On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 30 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks about NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 30 in football at the professional level (especially in 1975 and 2003):
NOVEMBER 30
New York Giants E Glenn Campbell (Emporia State KS hooper) opened game's scoring with a blocked punt return for touchdown in second consecutive contest in 1930.
Pittsburgh Steelers HB Lynn Chandnois (forward scored 15 points in 11 games for Michigan State in 1946-47 and 1947-48) scored two first-quarter touchdowns - including 91-yard kickoff return - in a 63-7 win against the New York Giants in 1952. Steelers QB Jim Finks (led Tulsa with 8.9 ppg as sophomore in 1946-47) threw four of his league-high 20 TD passes.
New York Giants B Stu Clancy (Holy Cross letterman from 1928 through 1930 was hoops captain as senior) rushed for game's only touchdown in a 10-0 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1933.
In 2003, Atlanta Falcons WR Terrence Edwards (collected 26 points and 14 rebounds for Georgia in 14 games second half of freshman season in 1998-99) had his only NFL pass reception (10 yards in 17-13 setback against Houston Texans).
Green Bay Packers FB Ted Fritsch Sr. (Wisconsin-Stevens Point hoops letterman in 1940-41 and 1941-42) rushed for two touchdowns in a 30-10 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1947.
Dallas Cowboys TE Jean Fugett (leading scorer and rebounder for Amherst MA as junior in 1970-71) opened the game's scoring by catching a 54-yard touchdown pass from Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) in 14-3 win against the New York Giants in 1975. Giants P Dave Jennings (forward averaged 5.9 ppg for St. Lawrence NY in 1972-73 and 1973-74) punted six times for 53.2-yard average.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez (averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg for California from 1994-95 through 1996-97) caught two touchdown passes in a 28-24 win against the San Diego Chargers in 2003.
WR Ray Hamilton (Arkansas letterman for two SWC hoop champions from 1936 through 1938) scored the Los Angeles Rams' lone touchdown with a 10-yard pass reception from Bob Waterfield in 30-10 setback against the Green Bay Packers in 1947.
Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (played in seven basketball games for Clemson in 2010-11) caught nine passes for 238 yards - including two touchdowns from Ryan Fitzpatrick (58 and 34 yards) - in a 45-21 win against the Tennessee Titans in 2014. Titans WR Kendall Wright (Baylor hooper as freshman in 2008-09) caught seven passes for 132 yards.
Washington Redskins QB Billy Kilmer (UCLA hooper under legendary coach John Wooden in 1959-60) threw three touchdown passes in a 31-30 win against the Minnesota Vikings in 1975.
Atlanta Falcons CB Rolland Lawrence (captain of Tabor KS hoops squad as senior in 1972-73) had two interceptions - returning a Kenny Stabler pick 87 yards for touchdown - in 37-34 setback against the Oakland Raiders in 1975.
In midst of catching a touchdown pass in 11 of the San Francisco 49ers' last 12 games of 1998 season, WR Terrell Owens (UTC hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) had five receptions for 140 yards in 31-7 win against the New York Giants.
St. Louis Rams LB Tommy Polley (played in one basketball game for Florida State in 1996-97 under coach Pat Kennedy) had 11 solo tackles in a 48-17 win against the Minnesota Vikings in 2003.
Kansas City Chiefs WR Andre Rison (backup hoops guard for Michigan State in 1987-88) caught two touchdown passes from Rich Gannon in a 44-9 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1997.
Baltimore Ravens LB Adalius Thomas (averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98) had seven solo tackles in a 44-6 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 2003.
Detroit Lions B Whizzer White (two-time all-conference first-team hoops selection averaged 6.8 ppg for Colorado from 1935-36 through 1937-38) opened game's scoring with an 82-yard interception return for touchdown in 21-3 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1941.
Chicago Bears E Joe Zeller (averaged 4.1 ppg as three-year Indiana letterman from 1929-30 through 1931-32) caught a 21-yard touchdown pass in 22-6 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1933.
Science Fiction "V": Which "V" Should ESPN Voice Most During "V" Week?
Weekly, we get a weak effort from #MessMedia super-spreaders of spit telling the entire story as public respect for their vocation plummets quicker than Plagiarist Bile-dumb's approval ratings. During messy presidential campaign in 2016, Wikileaks hacking confirmed what many believed about collusion between left-leaning politicians, a predictably pathetic press and big tech lawyer such as Jim Baker. If the lame-stream media featuring Chris "Fredo" Cuomo as Exhibit A did its job, there wouldn't be any need for paying attention to undisputed facts distributed by Wikileaks, let alone voting fraud. At any rate, the best pre-Christmas present in decades for conservatives was watching unhinged leftists whine and vomit in fetal position after biased bozos got Trumped for years. Seems as if majority of press puke should be in the woods tracking down #ShrillaryRotten for a selfie. They certainly didn't attend her "I'm So Vain" tour. Regrettably, the progressive mindset depicted by inauguration-nauseated Rockette(s), White House Christmas-party boycotting #CNNSucks and in lopsided editorial endorsements for POTUS also infects the toy department (sports).
According to Wikipedia, V was an American science fiction TV series running two seasons on ABC, chronicling the arrival on Earth of a technologically advanced alien species ostensibly coming in peace, but actually boasting sinister motives. This could be Webster's definition of the lame-stream media seeking therapy for post-election anxiety. ABC is in the midst of another annual V rerun on vaunted ESPN after losing in excess of 10 million subscribers over four years. The intent isn't vile (raising in excess of $140 million for cancer research) but, if an observer values the whole truth, there is vast soap-boxing fiction involved amid the "V" all day every day as the vindicated big man on ESPN's Jesus-free campus seemingly a perfect fit for "Z" as in zero-integrity Jeff Zucker to leave fake-news #CNNSucks and become chief executive for another press-puke venue. Would Zucker bring back Lov Gov bro for Don Lemon to practice his journalistic jackal moves like he did anal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and pet snake of Zoom renown? Paying any attention to these clowns and #Dimorat Administration/Congressional dumpster fire is akin to having Jeffrey Dahmer discuss culinary aspects of his policies more intelligently than Senator-elect Fetterman.
Veering off-course with velocity promoting gabby "V" - not baby "J" - as the reason for the season, the Nationwide Leader's culture violates the time-honored vow of telling the entire story in a veracious way. It's vexing as ESPN's parade of glorification pitchmen, including staffers and it-takes-a-village coaches, incessantly laud former commentator Jim Valvano by chapter and verse. If "V" sycophants could fly like Clinton with Epstein, the embellishing mess media highlighted by ESPN and most of the coaching community would be jets. A "Jimmy V Week" culminates with an early-season classic to enhance cancer research fundraising for a foundation named after an individual who joins John Calipari (UMass/Memphis) and Jerry Tarkanian (Long Beach State/UNLV) as the only repeat-offender coaches shackled with having multiple schools under their watch forced to vacate NCAA playoff participation. Too bad 100% of the donated plaudits don't go straight through a truth detector such as the "biased" New York Times, which detailed how ESPN received more than $250 million in state tax breaks and credits thus far this century.
Anyone with a visible pulse supports the vision of finding a cure for the vulnerable afflicted by cancer, but a classic lack-of-proper-perspective stemming from the cult-of-personality dynamic is ESPN's vivid hero worship of the vibrant Valvano. He wasn't a bloodthirsty vampire villain but there are a variety of vigorous Smollett-ruse reasons for not carrying ESPN's water supporting his canonization in the wake of vanquishing Houston to vault to the 1983 NCAA playoff title. How was his deceit that much different from another cancer celebrity such as Lance Armstrong? After Valvano ran afoul of NCAA investigators at Iona, a private attorney retained by North Carolina State volunteered he was convinced that the institution could successfully sue him for failing to ensure the academic progress of his NCSU players. While Duke overdoses on recruiting one-and-done exemptions with board scores nowhere close to average Cameron Crazy student, the biggest scholastic question in the ACC is which ethically-impaired school - NCSU vs. UNC - wins the battle for most egregious academic scandal over the last four decades.
At the very least, virile Valvano should have verified that standout guard Sidney Lowe took a remedial tax preparation course to help him steer clear of vice squad by vandalizing the state or Child Rearing 101; especially if Lowe, twice voted All-ACC and a first-teamer with teammate Thurl Bailey in 1983, was going to become one of his head coaching successors with the Wolfpack. Additional suspect characters aligning with Valvano at NCSU included Kenny Drummond, David Lee, Russell Pierre, Dinky Proctor, Charles Shackleford, Craig Tyson and Chris Washburn (of 470 SAT fame in a league where athletes previously had to reach 800 to be eligible). Did Jimmy V brag that stereo-stealer Washburn was going to "make our program"? Did V mean break rather than make? A commission cited one unidentified player completing four seasons of eligibility with a 1.122 grade-point average and 76 credits (52 shy of graduation). Awash in intellect, Shackleford, who admitted accepting $65,000 cash from outside influences during his final two years enrolled in college, is perhaps best known for the following quote: "Left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. I'm amphibious." After a series of drug-related incidents, he was found dead in his apartment at the age of 50.
Concurrent with holiday season King Herod-like ESPN vetoed a "venal" hospital ad several years ago celebrating Jesus before relenting, press parasites seemingly will "never give up" a vintage and valiant voyage portraying V as the most virtuous coach in history. The sanitized version is in the network's veins akin to trying to duplicate anchorman Ron Burgundy's humor in promotional ads. Voicing opposition to this mythical narrative leaves a cynic open to vilification as being venomous. Still, the network's doctored depiction of V is as honest as ex-POTUS #AudacityofHype and his vultures telling citizens with a "period" about retaining their current physician (ESPN previously aired ObamaCare ad passing its rigid standards); authentic as the sign language interpreter at a Nelson Mandela memorial; genuinely patriotic as lip-syncing Beyonce; real as Ray "Dancin' On Their Graves" Lewis lecturing us about NFL violence and ball-deflation ethics; genuine as claiming no behind-the-scenes negotiations occurred naming Bruce Jenner's inner woman courageous nearly 40 years after he was a gold-medal winning Olympian, or as valid as fake girlfriend of former Notre Dame All-American linebacker Manti Te'o. B.S. Detection Memo to prayerful #NannyPathetic as she sanctimoniously "shreds" Bible during her Congressional clown show to remove any perceived reference to abortion and swap out devil with another five-letter word (Trump): Yes, Russia's Putin, Plagiarist Bile-dumb's son ex-business partner Tony Bobulinski and aggrieved #SanFranfreakshow hairdresser made me point out these hate-ridden flaws to impact donations!
Irish idealist Dick Vitale spearheads promoting the V Foundation, impressively raising in the neighborhood of $200 million. Understandably, his visceral reaction probably is that any dissent makes Valvano the victim of a vicious vendetta. Anything but vapid, there is no doubt vivacious Vitale means well and has his heart in the proper place serving as Valvano's valet. But as verbose Vitale is wont to do, he is vulnerable to vehemently going overboard with his voluminous embellishment. Preying on emotions, a majority of vacuous media smugly fall in line seemingly signing off on one of those old phantom NCSU readmission agreements after flunking out where they made a commitment "pledging to work hard (at maintaining image) and keep a positive mental attitude." Does press know if Washburn signed worthless piece of paper in new vroom Datsun before vagabond ventured out to find victim's stereo while needing help from staff finding various classrooms such as demanding "Leisure Alternatives"?
In an affront to valuable numbers that never lie, there are fake-news times when ESPN sycophants operate in a vacuum shamelessly enhancing Valvano's credentials as a "survive-and-advance" tactician, perpetuating a falsehood he was a late-game strategical genius. You can't take a fake-news vacation from the veracity of cold hard facts having Valvano rank in the lower third of DI coaches among those with at least 150 close contests (decided by fewer than six points). Capitalizing on six opponents combining to shoot an anemic 56.8% from the free-throw line, the law of averages was with NCSU in 1983 when it became the only school to have as many as four NCAA playoff games decided by one or two points en route to a title. The Wolfpack trailed in the final minute of seven of its last nine triumphs, helping offset his typical high percentage of close-contest setbacks.
The arena in Reynolds Coliseum, the former home to N.C. State hoops, has been named for Valvano after supporters made a $5 million pledge. But people in power need to be held accountable even if a coach such as Duke's Mike Krzyzewski claims many of the "allegations were fabrications" against his ACC counterpart who entered the league together in 1980-81. "I can't breathe" holding opinion unless Coach K moonlighted as an investigator because there is no reason to be vague and treat big boys with velvet gloves. ESPN could virtually avoid any vanishing credibility in this instance by incorporating deceased Rick Majerus in the foundation equation. After all, the 24-year veteran college head coach was also a vocal ESPN analyst. Unless it detracts from the storyline, call it the V & M Foundation and add heart disease to the venture's research grants. Didn't Majerus exhibit as much, if not more, valor? Perhaps Vitale and trend-setting broadcaster Stuart Scott should be principal focal point because of their battles with cancer. Instead, we'll probably get lame-stream media responding like politicians legitimizing smash-and-grab crime.
A tearjerker ESPY speech notwithstanding, a cancer of priorities exists as ESPN sullies its reputation with insufferable verbal voodoo vouching Valvano was something he wasn't beyond a good coach who never had a season with fewer than four defeats in conference competition. Amid narcissism and extensive self-promotion, an "inspirational" story reeks of overkill because vermin among complicit sports media are predictably unprincipled and offer the maximum tear-inducement reminiscent of a fairy-tale sans conveying the entire picture. Forget the vulgar academic progress of Valvano's players at N.C. State (735 average SAT score and excessive number of positive drug tests during the 1980s). No Extra Sensitive Pious Network should be an outside-the-lines enabler seemingly unaccountable while selling a partial story. They have an obligation to visit the whole story; not vacillate and be on verge of failing their constituency in regard to vainly providing a viable role model. Don't forget guilt-by-association coaching vacancy at Drake, which forced former V enabler Tom Abatemarco (at Iona and NCSU) to resign due to various valueless practices with the Bulldogs akin to #Demonrat Congressional claptrap from specious sad sack of Schiff and heavyset heart of nutty Nadler - the Laurel and Hardy of petulant political pestilence unworthy of an Army/Navy prank "OK" hand gesture. The rot wasn't exactly virgin territory. The New York Daily News charged that Iona illegally subsidized its players, who billed the school for several thousand dollars worth of long-distance cab fares, restaurant and bar tabs plus telephone calls. Valvano was part-owner of one of the bars involved. Iona icon Jeff Ruland said he took unspecified amounts of money from Valvano (during recruiting process and while playing for the Gaels). "I'm watching those (TV apologists) guys, and I'm thinking, 'Don't give me that high-and-mighty stuff. People know some things. What I'm talking about, I lived. Greenbacks changed hands,'" Ruland told the Philadelphia Daily News.
As for venerable Majerus, there won't be a vicarious movie or "30 for 30" special made about his self-effacing humor, eating habits and fact none of his NCAA playoff teams with three different schools ever had to vacate NCAA play. In a stark scholastic contrast, his 1998 Utah squad provided the vanguard of Final Four achievements - only team ever to feature three Academic All-Americans among its versatile regulars. For the record, Majerus ranked among the top third of coaches in games decided by fewer than six points. But he simply doesn't fit into a contrived storyline. It would be a surprise if Utah players under Majerus took an "Understanding Music" class during Christmas vacation to help stay eligible like NCSU scholars did under Valvano.
Keep everything in perspective. This isn't Michael Bloomberg going after your Big Gulp and straws. Alluding to allegations about a professor altering grades of Wolfpack players, faculty senate chairman at the time asked SI: "If we're supposedly changing grades, how come we have so many people in academic difficulty?" Pulitzer Prize winner Claude Sitton, a vigilant local editor/columnist for the Raleigh News & Observer during Valvano's tenure, was unapologetic about the paper's contemporaneous coverage of NCSU scandal. "Looking back on it, Valvano just initiated academic rape as far as basketball players were concerned," Sitton said. "But Valvano only did what (Chancellor Bruce) Poulton wanted him to do, and that was win ball games no matter how." It's as crazy as ex-baseball 1B President Trump expected to give A1 attention to Puerto Rico trash-can lecture from cheater Alex Cora.
In a scornful column, Sitton wrote with verve: "College sports, in short, are corrupt. The rot reaches far beyond the campus - to the kid on the corner who thinks sports opens the glory road, the high school teacher who gives a player a free pass, the TV executive who manipulates universities for profit, sportswriters who see, hear and speak no evil, and all who know that higher education has been turned into a sideshow by the commercial sports conglomerate and do nothing to end it." Sitton's summary long before NCSU's unseemly sneaker-stench recruiting of Dennis Smith Jr. continued to ring true as the ACC summoned Louisville and Syracuse to its ranks in recent years as they each soon went on probationary status with their Hall of Shame coaches.
ESPN's abundant coverage seemed to revel in cancer front-man Lance Armstrong's arrogant stumblin' and bumblin' "one big lie" rather than taking his bike-ride fall in a valley as time for self-reflection. Might be deleted from holiday card list, but this vantage point is that defend-the-brand revisionist history is a misguided echo chamber resembling hostage videos. Amid the distortion, a final verdict persists about a greater-good higher calling. As many folks as possible should make a vintage donation to the V Foundation. Just envision V as Victory (over cancer) or as Vitale (regarding his long-term heavy lifting for project). We'd like to secure Dan Dakich's valuable view on the topic, but network shed his candid commentary as if he was some vagrant sans vaccine.
It wasn't long before name-dropping ESPN, via former Out House correspondent Andy Katz apparently getting as much beer-summit face time with trustworthy ex-POTUS as ex-HHS Secretary Kathleen "Get-In-Line" Sebelius, went viral giving a prominent "Audacity-of-Hype" venue for Oval Office NCAA bracket selections. But the West Wing(ing) verve must absorb so much dignified time for the selfie-taking hooper-in-chief that a Sgt. Schultz "I-know-nothing" routine emerges while chronically pleading ignorance about various less vital matters such as the Benghazi terrorist attack, #ShrillaryRotten's multiple email address changes as Secretary of Yoga, IRS targeting of conservatives, Fast and Furious gun-running, healthcare exchange ineptitude, NSA spying on allies, disgraced Katie Hill's preferences, North Korea's cyber "vandalism," Obama's Justice Department snooping on national media while unmasking opponents, etc., and then failing to attend a church service at Christmas. Meanwhile, a void in thought-police treatment made more faith-influenced individuals nearly vomit when the network's "inn" didn't have room for the authentic Messiah's message vying for a little air time more important to many Americans than giving free political points.
As the #AudacityofHype, our departed fearless leader, might proclaim to Russia: "Cut it out!" Thus, it was no surprise sister network A&E emerged equally intolerant of deeply-held religious beliefs when "be(ing) original" by suspending/marginalizing the brassy "Duck Dynasty" patriarch for his version of "Vagina Monologues." Are you buyin' what ESPN's flock of woke quacks are sellin' verbatim - accepting the laughing/thinking/crying hook, line and sinker? Very odd this vociferous emphasis on V. Upon "ducking" and turning the other cheek again, it's time to say an old-fashioned: "Merry CHRISTmas, ESPN!" If this vernacular is objectionable to sensibilities of the politically-correct elite, then avoid a GQ bearded set-up with a patronizing "Happy Holidays!" As multiple ESPN personnel layoffs reached into the hundreds, we'll try for the 100th time to appeal for virtuous network specifically and hoop press generally to lay off attempting portrayal of "V" as someone he wasn't. At least boast the vinegar to go beyond veneer and never give up attempting to tell the entire tale. Instead, we'll likely get spoon-fed version of the scene in book Personal Fouls regarding circumstances surrounding Walker Lambiotte's transfer from NCSU to Northwestern (where he averaged 17.4 ppg in 1988-89 and 1989-90). Vainglorious Valvano, exhibiting as much remorse and responsibility as #Hollyweird's gun-toting Alec Baldwin to Georgey Step-on-the-truth-to-us, said: "I don't deserve that. I'm above being treated like that." Are you kidding me?
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 29 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 29 in football at the professional level (especially in 1970):
NOVEMBER 29
Cincinnati Bengals QB Ken Anderson (swingman finished Augustana IL career in early 1970s as fifth-leading scorer in school history with 1,044 points) completed 26-of-32 passes (including four touchdowns) in a 41-21 win against the Cleveland Browns in 1981.
New York Giants B Dale Burnett (two-time all-conference hooper for Emporia State KS) caught two first-half touchdown passes in a 27-0 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1934. Giants rookie TB Ed Danowski (Fordham hoops letterman in 1932-33) threw two first-quarter TD passes.
Boston Redskins rookie DL Victor Carroll (three-year hoops letterman for Nevada-Reno in mid-1930s) returned an interception 35 yards for touchdown in 30-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1936.
Washington Redskins LB London Fletcher (started two games for St. Francis PA as freshman in 1993-94 before transferring to John Carroll OH) had 11 tackles for the third time during the 2009 campaign.
San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates (second-team All-MAC selection in 2002 when Kent State finished runner-up in South Regional) caught two first-half touchdown passes from Philip Rivers in a 43-14 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009. Six years later, Gates had two touchdown receptions in a little over one minute late in first half of a 31-25 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015. In midst of four consecutive contests with a TD catch, Jacksonville Jaguars TE Julius Thomas (averaged 6.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg while shooting 66.3% from floor with Portland State from 2006-07 through 2009-10) had nine pass receptions.
Boston Patriots WR Art Graham (collected one point and three rebounds in two basketball games with Boston College in 1961-62) caught a pro career-long 80-yard touchdown pass from Babe Parilli in a 34-17 win against the Houston Oilers in 1964.
Houston Oilers QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) threw three touchdown passes in a 31-21 win against the Denver Broncos in 1970. Oilers CB Zeke Moore (Lincoln MO hoops letterman in mid-1960s) had two interceptions.
Brooklyn Dodgers B Ralph Kercheval (Kentucky hooper in 1932-33 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) provided the game's decisive score with a rushing touchdown in 13-7 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1936.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw four touchdown passes in a 31-0 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1959.
Dallas Cowboys WR Terrell Owens (UT Chattanooga hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) had seven pass receptions for 156 yards in a 37-27 win against the Green Bay Packers in 2007.
Chicago Bears K Mac Percival (three-year hoops letterman was part of squad winning Texas Tech's first SWC championship in major sport in 1960-61) caught a pass for 19 yards in a 21-20 setback against the Baltimore Colts in 1970. Bears QB Jack Concannon (grabbed one rebound in one Boston College basketball contest in 1961-62) threw two first-quarter touchdown passes.
Oakland Raiders WR Art Powell (averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg for San Jose State in 1956-57) had five pass receptions for 143 yards in a 20-20 AFL tie against the Denver Broncos in 1964. Broncos SE Lionel Taylor (led New Mexico Highlands in scoring average with 13.6 ppg in 1955-56 and 20.3 in 1956-57) had 13 pass receptions.
Minnesota Vikings TE Joe Senser (two-time NCAA Division I leader in FG% averaged 11.4 ppg and 7.4 rpg while shooting 66.2% from floor in four-year career for West Chester State PA) caught 11 passes (including touchdown in his third consecutive 1981 contest).
Detroit Lions B Bill Shepherd (Western Maryland hooper) returned a fumble recovery 38 yards for touchdown in 26-17 setback against the Green Bay Packers in 1936.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a 38-24 setback against the Cleveland Browns in 1964.
Kansas City Chiefs rookie TE Morris Stroud Jr. (tallest TE in NFL history averaged 7.2 ppg and 10.2 rpg in 1967-68 when 6-10 junior shot team-high 50.9% from floor for Clark Atlanta GA) opened game's scoring with a career-long 50-yard touchdown reception from Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) in 26-14 win against the San Diego Chargers in 1970.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 28 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks at NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 28 in football at the professional level (especially in 1948 and 2004):
NOVEMBER 28
Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Larry Ball (played eight hoops games for Louisville as sophomore in 1968-69 before persuaded by coach Lee Corso to concentrate on football) had an interception in 49-16 setback against the Oakland Raiders in 1976.
TE Kevin Boss (averaged 3 ppg and 2.7 rpg while shooting 51.9% from floor for Western Oregon in 2004-05 and 2005-06) caught 32-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning with 3:15 remaining to give the New York Giants a 24-20 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2010.
TE Luther Broughton (forward scored five points in five games for Furman in 1994-95) scored both of the Philadelphia Eagles' touchdowns with fourth-quarter receptions from QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) in a 20-17 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1999.
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for 146 yards on 20 carries and scored four touchdowns - three rushing/one receiving - in a 42-21 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1965.
Brooklyn Dodgers E Harry Burrus (three-year hoops letterman in early 1940s for Hardin-Simmons TX) had a 60-yard pass reception for touchdown in 38-20 AAFC setback against the Baltimore Colts in 1948.
Detroit Lions TB Dutch Clark (four-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference hoops choice for Colorado College) scored both of game's touchdowns in a 14-2 win against the Chicago Bears in 1935.
New York Giants TB Ed Danowski (Fordham hoops letterman in 1932-33) threw two of his league-high 10 touchdown passes in a 21-0 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1935.
Boston Yanks HB Bob Davis (Kentucky hoops letterman in 1937 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) opened game's scoring with a 21-yard touchdown catch in 34-10 win against the Detroit Lions in 1946.
Oakland Raiders TE Rickey Dudley (averaged 13.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg as senior in 1994-95 when leading Ohio State in rebounding and finishing third in scoring) caught two touchdown passes from Rich Gannon in a 37-34 setback against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1999.
San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates (second-team All-MAC selection in 2002 when Kent State finished runner-up in South Regional) caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Drew Brees in a 34-31 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004.
New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham (part-time starter for Miami FL averaged 4.2 ppg and 4.2 rpg from 2005-06 through 2008-09) caught two touchdown passes from Drew Brees in a 49-24 win against the New York Giants in 2011.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw four touchdown passes in a 31-28 AAFC win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1948.
Dallas Cowboys CB Cornell Green (Utah State's all-time leading scorer and rebounder when career ended in 1961-62) returned a fumble recovery for touchdown in 34-31 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1965.
Carolina Panthers WR Donald Hayes (played in two basketball games for Wisconsin in 1995-96 under coach Dick Bennett) caught a career-long 56-yard touchdown pass from Steve Beuerlein in 34-28 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 1999.
Detroit Lions RB John Henry Johnson (made 5-of-8 FGAs in five games for Saint Mary's in 1950-51) provided go-ahead score with a 62-yard rushing touchdown in 18-6 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1957.
Washington Redskins QB Billy Kilmer (UCLA hooper under legendary coach John Wooden in 1959-60) threw three touchdown passes in a 24-0 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976. Redskins DB Joe Lavender (averaged 13.4 ppg and 6.6 rpg for San Diego State in 1969-70 and 1970-71) had an interception in his fourth consecutive contest of month.
Tennessee Titans TE Erron Kinney (averaged 2.5 ppg and 1.3 rpg in six basketball games for Florida in 1996-97 under coach Billy Donovan) caught two first-quarter touchdown passes from Steve McNair in 31-21 setback against the Houston Texans in 2004.
E Eggs Manske (point guard led Northwestern to share of 1933 Big Ten Conference crown) provided the Chicago Bears' second touchdown with a 43-yard pass reception in 15-7 win against the Cleveland Rams in 1937. Three weeks earlier, Manske had a 64-yard TD catch in 24-14 setback against the Green Bay Packers.
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) had 10 pass receptions in a 23-7 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993.
Buffalo Bills HB Chet Mutryn (Xavier letterman in 1943) returned a punt 88 yards for touchdown in 35-14 AAFC win against the New York Yankees in 1948. Bills QB George Ratterman (third-leading scorer with 11.7 ppg for Notre Dame in 1944-45) had two second-quarter rushing TDs.
Chicago Cardinals FB Ernie Nevers (All-PCC second-five hoops choice for Stanford in 1924-25) rushed for six touchdowns in a 40-6 win against the Chicago Bears in 1929. Two years later, Nevers rushed for two second-quarter TDs in a 21-0 win against the Cleveland Indians in 1931.
Carolina Panthers DE Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) returned an interception 46 yards for touchdown in 21-14 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004.
Philadelphia Eagles HB Bosh Pritchard (four-sport letterman for VMI) opened the game's scoring with a five-yard rushing touchdown in 17-0 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1948.
Denver Broncos WR Rod Smith (swingman was Missouri Southern State hoops letterman as sophomore in 1990-91) caught an 85-yard touchdown pass from Jake Plummer in 25-24 setback against the Oakland Raiders in 2004.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) threw three touchdown passes to Pete Retzlaff in a 28-24 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1965.
Miami Dolphins DE Jason Taylor (averaged 8 ppg and 5.4 rpg for Akron in 1994-95) had three sacks in a 24-17 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 2004.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 27 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 27 in football at the professional level (especially in 1955 and 2005):
NOVEMBER 27
Cleveland Bulldogs E Carl Bacchus (three-year Missouri hoops letterman in mid-1920s) opened the scoring with a 65-yard touchdown reception in 32-7 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1927.
Houston Texans LB Connor Barwin (played 34 games for Cincinnati in 2005-06 and 2006-07) had four sacks and seven tackles in a 20-13 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011.
Kansas City Chiefs LB Bobby Bell (first African-American hooper for Minnesota in 1960-61) returned a kickoff 53 yards for touchdown in 31-17 AFL win against the Denver Broncos in 1969. Broncos RB Wandy Williams (led Hofstra in scoring with 19.9 ppg in 1967-68) rushed for a TD.
Detroit Lions E Cloyce Box (combined with twin brother Boyce to help West Texas A&M win Border Conference hoop championship in 1943) had nine pass receptions for 155 yards and three touchdowns in a 48-24 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1952. Three TD passes for Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) occurred in second quarter.
Cleveland Browns E Pete Brewster (forward-center was Purdue's fourth-leading scorer as junior and senior) caught two touchdown passes (16 and 41 yards) from Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) in a 35-35 tie against the New York Giants in 1955. Graham finished with three TD passes.
Miami Dolphins WR Chris Chambers (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin under coach Dick Bennett in 1997-98) caught three touchdown passes in a 40-21 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 2003. Dolphins DE Jason Taylor (averaged 8 ppg and 5.4 rpg for Akron in 1994-95) returned a fumble recovery 34 yards for touchdown. Two years later, Taylor had three sacks in a 33-21 win against the Oakland Raiders in 2005.
Buffalo Bills FL Elbert Dubenion (solid rebounder and defensive player for Bluffton OH in late 1950s) caught six passes for 134 yards in a 38-38 AFL tie against the Denver Broncos in 1960. Broncos SE Lionel Taylor (led New Mexico Highlands in scoring average with 13.6 ppg in 1955-56 and 20.3 in 1956-57), who caught three second-half touchdown passes from Frank Tripucka (80, 24 and 35 yards), finished game with nine receptions for 199 yards.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie DB Tony Dungy (roommate of Flip Saunders averaged 2.6 ppg for Minnesota in 1973-74 under coach Bill Musselman) intercepted a pass in second consecutive contest in 1977.
Dallas Cowboys TE Billy Joe Dupree (scored four points in total of four basketball games for Michigan State in 1971-72) caught two touchdown passes in a 51-7 win against the Seattle Seahawks in 1980.
New York Giants E Ray Flaherty (four-sport Gonzaga athlete including hoops) caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a 13-7 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932.
Baltimore Ravens TE Todd Heap (grabbed 14 rebounds in 11 games for Arizona State in 1999-00) caught two second-half touchdown passes in a 42-29 setback against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2005.
Minnesota Vikings QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) threw three touchdown passes in a 24-12 win against the Cleveland Browns in 2005.
Chicago Bears E Luke Johnsos (Northwestern hoops letterman in 1927 and 1928) opened the game's scoring with a 49-yard touchdown catch in 7-7 tie against the Portland Spartans in 1932.
Buffalo Bills rookie E Jim Lukens (Washington & Lee VA hoops letterman) caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from George Ratterman (third-leading scorer with 11.7 ppg for Notre Dame in 1944-45) in 38-14 AAFC win against the Baltimore Colts in 1949. Ratterman finished game with three TD passes. Colts B John North (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1943) caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Y.A. Tittle.
Providence Steam Roller E Eddie Lynch (top hoops scorer for Catholic DC as junior and senior) opened game's scoring by catching a touchdown pass in 14-7 win against the New York Yankees in 1927.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) threw four touchdown passes in a 48-20 win against the Arizona Cardinals in 2008.
Cleveland Browns WR Jordan Norwood (collected one rebound and one assist in four basketball games for Penn State in 2006-07) opened game's scoring with a 24-yard touchdown reception on pass from Colt McCoy in 23-20 setback against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011.
San Francisco 49ers E R.C. Owens (led small colleges with 27.1 rpg in 1953-54 while also averaging 23.5 ppg for College of Idaho) caught six passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-22 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1960.
Green Bay Packers E Steve Pritko (Villanova two-year hoops letterman) caught two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 41-21 setback against the Chicago Cardinals in 1949.
Washington Redskins E-P Pat Richter (three-year Wisconsin hoops letterman in early 1960s) averaged 46 yards on six punts in a 72-41 win against the New York Giants in 1966.
Miami Dolphins WR Otto Stowe (collected 12 points and five rebounds in four Iowa State basketball games in 1968-69) caught six passes for a career-high 140 receiving yards - including two touchdowns - in a 31-10 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1972.
New York Jets DB Rashad Washington (collected two points, two assists and five rebounds for Kansas State in eight games in 2000-01) had a sack in 21-19 setback against the New Orleans Saints in 2005.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie HB Sid Watson (averaged 4.1 ppg as Northeastern freshman in 1951-52) had a 62-yard pass reception touchdown from Jim Finks (led Tulsa with 8.9 ppg as sophomore in 1946-47) in 23-14 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1955.
B Doug Wycoff (Georgia Tech hoops letterman in 1926) supplied the Staten Island Stapletons' only touchdown with a five-yard rush in 7-6 win against the New York Giants in 1930.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 26 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 26 in football at the professional level (especially in 1939, 1961 and 1967):
NOVEMBER 26
Washington Redskins FB Frank Akins (averaged 1.7 ppg for Washington State's 1941 NCAA Tournament runner-up) opened game's scoring with a rushing touchdown in a 14-7 win against the Boston Yanks in 1944.
New York Giants DB Erich Barnes (played hoops briefly for Purdue as sophomore in 1955-56) returned an interception 35 yards for touchdown in 37-21 win against the Cleveland Browns in 1961.
B Len Barnum (West Virginia Wesleyan hooper) opened the New York Giants' scoring with a touchdown pass to E Jim Lee Howell (All-SWC first-five hoops selection as Arkansas senior in 1935-36) in 28-7 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1939. It was one of Howell's two TD catches in game.
Washington Redskins QB Sammy Baugh (Texas Christian three-year hoops letterman was All-SWC honorable mention selection as senior in 1936-37) threw three touchdown passes in a 38-28 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1950.
Detroit Lions E Cloyce Box (combined with twin brother Boyce to help West Texas A&M win Border Conference hoop championship in 1943) caught a 97-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) in 34-15 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1953.
Chicago Bears FB Rick Casares (Florida's scoring and rebounding leader both seasons as All-SEC second-team selection in 1951-52 and 1952-53) rushed for three first-half touchdowns in a 28-24 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1961.
Detroit Lions TB Dutch Clark (four-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference hoops choice for Colorado College) scored game's decisive touchdown with a 51-yard run from scrimmage in fourth quarter in 13-7 win against the Chicago Bears in 1936.
St. Louis Rams LB London Fletcher (started two games for St. Francis PA as freshman in 1993-94 before transferring to John Carroll OH) had two interceptions in a 31-24 setback against the New Orleans Saints in 2000.
Green Bay Packers RB Paul Hornung (averaged 6.1 ppg in 10 contests for Notre Dame in 1954-55) rushed for two first-quarter touchdowns in a 24-17 win against the Detroit Lions in 1959.
Minnesota Vikings QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) threw three touchdown passes in a 31-26 win against the Arizona Cardinals in 2006.
Minnesota Vikings QB Joe Kapp (backup forward averaged 1.8 ppg and 1.2 rpg for California's PCC champions in 1957 and 1958) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 41-27 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1967. Steelers LB Bill Saul (averaged 6.1 ppg for Penn State in 1959-60) intercepted one of Kapp's passes. Vikings DB Earsell Mackbee (teammate of Utah State All-American Wayne Estes averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.4 rpg in 1964-65) had two INTs (returning one 32 yards for TD).
DE Tom Miller (three-year hoops letterman for Hampden-Sydney VA in late 1930s and early 1940s) accounted for the Philadelphia Eagles' lone touchdown with a 35-yard interception return in 28-7 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1944.
HB Kent Ryan (two-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference first-team choice for Utah State averaged 8.1 ppg in league play in 1933-34, 9.9 ppg in 1934-35, 9.3 ppg in 1935-36 and 7.6 ppg in 1936-37) scored the Detroit Lions' lone touchdown with a three-yard rush in 31-7 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1939.
Pittsburgh Steelers DB Johnny Sample (freshman hooper for UMES returned a punt 55 yards for touchdown in 30-27 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1961.
Denver Broncos WR Rod Smith (swingman was Missouri Southern State hoops letterman as sophomore in 1990-91) had a 50-yard rushing touchdown in 38-31 win against the Seattle Seahawks in 2000.
New York Giants QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) threw three first-half touchdown passes in a 62-10 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1972.
New York Jets SS Shafer Suggs (averaged 10.7 ppg and 7.9 rpg in three-year career, setting Ball State record with nine consecutive field goals without miss and leading Cardinals in rebounding in 1974-75) returned an interception 29 yards in a 24-13 win against the Miami Dolphins in 1978.
Baltimore Ravens LB Adalius Thomas (averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98) scored a touchdown on 57-yard fumble recovery return in 27-0 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006.
Green Bay Packers P Ron Widby (three-time All-SEC selection averaged 18.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg for Tennessee from 1964-65 through 1966-67) punted six times for 304 yards (50.7 average) in a 21-16 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1972.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 25 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 25 in football at the professional level (especially in 1956):
NOVEMBER 25
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) scored three touchdowns (one pass reception/two rushes) in a 35-14 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1962.
Philadelphia Eagles WR Harold Carmichael (starter two seasons for Southern LA averaged 9.8 ppg and 10.6 rpg in 1969-70) caught two second-half touchdown passes from Ron Jaworski in a 21-10 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1979.
A 26-yard touchdown pass from Eddie LeBaron to E John Carson (Georgia hoops letterman in 1952 and 1953) in fourth quarter gave the Washington Redskins a 20-17 win against the Cleveland Browns in 1956. Redskins S Norb Hecker (four-sport letterman including hoops with Baldwin-Wallace OH) opened game's scoring by returning fumble recovery 17 yards for a TD.
Miami Dolphins rookie WR Chris Chambers (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin under coach Dick Bennett in 1997-98) caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes - including decisive 32-yard score with 48 seconds remaining - in a 34-27 win against the Buffalo Bills in 2001.
Green Bay Packers FB Ted Fritsch Sr. (Wisconsin-Stevens Point hoops letterman in 1940-41 and 1941-42) rushed for two touchdowns in a 23-14 win against the New York Giants in 1945.
San Diego Chargers TE Antonio Gates (second-team All-MAC selection in 2002 when Kent State finished runner-up in South Regional) caught two touchdown passes from Philip Rivers in a 32-14 win against the Baltimore Ravens in 2007.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 31-14 AAFC win against the Los Angeles Dons in 1948.
Chicago Bears E Harlon Hill (Florence State AL hoops letterman in 1951) had two fourth-quarter touchdown receptions (79 and 56 yards) in a 17-17 tie against the New York Giants in 1956.
Denver Broncos QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 14-10 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1973.
New York Yankees B Wild Bill Kelly (two-year Montana hoops letterman in mid-1920s) returned an interception 46 yards for touchdown in 19-0 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1928.
Chicago Cardinals E Mal Kutner (two-year Texas hoops letterman in early 1940s) caught two second-half touchdown passes in a 28-14 win against the Detroit Lions in 1948.
Cleveland Browns WR Dave Logan (three-time scoring runner-up averaged 14.1 ppg and 6.3 rpg for Colorado in mid-1970s) caught seven passes for 135 yards in a 33-30 setback against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1979.
Baltimore Colts TE John Mackey (Syracuse hooper in 1960-61) caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Johnny Unitas (52 and 15 yards) in a 24-24 tie against the Detroit Lions in 1965.
TE Alonzo Mayes (averaged 2.9 ppg and 2 rpg for Oklahoma State in seven basketball contests in 1996-97 under coach Eddie Sutton) opened the Chicago Bears' scoring with a pass reception for his lone NFL touchdown in 21-17 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1999.
Chicago Bears DB R.W. McQuarters (Oklahoma State hooper in 1995-96 and 1996-97 started two games) had two interceptions - returning one of them 45 yards for touchdown - in a 21-7 setback against the Dallas Cowboys in 2004.
San Francisco 49ers WR Terrell Owens (UT Chattanooga hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) had two of his league-high 13 pass reception touchdowns en route to 13 catches for 166 yards in a 38-17 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2002.
New York Giants HB Bosh Pritchard (four-sport letterman for VMI) had an 81-yard punt return for touchdown in 10-0 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1951.
Cleveland Browns rookie RB Greg Pruitt (Oklahoma frosh hooper in 1969-70) scored two touchdowns in a 21-16 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1973.
New York Giants WR Del Shofner (Baylor hoops letterman in 1956) had five pass receptions for 125 yards - including three touchdowns from Y.A. Tittle - in a 42-24 win against the Washington Redskins in 1962.
Chicago Bears DE Ed Sprinkle (two-year hoops letterman for Hardin-Simmons TX in early 1940s) returned a fumble recovery 55 yards for touchdown in 42-21 setback against the Cleveland Browns in 1951.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 24 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 24 in football at the professional level (especially in 1957, 1963, 1974 and 1996):
NOVEMBER 24
Cleveland Browns rookie HB Al Akins (forward was letterman for Washington in 1944 after lettering with Washington State previous two years) rushed for a 50-yard touchdown in 42-17 AAFC win against the Buffalo Bisons in 1946.
Cincinnati Bengals QB Ken Anderson (swingman finished Augustana IL career in early 1970s as fifth-leading scorer in school history with 1,044 points) threw four touchdown passes in a 33-6 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1974. Bengals rookie DL Bob Maddox (two-time MVP for Frostburg State MD shot 60.7% from floor in three seasons) recovered a fumble for TD.
Detroit Lions LB Roosevelt Barnes (collected 14 points and 23 rebounds in 24 games for Purdue's 1980 Final Four team after scoring 39 points in 43 games previous two seasons) returned an interception 70 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1983. Lions TE Ulysses Norris (Georgia hooper in 1975-76) caught two touchdown passes from Eric Hipple in 45-3 win against the Steelers.
Cleveland Browns rookie FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for four touchdowns - one of them for 69 yards - in a 45-31 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1957. Rams E Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (starting center for Michigan in 1944) caught two second-quarter TD passes from Norm Van Brocklin.
Chicago Bears FB Rick Casares (Florida's scoring and rebounding leader both seasons as All-SEC second-team selection in 1951-52 and 1952-53) rushed for two touchdowns in a 27-7 win against the Detroit Lions in 1957.
Indianapolis Colts TE Joe Dean Davenport II (appeared in two NCAA playoff games for Arkansas in 1999 under coach Nolan Richardson Jr.) caught a career-high three passes in a 23-20 win against the Denver Broncos in 2002.
Chicago Bears TE Mike Ditka (averaged 2.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg for Pittsburgh in 1958-59 and 1959-60) caught seven passes for 146 yards in a 17-17 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1963.
New York Giants DB Scott Eaton (three-year Oregon State letterman averaged 6 ppg and 2.8 rpg) secured his third interception of month in 1968.
New York Giants rookie DB Percy Ellsworth (appeared in all four of Virginia's NCAA tourney contests for 1995 Midwest Regional finalist) provided an interception for second straight game in 1996.
New York Giants rookie E Tod Goodwin (West Virginia hoops letterman in 1932-33) scored the game's lone touchdown with a 55-yard pass from Ed Danowski (Fordham hoops letterman in 1932-33) in a 10-0 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1935.
New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham (part-time starter for Miami FL averaged 4.2 ppg and 4.2 rpg from 2005-06 through 2008-09) caught two touchdown passes from Drew Brees in a 34-27 setback against the Baltimore Ravens in 2014.
Dallas Cowboys CB Cornell Green (Utah State's all-time leading scorer and rebounder when career ended in 1961-62) returned a fumble recovery 20 yards for touchdown in 27-17 setback against the Cleveland Browns in 1963.
Miami Dolphins QB Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) threw three touchdown passes - of them to SE Karl Noonan (member of Iowa's basketball squad in 1963-64) - in a 34-10 AFL win against the Boston Patriots in 1968. Nine years later, Griese threw six TD passes in a 55-14 NFL win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977.
San Diego Chargers SS Rodney Harrison (averaged 7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3 apg and 1.6 spg for Western Illinois in 1992-93) intercepted two passes in a 28-14 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1996.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 21-7 win against the Green Bay Packers in 2002.
St. Louis Cardinals QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 24-17 win against the New York Giants in 1963.
Baltimore Ravens WR Jacoby Jones (part-time starter averaged 3.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg for Lane TN in 2004-05 and 2005-06) caught a 66-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco in 19-3 win against the New York Jets in 2013.
San Francisco 49ers RB Terry Kirby (averaged 3.4 ppg as Virginia freshman in 1989-90 and 2.1 as sophomore in 1990-91) had 11 pass receptions in a 19-16 win against the Washington Redskins in 1996.
Oakland Raiders DB Ronnie Lott (Southern California hooper as junior in 1979-80) returned two interceptions a total of 47 yards in a 38-14 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1991.
Chicago Bears QB Johnny Lujack (averaged 3.4 ppg as starting guard for Notre Dame in 1943-44) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 28-7 win against the Detroit Lions in 1949.
New York Giants DE George Martin (Oregon hoops teammate of freshman sensation Ron Lee in 1972-73) registered three sacks and returned an interception 56 yards for touchdown in 34-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985.
Chicago Bears B Keith Molesworth (three-year hoops letterman for Monmouth IL in late 1920s) scored a touchdown in his third consecutive contest in 1932.
Chicago Cardinals FB Ernie Nevers (All-PCC second-five hoops choice for Stanford in 1924-25) rushed for three touchdowns in a 19-0 win against the Dayton Triangles in 1929.
New York Yankees TB Ace Parker (Duke hoops letterman in 1936) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 38-28 AAFC setback against the Chicago Rockets in 1946.
Chicago Bears E Dick Plasman (Vanderbilt two-year starting hoops center named to 1936 All-SEC Tournament second five) caught a 58-yard touchdown pass in 47-25 win against the Cleveland Rams in 1940.
New England Patriots TE John Tanner (JC recruit averaged 3.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg for Tennessee Tech in 1968-69) opened game's scoring by catching a touchdown pass from Jim Plunkett in 27-17 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1974.
Tennessee Titans WR Kendall Wright (Baylor hooper as freshman in 2008-09) scored game-winning touchdown - 10-yard pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick - with 10 seconds remaining in a 23-19 nod over the Oakland Raiders in 2013.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 23 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly chosen among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 23 in football at the professional level (especially in 1947):
NOVEMBER 23
Brooklyn Dodgers HB Al Akins (forward was letterman for Washington in 1944 after lettering with Washington State previous two years) caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in 16-12 AAFC setback against the Los Angeles Dons in 1947.
New York Giants E Red Badgro (first-five All-PCC pick as forward in 1926-27 when named Southern California's MVP) opened game's scoring with a 22-yard touchdown reception in 13-6 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1930.
Washington Redskins QB Sammy Baugh (Texas Christian three-year hoops letterman was All-SWC honorable mention selection as senior in 1936-37) threw six touchdown passes in a 45-21 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1947. Two of the TD pass receptions were caught by rookie E Paul McKee (played hoops for Syracuse in 1942-43).
Los Angeles Rams E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) had two touchdown receptions in a 28-17 win against the Detroit Lions in 1947. Rams B Tom Harmon (averaged 7.6 ppg as sophomore in 1938-39 when leading Michigan in scoring in five contests) scored two TDs (including 88-yard punt return).
Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez (averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg for California from 1994-95 through 1996-97) caught 10 passes in a 54-31 setback against the Buffalo Bills in 2008.
Minnesota Vikings QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) passed for 312 yards and three touchdowns in a 23-21 setback against the New York Jets in 1997.
Philadelphia Eagles TE Jimmie Johnson (averaged 2.7 ppg and 1.5 rpg for Howard University in 1988-89) had a career-high four pass receptions in 23-20 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997.
Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw two first-quarter touchdown passes in a 49-14 win against the New York Yanks in 1950. Lions E Cloyce Box (combined with twin brother Boyce to help West Texas A&M win Border Conference hoop championship in 1943) caught three TD passes.
Washington Redskins WR Bob Long (Wichita State hooper in 1960-61 and 1961-62 under coach Ralph Miller) had a career-high 10 pass receptions in a 27-20 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 1969.
Green Bay Packers DB Ace Loomis (Wisconsin-La Crosse hooper in late 1940s) returned an interception 45 yards for touchdown in 42-14 win against the Dallas Texans in 1952.
New York Giants DE George Martin (Oregon hoops teammate of freshman sensation Ron Lee in 1972-73) returned an interception 78 yards for touchdown in 19-16 win against the Denver Broncos in 1986.
Buffalo Bills HB Chet Mutryn (Xavier hoops letterman in 1943) rushed for two touchdowns in a 33-14 AAFC win against the Baltimore Colts in 1947.
Dallas Cowboys WR Terrell Owens (UT-Chattanooga hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five basketball games) had seven pass receptions for 213 yards in a 35-22 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 2008.
Cleveland Browns RB Greg Pruitt (Oklahoma frosh hooper in 1969-70) had more than 100 yards in rushing (121) and receiving (106) en route to scoring two touchdowns - including go-ahead pass reception from Mike Phipps in fourth quarter - in a 35-23 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1975.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 34-30 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1969.
Chicago Bears TE Ed Sprinkle (two-year hoops letterman for Hardin-Simmons TX in early 1940s) caught a decisive fourth-quarter touchdown pass from George Blanda in 24-23 win against the Detroit Lions in 1952.
San Francisco 49ers E Billy Wilson (averaged 3.3 ppg as senior letterman for San Jose State in 1950-51) caught two touchdown passes from Y.A. Tittle in a 33-12 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1958.
Staten Island Stapletons B Doug Wycoff (Georgia Tech hoops letterman in 1926) accounted for game's only scoring with a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown in 6-0 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1930.
Thank Yous & Turkeys: Food-For-Thought Cheers & Jeers in College Hoops
More than 20,000 thank yous can't begin to express infinite appreciation for setting the stage regarding procedure in Texas saving life of a grandson when he was only two days old. The gratitude beyond measure is for world-famous heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley, who performed well in excess of 20,000 open-heart operations before passing away several years ago at the age of 96. He was a three-year letterman (1938-39 through 1940-41) on Texas basketball teams combining for a 51-21 record. The 6-3 Cooley, named the 32nd most influential student-athlete in 2006 when the NCAA celebrated its centennial anniversary, saw action in both of the Longhorns' games in the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1939 after they captured the Southwest Conference championship.
"I've always had the opinion that my training in athletics equipped me for a life in medicine," Houston-based Dr. Cooley said, "and particularly in surgery because there's so much of the physical part involved. Surgery is a specialty in which a person must have vigor and a healthy body to perform at his peak. It requires a certain amount of physical training as well as mental training. In surgery, operations are accomplished by teams. As in athletics, a strong individual effort is possible only with the support of a good team. The morale of the team must be maintained by the captain. And these are the things individuals learn in a program of competitive sports. We learn to accept defeat but not to be satisfied with defeat; that there is no alternative for winning. Extra effort and determination and hard work and practice are what lead to accomplishment and victory."
Again, thank you Dr. Cooley for your extra effort and determination and hard work. A Thanksgiving holiday week absolutely should include the time-honored tradition of a smorgasbord mulling over a mixture of heartfelt Thank Yous while also chewing on tasteless Turkeys. The list of candidates in college basketball is extensive stemming from issues and individuals your most grateful for and those of dubious distinction. Following is a healthy serving of food-for-thought Thanksgiving tributes and tongue-lashings for hoop observers to gobble-gobble up:
THANK YOUS
Cheers to mid-major players deserving post-season recognition this season if A-A voters are paying attention.
Cheers to multiple players carrying the torch for their father at the same school dear old dad attended or playing under their father at the same university.
Cheers to this season's crop of entertaining freshmen although they pale in comparison to the depth exhibited by gifted group in 1979-80.
Cheers to ex-college hoopers dominating as NFL tight ends as long as they don't #KneelWithJemele or #ColonKrapernick.
Cheers to Canada, which could again provide a north-of-the-border All-American.
Cheers to the Big East Conference, which appears to be continuing a renaissance after losing prominent members to supposedly superior leagues.
Cheers to "old-school" seniors for not abandoning college hoops early and giving the sport at least some modicum of veteran leadership by attending the same school their entire career.
Cheers to pristine playmakers who show again and again that "pass" is not a dirty four-letter word amid the obsession with individualistic one-on-one moves by self-absorbed one-and-done scholars.
Cheers to model coaches who have their egos in check and carry their personal profiles in school media guides after, not before, the player bios.
Cheers to upstanding schools having their academic priorities in order although it is getting increasingly difficult not to accept the stereotype that universities need to be one-dimensional sports factories to assemble successful NCAA Division I basketball programs.
Cheers to entertaining little big men (players 5-10 or shorter) who inspire us with their self-confidence and mental toughness in the Land of the Giants.
Cheers to women's hoops, which has improved immeasurably while the men's game has suffered somewhat from inattention to fundamentals such as competent free-throw shooting. The team-oriented women look for passing angles to teammates "flashing" into the lane while far too many one-dimensional men seek camera angles to trigger a "flash-dance" routine. Some of the self-centered men haven't quite comprehended it isn't platform diving or figure skating they're participating in and you don't secure extra points for degree of difficulty.
Cheers to junior college players and foreigners who overcome perceptions in some misguided quarters that they are the rogues of recruiting.
Cheers to the numerous promising first-year coaches assuming control of programs this season. They need to remember the fortitude exhibited by many of the biggest names in coaching who rebounded from embarrassing defeats in their first season as a head coach. An active luminary who lost multiple games to non-Division I colleges in his initial campaign before ascending to stardom as the all-time winningest coach is Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (lost to SUNY-Buffalo, Scranton and King's College in 1975-76 while coaching Army).
TURKEYS
Jeers to Hall of Fame coaches Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino, Bill Self and Roy Williams (North Carolina) for respective Eeyore-like analysis after their schools became immersed in assorted Hall of Shame scandals. How close did Mike "Let's Move On" Krzyzewski come to joining this negative ACC-heavy list in aftermath of reasons for recruiting player paid by AAU coach/convicted felon, Reggie Love's profane party photographs, mediocre starter having $100G in jewelry, Rasheed Sulaimon's "Title IX" departure from Duke and one-and-done rental player Jahlil Okafor's infatuation with clubbing before the then NBA rookie center acquired a baby-sitting security guard before ever helping the Philadelphia 76ers win a game?
Jeers to Division I schools in a chaotic restructuring of conferences forsaking tradition although the quest for mega-leagues could be delusional because they're vying for television revenue that might not exist as network sports divisions operate at ample deficits in pandemic era.
Jeers to the striking number of power conference members who've provided a long list of players on their rosters participating in an authentic "War on Women."
Jeers to recruiting services incapable of discerning who should have been a Top 100 recruit coming out of high school. Ditto to announcers who infect the sport by spreading this virus without ever seeing any of the players enough to properly evaluate them.
Jeers to marquee coaches such as Bruce Pearl (Auburn) who've served up assistants as sacrificial lambs when the heat of an investigation of their program intensifies. Let's hope Pearl recognizes his current residence and has lower percentage of his latest SEC roster run afoul of the law than he did with Tennessee.
Jeers to anyone who incessantly castigates the majority of undergraduates declaring early for the NBA draft. Before accepting the party line that many of the players are making monumental mistakes by forgoing their remaining college eligibility, remember that more than half of the NBA's All-Pro selections in the last several decades left college early or never attended a university.
Jeers to any school for not promptly granting a recruit seeking to enroll elsewhere a release from its letter-of-intent when he wants to attend another institution for legitimate reasons.
Jeers to "Me Generation" showmen who've failed to comprehend their respective teams don't benefit on the court from a trash-talking Harlem Globetrotter routine.
Jeers to self-absorbed players who spend more time getting tattoos and practicing macho dunks than team beneficial free throws. It all hinges on dedication. There is a reason they're supposed to be "free" throws instead of Shaq-like "foul" shots.
Jeers to high-profile coaches who take off for greener pastures despite having multiple years remaining on their contract or don sweaters and workout gear with a logo of a sneaker manufacturer instead of their school during TV games and interviews. Where is their allegiance?
Jeers to network analysts when they serve as apologists for the coaching community. When their familiar refrain echoes throughout hoopdom, they become nothing more than the big mouths that bore.
Jeers to marquee schools forsaking entertaining non-conference games with natural rivals while scheduling a half-dozen or more meaningless "rout-a-matics" at home.
Jeers to several colleges that hired tainted coaches, showing winning is still more important than dignity at some schools of lower learning. The crass-act enablers of academic anemia know who they are!
Jeers to defrauding coaches who manipulate junior colleges and high schools into giving phony grades to regal recruits even before encouraging them to take lame courses at their day-care facilities to keep the team GPA out of danger zone. Ditto coaches who steer prize high-school prospects to third parties toying with standardized test results.
Jeers to "fatherly-advice" coaches who don't mandate that any player with pro potential take multiple financial literacy courses. Did they notice in recent years that products from Alabama, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Kentucky and Syracuse filed for bankruptcy after combining for more than half a billion dollars in salaries over their NBA careers? What contrived classes such as Afro Studies at North Carolina are taken in college anyway if a staggering 60% of NBA players file for bankruptcy five years after retirement?
Jeers to overzealous fans who seek to flog freshmen for not living up to their high school press clippings right away. The impatient onlookers need to get a grip on themselves.
Jeers to the excessive number of small schools thinking they can compete at the Division I level. There are far too many examples of dreamy-eyed small schools that believe competing with the big boys will get them national recognition, make big bucks from the NCAA Tournament and put the institutions on the map. They don't know how unrealistic that goal is until most of the HBCU and hyphenated/directional schools barnstorm the country during their non-conference schedules in college basketball versions of Bataan Death Marches.
Jeers to lap-dog media embarrassed looking the other way at Louisville when stripped naked by lap-dancing Katina the Escort keeping copious copulation comments to assemble one of the biggest stories of the decade (Get Your Fill in the Ville) while the press passed out from Pitino Personality or his bourbon. How many other Pitino Places are out there such as Bo Knows Affairs at Wisconsin?
Jeers to coaches who weigh in on political issues thinking anyone cares about their self-serving views. They sound dumb as a doorknob (a/k/a rooftop-dancing bartender AOC).
Jeers to ESPN (Extra Sensitive Pious Network) for rejecting a charity hospital ad promoting Jesus several years ago while giving forums to individuals who either lie to NCAA investigators as a head coach, lose new coaching job due to drunkenness, become a recruiting guru for the network after shady dealings at the highest level, specialize in man-check motivation, practice reprehensible race-baiting with the intellectually-bankrupt "Uncle Tom" bomb (Jalen Rose), damage our ears with Screamin' A. Stiff or spew journalistic-junk spin over the years with lunatic liberal propagandists Howard Bryant, LZ Granderson, Jemelle Hill and Bomani Jones.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 22 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 22 in football at the professional level (especially in 1931):
NOVEMBER 22
Cleveland Rams E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) caught 10 passes for 303 yards and one touchdown (70 yards) from Bob Waterfield against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day in 1945.
New York Giants TE Kevin Boss (averaged 3 ppg and 2.7 rpg while shooting 51.9% from floor for Western Oregon in 2004-05 and 2005-06) caught two second-quarter touchdown passes from Eli Manning in a 34-31 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 2009.
Boston Redskins rookie E Sam Busich (Ohio State hoops letterman in 1935 and 1936) made his lone NFL touchdown reception in a 30-6 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1936.
Portsmouth Spartans rookie TB Dutch Clark (four-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference hoops choice for Colorado College) rushed for two touchdowns in a 20-19 setback against the Chicago Cardinals in 1931. Cardinals FB Ernie Nevers (All-Pacific Coast Conference second-five hoops choice for Stanford in 1924-25) also rushed for two TDs.
New York Titans TE Thurlow Cooper (averaged 10.4 ppg for Maine in 1955-56 after averaging 6.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg previous season) had a career-high four pass receptions in 46-45 AFL win against the Denver Broncos in 1962. Titans WR Art Powell (averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg for San Jose State in 1956-57) had two touchdown catches.
Chicago Bears E Hoot Drury (SLU hoops letterman from 1928 through 1930) caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Keith Molesworth (three-year hoops letterman for Monmouth IL in late 1920s) in 26-0 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1931.
TE Darren Fells (UC Irvine's rebounding leader each of his last three seasons averaged 10.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg from 2004-05 through 2007-08) in rebounding each of last three seasons) opened the Arizona Cardinals' scoring by catching an 18-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer in 34-31 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015.
Cincinnati Bengals LB James Francis (averaged 3 ppg and 3.6 rpg for Baylor in 1986-87 and 1987-88) had two interceptions - returning one 66 yards for touchdown - and chipped in with two sacks in a 19-13 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1992.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw two first-half touchdown passes in a 20-16 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1953.
Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (played in seven basketball games for Clemson in 2010-11) caught two touchdown passes in a 24-17 win against the New York Jets in 2015.
Pittsburgh Steelers RB John Henry Johnson (made 5-of-8 FGAs in five games for Saint Mary's in 1950-51) rushed for two touchdowns in a 44-17 win against the New York Giants in 1964.
Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw four first-half touchdown passes in a 52-35 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1951. Packers B Dom Moselle (leading hoops scorer for Wisconsin-Superior in 1947-48 and 1948-49) caught a 48-yard TD pass from Tobin Rote.
New York Giants TB Tuffy Leemans (three-year hoops letterman for George Washington in mid-1930s) rushed for two touchdowns in a 21-21 tie against the Green Bay Packers in 1942. Giants E Will Walls (starting forward with Texas Christian for three years from 1935 through 1937) caught a 60-yard TD pass.
San Francisco 49ers rookie DB Ronnie Lott (Southern California hooper as junior in 1979-80) returned an interception 25 yards for touchdown in 33-31 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1981.
Miami Dolphins SE Karl Noonan (member of Iowa's basketball squad in 1963-64) registered a career-long 51-yard touchdown catch from Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) in a 34-17 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1970.
San Francisco 49ers WR Terrell Owens (UT Chattanooga hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) caught two second-quarter touchdown passes from Steve Young in a 31-20 win against the New Orleans Saints in 1998. Eleven years later with the Buffalo Bills, Owens had a 98-yard touchdown reception en route to nine catches for 197 yards in 18-15 setback against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2009.
In midst of securing a touchdown pass in four consecutive contests, Oakland Raiders TE Derrick Ramsey (grabbed three rebounds in two Kentucky games in 1975-76) opened game's scoring with 66-yard TD reception from Marc Wilson in 55-21 setback against the San Diego Chargers in 1981.
Los Angeles Rams DB Herb Rich (Vanderbilt hoops letterman in 1947) returned an interception 53 yards for touchdown in 21-13 win against the Baltimore Colts in 1952.
Dallas Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) threw two first-quarter touchdown passes in a 30-24 setback against the Houston Oilers in 1979.
Detroit Lions HB Doak Walker (Southern Methodist letterman as freshman in 1945-46) rushed for game-winning touchdown in fourth quarter of a 20-16 win against the Chicago Bears in 1953.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 21 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 21 in football at the professional level (especially in 1948):
NOVEMBER 21
Todd Bouman (South Dakota State transfer averaged 7.1 ppg and 3.3 rpg for St. Cloud State MN from 1993-94 through 1995-96) signed as free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2006 to replace injured Aaron Rodgers as their second-string QB.
Miami Dolphins WR Chris Chambers (played hoops briefly for Wisconsin under coach Dick Bennett in 1997-98) caught nine passes in a 24-17 setback against the Seattle Seahawks in 2004.
Chicago Bears B-PK John "Paddy" Driscoll (Northwestern basketball letterman in 1916) provided the decisive score with a 24-yard fumble return for touchdown in 19-13 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1926. He also kicked two field goals and threw a TD pass.
New York Giants rookie WR Bruce Gehrke (four-year Columbia hoops letterman averaged 9.5 ppg as senior) caught a touchdown pass from Charlie Conerly in 49-3 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1948. Giants rookie DB Emlen Tunnell (forward was top reserve for Toledo team compiling 22-4 record and finishing second in 1943 NIT) returned an interception 43 yards for TD.
New York Giants TB Hinkey Haines (Lebanon Valley PA transfer earned hoops letter for Penn State in 1920 and 1921) rushed for two touchdowns in a 21-0 win against the Providence Steam Roller in 1926.
Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (played in seven hoop games for Clemson in 2010-11) caught two touchdown passes from Deshaun Watson (35 and 30 yards) in a 20-17 win against the Indianapolis Colts in 2019. Three years later with the Arizona Cardinals, Hopkins caught at least nine passes for fourth time in his first five contests of 2022 season after being activated.
Cleveland Browns RB Terry Kirby (averaged 3.4 ppg as Virginia freshman in 1989-90 and 2.1 as sophomore in 1990-91) had nine pass receptions in a 31-17 setback against the Carolina Panthers in 1999.
New York Giants TB Tuffy Leemans (three-year hoops letterman for George Washington in mid-1930s) threw two third-quarter touchdown passes in a 24-13 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1943.
Boston Yanks QB Gene Malinowski (three-year hoops letterman for Detroit in mid-1940s) threw two touchdown passes in a 51-17 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1948. A 68-yard strike opened the Yanks' scoring in first quarter.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) threw four touchdown passes in a 28-6 win against the Washington Redskins in 2004. Six years later with the Washington Redskins, McNabb passed for 376 yards in a 19-16 win against the Tennessee Titans in 2010.
Brooklyn Dodgers rookie TB Ace Parker (Duke hoops letterman in 1936) scored two third-quarter touchdowns - including 44-yard punt return - in a 23-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1937.
Carolina Panthers DE Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) had two sacks for third game in a row in 2004.
Washington Redskins B Dick Poillon (Canisius hooper in early 1940s) returned a fumble recovery 93 yards for touchdown in 42-21 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1948.
Chicago Rockets B Ray Ramsey (Bradley's top scorer in 1941-42 and 1942-43) scored two touchdowns (one rushing/one receiving) in a 41-16 setback against the San Francisco 49ers in 1947.
Washington Redskins CB Lonnie Sanders (averaged 10.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg as Michigan State forward in 1961-62) returned two interceptions a total of 79 yards in 31-3 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1965.
One of AAFC-leading 11 interceptions for New York Yankees rookie DB Otto Schnellbacher (averaged 11 ppg in four-year Kansas career, earning All-Big Six/Seven Conference honors each season) was returned 40 yards for a touchdown in 34-21 setback against the Cleveland Browns in 1948.
Detroit Lions B Bill Shepherd (Western Maryland hooper) returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown in 16-7 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1937.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Morris Stroud Jr. (tallest TE in NFL history averaged 7.2 ppg and 10.2 rpg in 1967-68 when 6-10 junior shot team-high 50.9% from floor for Clark Atlanta GA) opened game's scoring with a 39-yard touchdown reception from Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) in 28-10 win against the Denver Broncos in 1971.
Denver Broncos SE Lionel Taylor (led New Mexico Highlands in scoring average with 13.6 ppg in 1955-56 and 20.3 in 1956-57) had 11 pass receptions for 141 yards - including two second-half touchdowns - in a 28-20 AFL setback against the Oakland Raiders in 1965.
Minnesota Vikings CB Charlie West (collected two points and one rebound in two UTEP games under coach Don Haskins in 1967-68) had two interceptions for second consecutive contest in 1971.
Career Scoring Highs in College & NBA For Most Prolific Professional Players
In Michael Jordan's heyday, the lame joke was that the only coach who could contain him was his college mentor (Dean Smith). Jordan's 17.7-point average in three seasons from 1981-82 through 1983-84 with North Carolina paled in comparison to his 15-year NBA mark (30.1). Can the wisecrack be inherited by Devin Booker with Kentucky coach John Calipari and Donovan Mitchell with former Louisville mentor Rick Pitino?
Booker, scoreless in his first UK game (vs. Grand Canyon), also went without a point seven contests later against Texas. In fact, one-and-done Booker tallied a grand total of 54 points in his 13 lowest-scoring outings as UK freshman in 2014-15. But two seasons later in a performance worthy of ginning up brassy-and-sassy supermodel's undivided attention, Booker erupted for 51 second-half points when finishing with 70 for the Phoenix Suns in a game at Boston, giving him the highest differential (51) between his NBA high and college high (19) among players scoring more than 60 in an NBA tilt. As for Mitchell, he went scoreless in three games in 2015-16 (vs. Georgia Tech, Hartford and Duke).
Booker, who already is the Suns' franchise leader in 30-point outbursts, and boffo bubble-boy Damion Lillard are two of only seven players in NBA history with multiple games scoring 59 or more points, joining Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Jordan, James Harden and Elgin Baylor. Booker, 25, became the fifth-youngest NBA player to reach 9,000-point plateau, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Bryant in that celebrated circle. Bradley Beal, who scored 57 of his 60 points for Washington Wizards in first three quarters of game against the Philadelphia 76ers, tallied a modest college-career high of 22 in his lone campaign with Florida in 2011-12 (against both Wright State and Stetson in pre-conference competition).
One for the books was Pete Maravich of the New Orleans Jazz outscoring five former backcourt All-Americans with the New York Knicks (Butch Beard/Ticky Burden/Walt Frazier/Dean Meminger/Earl Monroe), 68-41, in a memorable outing during Pistol's seventh NBA season. Among former major-college players erupting for more than 60 points in an NBA game, following is a look at the difference between their career highs in the pros and college:
NCAA DI Player | Major-College Career High (Date) | NBA Career High > 60 (Date) | Difference |
---|---|---|---|
Devin Booker | 19 with Kentucky (11-25-14 & 12-20-14) | 70 with Phoenix Suns (3-24-17) | 51 points |
Wilt Chamberlain | 52 with Kansas (12-5-56) | 100 with Philadelphia 76ers (3-2-62) | 48 |
Donovan Mitchell | 29 with Louisville (1-24-17) | 71 with Cleveland Cavaliers (1-2-23) | 42 |
Michael Jordan | 39 with North Carolina (1-29-83) | 69 with Chicago Bulls (3-28-90) | 30 |
Carmelo Anthony | 33 with Syracuse (4-5-03) | 62 with New York Knicks (1-24-14) | 29 |
Karl Malone | 40 with Louisiana Tech (12-5-83) | 61 with Utah Jazz (1-27-90) | 21 |
David Robinson | 50 with Navy (3-12-87) | 71 with San Antonio Spurs (4-24-94) | 21 |
James Harden | 40 with Arizona State (11-30-08) | 61 with Houston Rockets (1-23-19 & 3-22-19) | 21 |
Damian Lillard | 41 with Weber State (12-3-11) | 61 with Portland Trail Blazers (1-20-20 & 8-11-20) | 20 |
Jerry West | 44 with West Virginia (12-1-59) | 63 with Los Angeles Lakers (1-17-62) | 19 |
Stephen Curry | 44 with Davidson (11-18-08 & 12-6-08) | 62 with Golden State Warriors (1-3-21) | 18 |
David Thompson | 57 with North Carolina State (12-5-74) | 73 with Denver Nuggets (4-9-78) | 16 |
Elgin Baylor | 60 with Seattle (1-30-58) | 71 with Los Angeles Lakers (11-15-60) | 11 |
George Mikan | 53 with DePaul (3-12-45) | 61 with Minneapolis Lakers (1-20-52) | 8 |
Shaquille O'Neal | 53 with Louisiana State (12-18-90) | 61 with Los Angeles Lakers (3-6-00) | 8 |
Rick Barry | 59 with Miami FL (2-23-65) | 64 with Golden State Warriors (3-26-74) | 5 |
Pete Maravich | 69 with Louisiana State (2-7-70) | 68 with New Orleans Jazz (2-25-77) | -1 point |
NOTE: Joe Fulks (Murray State) and George Gervin (Eastern Michigan) each scored 63 points in an NBA game but their schools weren't classified as major colleges when they played for them.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 20 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 20 in football at the professional level (especially in 1955):
NOVEMBER 20
Minnesota Vikings LB Matt Blair (played in 1970 NJCAA Tournament for Northeastern Oklahoma A&M hoops team finishing in seventh place) scored a touchdown off blocked punt in 10-7 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1977.
Philadelphia Eagles CB Jimmy Carr (three-year hoops letterman for Morris Harvey WV appeared in NAIA Tournament in 1953 and 1954) supplied decisive touchdown in fourth quarter with a 38-yard fumble recovery return in 17-10 win against the New York Giants in 1960.
Chicago Bears B-PK John "Paddy" Driscoll (Northwestern basketball letterman in 1916) threw two touchdown passes (52 and 28 yards) in 14-6 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1927.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 41-14 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955. Steelers E Elbie Nickel (Cincinnati's second-leading scorer in 1942 also earned hoops letter in 1947) had two first-half TD catches.
Miami Dolphins QB Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) passed for 349 yards in a 35-30 setback against the Houston Oilers in 1978.
New York Giants LB Mel Hein (Washington State hoops letterman in 1930) returned an interception 50 yards for touchdown in 15-3 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1938.
Chicago Bears E Harlon Hill (Florence State AL hoops letterman in 1951) had two touchdown receptions in a 24-14 win against the Detroit Lions in 1955. Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw two first-half TD passes.
Philadelphia Eagles QB King Hill (Rice hoops letterman in 1955-56 and 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes in a 35-34 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1966.
Green Bay Packers RB Paul Hornung (averaged 6.1 ppg in 10 contests for Notre Dame in 1954-55) rushed for two of his league-high 13 touchdowns and threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass in 33-31 setback against the Los Angeles Rams in 1960.
San Diego Chargers WR Vincent Jackson (Northern Colorado's scoring leader with 13.6 ppg in 2003-04 while also contributing 5.6 rpg and 3.1 apg) caught seven passes for 165 yards in a 31-20 setback against the Chicago Bears in 2011.
Washington Redskins QB Billy Kilmer (UCLA hooper under legendary coach John Wooden in 1959-60) threw two third-quarter touchdown passes in a 24-13 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 1972.
Miami Dolphins RB Terry Kirby (averaged 3.4 ppg as Virginia freshman in 1989-90 and 2.1 as sophomore in 1990-91) had eight pass receptions for second straight game in 1995.
Chicago Bears QB Johnny Lujack (averaged 3.4 ppg as starting guard for Notre Dame in 1943-44) threw three first-half touchdown passes - including one for 81 yards to Ken Kavanaugh - in a 31-21 win against the Washington Redskins in 1949.
Cleveland Browns WR Jordan Norwood (collected one rebound and one assist in four basketball games for Penn State in 2006-07) had a 51-yard pass reception from Colt McCoy in 14-10 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011.
Denver Broncos SE Lionel Taylor (led New Mexico Highlands in scoring average with 13.6 ppg in 1955-56 and 20.3 in 1956-57) had 10 of his AFL-leading 92 pass receptions in a 20-10 AFL setback against the Houston Oilers in 1960.
Kansas City Chiefs FL Otis Taylor (backup small forward for Prairie View A&M) had nine pass receptions - including two third-quarter touchdowns from Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) - in a 27-27 AFL tie against the Boston Patriots in 1966. Pats WR Art Graham (collected one point and three rebounds in two basketball games with Boston College in 1961-62) caught a career-high 11 passes (including two second-quarter TDs from Babe Parilli).
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Cedric Tillman (averaged 4.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg while serving as part-time starter for Alcorn State in 1990-91) had career highs of eight receptions and 175 receiving yards in a 32-28 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 1994.
New York Giants DB Emlen Tunnell (forward was top reserve for Toledo team compiling 22-4 record and finishing second in 1943 NIT) returned an interception 55 yards for touchdown in 45-21 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1949. Six years later, Tunnell returned a punt 66 yards for TD in 31-7 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1955.
Rookie B Whizzer White (two-time all-conference first-team hoops selection averaged 6.8 ppg for Colorado from 1935-36 through 1937-38) had a 79-yard touchdown run for the Pittsburgh Pirates' lone score in 14-7 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1938.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 19 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 19 in football at the professional level (especially in 1967 when QBs Norm Snead and Billy Kilmer combined for six touchdown passes in same game):
NOVEMBER 19
Chicago Bears E Connie Mack Berry (All-Southern Conference second-team hoops selection as North Carolina State center in 1937 and 1938) caught two second-quarter touchdown passes from Sid Luckman in a 41-21 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1944.
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for 237 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-24 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1961.
Chicago Bears QB Jack Concannon (grabbed one rebound in one Boston College basketball contest in 1961-62) threw three second-quarter touchdown passes totaling 211 yards in a 30-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967.
Boston Yanks QB Bob Davis (Kentucky hoops letterman in 1937 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) opened game's scoring with a four-yard touchdown run in 13-6 win against the Brooklyn Tigers in 1944. A 25-yard pass reception by Yanks E Keith Ranspot (SMU hoops letterman in 1936 and 1937) in fourth quarter accounted for decisive TD.
Dallas Cowboys TE Billy Joe Dupree (scored four points in total of four basketball games for Michigan State in 1971-72) delivered a career-high 108 receiving yards on five catches in 24-6 win against the New Orleans Saints in 1976.
Cleveland Browns FS Percy Ellsworth (appeared in all four of Virginia's NCAA tourney contests for 1995 Midwest Regional finalist) returned an interception 33 yards for touchdown in 24-10 setback against the Tennessee Titans in 2000.
Chicago Bears WR George Farmer (teammate of UCLA legend Lew Alcindor in 1968-69) caught an 85-yard touchdown pass from Bobby Douglass in 34-21 setback against the San Francisco 49ers in 1972.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez (averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg for California from 1994-95 through 1996-97) caught two second-half touchdown passes in a 21-17 setback against the Buffalo Bills in 2000.
Washington Redskins DB Dale Hackbart (averaged 4 ppg and 3.5 rpg in 10 contests for Wisconsin in 1958-59) returned an interception 33 yards for touchdown in 28-28 tie against the Dallas Cowboys in 1961.
New Orleans Saints WR Willie Jackson (started five games for Florida in 1989-90) caught two touchdown passes in a 31-22 setback against the Oakland Raiders in 2000.
New Orleans Saints QB Billy Kilmer (UCLA hooper under legendary coach John Wooden in 1959-60) threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a 48-21 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1967. Eagles QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) passed for 309 yards and four TDs.
San Diego Chargers LB Bob Laraba (collected eight points and six rebounds in five UTEP basketball games in 1957-58 and 1958-59) returned an interception 61 yards for touchdown in 24-14 AFL win against the Dallas Texans in 1961.
New York Yanks QB George Ratterman (third-leading scorer with 11.7 ppg for Notre Dame in 1944-45) threw two second-half touchdown passes in a 43-35 setback against the Los Angeles Rams in 1950.
Washington Redskins E-P Pat Richter (three-year Wisconsin hoops letterman in early 1960s) averaged 45 yards on eight punts in a 27-20 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 1967.
Miami Dolphins DE Jason Taylor (averaged 8 ppg and 5.4 rpg for Akron in 1994-95) returned an interception 51 yards for touchdown in 24-20 win against the Minnesota Vikings in 2006.
Detroit Lions rookie HB Doak Walker (SMU hoops letterman as freshman in 1945-46) caught three touchdown passes in a 24-21 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1950.
Green Bay Packers P Ron Widby (three-time All-SEC selection averaged 18.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg for Tennessee from 1964-65 through 1966-67) threw a 68-yard touchdown pass in 23-10 win against the Houston Oilers in 1972. Teammate Vernon Vanoy (averaged 6.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg in 1966-67 and 1967-68 as Kansas teammate of Jo Jo White under coach Ted Owens) had personal-foul penalties as DT for whacking opponent on the helmet on back-to-back plays in second quarter.
Bullying Tactics: Many Power-Conference Members Shun Mighty Mid-Majors
Any player worth his sneakers seeks to compete against quality, not inferior, opponents with something such as in-state bragging rights at stake rather than devouring cupcakes. But many power-conference members steer clear of competent in-state opponents in pre-conference competition. For example, Washington State has avoided Gonzaga's Drew Timme during his three All-American seasons.
LSU refrains from opposing Tulane in recent years but one of the greatest freshman debuts in college annals took place when Tigers forward Rudy Macklin grabbed a school-record 32 rebounds against the Green Wave to open the 1976-77 campaign. How many comparable splendid performances never had a chance to unfold on the court? Meanwhile, how many power-player schools fodder-bored torture us with age-old, one-sided arguments flapping their self-serving jaws about nothing to gain? Indiana likely will eventually somehow survive a defeat at IPFW and season-opening setback against Indiana State several years ago while many power-conference counterparts usually compete in exotic-outpost tournaments in front of disinterested algae, barnacles, crabs, mussels, sea shells, snails and handful of assorted beach creatures. Do they seek to be there just to by chance view Jay Bilas or some other ESPN personality in a bathing suit? Why don't more thin-skinned elite schools put an emphasis on what is best for the sport in general by scheduling more entertaining contests against competitive in-state foes? That was a relevant question to ask UCLA several years ago as the Bruins made three's-company travel arrangements regarding low-end trip back home for three high-end Louis Vuitton freshman scholars following their three-joint play paving way to theft detention in China.
Isn't this supposed to be the era for putting an end to bullying tactics? Prior to his exit, pompous pilot Rick Pitino said Louisville played "four white guys and an Egyptian" to not embarrass lowly Savannah State in a mismatch. If that is the case, then why schedule a Savannah vacation in the first place? Giving fans half-a-peace sign and Quaaludes reminiscent of Bill Cosby's victims, the hoop haughtiness of power schools denying fans stimulating non-league games isn't funny or a new phenomenon. Did you know LSU avoided potentially attractive in-state assignments for decades by never opposing McNeese State's Joe Dumars, Tulane's Jerald Honeycutt, New Orleans' Ervin Johnson, Louisiana Tech's Karl Malone, Northeast Louisiana's Calvin Natt, Centenary's Robert Parish and Southwestern Louisiana's Kevin Brooks, Bo Lamar and Andrew Toney? The Bayou Bengals didn't bother to give freshman sensation Ben Simmons an opportunity to oppose ULL's Shawn Long, one of only six players in NCAA history to finish career with more than 2,250 points and 1,400 rebounds.
Similarly over the years, North Carolina shunned Davidson first- and second-team All-Americans Stephen Curry, Mike Maloy and Dick Snyder during the regular season. The Tar Heels did defeat Davidson in exciting back-to-back East Regional finals by a total of six points in 1968 and 1969 when Maloy averaged 21.5 ppg and 13 rpg. In 1974, South Carolina's powerhouse boasting Mike Dunleavy, Alex English and Brian Winters, couldn't keep skirting Furman and succumbed in the East Regional, 75-67, when the Padadins' Clyde Mayes collected 21 points and game-high 16 rebounds. Dick Vitale-coached Detroit was eliminated from the NCAA playoffs in the 1977 Mideast Regional semifinals by Michigan after the Wolverines avoided the Titans' terrific trio comprised of Terry Duerod, John Long and Terry Tyler in the regular season that year and the previous campaign while opposing Fordham, Kent State, La Salle, Miami (Ohio), Rhode Island, Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky.
Did we deserve to see national players of the year such as Indiana State's Larry Bird (never opposed Indiana), Princeton's Bill Bradley (Seton Hall), La Salle's Tom Gola (Villanova), Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin (Ohio State), Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (Ohio State), Navy's David Robinson (Georgetown and Maryland), Xavier's David West (Ohio State) and Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (Illinois) strut their stuff in regular-season contests against nearby prominent programs? Shouldn't we have been entertained by mercurial Murray State guard Ja Morant competing vs. in-state foes Kentucky and Louisville several years ago rather than UK and UL both opposing Vermont?
The Terrapins only met "The Admiral" upon being forced to compete in the second round of 1985 Southeast Regional when Robinson contributed game-high figures in scoring, rebounding and blocks. Unbelievably, more than 30 All-Americans from Ohio colleges in the last 60 years never had an opportunity to oppose Ohio State during the regular season (including small-school sensation Bevo Francis of Rio Grande).
Power-conference members give appearance of parasites while playing more than 85% of their out-of-conference games at home or a neutral site. Check out the non-league parade of patsies predatory powers Kansas and Kansas State scheduled while avoiding Fred VanVleet for four years earlier this decade and Wichita State All-American Antoine Carr the first half of the 1980s. The following mid-major/non-power league All-Americans specifically and fans generally were shortchanged during the regular season by smug in-state schools since the accepted modern era of basketball commenced in early 1950s:
Mid-Major School | All-American | In-State Power League Member(s) A-A Didn't Oppose During Regular Season/Cupcakes Devoured While Avoiding Mid-Major A-A |
---|---|---|
Texas Western | Jim Barnes | SWC members except Texas in 1962-63 and 1963-64 |
Western Kentucky | Charles Bassey | Kentucky in 2020-21/Wildcats opposed Morehead State and Richmond |
Seattle | Elgin Baylor | Washington and Washington State in 1956-57 and 1957-58/Huskies opposed Yale while Cougars met Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana and Whitworth during that span |
Penn | Ernie Beck | Villanova from 1950-51 through 1952-53/Wildcats opposed Army, Delaware, Geneva, Iona, King's, LeMoyne, Loyola (Md.), Millersville State, Mount St. Mary's, Muhlenberg, Rider, Saint Francis (Pa.), Saint Peter's, Scranton, Siena, Tampa, Texas Wesleyan, Valparaiso and William & Mary |
Cincinnati | Ron Bonham | Ohio State from 1961-62 through 1963-64/Buckeyes opposed Butler, UC Davis and TCU |
Gonzaga | Frank Burgess | Washington from 1958-59 through 1960-61/Huskies opposed Hawaii |
Marshall | Leo Byrd | West Virginia from 1956-57 through 1958-59/Mountaineers opposed Mississippi Southern and Yale |
Wichita State | Antoine Carr | Kansas and Kansas State from 1979-80 through 1982-83/Jayhawks opposed Alcorn State, Birmingham Southern, Bowling Green, Cal State Bakersfield, Maine, Mississippi Valley State, Morehead State, Nevada-Reno, Rollins, Texas Southern, U.S. International and Wisconsin-Oshkosh while Wildcats met Abilene Christian, Auburn-Montgomery, UC Davis, Cal State Bakersfield, Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Portland State, South Dakota, Southern Colorado, U.S. International, Western Illinois and Wisconsin-Parkside |
East Tennessee State | Tom Chilton | Memphis State and Vanderbilt from 1958-59 through 1960-61/Tigers opposed Birmingham Southern, UC Davis, Hardin-Simmons, Lamar, Louisiana College, Louisiana-Monroe, Loyola (New Orleans), Missouri-Rolla, Montana State, North Texas, Rollins, Southern Mississippi, Spring Hill, Tampa, Texas Wesleyan and Toronto while Commodores met Arkansas State, Dartmouth, Hardin-Simmons, Navy and Yale |
Dayton | Bill Chmielewski | Ohio State in 1961-62 |
Gonzaga | Brandon Clarke | Washington State in 2018-19/Cougars opposed Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Delaware State, Idaho, Montana State, New Mexico State, Nicholls State, Rider, San Diego and SIU Edwardsville |
Campbell | Chris Clemons | Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest from 2015-16 through 2018-19/Blue Devils opposed Army, Bryant, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Furman, Georgia Southern, Grand Canyon, Hartford, Long Beach State, Maine, Marist, Portland State, Princeton, Rhode Island, Saint Francis (Pa.), Siena, South Dakota, Southern (La.), Stetson, Tennessee State, Utah State, Utah Valley, VCU, William & Mary and Yale; Tar Heels met Bucknell, Chattanooga, Fairfield, Harvard, Long Beach State, Monmouth, Northern Iowa, Portland, Radford, Saint Francis (Pa.), Tennessee Tech, Tulane and Wofford; Wolfpack tackled Boston University, Bryant, Bucknell, Charleston Southern, Fairfield, Georgia Southern, IUPUI, Jacksonville, Loyola of Chicago, Loyola (Md.), Maine, Maryland-Eastern Shore, McNeese State, Mercer, Montana, Mount St. Mary's, Northeastern, Northern Iowa, Presbyterian, Rider, Robert Morris, Saint Francis (N.Y.), Saint Peter's, South Alabama, South Carolina State, USC Upstate, South Florida, Tennessee State, UMKC, Virginia Military, William & Mary and Winthrop, while Demon Deacons played against Army, Bucknell, Cal State Fullerton, Coastal Carolina, College of Charleston, Cornell, Drake, Georgia Southern, Houston Baptist, Liberty, Maryland-Baltimore County, Quinnipiac, Radford, Richmond, Texas-El Paso and Valparaiso |
Illinois State | Doug Collins | DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern at DI level in 1971-72 and 1972-73/Blue Demons opposed Dubuque, Lewis, Parsons, Rocky Mountain, Saint Joseph's (Ind.), St. Mary's (Minn.), Westmont, Winona State, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Illini met DePauw, Furman, Loyola (New Orleans), South Dakota and Valparaiso, plus Wildcats tackled Ohio University, TCU and Valparaiso |
San Francisco | Quintin Dailey | Stanford from 1979-80 through 1981-82/Cardinal opposed Air Force, UC Davis, Furman, Harvard, Penn, Portland, Rice, Seattle Pacific and U.S. International |
Bowling Green | Jim Darrow | Ohio State from 1957-58 through 1959-60/Butler, Delaware, Princeton and Yale |
Cincinnati | Ralph Davis | Ohio State from 1957-58 through 1959-60/Butler, Delaware, Princeton and Yale |
Detroit | Dave DeBusschere | Michigan and Michigan State from 1959-60 through 1961-62/Wolverines opposed Ball State, Bowling Green, Brown, Butler, Denver, Drake, Idaho, Miami (Ohio), Penn, Portland, Washington (Mo.) and Western Ontario while Spartans met Bowling Green, Butler, Northern Michigan, Portland and Tulsa |
Wichita State | Cleanthony Early | Kansas and Kansas State in 2012-13 and 2013-14/Jayhawks opposed American University, Belmont, Chattanooga, Iona, Louisiana-Monroe, Richmond, San Jose State, Southeast Missouri State, Toledo and Towson while Wildcats met Charlotte, Delaware, George Washington, Lamar, Long Beach State, North Dakota, North Florida, Northern Colorado, Oral Roberts, USC Upstate, South Dakota, Texas Southern, Troy, Tulane and UMKC |
Detroit | Bill Ebben | Michigan from 1954-55 through 1956-57/Wolverines opposed Butler, Delaware, Denver, Kent State, Los Angeles State, Valparaiso, Washington (Mo.) and Yale |
Oakland | Kay Felder | Michigan from 2013-14 through 2015-16/Wolverines opposed Bryant, Bucknell, Coppin State, Delaware State, Elon, Hillsdale, Holy Cross, Houston Baptist, Massachusetts-Lowell, Nicholls State, Northern Kentucky, Northern Michigan, South Carolina State and Youngstown State |
St. Louis | Bob Ferry | Missouri from 1956-57 through 1958-59/Mizzou opposed North Dakota, Rice, South Dakota and UTEP |
Dayton | Henry Finkel | Ohio State from 1963-64 through 1965-66/Buckeyes opposed Butler, UC Davis, South Dakota, TCU and West Texas State |
San Diego State | Malachi Flynn | USC and UCLA in 2019-20/Trojans opposed Florida A&M, Florida Gulf Coast, Portland and South Dakota State while Bruins met Denver, Hofstra and Southern Utah |
Columbia | Chet Forte | St. John's from 1954-55 through 1956-57/Redmen opposed Fairfield, Hofstra, Roanoke, Siena and Wagner |
Cincinnati | Danny Fortson | Ohio State from 1994-95 through 1996-97/Buckeyes opposed Alabama State, Central Connecticut, Cleveland State, Drexel, George Mason, Kent State, LIU, Morgan State, Penn and Southwestern Louisiana |
Oral Roberts | Richie Fuqua | Oklahoma and Oklahoma State at DI level in 1971-72 and 1972-73/Sooners opposed Charlotte, Indiana State, Samford, Stetson and Washburn while Cowboys met Arkansas State, Cal Poly-Pomona, Cal State Fullerton, Northwest Missouri State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Loyola Marymount | Hank Gathers | USC and UCLA from 1987-88 through 1989-90/Trojans opposed Boston University, Central Connecticut State, Delaware, Duquesne, Howard, Northern Arizona, Portland, Prairie View A&M, St. Francis, Seattle, UALR, U.S. International, Western Kentucky and Yale while Bruins met American University, Boston University, East Tennessee State, North Texas, Oral Roberts and Penn |
Jacksonville | Artis Gilmore | Florida in 1969-70 and 1970-71/Gators opposed East Tennessee State, Fordham, Harvard, Morehead State and Samford |
Oklahoma City | Gary Gray | Oklahoma State from 1964-65 through 1966-67/Cowboys opposed Abilene Christian, UC Santa Barbara, Creighton, Lamar, Regis and South Dakota State |
Colorado State | Bill Green | Colorado from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Buffaloes opposed Creighton, Pepperdine and Texas Tech |
Gonzaga | Rui Hachimura | Washington State from 2016-17 through 2018-19/Cougars opposed Bethune-Cookman, UC Davis, Cal Poly, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Sacramento, Central Washington, Delaware State, Idaho, Idaho State, IUPUI, Loyola of Chicago, Montana, Montana State, New Mexico State, New Orleans, Nicholls State, Rider, San Diego, San Jose State, Santa Clara, SIU Edwardsville, Texas-El Paso, Texas Southern and Utah Valley |
Tennessee Tech | Jimmy Hagan | Tennessee and Vanderbilt from 1957-58 through 1959-60/Volunteers opposed Bucknell, Butler, Furman, Louisiana Tech, Sewanee, William & Mary, Wyoming and Yale while Commodores met Arkansas State, The Citadel, Dartmouth, Hardin-Simmons, Loyola (New Orleans), Navy, Rice, Sewanee, Southwestern, VMI, Wyoming and Yale |
Loyola of Chicago | Jerry Harkness | DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Blue Demons opposed Aquinas, Baldwin-Wallace, Bowling Green, Christian Brothers, Denver, Gannon, Illinois Wesleyan, Lawrence Tech, North Dakota, NE State College, St. Bonaventure, Tampa, Western Michigan, Western Ontario and Youngstown State; Illini met Butler, Colgate, Cornell, Creighton, Manhattan, Penn, San Jose State and Washington (Mo.), and Wildcats tackled Brown, Colorado State, Creighton, Dartmouth, Manhattan, Princeton, SMU and Western Michigan |
Miami (Ohio) | Ron Harper | Ohio State from 1982-83 through 1985-86/Buckeyes opposed Brooklyn, Central Florida, Chattanooga, Chico State, Eastern Michigan, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Santa Clara, South Alabama, Stetson and Tulane |
Western Kentucky | Clem Haskins | Kentucky and Louisville from 1964-65 through 1966-67/Wildcats opposed Air Force, Cornell Dartmouth and Hardin-Simmons while Cardinals met Army, Bellarmine, Central Missouri, Georgetown College, La Salle, Niagara, Princeton, Southern Illinois, Southwestern Louisiana and Tampa |
Detroit | Spencer Haywood | Michigan and Michigan State in 1968-69/Wolverines opposed Bradley, Butler, Northern Illinois and Toledo while Spartans met Butler, Southwestern Louisiana, Toledo and Western Kentucky |
Cincinnati | Paul Hogue | Ohio State from 1959-60 through 1961-62/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, Delaware and Evansville |
Xavier | Tu Holloway | Ohio State from 2008-09 through 2011-12/Buckeyes opposed Alcorn State, Butler, Delaware State, Eastern Michigan, Florida Gulf Coast, Houston Baptist, IUPUI, Iona, Jackson State, Jacksonville, James Madison, Lamar, Lipscomb, Morehead State, UNC Asheville, North Carolina A&T, UNC Wilmington, North Florida, Oakland, Presbyterian, Saint Francis (Pa.), Samford, USC Upstate, Tennessee-Martin, Texas-Pan American, Valparaiso, VMI, Western Carolina and Wright State |
Gonzaga | Chet Holmgren | Washington State in 2021-22/Cougars opposed Alcorn State, UC Santa Barbara, Idaho, New Mexico State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Weber State and Winthrop |
Dayton | John Horan | Ohio State from 1951-52 through 1954-55/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Denver and Oklahoma City |
Army | Kevin Houston | St. John's and Syracuse from 1983-84 through 1986-87/Redmen opposed Davidson, Fairleigh Dickinson, James Madison, Lafayette, Monmouth, Navy, Old Dominion, Southern, U.S. International, Wagner and Youngstown State while Orangemen met Boston University, C.W. Post, Duquesne, Fairfield, George Washington, Hawaii Loa, Lamar, La Salle, Loyola of Chicago, Maine, Navy and Northeastern |
East Tennessee State | Mister Jennings | Vanderbilt from 1987-88 through 1990-91/Commodores opposed Alaska-Anchorage, Chaminade, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, East Carolina, Fordham, George Washington, Hawaii, Lehigh, Morehead State, Murray State, UNC Asheville, Rice, Samford, SMU and UAB |
Memphis State | Larry Kenon | Tennessee and Vanderbilt in 1972-73/Volunteers opposed Niagara while Commodores met Columbia, SMU and Western Kentucky |
Cincinnati | Sean Kilpatrick | Ohio State from 2010-11 through 2013-14/Buckeyes opposed Albany, American University, Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Chicago State, Delaware, Florida Gulf Coast, IUPUI, Jackson State, Lamar, Louisiana-Monroe, Morehead State, Morgan State, UNC Asheville, North Carolina A&T, UNC Wilmington, North Dakota State, North Florida, Northern Kentucky, Oakland, Savannah State, USC Upstate, Tennessee-Martin, Texas-Pan American, UMKC, Valparaiso, VMI, Western Carolina, Winthrop, Wright State and Wyoming |
Loyola Marymount | Bo Kimble | USC and UCLA from 1987-88 through 1989-90/Trojans opposed Boston University, Central Connecticut State, Delaware, Duquesne, Howard, Northern Arizona, Portland, Prairie View A&M, St. Francis, Seattle, UALR, U.S. International, Western Kentucky and Yale while Bruins met American University, Boston University, East Tennessee State, North Texas, Oral Roberts and Penn |
Gonzaga | Corey Kispert | Washington State in 2020-21/Cougars opposed Idaho, Montana State, Northwestern State, Portland State, Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern |
Bowling Green | Butch Komives | Ohio State from 1961-62 through 1963-64/Buckeyes opposed Butler, UC Davis, Detroit, Houston, TCU and Utah State |
Oklahoma City | Bud Koper | Oklahoma and Oklahoma State from 1961-62 through 1963-64/Sooners opposed Colorado State, South Dakota and Southern Illinois while Cowboys met Abilene Christian, Colorado State, Drake, Hardin-Simmons, Lamar, Long Beach State, Los Angeles State, Montana and Regis |
Loyola of Chicago | Cameron Krutwig | DePaul in 2020-21/Blue Demons opposed Valparaiso and Western Illinois |
Saint Mary's | Jock Landale | Stanford in 2017-18/Cardinal opposed Denver, Eastern Washington, Montana, Northeastern and Portland State |
St. Bonaventure | Bob Lanier | St. John's and Syracuse from 1967-68 through 1969-70/Redmen opposed Davidson, Duquesne, Harvard, Holy Cross, Massachusetts, Princeton, Rhode Island, Roanoke, St. Mary's and Westminster while Orangemen met American University, Bowling Green, George Washington, Holy Cross, Lafayette, La Salle, Navy, Rochester and Yale |
Xavier | Byron Larkin | Ohio State from 1984-85 through 1987-88/Buckeyes opposed Ball State, Brooklyn, Bucknell, Central Florida, Central Michigan, Chattanooga, Howard, Jacksonville, Lafayette, UMBC, UMSL, Siena, Stetson, Tulane and Western Michigan |
Texas-El Paso | David "Big Daddy" Lattin | SWC members except SMU in 1965-66 and 1966-67 |
Memphis State | Keith Lee | Tennessee and Vanderbilt from 1981-82 through 1984-85/Volunteers opposed American University, Biscayne, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Cleveland State, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia State, Hardin-Simmons, Hawaii, Idaho State, Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, Miami (Ohio), Montana State, Morehead State, Navy, New Orleans, Ohio Northern, Oklahoma City, Portland, Richmond, St. Francis (N.Y.), San Jose State, Southern Mississippi, UAB and Vermont while Commodores met Air Force, Alaska-Anchorage, Columbia, Eastern Kentucky, Indiana State, Long Beach State, Manhattan, North Alabama, Princeton, Samford, South Florida, Vermont, Western Carolina and Yale |
Marshall | Russell Lee | West Virginia from 1969-70 through 1971-72/Mountaineers opposed Army, Bucknell, UC Irvine, Colgate, Columbia, East Carolina, Hawaii, New Mexico and Saint Francis (Pa.). |
Wichita | Cleo Littleton | Kansas and Kansas State from 1951-52 through 1954-55/Jayhawks opposed Creighton, Denver, Rice, SMU, Tulane and Tulsa while Wildcats met Denver, Drake, Hamline, Wyoming and Yale |
Cincinnati | Steve Logan | Ohio State from 1998-99 through 2001-02/Buckeyes opposed Albany, American University, Army, Coastal Carolina, Coppin State, Denver, Duquesne, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, IUPUI, Massachusetts, Morehead State, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, Oakland, Robert Morris, Santa Clara, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee Tech, Valparaiso, Vermont, Winthrop and Yale |
UC Irvine | Kevin Magee | USC and UCLA in 1980-81 and 1981-82/Trojans opposed Doane, Idaho State, New Mexico, Oral Roberts, Portland, Richmond and Wyoming while Bruins met Boston University, Evansville and VMI |
Western Kentucky | Tom Marshall | Kentucky in 1951-52 and 1953-54/Wildcats opposed La Salle, Washington & Lee and Xavier |
Bradley | Bobby Joe Mason | DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern from 1957-58 through 1959-60/Blue Demons opposed Army, Baldwin-Wallace, Bowling Green, Canisius, Christian Brothers, Creighton, Evansville, Illinois Wesleyan, Miami (Ohio), Nebraska Wesleyan, North Dakota, Ohio University, Western Kentucky and Western Michigan; Illinois met Butler, Ohio University, Pacific, Rice and Western Kentucky, while Wildcats tackled Boston University, Duquesne, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Western Michigan |
UNC Charlotte | Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell | Duke and North Carolina from 1973-74 through 1976-77/Blue Devils opposed Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Kent State, Lafayette, Princeton, Rice, Richmond, South Florida, Tulane, Vermont, Western Kentucky, William & Mary and Yale while Tar Heels met East Tennessee State, Furman, Howard, Marshall, Oral Roberts, St. Thomas (Fla.), South Florida, Vermont, Weber State and Yale |
Dayton | Don May | Ohio State from 1965-66 through 1967-68/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, UC Davis, Cornell, Hardin-Simmons, Northern Michigan, South Dakota and TCU |
Furman | Clyde Mayes | South Carolina from 1972-73 through 1974-75/Gamecocks opposed Assumption (Mass.), Bucknell, Canisius, Creighton, Davidson, DePauw, Drake, Eastern Kentucky, Fairfield, Fordham, Georgia Southern, Lafayette, Manhattan, Marshall, Niagara, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's, Stetson and Toledo |
Richmond | Bob McCurdy | Virginia in 1973-74 and 1974-75/Cavaliers opposed Davidson, Denver, George Washington, Kent State, Lehigh, Navy, Stetson and Washington & Lee |
Wichita State | Xavier McDaniel | Kansas State from 1981-82 through 1984-85/Wildcats opposed Abilene Christian, Auburn-Montgomery, UC Davis, Centenary, Eastern Washington, Morgan State, North Texas, Northern Iowa, Northridge State, South Dakota, Southern Colorado, Truman State, U.S. International, Western Illinois and Wisconsin-Parkside |
Western Kentucky | Jim McDaniels | Kentucky and Louisville from 1968-69 through 1970-71/Wildcats opposed Miami (Ohio), Navy, Penn and Xavier while Cardinals met Bellarmine, UC Riverside, Furman, Georgetown College, SMU, Southern Mississippi and Stetson |
Dayton | Don Meineke | Ohio State from 1949-50 through 1951-52/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Cornell, Denver, Harvard and Princeton |
Bradley | Gene Melchiorre | Illinois and Northwestern from 1947-48 through 1950-51/Illini opposed Butler, Coe (Iowa), Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Penn, Princeton and Toledo while Wildcats met Butler, Dartmouth, Navy, Princeton, Rice, Ripon (Wis.), Tulane, Western Michigan and Yale |
Southern Illinois | Joe C. Meriweather | DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern from 1972-73 through 1974-75/Blue Demons opposed Brown, Charlotte, Duquesne, Gonzaga, Indiana State, Lewis, LIU, Manhattan, Marshall, Massachusetts, Niagara, Rocky Mountain, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's (Ind.), Saint Mary's (Calif.), St. Mary's (Minn.), San Jose State, Toledo, Westmont, Winona State and Wisconsin-Green Bay; Illini met Army, DePauw, Detroit, Duquesne, Furman, Northern Michigan, Tulane and Valparaiso, while Wildcats tackled Butler, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Ohio University, Rollins and Valparaiso |
Seattle | Eddie Miles | Washington from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Huskies opposed Air Force, Army, Colorado State and Hawaii |
Murray State | Ja Morant | Kentucky and Louisville in 2017-18 and 2018-19/Wildcats opposed East Tennessee State, Fort Wayne, Harvard, Illinois-Chicago, Monmouth, UNC Greensboro, North Dakota, Tennessee State, Troy, Utah Valley, Vermont, VMI and Winthrop while Cardinals met Albany, Bryant, Central Arkansas, George Mason, Grand Canyon, Kent State, Lipscomb, Nebraska-Omaha, Robert Morris, Saint Francis (Pa.), Siena, Southern (La.) and Vermont |
Drake | Red Murrell | Iowa from 1955-56 through 1957-58/Hawkeyes opposed Cornell, Denver, Loyola Marymount, Loyola (New Orleans) and SMU |
Seattle | Twins Eddie O'Brien and Johnny O'Brien | Washington from 1950-51 through 1952-53/Huskies opposed Santa Clara |
Lamar | Mike Olliver | Texas from 1977-78 through 1980-81/Longhorns opposed Alaska-Anchorage, Arkansas State, Army, Biscayne, Centenary, Hardin-Simmons, Harvard, Long Beach State, Murray State, New Mexico State, Northern Montana, Northwestern State, Oklahoma City, Pacific, San Francisco and Vermont |
Gonzaga | Kelly Olynyk | Washington in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2012-13/Huskies opposed Albany, Belmont, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Colorado State, Eastern Washington, Jackson State, Long Beach State, Loyola (Md.), McNeese State, Montana, Nevada, Northern Illinois, Portland, Portland State, San Francisco, San Jose State and Wright State |
Tulsa | Bob Patterson | Oklahoma from 1952-53 through 1954-55/Sooners opposed SMU |
Dayton | Jim Paxson | Ohio State from 1975-76 through 1978-79/Buckeyes opposed Ball State, Butler, Cal Poly-Pomona, Cal State-Hayward, Davidson, Evansville, Loyola Marymount, Marshall, Penn, Princeton, Rochester, Stetson, Toledo, Tulane and Vermont |
Valparaiso | Alec Peters | Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue from 2013-14 through 2016-17/Hoosiers opposed Alcorn State, Austin Peay, Chicago State, Delaware State, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Washington, Grand Canyon, Houston Baptist, IPFW, Kennesaw State, Lamar, Liberty, LIU, UMass Lowell, McNeese State, Mississippi Valley State, Morehead State, New Orleans, Nicholls State, UNC Greensboro, North Florida, Samford, Savannah State, Southeast Missouri State, SIU Edwardsville, Stony Brook and Texas Southern; Irish met Army, Binghamton, Bryant, Canisius, Chicago State, Colgate, Coppin State, Cornell, Delaware, Fairleigh Dickinson, Fort Wayne, Grambling State, Hartford, Liberty, Loyola of Chicago, Loyola (Md.), UMass Lowell, Miami (Ohio), Milwaukee, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary's, Navy, North Carolina A&T, North Dakota State, Northern Illinois, Saint Francis (Pa.), Saint Peter's, Santa Clara, Seattle, Stetson, Stony Brook and Youngstown State, while Boilermakers tackled Arkansas State, Central Connecticut State, Cleveland State, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Gardner-Webb, Georgia State, Grambling State, Howard University, IPFW, IUPUI, Incarnate Word, Lehigh, Maryland-Eastern Shore, McNeese State, Morehead State, NJIT, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T, North Florida, Northern Kentucky, Old Dominion, Rider, Samford, Siena, Utah State, Vermont, Western Illinois and Youngstown State |
Gonzaga | Filip Petrusev | Washington State in 2019-20/Cougars opposed Arkansas-Pine Bluff, UC Riverside, Florida A&M, Idaho, Idaho State, Incarnate Word, New Mexico State and Omaha |
Bradley | Roger Phegley | Illinois and Northwestern from 1974-75 through 1977-78/Illini opposed Army, Cal Poly, Charlotte, DePauw, Furman, Kent State, Long Beach State, Missouri-Rolla, North Dakota State, Rice, San Jose State, Valparaiso and William & Mary while Wildcats met Brown, Butler, Duquesne, Fairfield, Miami (Ohio), Ohio University, Texas-El Paso and Valparaiso |
Murray State | Bennie Purcell | Kentucky from 1948-49 through 1951-52/Wildcats opposed Bowling Green, Bradley, Holy Cross, Indiana Central, Tulsa, Washington & Lee, West Texas State, Western Ontario and Xavier |
Western Kentucky | Bobby Rascoe | Kentucky from 1959-60 through 1961-62/Wildcats opposed Miami (Ohio), Northern Colorado, VMI and Yale |
Long Beach State | Ed Ratleff | USC and UCLA from 1970-71 through 1972-73/Trojans opposed Fordham, Hardin-Simmons, La Salle, Penn, Princeton, Rochester and Texas-El Paso while Bruins met Baylor, Bradley, The Citadel, Dayton, Denver, Drake, TCU, Tulsa and William & Mary |
Memphis State | Dexter Reed | Tennessee from 1973-74 through 1976-77/Volunteers opposed Army, Biscayne, Charlotte, Columbia, Harvard, La Salle, Navy, North Texas State, Penn, San Francisco, Santa Clara, South Florida, Tulane, Vermont and Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
Oklahoma City | Hub Reed | Oklahoma from 1955-56 through 1957-58/Sooners opposed Baylor and Rice |
Massachusetts | Lou Roe | Boston College from 1991-92 through 1994-95/Eagles opposed Brooklyn, Brown, Buffalo, Cal Poly, Chaminade, Coastal Carolina, Coppin State, Dartmouth, Fairleigh Dickinson, Fordham, LIU, New Hampshire, Hofstra and Santa Clara |
Tennessee State | Carlos Rogers | Tennessee and Vanderbilt in 1992-93 and 1993-94/Volunteers opposed Charlotte, Furman, Mercer, Radford, UALR and Western Carolina while Commodores met Air Force, Bowling Green, Harvard, Illinois State, North Carolina A&T, Princeton and SMU |
Drexel | Malik Rose | Villanova from 1992-93 through 1995-96/Wildcats opposed Alaska-Anchorage, American University, Bradley, Columbia, Delaware, Hofstra, Marist, New Orleans, Richmond, Rider, St. Mary's and Vermont |
Bowling Green | Charlie Share | Ohio State from 1946-47 through 1949-50/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Cornell, Denver and Harvard |
Oklahoma City | Arnold Short | Oklahoma from 1951-52 through 1953-54/Sooners opposed SMU |
Creighton | Paul Silas | Nebraska from 1961-62 through 1963-64/Huskers opposed Air Force, Denver, Miami (Ohio), Northern Iowa, Ohio University, SMU and Wyoming |
Tulsa | Bingo Smith | Oklahoma and Oklahoma State from 1966-67 through 1968-69/Sooners opposed Bradley, Butler, Centenary, Loyola (New Orleans), Nevada Southern, North Texas State, Southwest Missouri State and TCU while Cowboys met Cal State Fullerton, Creighton, Lamar, MacMurray (Ill.), Pan American, South Dakota State, Trinity (Tex.) and Wyoming |
Weber State | Willie Sojourner | BYU and Utah from 1968-69 through 1970-71/Cougars opposed Cornell, Denver, Hawaii, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Santa Clara and Seattle while Utes met Army, Denver, Kent State, Loyola Marymount, Montana, NYU, Northern Michigan, Penn, Saint Joseph's, San Jose State, Seattle, VMI and West Texas State |
Wichita | Dave Stallworth | Kansas and Kansas State from 1962-63 through 1964-65/Jayhawks opposed Denver and Montana while Wildcats met Denver and South Dakota State |
Xavier | Hank Stein | Ohio State from 1956-57 through 1958-59/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Manhattan, Princeton, Tulane and Yale |
St. Louis | Ray Steiner | Missouri in 1950-51 and 1951-52/Tigers opposed Central Methodist, CCNY, Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri Valley, New Mexico State and Washington (Mo.) |
St. Bonaventure | Tom Stith | Syracuse from 1958-59 through 1960-61/Orangemen opposed Alfred, Boston University, Clarkson, Columbia, Holy Cross, La Salle, Massachusetts and Utica |
Saint Francis (Pa.) | Maurice Stokes | Penn State and Pittsburgh from 1951-52 through 1954-55/Nittany Lions opposed Alfred, American University, Bowling Green, Carnegie Tech, Colgate, Dickinson, Gettysburg, Ithaca, Navy, Toledo, Washington & Jefferson, Wayne State and Western Kentucky while Panthers met Carnegie Tech, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Geneva, George Washington, Loyola (New Orleans), Miami (Ohio), Navy, Ohio University, Princeton, Puerto Rico, Westminster, William & Mary and Yale |
Gonzaga | Jalen Suggs | Washington State in 2020-21/Cougars opposed Idaho, Montana State, Northwestern State, Portland State, Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern |
Pacific | Keith Swagerty | California and Stanford from 1964-65 through 1966-67/Bears opposed Air Force, Hawaii, Tulane and Wyoming while Cardinal met Air Force, Denver, Tulane, Utah State and Wyoming |
Morehead State | Dan Swartz | Kentucky from 1953-54 through 1955-56/Wildcats opposed Dayton, Idaho, La Salle and Xavier |
Miami (Ohio) | Wally Szczerbiak | Ohio State from 1995-96 through 1998-99/Buckeyes opposed Alabama State, Army, Cal State Northridge, Central Connecticut, Chattanooga, Eastern Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, George Mason, Kent State, LIU, Oakland, Rider, Robert Morris, South Florida, Southwestern Louisiana, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee Tech and Wyoming |
Princeton | Brian Taylor | Seton Hall in 1970-71 and 1971-72/Pirates opposed Army, Biscayne, UC Irvine, Colgate, Dartmouth, Fairfield, Fordham, Harvard, Holy Cross, Iona, Lafayette, LIU, Loyola (Md.), Morehead State, Pepperdine and Stetson |
Cincinnati | Tom Thacker | Ohio State from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, Creighton, Detroit, Evansville, St. Bonaventure and TCU |
Princeton | Chris Thomforde | Seton Hall from 1966-67 through 1968-69/Pirates opposed American University, Army, Boston University, Canisius, Fordham, Hofstra, Iona, LIU, Loyola (Md.), Loyola (New Orleans), NYU, Niagara, Rice, Saint Francis (N.Y.) and Scranton |
Bowling Green | Nate Thurmond | Ohio State from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, Creighton, Detroit, Evansville, St. Bonaventure and TCU |
Dayton | Obi Toppin | Ohio State in 2019-20/Buckeyes opposed UMass-Lowell, Morgan State, Purdue Fort Wayne, Southeast Missouri State and Stetson |
Cincinnati | Jack Twyman | Ohio State from 1951-52 through 1954-55/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Denver and Oklahoma City |
Dayton | Bill Uhl | Ohio State from 1953-54 through 1955-56/Buckeyes opposed Butler, Denver, Oklahoma City and Tulane |
Bradley | Paul Unruh | Illinois and Northwestern from 1946-47 through 1949-50/Illini opposed Butler, Coe (Iowa), Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, University of Mexico, Penn, Princeton and Toledo while Wildcats met Butler, Dartmouth, Navy, Princeton, Ripon (Wis.), Western Michigan and Yale |
Cincinnati | Nick Van Exel | Ohio State in 1991-92 and 1992-93/Buckeyes opposed American University, UC Santa Barbara, Chicago State, Howard and Illinois-Chicago |
Wichita State | Fred VanVleet | Kansas and Kansas State from 2012-13 through 2015-16/Jayhawks opposed American, Belmont, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Chaminade, Chattanooga, Holy Cross, Iona, Kent State, Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Loyola (Md.), Montana, Northern Colorado, Rider, San Jose State, Southeast Missouri State, Toledo and Towson while Wildcats met Alabama-Huntsville, Columbia, Coppin State, Delaware, Lamar, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, North Florida, Northern Colorado, Savannah State, South Carolina State, USC Upstate, South Dakota, Southern Utah, Texas Southern, Troy and UMKC |
Bradley | Chet Walker | DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern from 1959-60 through 1961-62/Blue Demons opposed Army, Baldwin-Wallace, Bowling Green, Creighton, Illinois Wesleyan, Miami (Ohio), North Dakota, Valparaiso and Western Kentucky; Illini met Butler, Colgate, Cornell, Creighton, Manhattan, Ohio University and Western Kentucky, while Wildcats tackled Boston University, Brown, Creighton, Dartmouth, Manhattan, Princeton and Western Michigan |
American University | Kermit Washington | Maryland from 1970-71 through 1972-73/Terrapins opposed Brown, Buffalo, Canisius, Delaware, Fordham, Holy Cross, Kent State, Lehigh, LIU, Loyola (Md.), Navy, Richmond, Tampa and Western Kentucky |
Southern Mississippi | Clarence Weatherspoon | Mississippi and Mississippi State from 1988-89 through 1991-92/Rebels opposed Arkansas State, Austin Peay State, Bethune-Cookman, Christian Brothers, Hofstra, Indiana State, McNeese State, Metro State (Colo.), Nicholls State, Northeast Louisiana, Northwestern State, Oral Roberts, Prairie View A&M, Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern (La.), Stetson and Tulsa while Bulldogs met Austin Peay State, Ball State, Centenary, Chattanooga, Christian Brothers, Delaware, Drake, East Carolina, East Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville, Mercer, New Orleans, Northeast Louisiana, Prairie View A&M, Rice, Southeastern Louisiana, Tennessee-Martin and Tennessee Tech |
Ball State | Bonzi Wells | Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue from 1994-95 through 1997-98/Hoosiers opposed Alaska-Anchorage, Appalachian State, Bowling Green, Chaminade, Colgate, Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Miami (Ohio), Morehead State, Princeton, Saint Louis, Santa Clara, Tulane, UALR and Weber State; Fighting Irish met Akron, The Citadel, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Drexel, Duquesne, Florida International, Fordham, Hofstra, Iona, Lehigh, Loyola of Chicago, Loyola (Md.), Loyola Marymount, Manhattan, Monmouth, New Hampshire, Nicholls State, Northeastern, St. Bonaventure, Sam Houston State, San Diego and Youngstown State, while Boilermakers tackled Austin Peay State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Cornell, Florida A&M, Houston, Idaho, Illinois-Chicago, James Madison, Long Beach State, LIU, Massachusetts, Murray State, New Orleans, Niagara, Northeast Louisiana, Tennessee-Martin, UAB, Weber State and Western Michigan |
LIU | Sherman White | St. John's and Syracuse from 1948-49 through 1950-51/Redmen opposed Bowling Green, Denver, John Marshall, Pratt, Rhode Island and Wagner while Orangemen met Baldwin-Wallace, Boston University, Bradley, Creighton, Denver, John Carroll, Lawrence Tech, Loyola of Chicago, Penn, Princeton, Queens, Rider and Toronto |
Cincinnati | Bob Wiesenhahn | Ohio State from 1958-59 through 1960-61/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, Delaware, Detroit, Evansville, Princeton and St. Bonaventure |
Memphis State | Win Wilfong | Tennessee and Vanderbilt in 1955-56 and 1956-57/Volunteers opposed Boston University, Colgate, Davidson, Furman, Kentucky Wesleyan, New Mexico State, Sewanee, Springfield, VMI and William & Mary while Commodores met New Mexico, New Mexico State, Sewanee and William & Mary |
Portland State | Freeman Williams | Oregon from 1974-75 through 1977-78/Ducks opposed Air Force, Boise State, Bowling Green, UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Sacramento, Colorado State, Creighton, Doane, Duquesne, Grambling, Hawaii, Montana State, Pepperdine, Rice, Saint Mary's, San Jose State, Seattle Pacific and Vermont |
Austin Peay | James "Fly" Williams | Tennessee and Vanderbilt in 1972-73 and 1973-74/Volunteers opposed Niagara, North Texas State, Santa Clara and South Florida while Commodores met Columbia, Rice, Samford, SMU, Vermont and Western Kentucky |
Gonzaga | Nigel Williams-Goss | Washington State in 2016-17/Cougars opposed Central Washington, Loyola of Chicago, Montana, New Orleans, Sacramento State, San Jose State, Santa Clara and Utah Valley |
Cincinnati | George Wilson | Ohio State from 1961-62 through 1963-64/Buckeyes opposed Butler, UC Davis, Detroit, Houston, TCU and Utah State |
Cal State Fullerton | Leon Wood | USC and UCLA from 1981-82 through 1983-84/Trojans opposed American University, Colorado State, Fordham, New Mexico, Oral Roberts, Penn, Portland, Richmond, Texas-San Antonio and Wyoming while Bruins met Boston University, Howard, Idaho State and New Mexico |
Cincinnati | Tony Yates | Ohio State from 1960-61 through 1962-63/Buckeyes opposed Army, Butler, Creighton, Detroit, Evansville, St. Bonaventure and TCU |
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 18 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 18 in football at the professional level (especially in 1945):
NOVEMBER 18
Washington Redskins B Steve Bagarus (Notre Dame hooper in early 1940s) tied the score twice - 7-7 with an 18-yard rushing touchdown and 14-14 with 70-yard TD reception from Sammy Baugh (Texas Christian three-year hoops letterman was All-SWC honorable mention selection as senior in 1936-37) en route to 28-21 win against the Chicago Bears in 1945.
RB Cliff Battles (four seasons of varsity hoops for West Virginia Wesleyan) scored both of the Boston Braves' touchdowns (via runs from scrimmage) in a 14-7 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1934.
Cleveland Rams E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) caught two touchdown passes from Bob Waterfield in a 35-21 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1945.
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for three second-half touchdowns in a 38-14 win against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1962.
Chicago Bears FB Rick Casares (Florida's scoring and rebounding leader both seasons as All-SEC second-team selection in 1951-52 and 1952-53) rushed for two second-half touchdowns in a 30-21 win against the Los Angeles Rams in 1956.
Oakland Raiders WR Ronald Curry (averaged 4.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg and 3 apg for North Carolina in 1998-99 and 2000-01) caught four passes for 120 yards in a 29-22 setback against the Minnesota Vikings in 2007.
Dallas Texans QB Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes - including 92-yarder to Tommy Brooker - in a 24-3 AFL win against the Denver Broncos in 1962.
Chicago Bears TE Mike Ditka (averaged 2.8 ppg and 2.6 rpg for Pittsburgh in 1958-59 and 1959-60) caught seven passes for 133 yards in a 34-33 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 1962.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) passed for 399 yards in a 27-24 setback against the Chicago Bears in 2001.
Denver Broncos QB Charley Johnson (transferred from Schreiner J.C. to New Mexico State to play hoops before concentrating on football) passed for 445 yards in a 42-34 setback against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1974.
Washington Redskins TE Jimmie Johnson (averaged 2.7 ppg and 1.5 rpg for Howard University in 1988-89) caught two passes for a career-high 55 receiving yards in 31-17 win against the New Orleans Saints in 1990.
Baltimore Ravens WR Jacoby Jones (part-time starter averaged 3.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg for Lane TN in 2004-05 and 2005-06) returned a punt 63 yards for touchdown in 13-10 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012.
Brooklyn Dodgers rookie B Ralph Kercheval (Kentucky hooper in 1932-33 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) opened game's scoring with a 23-yard touchdown catch from Chris Cagle (four-year hoops letterman for USL and Army in mid-1920s) in 10-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1934.
FB George Kiick (captain of Bucknell hoops team as senior in 1939-40) supplied the Pittsburgh Steelers' only points with a rushing touchdown in 30-6 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1945.
Detroit Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw three touchdown passes in a 28-10 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1951.
Jacksonville Jaguars TE Marcedes Lewis (collected nine points and four rebounds in seven UCLA basketball games in 2002-03 under coach Steve Lavin) caught two touchdown passes in a 45-37 setback against the Houston Texans in 2012.
Dallas Cowboys WR Terrell Owens (UTC hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) had eight pass receptions for 173 yards - including four touchdowns from Tony Romo (three of them more than 30 yards) in a 28-23 win against the Washington Redskins in 2007.
Chicago Bears DE Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) had three sacks in a 16-0 win against the Miami Dolphins in 2010.
Indianapolis Colts TE Marcus Pollard (JC transfer averaged 7.3 ppg and 5 rpg for Bradley in 1992-93 and 1993-94) caught an 86-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning in 34-20 setback against the New Orleans Saints in 2001.
New England Patriots TE Derrick Ramsey (grabbed three rebounds in two Kentucky games in 1975-76) caught three first-half touchdown passes from Tony Eason in a 50-17 win against the Indianapolis Colts in 1984. Colts QB Art Schlichter (scored 18 points in 11 hoop games for Ohio State in 1978-79 and 1980-81) passed for one touchdown and rushed for another.
Rookie TB Manny Rapp (Saint Louis hoops letterman in 1932) threw a 56-yard touchdown pass for the St. Louis Gunners' lone score in 40-7 setback against the Detroit Lions in 1934.
Cleveland Browns WR Reggie Rucker (averaged 6.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg for Boston University in 1966-67) had nine pass receptions for 177 yards in a 30-24 win against the Miami Dolphins in 1979.
Detroit Lions rookie B Dave Ryan (Hardin-Simmons TX hoops letterman in 1942 and 1943) had a 63-yard pass reception touchdown in 35-14 setback against the New York Giants in 1945.
New England Patriots LB Adalius Thomas (averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98) had 2 1/2 sacks in 56-10 win against the Buffalo Bills in 2007.
(sm)All-Stars: ACU Dynamo Damien Daniels is Latest Diminutive Dandy
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind (about your size) don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss
Despite cancel culture's obsession with him, the good doctor (Seuss) must know big things can come in even smaller 24-carat packages. What they may lack in height, they more than compensate for with heart. Brimming with self-confidence and mental toughness, the premium point guards defy odds by excelling in a big man's game.
The latest mighty mite of consequence at NCAA Division I level is Kansas State's Markquis Nowell (5-8), a transfer from UALR. Among those shorter than Nowell, Abilene Christian's Damien Daniels (5-7 dynamo has averaged 5.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 2.6 apg since 2018-19). Daniels will eventually join the following alphabetical list examining top players in NCAA history shorter than 5-8:
Mighty Mite | School | Height | Short Summary of College Career |
---|---|---|---|
Christopher Anderson | San Diego | 5-7 | Averaged 9.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 5.9 apg and 2 spg for the Toreros from 2011-12 through 2014-15. Ranked among the nation's top 11 in assists average his final two seasons. |
Kendall Anthony | Richmond | 5-7 | Shot 80.6% from the free-throw line and 39.2% from beyond the three-point arc en route to averaging 14.2 ppg from 2011-12 through 2014-15. The Spiders' leading scorer as a senior with 16.4 ppg after finishing runner-up as a freshman and junior. |
Martin Badoian | Brown | 5-7 | Three-year letterman was captain as a senior in 1951-52 when he averaged 13.9 ppg. |
Mike Belich | Pittsburgh | 5-7 | Led the Panthers in scoring as a senior in 1950-51 with 15.9 ppg. |
Eric Bell | Stephen F. Austin | 5-6 | Ranked 30th in the nation in assists with 5.7 per game as a sophomore in 2007-08. |
Arnold Bernard | Southwest Missouri State | 5-5 | J.C. transfer was an All-Mid-Continent Conference second-team selection in 1989-90. The next season, earned the same status in the Missouri Valley when he led the league in assists (7.6 apg) and steals (2.4 spg). |
Tyrone Bogues | Wake Forest | 5-3 | All-ACC first-team selection as a senior averaged 8.3 ppg, 6.6 apg and 2.3 spg from 1983-84 through 1986-87. |
Jermaine Bolden | Morgan State | 5-7 | Led MEAC in assists with 4.9 per game in 2008-09. |
Jimmy Boothe | Xavier | 5-7 | Led the Musketeers' 1956 NIT team in scoring with 16.5 ppg. |
Earl Boykins | Eastern Michigan | 5-6 | Two-time All-MAC first-team selection finished second in the nation in scoring in 1997-98 with 25.7 ppg, including 45 points vs. Western Michigan (tying school single-game record against a Division I opponent). MVP in the league's postseason tournament as a senior. |
DeAndre Bray | Jacksonville State | 5-6 | Posted an OVC-leading 5.2 apg as a sophomore in 2006-07 and ranked 11th in the nation as a junior (6.4 apg). Assists average fell off to 4.9 per game as a senior. |
Greg Brown | New Mexico | 5-7 | WAC Player of the Year as a senior in 1993-94 when he averaged 19.3 ppg and 4.4 apg. |
Alex Bynum | Brown | 5-7 | Averaged 8.3 ppg with the Bears from 1980-81 through 1983-84. |
Alton Byrd | Columbia | 5-7 | Three-time All-Ivy League first-team selection averaged 8.1 apg as a sophomore in 1976-77 en route to becoming the Lions' all-time leader in assists. Led the conference in assists as a sophomore and senior. |
Joe Campbell | Purdue | 5-7 | Eventual PGA golfer averaged 7.7 ppg in three seasons of varsity basketball. He was the Boilermakers' third-leading scorer (11.9 ppg) and leading free-throw shooter (73.6%) as a senior in 1956-57. |
Pete Carril | Lafayette | 5-6 | The 1952 graduate averaged 11.5 ppg in his career with the Leopards before becoming Princeton's all-time winningest coach. |
Taurence Chisholm | Delaware | 5-6 | Blue Hens all-time leader in assists with 877 ranked among the top 12 in the nation all four years, including a runner-up finish as a sophomore. All-ECC second-team selection as a senior in 1987-88. |
Jackie Crawford | Southwest Missouri State | 5-7 | J.C. transfer was an All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection and MVC Tournament MVP in 1991-92 (12 ppg, 4.5 apg, 83.5 FT%). |
Jordon Crawford | Bowling Green | 5-6 | Shortest player among NCAA's top 150 scorers as a senior in 2012-13 when he averaged 15 ppg. Led Falcons in assists his last three seasons. |
Johnny Dee | Notre Dame | 5-7 | Second-leading scorer (12.6 ppg) for the 15-5 Irish in 1944-45 before UND went 17-4 the next year when he averaged 5.8 ppg. |
Jeremiah Dominguez | Portland State | 5-6 | Big Sky Conference MVP in 2007-08 and league tournament MVP the next season. Leading scorer for PSU's all-time two winningest DI teams those years. |
Andy Dulik | Navy | 5-7 | Averaged 10.3 ppg from 1954-55 through 1956-57, finishing among the Midshipmen's top three scorers as a sophomore and junior. |
Haywood Eaddy | Loyola Marymount | 5-5 | J.C. transfer led the WCC in steals (2.1 spg) in 1997-98 and in free-throw shooting (89.8%) and assists (5.6 apg) in 1998-99. |
Chico Fletcher | Arkansas State | 5-6 | Two-time Sun Belt Conference MVP led league in assists four consecutive seasons from 1996-97 through 1999-2000. |
Louis Ford | Howard | 5-6 | Contributed 14 assists and 10 steals in a game against Maryland-Eastern Shore when he averaged a team-high 14.1 ppg in an abbreviated junior campaign in 2004-05 before averaging 9.2 ppg and team-high 4.8 apg as a senior. Led the MEAC in assists as a sophomore (5 apg) and in steals as a senior (2.6 spg). |
Tony Freeman | Indiana & Illinois-Chicago | 5-7 | Honorable mention All-Mid-Continent Conference in 1988-89 after playing for the Bob Knight-coached Hoosiers in 1986-87. |
Petie Gibson | New Mexico | 5-7 | The Lobos' all-time leader in assists per game averaged 11.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 7.2 apg from 1968-69 through 1970-71. He led the WAC in scoring feeds all three seasons. |
Jack Goldsmith | Long Island | 5-7 | Led the Blackbirds in scoring in 1945-46 when they posted their 13th of 18 consecutive winning records through 1950-51. |
Marques Green | St. Bonaventure | 5-7 | Averaged 15.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.9 apg and 2.9 spg while shooting 83.5% from the free-throw line from 2000-01 through 2003-04. He finished seventh in school all-time scoring when his career ended while ranking first in assists and steals. All-Atlantic 10 Conference first-team selection as a junior when he led league in scoring (21.3 ppg), assists (8 apg), steals (2.6 spg) and free-throw shooting (87.9%) before earning second-team acclaim as a senior. He paced the A10 in steals his last three seasons. |
George Harrington | Harvard | 5-7 | All-Ivy League second-team selection as a senior in 1958-59 when he averaged a team-high 14.6 ppg after averaging 11.4 ppg the previous two seasons. |
Jason Harrison | Mississippi | 5-5 | Started every game as a senior for the Rebels' 2002 NCAA playoff team after serving as their "sixth-man" most of his first three seasons. Finished his career third on Ole Miss' all-time list for three-pointers (163), third in assists (427), third in steals (172) and fifth in free-throw shooting (82%). |
Dick Hickox | Miami (Fla.) | 5-6 | Averaged 19.4 ppg from 1958-59 through 1960-61, leading the Hurricanes in scoring all three seasons. |
Jermaine "Squirt" Hicks | Weber State & Chicago State | 5-6 | Co-Newcomer of the Year in Mid-Continent Conference in 1997-98. Scored 40 points at Fresno State the next season when he was an all-league second-team selection. |
David Holston | Chicago State | 5-7 | Scored school DI record 43 points against St. Bonaventure in 2006-07 season opener. Mid-Continent Conference second-team selection as a freshman in 2005-06 (13.4 ppg, 2.8 apg, 85.7 FT%). Ranked 10th in the nation in scoring as a junior in 2007-08 (23.1 ppg) when pacing country in three-point field goals per game (4.6). Became school's all-time leading Division I scorer in 2008-09 when averaging 25.9 ppg (4th in nation). |
Shawn Hood | Cleveland State | 5-7 | Leader in assists and steals in 1983-84 and 1984-85 for the Vikings. |
Rod Hutchings | Northern Arizona | 5-7 | Shot 93.3% from the free-throw line as a senior in 2000-01 to finish his four-year career at 84%. Also contributed 285 assists for the Lumberjacks. |
Demontrae Jefferson | Texas Southern | 5-7 | Averaged 18.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.2 spg in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Scored 27 points in his TSU debut at Louisville. |
Keith "Mister" Jennings | East Tennessee State | 5-7 | All-American and Southern Conference Player of the Year as a senior. Two-time Southern Conference Tournament MVP averaged 15.7 ppg and 7.7 apg while shooting 86.1% from the free-throw line from 1987-88 through 1990-91. Paced the league twice in free-throw shooting, three times in steals and all four seasons in assists. |
Aaron Johnson | UAB | 5-7 | Averaged 5.2 ppg and team-high 4.1 apg as a freshman in 2007-08. Named an All-Conference USA third-team selection as junior in 2009-10 before becoming league MVP as a senior when he led nation with 7.7 apg. |
Omar Johnson | Texas-San Antonio | 5-7 | Averaged 12.6 ppg, 4.2 apg and 1.9 spg with the Roadrunners in 2008-09 and 11.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 3.4 apg in 2009-10. |
Casey Jones | Northeast Louisiana | 5-7 | Led the Indians in assists as a senior in 1990-91 with 5.8 per game, finishing his career with 3.8 apg. |
Victor Kelly | Hawaii | 5-6 | Averaged 12.6 ppg along with team highs of 5.1 apg and 1.9 spg in 1974-75. |
Drew Lavender | Oklahoma & Xavier | 5-6 | Paced the Sooners' 2004 NIT team in assists and steals before finishing team runner-up in same two categories for their 2005 NCAA playoff squad. After transferring, he led Atlantic 10 Conference in assists with 4.8 per game in 2006-07. |
Ken Leary | Boston University | 5-7 | Averaged 11.1 ppg, 2 rpg and 8.2 apg from 1962-63 through 1964-65, leading the Terriers in assists all three seasons. |
Darryl "Pee Wee" Lenard | Georgia & St. Louis | 5-7 | Led the Midwestern City Conference in steals with 1.8 per game in 1983-84. |
Terrell Lewis | Eastern Illinois | 5-7 | Averaged 9.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 5 apg from 2014-15 to 2018-19. He led EIU in assists each of his first three seasons. |
Chris Lykes | Miami (Fla.) & Arkansas | 5-6 | Averaged 13.7 ppg and 2.7 apg with Miami from 2017-18 until injured early in 2020-21 campaign before playing for Arkansas' 2022 NCAA playoff team. |
Sherry Marshall | Columbia | 5-7 | All-Ivy League first-team selection as a sophomore in 1947-48 when he averaged 8.2 ppg and shot 75.9% from the free-throw line. All-conference second-team pick as a freshman, junior and senior. |
Kellen McCoy | Weber State | 5-6 | J.C. transfer was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Year in 2008-09 (team highs of 14.1 ppg and 1.3 spg) after averaging 8.8 ppg and 2.9 rpg the previous year. |
Shandue McNeil | St. Bonaventure | 5-7 | Averaged 9.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.4 apg and 2.5 spg from 1993-94 through 1996-97. Led Atlantic 10 Conference in assists and steals as a sophomore (all-league second-team choice) and in assists as a senior. |
Mark Morse | Tulsa | 5-7 | All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection in 1991-92 (14.9 ppg, 5.1 apg, 2.2 spg) and 1992-93 (17.4 ppg, 4.6 apg, 2.2 spg). J.C. recruit earned award as MVC Newcomer of the Year. |
Johnny Nunziato | Boston University | 5-5 | Led the Terriers in scoring with 15.4 ppg as a senior in 1953-54 after averaging 6.6 ppg the previous season. |
Billy Pappas | New Hampshire | 5-6 | Two-time All-Yankee Conference first-team selection averaged 18.9 ppg from 1952-53 through 1954-55 with the Wildcats. |
Ronell Peters | Texas-Arlington | 5-6 | UTA's all-time leader in assists led the SLC in that category in 1983-84 (7 apg). He also paced the SLC in steals in 1983-84 (2 spg) and 1985-86 (2.4 spg). |
Otto Petty | Florida State | 5-7 | The Seminoles' all-time leader in assists with 602 averaged 6.4 ppg for FSU's 1972 NCAA Tournament runner-up. Contributed 7.6 ppg in 1970-71 and 8.2 ppg in 1972-73. |
Tajuan Porter | Oregon | 5-6 | Career averages of 14.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 2.1 apg while shooting 87% from the free-throw line and 38.5% from beyond the arc with the Ducks from 2006-07 through 2009-10. Averaged 31 points in his first three games as a freshman, including 38 with 10 three-pointers against Portland State. Pacific-10 Conference Tournament MVP in 2007 before setting school NCAA playoff record with 33 points against UNLV. |
Jim "Miggs" Reilly | Georgetown | 5-7 | Starter for 1943 NCAA Tournament runner-up. |
Junior Robinson | Mount St. Mary's | 5-7 | Averaged 14.3 ppg and 3.5 apg from 2014-15 through 2017-18. |
Darnell Rogers | Florida Gulf Coast & UMBC | 5-2 | Son of Shawnta Rogers played for FGCU in 2017-18 before averaging 11.3 ppg and 3.1 apg with UMBC from 2019-20 through 2021-22. |
Shawnta Rogers | George Washington | 5-4 | Leading scorer for Atlantic 10 Conference Western Division champion in 1998-99 (20.7 ppg) when he was named the league's MVP while also topping the A10 in assists (6.8 apg) and steals (3.6 spg). Three-time all-league selection twice paced the conference in free-throw shooting. |
Chuck Rolles | Cornell | 5-6 | Two-time All-Ivy League first-team selection averaged 23 ppg as a senior in 1955-56 after averaging 16 ppg as a junior. |
Gene Sosnick | Pacific | 5-6 | All-California Basketball Association first-team selection as a senior in 1952-53 when he averaged 17.6 ppg for the Tigers. |
Jim Thacker | Idaho | 5-7 | Two-time All-Big Sky Conference selection averaged team-high 16.7 ppg in 1967-68 and 14.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg in 1968-69 with the Vandals. |
Monte Towe | North Carolina State | 5-7 | All-ACC first-team selection as a junior averaged 11.1 ppg and 4.1 apg from 1972-73 through 1974-75. |
Benny Valentine | Eastern Washington | 5-7 | All-Big Sky Conference second-team selection as a junior in 2008-09 (team highs of 15.1 ppg, 3.1 apg, 1.5 spg and 55 three-pointers). Texas Tech transfer contributed 8.2 ppg and 2.7 apg the next season. |
Spud Webb | North Carolina State | 5-7 | J.C. transfer averaged 10.4 ppg and 5.7 apg with the Wolfpack in 1983-84 and 1984-85. Led the ACC in assists as a junior (6 apg). |
Stan Williamson | Oregon | 5-4 | Four-year letterman was two-time All-PCC selection and captain of the Ducks in 1946-47 and 1947-48. |
Willie Worsley | Texas Western | 5-6 | Averaged 8 ppg as a sophomore for the Miners' 1966 NCAA Tournament champion. Contributed 12.2 ppg in 1966-67 before sharing backcourt with Tiny Archibald and scoring 14.4 ppg in 1967-68. |
HONORABLE MENTION
Mighty Mite | School | Height | Short Summary of College Career |
---|---|---|---|
Chase Adams | Portland | 5-7 | Led the Pilots in assists and steals as a freshman during first half of 2019-20 campaign. |
Vin Albanese | Syracuse | 5-7 | Averaged 4.6 ppg for the Orangemen in 1955-56 and 1956-57. |
Ken Alessi | West Virginia | 5-7 | The Mountaineers' second-leading scorer in 1950-51 (10.1 ppg) behind All-American Mark Workman. |
Denzel Barnes | Stephen F. Austin | 5-7 | Juco recruit averaged 6.1 ppg, 2.9 apg and 1.2 spg in 2009-10 and 2010-11. |
"Little" Johnny Campbell | Arkansas | 5-6 | Averaged 6.9 ppg for West Regional third-place team in 1949 NCAA playoffs. |
John Carey | Iona | 5-6 | Averaged 7.6 ppg from 1967-68 through 1969-70. |
Wayne Champeon | Maine | 5-7 | Averaged 10.7 ppg from 1958-59 through 1960-61 as school made transition to major-college level. All-Yankee Conference second-team selection as a sophomore. |
David Cole | West Texas State | 5-7 | Averaged 4.4 ppg and 1.6 rpg from 1967-68 through 1969-70. Participated in 1969 NIT. |
Jordan "June" Crump Jr. | New Orleans | 5-7 | Led UNO in assists with 4.2 per game in 1975-76 in the Privateers' inaugural season at NCAA DI level. |
Damien Daniels | Abilene Christian | 5-7 | Kansas City product averaged 3.4 ppg and 1.8 apg as freshman in 2018-19 and 5.2 ppg and team-high 3.1 apg as sophomore in 2019-20. |
Miles Davis | Delaware State | 5-7 | MEAC Rookie of the Year in 2000-01 and all-league second-team selection as a sophomore. Finished four-year career with averages of 8.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.6 apg and 1.1 spg while shooting 35.5% from beyond the three-point arc. |
Gene Duffy | Notre Dame | 5-7 | Averaged 6.6 ppg for the Irish's 1958 Mideast Regional runner-up. Contributed 6.8 ppg as team captain the next season. |
Don Ferguson | Iowa State | 5-7 | Averaged 5.1 ppg in 1948-49 and 8.9 ppg in 1949-50 with the Cyclones. |
Robert Flynn | Dayton | 5-7 | Member of 1951 NIT runner-up averaged a career-high 7.8 ppg as a sophomore in 1948-49. |
Alleo Frazier | Alcorn State | 5-6 | Averaged 4.4 ppg, 2 rpg, 2.9 apg and 1.3 spg from 2002-03 through 2005-06. He led the Braves in assists all three seasons he played with them. |
Maurice "Kojak" Fuller | Southern (La.) | 5-7 | Averaged 10.5 ppg and 3.7 apg as a sophomore in 1995-96 with the Jaquars. |
Tyquawn Goode | Fairfield | 5-5 | Averaged 5.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.5 spg from 2001-02 through 2004-05. MAAC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior led the Stags in assists all four seasons. |
Reggie Jordan | Michigan State | 5-7 | Averaged 2.3 ppg in 1966-67 and 1967-68 before concentrating on baseball. Switch-hitting OF hit .187 in Pittsburgh Pirates' farm system in 1969. |
Charles Katsiaficas | New Hampshire | 5-7 | Averaged 7.8 ppg in 1947-48 and 12.1 ppg in 1948-49 with the Wildcats. |
Zach Lieberman | U.S. International | 5-3 | Regular for USIU from 1982-83 to 1984-85. |
Bob Malone | Seattle | 5-7 | Averaged 4.6 ppg in 1953-54 and 6 ppg in 1954-55 after playing sparingly behind the O'Brien All-American twins in 1952-53. |
Mitch McDonald | Army | 5-7 | Part-time starter as a junior and senior in 2009-10 and 2010-11 led the Cadets in assists and steals his final season. |
Bob Michel | New Hampshire | 5-6 | Averaged 9.1 ppg from 1953-54 through 1955-56 with the Wildcats. |
Wendell "Cookie" Miller | Nebraska | 5-7 | Averaged 6.1 ppg plus team highs of 3.6 apg and 1.9 spg with the Huskers as a freshman in 2007-08 before posting similar figures the next season as a sophomore. |
Wat Misaka | Utah | 5-7 | Averaged 6.9 ppg for the Utes' 1944 NCAA Tournament champion. He was also a member of 1947 NIT titlist. |
Bernie Pina | Rhode Island | 5-6 | Letterman from 1951-52 through 1953-54 averaged a career-high 8.5 ppg as a senior for the Rams. |
Avery Queen | Michigan | 5-7 | Averaged 5.8 ppg and team-high 4.3 apg as a freshman in 2000-01 and 4.3 ppg and team-high 3.3 apg as sophomore in 2001-02 before dismissal from squad for multiple violations of team rules. |
Calvin Rayford | Kansas | 5-7 | Wisconsin native averaged 2.3 apg from 1992-93 through 1995-96. Member of KU's 1993 Final Four squad. |
Paul "Pablo" Robertson | Loyola of Chicago | 5-7 | Averaged 5.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg for eventual 1963 national champion before New York City native was ruled academically ineligible after the first semester. He went on to play seven years for the Harlem Globetrotters. |
Sredrick Robinson | Northern Iowa | 5-7 | Led the Panthers in assists as freshman in 1994-95. |
Jim Ross | Washington State | 5-7 | Averaged 9.2 ppg and 2.8 rpg from 1956-57 through 1958-59. Led the Cougars in free-throw percentage as a junior. |
Javan Steadham | Delaware State | 5-7 | Averaged 8.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2.1 apg as a sophomore in 1995-96 after contributing 4 ppg as a freshman. Averaged 9.7 ppg and team-high 4.8 apg in 1996-97 with the Hornets. |
Frank Sylvester | Bradley | 5-4 | Averaged 5.9 ppg from 1968-69 through 1970-71. Led the Braves in assists as a junior and senior. |
Raymond Taylor | Florida Atlantic & Florida International | 5-6 | Averaged 11.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 4.8 apg and 1.4 for FAU from 2009-10 through 2011-12 before transferring to FIU, where he played briefly in 2013-14. |
Pee Wee Thornton | Troy State | 5-7 | In 1994-95, he averaged 9.6 ppg and team-high 4.6 apg (third in Mid-Continent Conference). |
Joe Tocci | Penn State | 5-7 | Averaged 7.5 ppg as Nittany Lions senior co-captain in 1949-50 after contributing 6.3 ppg the previous season. |
Jimmy Viramontes | Texas | 5-7 | Averaged 3.5 ppg in 1950-51 and 1951-52, leading the Longhorns in assists his second season after they won SWC crown the previous year. |
Leland "Pookey" Wigington | Seton Hall | 5-4 | Member of the Pirates' 1989 NCAA Tournament runner-up. |
Rudy Zannini | San Francisco | 5-7 | First guard off bench as senior for 1955 NCAA Tournament champion featuring Bill Russell and K.C. Jones. |
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 17 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 17 in football at the professional level (especially in 1963):
NOVEMBER 17
Cleveland Browns E Pete Brewster (forward-center was Purdue's fourth-leading scorer as junior and senior) caught two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a 30-30 tie against the Washington Redskins in 1957.
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for 154 yards on 22 carries in a 20-14 setback against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1963.
New York Giants rookie E Glenn Campbell (Emporia State KS hooper) opened game's scoring with a 37-yard touchdown catch in 34-0 win against the Chicago Bears in 1929.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes (90, 77 and 43 yards) in a 31-17 AFL win against the Boston Patriots in 1968.
Green Bay Packers E Lavvie Dilweg (Marquette hoops letterman in 1926) scored all of game's points with two touchdown receptions in a 12-0 win against the Chicago Cardinals in 1929.
A field goal by Atlanta Falcons rookie PK Bobby Etter (collected 10 points and five rebounds in 11 basketball games for Georgia in 1964-65 and 1965-66) was the difference in 16-13 win against the Chicago Bears in 1968.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw four touchdown passes in a 51-14 win against the Chicago Rockets in 1946.
Miami Dolphins QB Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) threw three touchdown passes in a 38-21 AFL setback against the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968.
Oakland Raiders WR Charlie Hardy (played in nine hoops games for San Jose State in 1954-55) had a career-high six pass receptions in 20-17 AFL setback against the Boston Patriots in 1961.
Philadelphia Eagles QB King Hill (Rice hoops letterman in 1955-56 and 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes in a 27-20 setback against the Dallas Cowboys in 1963.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Vincent Jackson (Northern Colorado's scoring leader with 13.6 ppg in 2003-04 while also contributing 5.6 rpg and 3.1 apg) caught 10 passes for 165 yards in a 41-28 win against the Atlanta Falcons in 2013.
Pittsburgh Steelers RB John Henry Johnson (made 5-of-8 FGAs in five games for Saint Mary's in 1950-51) rushed for two touchdowns in a 34-28 win against the Washington Redskins in 1963. Redskins QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) passed for 424 yards.
Los Angeles Rams rookie E Lamar Lundy (averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg for Purdue in mid-1950s) scored the decisive touchdown in fourth quarter with a 34-yard pass reception from Norm Van Brocklin in 31-27 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1957.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) completed 20-of-25 passes - including four touchdowns - in a 38-14 win against the Arizona Cardinals in 2002.
San Francisco 49ers WR Terrell Owens (UTC hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) had seven pass receptions for 171 yards - including two touchdowns from Jeff Garcia (32 and 76 yards) - in a 20-17 setback against the San Diego Chargers in 2002. The next year, Owens had eight catches for 155 yards in a 30-14 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2003.
Brooklyn Dodgers B Ace Parker (Duke hoops letterman in 1936) threw two third-quarter touchdown passes after returning an interception 68 yards for TD in the second period in 29-14 win against the Cleveland Rams in 1940.
Chicago Bears DE Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) had two sacks and eight tackles in a 23-20 win against the Baltimore Ravens in 2013.
Atlanta Falcons WR Andre Rison (backup hoops guard for Michigan State in 1987-88) caught three second-quarter touchdown passes in a 43-7 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1990.
Detroit Lions rookie B Bill Shepherd (Western Maryland hooper) rushed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 20-10 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1935.
Catching a touchdown pass in his fifth consecutive contest, New York Giants WR Del Shofner (Baylor hoops letterman in 1956) had seven pass receptions for 159 yards in 48-14 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1963.
Dallas Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) threw two second-half touchdown passes to TE Billy Joe Dupree (scored four points in total of four basketball games for Michigan State in 1971-72) in a 28-21 setback against the Washington Redskins in 1974.
B Whizzer White (two-time all-conference first-team hoops selection averaged 6.8 ppg for Colorado from 1935-36 through 1937-38) had two third-quarter rushing touchdowns for the Detroit Lions' first two scores in a 21-0 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1940.
Walking Tall: Sky is Limit for Purdue's Zach Edey and WKU's Jamarion Sharp
Sky-is-the-limit expectations face 7-5 Jamarion Sharp of Western Kentucky and 7-4 Zach Edey of Purdue. It will be a tall order, but their development likely will determine whether or not their teams thrive. Believe it or not, there has previously been a striking number of towering players with higher points of view.
Who have been the tallest players in major-college history? Seven of 11 NCAA Division I players taller than 7-4 have impacted major-college hoops this century and could literally look down upon national Player of Year winners Lew Alcindor (7-2/UCLA), Anthony Davis (7-0/Kentucky), Patrick Ewing (7-0/Georgetown) and Shaquille O'Neal (7-1/Louisiana State) plus two-time All-Americans Artis Gilmore (7-2/Jacksonville) and Hakeem Olajuwon (7-0/Houston). Nearly half of the players 7-4 or taller were layup line sideshows, averaging no more than 3 ppg in their major-college careers. Edey and Sharp are among the following list of skyscrapers:
Tallest DI Players | Ht. | School(s) | Summary of NCAA Division I Career |
---|---|---|---|
Neil Fingleton | 7-7 1/2 | North Carolina/Holy Cross | Missed both of his field-goal attempts in one game with Carolina in 2001-02 before averaging 2.7 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.7 bpg and 45.2 FG% for Holy Cross in 2002-03 and 2003-04 |
Tacko Fall | 7-7 | UCF | 10.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.4 bpg and 74 FG% from 2015-16 through 2018-19 |
Kenny George | 7-7 | UNC Asheville | 9.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.7 bpg and 71.6 FG% in 2006-07 and 2007-08 before having part of his right foot amputated because of staph infection |
Shawn Bradley | 7-6 | Brigham Young | 14.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 5.2 bpg and 51.8 FG% in 1990-91 |
John Hollinden | 7-6 | Oral Roberts | 1.2 ppg and 1.1 rpg in 1976-77 and 1977-78 before transferring to Indiana State-Evansville |
Mike Lanier | 7-6 | Hardin-Simmons/UCLA | Averaged 5.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 0.8 bpg and 45.2 FG% for Hardin-Simmons in 1988-89 and 1989-90 before averaging 1.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.1 bpg and 32.4 FG% with UCLA in 1991-92 and 1992-93. |
Mamadou Ndiaye | 7-6 | UC Irvine | 10.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.5 bpg and 67.6 FG% from 2013-14 through 2015-16 |
Sim Bhullar | 7-5 | New Mexico State | 10.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.9 bpg and 63.3 FG% in 2012-13 and 2013-14 |
Chuck Nevitt | 7-5 | North Carolina State | 3 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 1 bpg and 58 FG% from 1978-79 through 1981-82 |
Jamarion Sharp | 7-5 | Western Kentucky | juco recruit averaged 8.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 4.6 bpg in 2021-22 |
Riley Sorn | 7-5 | Washington | 3 ppg and 2.4 rpg in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
Alan Bannister | 7-4 | Oklahoma State/Arkansas State | 6.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg and 45.9 FG% with OSU in 1985-86 and 1987-88 before averaging 2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.8 bpg and 45.2 FG% with ASU in 1989-90 |
Lonnie Boeckman | 7-4 | Oklahoma State | 1.8 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 35.8 FG% from 1973-74 through 1976-77 |
Tom Burleson | 7-4 | North Carolina State | 19 ppg, 12.7 rpg and 51.6 FG% from 1971-72 through 1973-74 |
Mark Eaton | 7-4 | UCLA | 1.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.9 bpg and 44.9 FG% in 1980-81 and 1981-82 |
Zach Edey | 7-4 | Purdue | Canadian will be instrumental in whether Boilers reach Final Four and capture their first-ever NCAA championship |
Christ Koumadje | 7-4 | Florida State | 4.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg and 62.2 FG% from 2015-16 through 2018-19 |
Rolf Mayr | 7-4 | Duquesne | 1.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg and 42.9 FG% in 1987-88 |
Chase Metheney | 7-4 | Virginia | 2.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 1 bpg from 1995-96 through 1997-98 |
Ralph Sampson | 7-4 | Virginia | 16.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 3.5 bpg and 56.8 FG% from 1979-80 through 1982-83 |
Rik Smits | 7-4 | Marist | 18.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 3.2 bpg and 60.9 FG% from 1984-85 through 1987-88 |
Steve Turner | 7-4 | Vanderbilt | 8.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 50.2 FG% from 1969-70 through 1972-73 |
Matt Van Komen | 7-4 | Utah/Saint Mary's | played sparingly for Utes in 2019-20 and Gaels in 2020-21 |
NOTES: George Bell (7-8/Morris Brown GA, UC Riverside and Biola CA), Paul Sturgess (7-7/Florida Tech and Mountain State WV), Manute Bol (7-6/Bridgeport CT) and Priest Lauderdale (7-4/Central State OH) played for non-DI colleges. . . . Homesick Gunther Behnke (7-4/Kentucky) left UK before start of 1984-85 season to return to his native West Germany.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 16 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 16 in football at the professional level (especially in 1941 and 1947):
NOVEMBER 16
In 1947, Baltimore Colts rookie E Hub Bechtol (Texas Tech hoops letterman in 1944 before transferring to Texas and concentrating on football) had his lone NFL touchdown reception (against Brooklyn Dodgers).
Los Angeles Rams E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) had two touchdown receptions in a 41-21 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1947.
Only NFL reception for E Maurice Britt (Arkansas hoops letterman in 1939) was 45-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give the Detroit Lions a 21-17 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1941. Lions B Whizzer White (two-time all-conference first-team hoops selection averaged 6.8 ppg for Colorado from 1935-36 through 1937-38) had a 71-yard pass reception for TD.
Los Angeles Rams rookie E Bob Carey (forward-center averaged 8.8 ppg in three-year Michigan State career in early 1950s) caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Norm Van Brocklin in 40-24 win against the Chicago Bears in 1952. Rams E Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch (starting center for Michigan in 1944) caught two TD passes - one of them for 84 yards.
New Orleans Saints DB Chuck Crist (averaged more than 10 ppg last two seasons under Penn State coach John Bach, leading team in FG% as junior and FT% as senior) returned an interception 42 yards in 20-7 setback against the Minnesota Vikings in 1975.
New York Giants TB Ed Danowski (Fordham hoops letterman in 1932-33) threw two second-quarter touchdown passes in a 49-14 win against the Cleveland Rams in 1941. Giants TB Tuffy Leemans (three-year hoops letterman for George Washington in mid-1930s) logged a rushing TD in his third consecutive contest.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Len Dawson (Purdue hooper in 1956-57) threw three touchdown passes to Otis Taylor (backup small forward for Prairie View A&M in a 34-16 AFL win against the New York Jets in 1969.
Atlanta Falcons PK Bobby Etter (collected 10 points and five rebounds in 11 basketball games for Georgia in 1964-65 and 1965-66), in the midst of supplying two field goals in five contests during a seven-game span, converted all six extra points and both FGAs in 48-31 win against the Chicago Bears in 1969.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Jim Finks (led Tulsa with 8.9 ppg as sophomore in 1946-47) threw four second-half touchdown passes in a 29-28 setback against the Cleveland Browns in 1952.
Tennessee Titans WR Justin Gage (averaged 2.1 ppg and 2.9 rpg for Missouri from 1999-00 through 2001-02) caught four passes for 147 yards - including two second-half touchdowns from Kerry Collins - in a 24-14 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2008.
Cleveland Browns QB Otto Graham (Big Ten Conference runner-up in scoring as Northwestern sophomore in 1941-42 and junior in 1942-43) threw three touchdown passes in a 37-14 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1947.
Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (played in seven basketball games for Clemson in 2010-11) scored game's only touchdown with a 22-yard pass reception in fourth quarter of 10-6 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015.
Chicago Bears rookie E Luke Johnsos (Northwestern hoops letterman in 1927 and 1928) had two touchdown pass receptions in a 20-14 setback against the Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1929.
A 25-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter by rookie B Art Jones (averaged 4.9 ppg as starting center for Richmond in 1940-41) propelled the Pittsburgh Steelers to 14-7 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1941.
Dallas Cowboys DE Too Tall Jones (backup center averaged 1.7 ppg and 2.6 rpg for Tennessee State in 1969-70 and 1970-71) had three sacks in a 24-21 win against the San Diego Chargers in 1986.
San Francisco 49ers RB Terry Kirby (averaged 3.4 ppg as Virginia freshman in 1989-90 and 2.1 as sophomore in 1990-91) returned a kickoff 101 yards for touchdown in 27-19 win against the Carolina Panthers in 1997.
Chicago Cardinals E Mal Kutner (two-year Texas letterman in early 1940s) caught two touchdown passes from Paul Christman in a 21-20 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1947.
Atlanta Falcons CB Rolland Lawrence (captain of Tabor KS hoops squad as senior in 1972-73) had two interceptions in a 16-7 setback against the Los Angeles Rams in 1975.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) logged two goal-line plunges for touchdowns in a 31-10 win against the New York Giants in 1958.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) completed 24-of-30 passes for 314 yards in a 28-10 win against the New York Giants in 2003. Five years later, McNabb passed for 339 yards in a 13-13 tie against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2008.
Chicago Bears DB R.W. McQuarters (Oklahoma State hooper in 1995-96 and 1996-97 started two games) returned a punt 60 yards for touchdown in 23-21 setback against the St. Louis Rams in 2003.
Green Bay Packers DE Julius Peppers (averaged 5.7 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 60.7% from floor for North Carolina in 1999-00 and 2000-01) returned an interception 52 yards for touchdown in 53-20 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014.
Denver Broncos WR Rod Smith (swingman was Missouri Southern State hoops letterman as sophomore in 1990-91) returned a punt 65 yards for touchdown and had 10 pass receptions in 37-8 win against the San Diego Chargers in 2003.
Dallas Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (Navy varsity hooper in 1962-63) completed 10-of-14 passes - including three touchdowns - in a 34-31 win against the New England Patriots in 1975.
Centers of Attention: Debuts Indicate Textbook Centers Becoming Rare Breed
Textbook centers are becoming as rare as a #Dimorat politician criticizing social-distancing violations by protesters/rioters in Kenosha and elsewhere. Regal recruit Dereck Lively II, hampered by back ailment, had a less-than-sterling opening outing with Duke (4 points/2 rebounds/2 blocks in 14 minutes vs. USC Upstate). Time will tell if Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren (14 points/13 rebounds/6 assists/7 blocked shots in debut vs. Dixie State) last year eventually deserves to be included among the premier pivotmen in college basketball history. Two years ago, Memphis celebrated center James Wiseman collected 28 points and 11 rebounds in debut vs. South Carolina State. Wiseman's brief three-game stint before declaring pro and signing with an agent didn't help build his case. He already was impacted by a 12-game NCAA suspension due to booster payment covering moving expenses from Nashville (especially when benefactor was current Tigers coach Penny Hardaway). After Wiseman's exit, USC's Evan Mobley was projected to emerge as the nation's premier big man in 2020-21. Mobley contributed 21 points/9 rebound/3 blocked shots in his debut against California Baptist. By almost any measure, centers in the last 40 years other than Kentucky's Anthony Davis don't seem to be anywhere close to duplicating feats luminaries Lew Alcindor, Wilt Chamberlain, Artis Gilmore, Bob Lanier, Jerry Lucas, Bill Russell and Bill Walton achieved in their initial varsity campaigns.
Similar to Navy's David Robinson in 1983-84, Connecticut's Andre Drummond was scoreless in his season debut in 2011-12 against Columbia. In a forgettable debut, Wake Forest's Tim Duncan was also scoreless in a season-opening loss to NCAA Division II Alaska-Anchorage in 1993-94 before rebounding with a 12-point, 12-rebound performance in his next outing against Hawaii.
Alcindor (77: 56 points/21 rebounds) and Chamberlain (83: 52 points/31 rebounds) each totaled more points and rebounds in their college game debut than Drummond, Duncan, Patrick Ewing, Nerlens Noel, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Robinson and Ralph Sampson amassed collectively. Following is a look at how many of the premier centers in history fared in their varsity debut against a major college and summary of their first season of NCAA Division I competition:
Celebrated Center | School | First Varsity Season | Debut Game | PPG | RPG | W-L Mark |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DeAndre Ayton | Arizona | 2017-18 | 19 points/12 rebounds/3 blocks | 20.1 | 11.6 | 27-8 |
Mohamed Bamba | Texas | 2017-18 | 15 points/8 rebounds/4 blocks | 12.9 | 10.5 | 19-15 |
Karl-Anthony Towns | Kentucky | 2014-15 | 8 points/8 rebounds | 10.3 | 6.7 | 38-1 |
Jahlil Okafor | Duke | 2014-15 | 19 points/6 rebounds | 17.3 | 8.5 | 35-4 |
Nerlens Noel | Kentucky | 2012-13 | 4 points/9 rebounds | 10.5 | 9.5 | 21-12 |
Anthony Davis | Kentucky | 2011-12 | 23 points/10 rebounds | 14.2 | 10.4 | 38-2 |
Greg Oden | Ohio State | 2006-07 | 14 points/10 rebounds | 15.7 | 9.6 | 35-4 |
Tim Duncan | Wake Forest | 1993-94 | 12 points/12 rebounds | 9.8 | 9.6 | 21-12 |
Shaquille O'Neal | Louisiana State | 1989-90 | 10 points/5 rebounds | 13.9 | 12.0 | 23-9 |
Alonzo Mourning | Georgetown | 1988-89 | 10 points/10 rebounds | 13.1 | 7.3 | 29-5 |
David Robinson | Navy | 1983-84 | scoreless/1 rebound | 7.6 | 4.0 | 24-8 |
Hakeem Olajuwon | Houston | 1981-82 | 2 points/0 rebounds | 8.3 | 6.5 | 25-8 |
Patrick Ewing | Georgetown | 1981-82 | 7 points/4 rebounds | 12.7 | 8.5 | 30-7 |
Ralph Sampson | Virginia | 1979-80 | 4 points/6 rebounds | 14.9 | 11.2 | 24-10 |
*Bill Walton | UCLA | 1971-72 | 19 points/14 rebounds | 21.1 | 15.5 | 29-1 |
**Artis Gilmore | Jacksonville | 1969-70 | 35 points/18 rebounds | 26.5 | 22.2 | 17-7 |
*Bob Lanier | St. Bonaventure | 1967-68 | 23 points/17 rebounds | 26.2 | 15.6 | 23-2 |
*Lew Alcindor | UCLA | 1966-67 | 56 points/21 rebounds | 29.0 | 15.5 | 30-0 |
*Jerry Lucas | Ohio State | 1959-60 | 16 points/28 rebounds | 26.3 | 16.3 | 25-3 |
*Wilt Chamberlain | Kansas | 1956-57 | 52 points/31 rebounds | 29.6 | 18.9 | 24-3 |
*Bill Russell | San Francisco | 1953-54 | 16 points/17 rebounds | 19.9 | 19.2 | 14-7 |
*Sophomore classification.
**Junior classification after attending junior college.
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 15 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 15 in football at the professional level (especially in 1964):
NOVEMBER 15
Detroit Lions TB Dutch Clark (four-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference hoops choice for Colorado College) rushed for two touchdowns in a 38-0 win against the New York Giants in 1936.
Rookie E Milan Creighton (All-SWC second-team guard for Arkansas in 1929-30) opened scoring for the Chicago Cardinals with a 27-yard touchdown reception from Ernie Nevers (All-Pacific Coast Conference second-five hoops choice for Stanford in 1924-25) in 21-13 win against the Green Bay Packers in 1931.
Chicago Cardinals RB Mal Hammack (played four basketball games with Florida in 1954-55) returned a blocked punt 17 yards for touchdown in 27-17 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1959. It was one of four TDs he scored against Philly in a three-year span from 1958 through 1960.
Philadelphia Eagles QB King Hill (Rice hoops letterman in 1955-56 and 1956-57) threw two touchdown passes - including a go-ahead 38-yarder to Pete Retzlaff - in 17-14 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 1964.
Green Bay Packers RB Aaron Jones (collected six points and six assists in eight basketball games for Texas-El Paso in 2013-14 under coach Tim Floyd) scored two touchdowns in a 27-24 setback against the Seattle Seahawks in 2018.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) passed for 345 yards and four touchdowns - three to WR Terrell Owens (UTC hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) - in a 49-21 win against the Dallas Cowboys in 2004. Five years later, McNabb passed for 450 yards - including two fourth-quarter TDs - in a 31-23 setback against the San Diego Chargers in 2009. The next year with the Washington Redskins, McNabb threw two second-quarter TD passes in a 59-28 setback against the Eagles in 2010.
Chicago Bears K Mac Percival (three-year hoops letterman was part of squad winning Texas Tech's first SWC championship in major sport in 1960-61) kicked four field goals in a 20-19 setback against the Green Bay Packers in 1970. It was Percival's third consecutive contest with at least three FGs.
TE Marcus Pollard (JC transfer averaged 7.3 ppg and 5 rpg for Bradley in 1992-93 and 1993-94) caught 14-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning with 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Indianapolis Colts a 24-23 win against the New York Jets in 1998.
Los Angeles Rams rookie WR Bucky Pope (two-time All-Carolinas Conference pick for Catawba NC averaged 19.4 ppg from 1961-62 through 1963-64) caught two touchdown passes from Roman Gabriel in a 34-24 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1964.
Oakland Raiders WR Art Powell (averaged 10.5 ppg and 8.2 rpg for San Jose State in 1956-57) caught two second-half touchdown passes from Cotton Davidson in a 20-10 AFL win against the Houston Oilers in 1964.
Chicago Cardinals B Ray Ramsey (Bradley's top scorer in 1941-42 and 1942-43) returned an interception 37 yards for touchdown in 24-24 tie against the Los Angeles Rams in 1953.
Atlanta Falcons WR Andre Rison (backup hoops guard for Michigan State in 1987-88) caught two touchdown passes in a 20-17 win against the Phoenix Cardinals in 1992.
Washington Redskins DB Johnny Sample (freshman hooper for Maryland-Eastern Shore) had two interceptions - returning one 15 yards for touchdown - in a 30-0 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1964.
Calling Cards: Jelly Among Most Distinctive Nicknames in NCAA Hoops History
UAB's Jordan "Jelly" Walker, averaging more than 30 ppg in his first two outings, is a strong candidate to lead the nation in scoring this season. Walker is among the latest NCAA Division I players with entertaining nicknames. Bo and Mo, Buck and Duck, Butch and Dutch, Bud and Skip plus Red and Whitey are too commonplace. Walker joins the following long list of collegians over the years with the most distinctive monikers:
- Forest (Frosty) Able, Western Kentucky
- Edrice (Bam) Adebayo, Kentucky
- Greg (Cadillac) Anderson, Houston
- Nate (Tiny) Archibald, Texas-El Paso
- Paul (Curly) Armstrong, Indiana
- Raymond (Peanut) Arrington, Radford
- William (Bird) Averitt, Pepperdine
- Anthony (Cat) Barber, North Carolina State
- Norwood (Pee Wee) Barber, Florida State
- Jim (Bad News) Barnes, Texas Western
- Amadou (Coco) Barry, Maine
- Segado (Cookie) Belcher, Nebraska
- Charles (Buzz) Bennett, Minnesota
- Paul (Polly) Birch, Duquesne
- Ralph (Stork) Bishop, Washington
- Rechon (Leaky) Black, North Carolina
- William (Floppy) Blackmon, Texas Christian
- Roderick (Moo Moo) Blakney, South Carolina State
- Daron (Mookie) Blaylock, Oklahoma
- Tyrone (Muggsy) Bogues, Wake Forest
- Jermaine (Itchy) Bolden, Morgan State
- Roylin (Boot) Bond, Pepperdine
- Fred (Buzz) Borries, Navy
- Russell (Boo) Bowers, American
- Clayton (Bub) Bowling, Stanford
- Charles (Tub) Bradley, Wyoming
- Frank (Flash) Brian, Louisiana State
- Fred (Downtown) Brown, Iowa
- Murray (Mule) Brown, Florida State
- Simpson (Skip) Brown, Wake Forest
- Joe (Jellybean) Bryant, La Salle
- Luther (Ticky) Burden, Utah
- Michael (Spiderman) Burns, UNLV
- George (Chink) Busch, Creighton
- Claude (Muff) Butler, New Orleans
- (Pogo) Joe Caldwell, Arizona State
- David (Corky) Calhoun, Penn
- Hubert (Peppy) Callahan, North Carolina
- Bruce (Soup) Campbell, Providence
- Deltorio (Bam) Campbell, Georgia State
- Harland (Flip) Calkin, Cornell
- John (Moose) Campbell, Clemson
- Kenton (Dutch) Campbell, Kentucky
- Wayne (Soup) Campbell, Texas-El Paso
- Oland (Dodo) Canterna, Pittsburgh
- Earl (Kit) Carson, Washington & Lee
- Demond (Tweety) Carter, Baylor
- Bowyer (Ducky) Castelle, Xavier
- John (Happy) Chambers, San Francisco
- Sam (The Bam) Clancy, Pittsburgh
- Orrin (Tuffy) Clark, New Hampshire
- Craig (Speedy) Claxton, Hofstra
- Nathaniel (Sweetwater) Clifton, Xavier (La.)
- Shavon (Sugar) Coleman, Louisiana State
- Vernell (Bimbo) Coles, Virginia Tech
- Derwin (Tank) Collins, New Orleans
- John (Chubby) Cox, Villanova/San Francisco
- Earl (The Twirl) Cureton, Robert Morris/Detroit
- Adrian (Ace) Custis, Virginia Tech
- Wesley (Bing) Dahl, Washington State
- Demarcus (Bae Bae) Daniels, North Florida
- Edwin (Greedy) Daniels, UNLV/Mississippi State
- E.B. (Ox) Darby, Texas A&M
- Anthony (Amp) Davis, George Mason
- Arthur (Yah) Davis, St. Joseph's
- Glen (Big Baby) Davis, Louisiana State
- McKinley (Deacon) Davis, Iowa
- Mensah (Pooh) Davis, North Texas/Northwestern State
- Ronald (Boo) Davis, Milwaukee
- Lewis (Pick) Dehner, Illinois
- Rod (The Rifle) Derline, Seattle
- Paul (Shorty) des Jardien, University of Chicago
- Alfred (Dusty) DeStefano, St. John's
- Walter (Corky) Devlin, George Washington
- John (Hook) Dillon, North Carolina
- Frank (Happy) Dobbs, Villanova
- Julius (Daddy) Dolnics, Texas Christian
- Bernard (Moots) Dolsey, Richmond
- Clyde (The Glide) Drexler, Houston
- Clinton (Huggy) Dye, Maine
- Dwight (Dike) Eddleman, Illinois
- A.R. (Monk) Edwards, Kansas State
- LeRoy (Cowboy) Edwards, Kentucky
- Theodore (Blue) Edwards, East Carolina
- Eyo (Bubbles) Effiong, Winthrop
- Eddie (Bulbs) Ehlers, Purdue
- Alex (Boo) Ellis, Niagara
- Rejean (Boogie) Ellis, Memphis/Southern California
- Emil (Box) Englebretson, Creighton
- Howard (Rope) Engleman, Kansas
- Julius (Dr. J) Erving, Massachusetts
- Gene (Hunk) Estes, Tulsa
- J.P. (Bubber) Farish, Auburn
- Kevin (Yogi) Ferrell, Indiana
- Ed (Fuzzy) Fine, Montana
- James (Bruiser) Flint, St. Joseph's
- Kevin (Ice) Florent, Southern
- Eric (Sleepy) Floyd, Georgetown
- Jackie (The Shot) Foley, Holy Cross
- Sylvester (Deuce) Ford, Memphis State/Louisiana State
- Clarence (Bevo) Francis, Rio Grande (Ohio)
- Maurice (Kojak) Fuller, Southern LA
- Arnold (Clyde) Gaines, Wisconsin
- Lauren (Laddie) Gale, Oregon
- Harry (The Horse) Gallatin, Northeast Missouri
- Erin (Helicopter) Galloway, Hawaii
- George (Iceman) Gervin, Long Beach State/Eastern Michigan
- Carlos (Bunny) Gibson, Marshall
- Ward (Hoot) Gibson, Creighton
- Merlin (Boody) Gilbertson, Washington
- Amory (Slats) Gill, Oregon State
- Maurice (Wilky) Gilmore, Colorado
- Elnardo (Chip) Givens, Cincinnati
- Jack (Goose) Givens, Kentucky
- Bob (Snake) Grace, Vanderbilt
- Arthur (Stretch) Graham, Oral Roberts/San Jose State
- Bonnie (Country) Graham, Mississippi
- Paul (Snoopy) Graham, Ohio University
- Roland (Tree) Grant, New Mexico State
- Phil (Cookie) Grawemeyer, Kentucky
- Mike (Fly) Gray, Nevada-Reno
- Ken (Tree) Green, Nevada-Reno
- Kenneth (Apple) Green, Pan American
- James (Stretch) Gregory, Wisconsin
- Thomas (Ice) Griffis, North Carolina A&T
- Rodell (House) Guest, Colorado
- Lucious (Buck) Hailey, Middle Tennessee State
- Harold (Happy) Hairston, New York University
- Lindsay (Spider) Hairston, Michigan State
- Charles (Chick) Halbert, West Texas
- Wade (Swede) Halbrook, Oregon State
- Bill (Biff) Hall, Montana
- Earl (Bus) Hall, Virginia Tech
- Maurice (Squeaky) Hamilton, Austin Peay State
- Tephen (Tang) Hamilton, Mississippi State
- Richard (Rip) Hamilton, Connecticut
- Anfernee (Penny) Hardaway, Memphis State
- Herbert (Hawkeye) Hargett, Mississippi State
- Chester (Chipper) Harris, Robert Morris
- Jim (Bubbles) Harris, Indiana
- William (June) Harris, North Carolina A&T
- Ed (Possum) Harvard, West Virginia
- Greg (Boo) Harvey, St. John's
- Clem (The Gem) Haskins, Western Kentucky
- Charles (Pud) Hassell, North Carolina
- John (Hondo) Havlicek, Ohio State
- E.A. (Shag) Hawkins, Auburn
- Robert (Bubbles) Hawkins, Illinois State
- Phillip (Doom) Haynes, Memphis State
- Herman (Skeeter) Henry, Oklahoma
- Clarence (Kleggie) Hermsen, Minnesota
- Eric (The Helicopter) Hicks, Cincinnati
- Jermaine (Squirt) Hicks, Weber State/Chicago State
- John (Babe) Higgins, Stanford
- James (Wimpy) Hill, Texas Tech
- Leon (Podd) Hill, Texas Tech
- Clinton (Bread Truck) Hinton, UNC Charlotte/Oral Roberts
- Anthony (Humpty) Hitchens, Akron/James Madison
- Derrel (Poncho) Hodges, Colorado
- John (Doc) Holliday, Montana
- James (Lindy) Hood, Alabama
- Tecumseh (Tee) Hooper, The Citadel
- Alfredo (Tito) Horford, Miami (Fla.)
- Gary (Spud) Hornsby, Cincinnati
- Greg (Stretch) Howard, New Mexico
- Charles (Bambi) Howland, Alabama
- Jaimie (Shoes) Huffman, Michigan State
- Bob (Cotton) Hughes, Northwestern
- (Hot) Rod Hundley, West Virginia
- Bob (Pudgy) Hunt, Oregon/Gonzaga
- Anthony (Jo Jo) Hunter, Maryland/Colorado
- Jimmy (Snap) Hunter, Memphis
- William (Tat) Hunter, Florida State
- Allen (The Answer) Iverson, Georgetown
- Hernell (Jeep) Jackson, Texas-El Paso
- Robert (Bobo) Jackson, North Carolina State/Murray State
- Willie (Hobo) Jackson, Morehead State
- Frank (Spoon) James, UNLV
- Karl (Boobie) James, UNLV/South Alabama
- Arthur (Brownie) Jaquay, Creighton
- Antonio (Scoop) Jardine, Syracuse
- Brooks (Bubba) Jennings, Texas Tech
- Keith (Mister) Jennings, East Tennessee State
- Eugene (Pooh) Jeter, Portland
- Carldell (Squeaky) Johnson, UAB
- Charles (Mandy) Johnson, Marquette
- Dana (Binky) Johnson, Canisius
- Demetrius (Meechie) Johnson Jr., Louisville
- Donovan (Puff) Johnson, North Carolina
- Earvin (Magic) Johnson, Michigan State
- Gary (Cat) Johnson, Oral Roberts
- Gus (Honeycomb) Johnson, Idaho
- Jaaziel (Jazz) Johnson, Portland/Nevada
- Julius (Juby) Johnson, Miami of Ohio
- Ken (Silk) Johnson, Alabama
- Kevin (Butter) Johnson, Charlotte
- Lynbert (Cheese) Johnson, Wichita State
- Millison (Milky) Johnson, California
- Stanley (Knot) Johnson, Baylor
- Walter (Weasel) Johnson, North Texas State
- William (Elmo) Johnson, Southern Methodist
- William (Skinny) Johnson, Kansas
- Albert (Slab) Jones, New Mexico State
- Anthony (Greyhound) Jones, Louisiana-Monroe
- Bobby (Toothpick) Jones, Dayton
- Byron (Snake) Jones, San Francisco
- Charles (Big Time) Jones, Oklahoma
- Eshaunte (Bear) Jones, Nebraska
- Gerald (Wimpy) Jones, Arizona State
- Ja'Kwan (Slinky) Jones, Quinnipiac
- Lamont (Momo) Jones, Arizona/Iona
- Lucious (Lucky) Jones, Robert Morris
- Ronald (Popeye) Jones, Murray State
- Steve (Snapper) Jones, Oregon
- Theodore (Mookie) Jones, Syracuse
- Tyrell (Turbo) Jones, Auburn
- Wallace (Wah Wah) Jones, Kentucky
- Willie (Hutch) Jones, Buffalo State/Vanderbilt
- Antoine (The Judge) Joubert, Michigan
- Wilbert (Wibs) Kautz, Loyola of Chicago
- Robert (Jeep) Kelley, UNLV/Hawaii
- Harold (Hardwood) Kelly, Mississippi
- Harry (Machine Gun) Kelly, Texas Southern
- Bill (Pickles) Kennedy, Temple
- Darryl (Choo) Kennedy, Oklahoma
- Eugene (Goo) Kennedy, Texas Christian
- Bob (Trigger) Kenney, Kansas
- Lamarr (Fresh) Kimble, Saint Joseph's/Louisville
- Bruce (Sky) King, Pan American
- Raymond (Circus) King, San Diego State/California
- William (Dolly) King, Long Island
- Irwin (King Kong) Klein, NYU
- Trantell (Tweety) Knight, Middle Tennessee
- Danrad (Chicken) Knowles, Houston
- Donald (Pinky) Knowles, Creighton
- Ed (Moose) Krause, Notre Dame
- Cletus (Goob) Kuehler, West Texas State
- Craig (Cubby) Lathen, Illinois-Chicago
- David (Big Daddy) Lattin, Texas-El Paso
- Albert (Cappy) Lavin, San Francisco
- Hal (King) Lear, Temple
- Arnold (Butz) Lehrman, Minnesota
- Bob (Slick) Leonard, Indiana
- Leroy (Axle) Leslie, Notre Dame
- Andrew (Fuzzy) Levane, St. John's
- Lafayette (Fat) Lever, Arizona State
- Ernie (Pop) Lewis, Providence
- Eugene (Junie) Lewis, Pittsburgh/South Alabama
- Brant (Pinky) Lipscomb, Vanderbilt
- Lewis (Magic) Lloyd, Drake
- (Jungle) Jim Loscutoff, Oregon
- Charles (Slim) Mabry, Texas Christian
- (Easy) Ed Macauley, St. Louis
- Theodore (Tito) Maddox, Fresno State
- John (Dub) Malaise, Texas Tech
- Karl (The Mailman) Malone, Louisiana Tech
- (Pistol) Pete Maravich, Louisiana State
- Tom (Cookie) Marsh, Detroit
- Floyd (Biggy) Marshall, Tennessee
- Ray (Dice) Martin, Notre Dame
- Slater (Dugie) Martin, Texas
- Charles (Buster) Matheney, Utah
- Bill (Moose) Matthews, Virginia Tech
- Ray (Rags) Matthews, Texas Christian
- Cedric (Cornbread) Maxwell, UNC Charlotte
- Ayome (Paco) May, Kansas State
- Miles (Deuce) McBride, West Virginia
- Charles (Smokey) McCovery, Oklahoma
- E. (Branch) McCracken, Indiana
- Marvin (Moon) McCrary, Missouri
- Angus (Monk) McDonald, North Carolina
- Ken (Mouse) McFadden, Cleveland State
- Cornelius (Scooter) McFadgon, Memphis/Tennessee
- Billy (The Hill) McGill, Utah
- Horace (Bones) McKinney, North Carolina State/North Carolina
- Eric (Cricket) McLaughlin, Akron
- Don (Monk) Meineke, Dayton
- Gene (Squeaky) Melchiorre, Bradley
- Dean (The Dream) Meminger, Marquette
- Francis (Ick) Miller, Creighton
- Josh (Cookie) Miller, Nebraska
- Ryan (Archie) Miller, North Carolina State
- Malik (Shake) Milton, Southern Methodist
- DeShon (Biggie) Minnis, Texas Tech/Rhode Island/Wright State
- Taurean (Tank) Minor, Louisiana State
- Roland (The Cat) Minson, Brigham Young
- John (Swisher) Mitchell, Rhode Island
- Jonathon (Pookie) Modica, Arkansas
- Earl (The Pearl) Monroe, Winston-Salem State
- Ed (Britches) Montgomery, Tennessee
- Bryan (Dinty) Moore, Stanford
- Harry (Moo) Moore, West Virginia
- Jonathan (Stitch) Moore, Furman
- Javone (Bam) Moore, Canisius
- Tony (Zippy) Morocco, Georgia
- Charles (Dubby) Morris, West Virginia
- Ronnie (Tuffy) Moss, Texas Christian
- Christopher (Kit) Mueller, Princeton
- Kevin (Moon) Mullin, Princeton
- Charles (Stretch) Murphy, Purdue
- Charlie (Feed) Murphy, Loyola of Chicago
- Fronze (Buzzy) Myatt, Texas A&M
- Lourawls (Tum Tum) Nairn, Michigan State
- Charles (Cotton) Nash, Kentucky
- Craig (Noodles) Neal, Georgia Tech
- Douglas (Booty) Neal, Kansas
- Sherman (Nemo) Nearman, North Carolina
- Bill (Fig) Newton, Louisiana State
- Richard (T-Bone) Nielsen, Weber State
- Lemuel (Rip) Nixon, Ohio University/St. Francis (Pa.)
- Bob (Bevo) Nordmann, St. Louis
- Ken (Snake) Norman, Illinois
- Martyn (Moochie) Norris, Auburn
- Ralph (Buckshot) O'Brien, Butler
- Don (The Ox) Ogorek, Seattle
- Garland (Mule) O'Shields, Tennessee
- Bill (Fumbo) Ouseley, William & Mary
- Carlton (Silk) Owens, Rhode Island
- Horace (Pappy) Owens, Rhode Island
- William (Smush) Parker, Fordham
- Adrian (Spanky) Parks, Eastern Kentucky
- Larry (Choppy) Patterson, Clemson
- Darryl (Cuda) Patterson, South Florida
- Charles (Tyke) Peacock, Kansas
- Herschel (Bones) Pedersen, Brigham Young
- James (Scoonie) Penn, Boston College
- Ray (Cookie) Pericola, South Carolina
- Edward (Pancakes) Perry, Middle Tennessee State
- Ron (Spider) Perry, Virginia Tech
- Frank (The Flake) Peters, Oregon State
- Jamine (Greedy) Peterson, Providence
- Philip (Pap) Peyton, Texas
- John (Squint) Phares, West Virginia
- Milton (Milky) Phelps, San Diego State
- Paul (The Truth) Pierce, Kansas
- Clarke (Pinky) Pittenger, Toledo
- Leonardo (Gyno) Pomare, San Diego
- Nathanial (Giddy) Potts, Middle Tennessee State
- DeWayne (Pooh) Powell, Tennessee-Martin
- RaShawn (Pookie) Powell, Memphis/La Salle
- Phil (Flip) Pressey, Missouri
- Charles (Bubba) Price, Auburn
- George (Tic) Price, Virginia Tech/Virginia Commonwealth
- Carl (Dusty) Pullian, UT-Chattanooga
- Cal (The Hawk) Ramsey, New York University
- Andrew (Scootie) Randall, Temple
- Earl (Shadow) Ray, Wyoming
- Bryant (Big Country) Reeves, Oklahoma State
- Richie (The Cat) Regan, Seton Hall
- Jesse (Cab) Renick, Oklahoma A&M
- Angelo (Rock) Reynolds, Penn
- Billy (The Kid) Reynolds, Northwestern State
- Jerry (Ice) Reynolds, Louisiana State
- Bob (Posey) Rhoads, Wake Forest
- Rudolph (Zip) Rhodes, Montana
- Allen (Alkie) Richards, Cincinnati
- Cornelius (Poonie) Richardson, Jacksonville State
- Jerome (Pooh) Richardson, UCLA
- Glenn (Doc) Rivers, Marquette
- James (Skeeter) Roberts, Marshall
- Oscar (Big O) Robertson, Cincinnati
- Glenn (Big Dog) Robinson Jr., Purdue
- Julius (Doc) Robinson, Auburn
- Leonard (Truck) Robinson, Tennessee State
- Wayne (Tree) Rollins, Clemson
- Elwood (Woody) Romney, Brigham Young
- Alfred (Big 'Un) Rose, Texas
- Alvin (Fats) Roth, City College of New York
- Paul (Herky) Rubincam, Penn
- Charles (Boonie) Russell, Alabama
- Daron (Fatts) Russell, Rhode Island
- Michael (Campy) Russell, Michigan
- Kent (Rip) Ryan, Utah State
- Forest (Aggie) Sale, Kentucky
- Sebastian (Subby) Salerno, Creighton
- James (Booney) Salters, Penn
- Allen (Duffy) Samuels, Old Dominion
- Juan (Pepe) Sanchez, Temple
- Albert (Apple) Sanders, Louisiana State
- Tom (Satch) Sanders, New York University
- Frank (Pep) Saul, Seton Hall
- Philip (Flip) Saunders, Minnesota
- Adrian (Flipper) Sensabaugh, Austin Peay State
- John (Bubber) Seward, Duke
- Tom (Shotgun) Shaules, Seattle
- Northern (Doc) Shavers, Jackson State
- Nevil (The Shadow) Shed, Texas-El Paso
- Michael (Pops) Sims, Marquette
- Emilio (Zeke) Sinicola, Niagara
- Adrian (Odie) Smith, Kentucky
- Robert (Bingo) Smith, Tulsa
- Jermaine (Sunshine) Smith, UNLV
- Kenneth (Speedy) Smith, Louisiana Tech
- (Sudden) Sam Smith, UNLV
- Vernon (Catfish) Smith, Georgia
- William (Beaver) Smith, St. John's
- John (Squeaky) Spanbauer, Niagara
- Dave (Ditto) Sparks, George Washington
- Marion (Odie) Spears, Western Kentucky
- Forrest (Frosty) Sprowl, Purdue
- Dave (The Rave) Stallworth, Wichita
- Jerome (Dimp) Stenftenagel, Mississippi
- Bob (Sweeper) Stephens, Drexel
- James (Cookie) Stern, Baylor
- Lawrence (Puff) Summers, Davidson
- George (Swede) Sundstrom, Rutgers
- Harley (Skeeter) Swift, East Tennessee State
- Gilbert (Gibby) Talbot, Louisiana Tech
- Anthony (Ace) Tanner, Davidson
- Levern (Jelly) Tart, Bradley
- Clarence (Babe) Taylor, Vanderbilt
- Claude (Sleepy) Taylor, Middle Tennessee State
- Hugh (Bones) Taylor, Tulane
- Marvin (Corky) Taylor, Minnesota
- Robert (Cat-Eye) Taylor, Middle Tennessee State
- Roland (Fatty) Taylor, La Salle
- Irv (Swede) Terjesen, New York University
- Albert (Bobo) Thomas, Centenary
- Cleveland (Pancake) Thomas, New Mexico/Hartford
- Howard (Trey) Thompkins, Georgia
- Blackstone (Blackie) Thompson, Alabama
- John (Cat) Thompson, Montana State
- Walter (Pinky) Thompson, Southern California
- Marvis (Bootsy) Thornton, St. John's
- Charles (Duke) Thorpe, Virginia Tech
- Nate (The Great) Thurmond, Bowling Green
- Harland (Fats) Tolle, Morehead State
- William (Frenchy) Tomlin, Cleveland State/Rhode Island
- Gene (Bumper) Tormohlen, Tennessee
- Carlyle (Blackie) Towery, Western Kentucky
- Julius (Bunny) Townsend, Clemson
- Victor (Slick) Townsend, Oregon
- Robert (Tractor) Traylor, Michigan
- Roderick (Rocky) Trice, South Carolina
- Wilbur (Tree) Trosch, St. Francis (Pa.)
- Thomas (Tee) Trotter, Maryland-Eastern Shore
- Adolph (Fito) Trujillo, Arizona State
- James (Pop) Tubman, Loyola (Md.)
- Robert (Slip) Turner, Canisius
- Robert (Spider) Ursery, Iowa/Connecticut
- Ernest (Kiki) Vandeweghe, UCLA
- Charles (Chico) Vaughn, Southern Illinois
- Raymond (Spook) Victor, Colorado State
- Glenn (Stick) Vidnovic, Iowa
- LeTrell (Snoop) Viser, Eastern Illinois
- Mathias (Mutt) Volz, Nebraska
- Malcolm (Sparky) Wade, Louisiana State
- Brandon (Tank) Wahlmann, Rider
- Chet (The Jet) Walker, Bradley
- Jordan (Jelly) Walker, Seton Hall/Tulane/UAB
- Vincent (Spotlight) Walker, Western Carolina
- Corey (Pooh) Wallace, Clemson
- Adrian (Spike) Walters, St. Francis (Pa.)
- Ray (Shag) Warren, Texas Christian
- Dwayne (Pearl) Washington, Syracuse
- Josh (Jiggy) Watkins, Utah
- Anthony (Spud) Webb, North Carolina State
- Marvin (Human Eraser) Webster, Morgan State
- James (Poo) Welch, Houston
- Charles (Bubba) Wells, Austin Peay
- Gawen (Bonzi) Wells, Ball State
- James (Chubby) Wells, Clemson
- Lawrence (Lanky) Wells, Louisiana Tech
- Ross (Spike) Welsh, Richmond
- Byron (Whizzer) White, Colorado
- Jarming (Boozer) White, Siena
- Joseph (Jo Jo) White, Kansas
- Milton (Bus) Whitehead, Nebraska
- Charles (Hawkeye) Whitney, North Carolina State
- Leland (Pookey) Wigington, Seton Hall
- Evan (Hootie) Wiley, Oklahoma
- Keith (Silk) Wilkes, UCLA
- Richard (Buzz) Wilkinson, Virginia
- Anthony (Cricket) Williams, Jacksonville
- Anthony (Scoop) Williams, Toledo
- Earnest (Pooh) Williams, Utah State
- James (Bug) Williams, Syracuse
- James (Fly) Williams, Austin Peay State
- Jerome (Flip) Williams, Fairfield
- John (Hot Rod) Williams, Tulane
- Ken (Juice) Williams, Houston
- Marcellus (Boo) Williams, St. Joseph's
- Ron (Fritz) Williams, West Virginia
- Sylvester (Sly) Williams, Rhode Island
- Alvin (Pooh) Williamson, Tulsa
- Jim (Jiggy) Williamson, Rhode Island
- (Super) John Williamson, New Mexico State
- Javarez (Bean) Willis, Texas Tech/Ohio University
- Thomas (Bubba) Wilson, Western Carolina
- Urgel (Slim) Wintermute, Oregon
- Leslie (Skeet) Woolard, UNC Greensboro
- Willie (Woo Woo) Wong, San Francisco
- Anthony (Sweet) Wright, Delaware
- David (Poncho) Wright, Louisville
- Gerry (Sir Jamalot) Wright, Southern California/Iowa
- Joseph (Joby) Wright, Indiana
- Rodney (Pop) Wright, Drake
- Desmond (Boogie) Yates, Middle Tennessee State
- Paul (Hooks) Yesawich, Niagara
- Max (Slats) Zaslofsky, University of Chicago/St. John's
- Bob (Zeke) Zawoluk, St. John's
On This Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle November 14 NFL Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ poster boy #ColonKrapernick's Netflix licks against NFL "slavery" and politicized multiple anthems, the NCAA Tournament commenced in 1939, which was one year after the NIT triggered national postseason competition. An overlooked "versatile athlete" feat occurring in 1938 likely never to be duplicated took place at Arkansas, where the quarterback for the football squad (Jack Robbins) repeated as an All-SWC first-team basketball selection, leading the Razorbacks (19-3) to the league title. After the season, Robbins became an NFL first-round draft choice by the Chicago Cardinals (5th pick overall) and senior football/basketball teammates Jim Benton (11th pick by Cleveland Rams) and Ray Hamilton (41st pick by Rams) went on to become wide receivers for at least six years in the NFL. Yes, they created a kneeling-in-admiration shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad promptly selected among the top 41 selections in same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five hoop selection in 1935-36 before becoming a starting end for the Giants' 1938 NFL titlist and Pro Bowl participant the next year. Adams, Benton, Hamilton, Hickey and Howell combined for 77 touchdowns in an 11-year span from 1938 through 1948 when at least one of the ex-Razorback hoopers scored a TD in each of those seasons.
Hickey and ex-Hog All-SWC second-team hooper in 1929-30/NFL end Milan Creighton each coached NFL franchises. Many other ex-college hoopers also displayed their wares on the gridiron. Following is exhaustive research you can tackle regarding former college basketball players who made a name for themselves on November 14 in football at the professional level (especially in 1971):
NOVEMBER 14
Washington Redskins QB Sammy Baugh (Texas Christian three-year hoops letterman was All-SWC honorable mention selection as senior in 1936-37) threw four touchdown passes in a 42-20 win against the Detroit Lions in 1943. Five years later, Baugh threw four TD passes in a 46-21 win against the Lions in 1948.
Chicago Bears E Jim Benton (forward was Arkansas' third-leading scorer in SWC play as senior in 1937-38) caught two touchdown passes from Sid Luckman in a 56-7 win against the New York Giants in 1943.
Detroit Lions rookie FB Bill Bowman (fouled out with four points in only basketball game with William & Mary in 1953-54) scored two touchdowns (66-yard pass reception and 43-yard rush) in a 48-7 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1954. Lions QB Bobby Layne (Texas hooper in 1944-45) threw two first-half TD passes.
Cleveland Browns FB Jim Brown (#2-scorer with 14 ppg for Syracuse as sophomore in 1954-55 before averaging 11.3 as junior) rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-21 win against the New York Giants in 1965.
Minnesota Vikings TE Tyler Conklin (averaged 1.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 1.4 apg for Northwood MI as freshman in 2013-14 before transferring after first semester to Central Michigan to concentrate on football) caught two touchdown passes from Kirk Cousins in a 27-20 win against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021.
Oakland Raiders TE Rickey Dudley (averaged 13.3 ppg and 7.5 rpg as senior in 1994-95 when leading Ohio State in rebounding and finishing third in scoring) caught two touchdown passes from Rich Gannon in a 28-9 win against the San Diego Chargers in 1999.
Frankford Yellow Jackets RB Paul "Bob" Fitzke (hoops letterman for Wyoming and Idaho in first half of 1920s) scored a rushing touchdown against the Pottsville Maroons in 1925.
Miami Dolphins QB Bob Griese (sophomore guard for Purdue in 1964-65) threw three touchdown passes in a 24-21 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1971. Steelers WR Dave Smith (averaged 15.6 ppg and 11.6 rpg while shooting 51.1% from floor for Indiana PA in 1968-69 and 1969-70) caught two first-half TD passes from Terry Bradshaw.
Detroit Lions rookie B Vern Huffman (All-American was All-Big Ten Conference selection for Indiana in 1935-36 and 1936-37) threw a 28-yard touchdown pass in 17-0 win against the New York Giants in 1937.
New York Jets QB Steve Joachim (collected two points and two rebounds in one basketball contest with Penn State in 1971-72 under coach John Bach) appeared in only game of his NFL career in 1976.
Washington Redskins QB Brad Johnson (part-time starting forward for Florida State as freshman in 1987-88 when averaging 5.9 ppg and shooting 89.1% from free-throw line) passed for 313 yards in a 35-28 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999.
New York Jets RB Johnny Johnson (averaged 11.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 3.2 apg in 1988-89 after majority of hoop team members walked off San Jose State squad) rushed for 141 yards - including 57-yard touchdown - in a 31-17 win against the Indianapolis Colts in 1993.
B Ralph Kercheval (Kentucky hooper in 1932-33 under legendary coach Adolph Rupp) accounted for the Brooklyn Dodgers' lone touchdown with a 54-yard pass to Jeff Barrett in 29-7 setback against the Chicago Bears in 1937.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie HB Johnny Lattner (Notre Dame forward in 1951-52) scored a touchdown in his third consecutive contest in 1954.
Atlanta Falcons CB Rolland Lawrence (captain of Tabor KS hoops squad as senior in 1972-73) had two interceptions in a 21-16 win against the San Francisco 49ers in 1976.
Arizona Cardinals DB David Macklin (collected 13 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists for Penn State in 15 basketball games as freshman in 1996-97) had a career-high nine solo tackles in 17-14 win against the New York Giants in 2004.
Chicago Bears DB R.W. McQuarters (Oklahoma State hooper in 1995-96 and 1996-97 started two games) returned a punt 75 yards for touchdown in 19-17 win against the Tennessee Titans in 2004.
Houston Texans LB Antwan Peek (made one field goal and grabbed five rebounds in six basketball games for Cincinnati in 2000-01 under coach Bob Huggins) intercepted a pass from QB Peyton Manning in 49-14 setback against the Indianapolis Colts in 2004.
Chicago Bears K Mac Percival (three-year hoops letterman was part of squad winning Texas Tech's first SWC championship in major sport in 1960-61) kicked three field goals in a 16-15 win against the Washington Redskins in 1971.
Buffalo Bills QB George Ratterman (third-leading scorer with 11.7 ppg for Notre Dame in 1944-45) threw three touchdown passes in a 27-20 AAFC setback against the Los Angeles Dons in 1948.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Norm Snead (averaged 7.8 ppg in four Wake Forest games as senior in 1960-61) passed for 311 yards in a 21-14 win against the Washington Redskins in 1965. Eagles DT John Meyers (played in seven basketball games with Washington in 1959-60) chipped in with an interception.
Dallas Cowboys P Ron Widby (three-time All-SEC selection averaged 18.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg for Tennessee from 1964-65 through 1966-67) punted six times for 275 yards (45.8 average) in a 20-7 win against the Philadelphia Eagles in 1971.
Tennessee Titans WR Kendall Wright (Baylor hooper as freshman in 2008-09) caught nine passes in a 30-27 setback against the Indianapolis Colts in 2013.