50-50 on whether to have a black captain for its basketball team.

"The fight went on for three or four weeks. The school insisted that the team vote again. We did, and I won again. One of my teammates said, 'You forced the school to enter the 20th Century.'"

Harrison "Honey" Fitch, Connecticut's first black player, was center stage during a racial incident delaying a game at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for several hours in late January 1934. Coast Guard officials entered a protest against Fitch, arguing that because half of the Academy's student body was from southern states, they had a tradition "that no Negro players be permitted to engage in contests at the Academy." Eventually, UConn's coach kept Fitch on the bench the entire contest and never explained why.

The first black to appear in the NBA didn't occur until a couple of decades after Gregory graduated and Fitch transferred to American International. UCLA's first basketball All-American Don Barksdale, one of the first seven African-Americans to play in the NBA, was the first black U.S. Olympic basketball player (1948) as well as the first black to play in an NBA All-Star Game (as a rookie in 1952).

Inspired by the black labor movement in the 1930s, Barksdale said, "I made up my mind that if I wanted to do something, I was going to try to do it all the way, no matter the obstacles."

As a 28-year-old rookie with the Baltimore Bullets, he was paid $20,850 (one of the NBA's top salaries) to play and host a postgame radio show, but that notoriety also put extra pressure on him. Forced to play excessive minutes during the preseason, he sustained ankle injuries that plagued him the remainder of his four-year NBA career (11 ppg and 8 rpg).

Why play so many minutes? "It's Baltimore, which is considered the South," said Barksdale, who wound up back in the Bay Area as a well-known jazz disc jockey. "So the South finally signed a black man, and he's going to play whether he could walk or crawl." Barksdale boasted a decidedly different perspective than Kentucky freshman playmaker Ashton "Out For Personal Reasons" Hagans with his wad-of-cash video. What's the over/under as to whether Hagans' hubris was flashing $20,850?

Chuck Cooper, who attended Duquesne on the GI Bill, was the first black player drafted by an NBA franchise. "I don't give a damn if he's striped or plaid or polka-dot," were the history-making words of Boston Celtics Owner Walter Brown when he selected Cooper, who averaged 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in six pro seasons. In Cooper's freshman campaign, Duquesne was awarded a forfeit after refusing to yield to Tennessee's refusal to compete against the Dukes if Cooper participated in a game just before Christmas.

In the 1955-56 season, the Hazleton (Pa.) Hawks of the Eastern League became the first professional league franchise to boast an all-black starting lineup - Jesse Arnelle, Tom Hemans, Fletcher Johnson, Floyd Lane and Sherman White. Arnelle (Penn State) and White (Long Island) were former major-college All-Americans.

As for the multi-talented Robinson, UCLA's initial all-conference basketball player in the 1940s was a forward who compiled the highest scoring average in the Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with the Bruins (12.3 points per league game in 1939-40 and 11.1 ppg in 1940-41) after transferring from Pasadena (Calif.) City College. Continuing his scoring exploits, the six-time National League All-Star who spurred #42 uniforms throughout MLB was the leading scorer for the Los Angeles Red Devils' barnstorming team in 1946-47.

Seven-time All-Star outfielder Larry Doby, the first black in the American League, was also a college basketball player who helped pave the way for minorities. He competed on the hardwood for Virginia Union during World War II after originally committing to LIU. The four-month lead Robinson had in integrating the majors casts a huge shadow over Doby, who was the first black to lead his league in homers (32 in 1952), first to hit a World Series homer and first to win a World Series title.

With less than 10% of current MLB rosters comprised of African-Americans, Robinson clearly had much more of a longstanding impact on basketball than baseball. All of the trailblazers didn't capitalize on a Methodist faith like Robinson, but they did boast temperaments unlike "fohty-five" Congressional Black Caucus members or so such as #MadMaxine sitting on their hands or boycotting SOTU speech. How much did previously kneeling Ole Miss players resembling knucklehead #ColonKrapernick know about ground-breaking alumnus Coolidge Ball? Ditto impressionable Kentucky players while struggling to win half of its games. In deference to "firsts" and the number 42, following is a ranking of the 42 best players (including Ball) deserving applause for breaking the color barrier at the varsity level of a major university (*indicates junior college recruit):

MOST OVERLOOKED PIONEERS FOR MAJOR UNIVERSITIES