How Have Elite Coaches Fared in Conference Tournaments Before Big Dance?
For quality teams in upper-echelon leagues, conference tournament action is only the beginning of what they hope will be a long postseason experience culminating with memorable success in the NCAA playoffs. Because of their season-long excellence, quality power-league members are virtually immune to exclusion from the NCAA Tournament. So along with trying to win the league tournament title, the squads are tuning up for the main event by jockeying for position in the NCAA bracket.
Purdue's Matt Painter has struggled the most in league tournament play among a total of 16 active coaches appearing in at least 12 NCAA tourneys. Following is a look at how these prominent mentors have fared in conference tournament competition before attending the Big Dance majority of the time:
Celebrated Coach | Current School | League Tourney Mark | Conference Tournament Summary |
---|---|---|---|
Mark Few | Gonzaga | 47-5 (.904) | all appearances in West Coast Conference Tournament |
John Calipari | Kentucky | 54-13 (.806) | 14-3 (.824) in Atlantic 10 Tournament, 17-5 (.773) in CUSA Tournament and 23-5 (.893) in SEC Tournament |
Rick Pitino | Iona | 49-14 (.778) | 4-1 (.800) in ECAC North/ECAC North Atlantic Tournament, 14-7 (.667) in Big East Tournament, 17-1 (.944) in SEC Tournament, 8-2 (.800) in CUSA Tournament, 2-1 (.667) in American Athletic Tournament, 0-2 (.000) in ACC Tournament and 4-0 (1.000) in MAAC Tournament |
Bill Self | Kansas | 42-13 (.764) | 4-3 (.571) in Western Athletic Tournament, 5-2 (.714) in Big Ten Tournament and 33-8 (.805) in Big 12 Tournament |
Mike Krzyzewski | Duke | 67-23 (.744) | all appearances in ACC Tournament |
Bob Huggins | West Virginia | 46-21 (.687) | 3-1 (.750) in Ohio Valley Tournament, 1-2 (.333) in Metro Tournament, 10-0 (1.000) in Great Midwest Tournament, 16-6 (.727) in CUSA Tournament, 9-9 (.500) in Big 12 Tournament and 7-3 (.700) in Big East Tournament |
Dana Altman | Oregon | 43-21 (.672) | 0-1 (.000) in Southern Conference Tournament, 2-4 (.333) in Big Eight Tournament, 21-9 (.700) in Missouri Valley Tournament and 20-7 (.741) in Pac-12 Tournament |
Tom Izzo | Michigan State | 32-17 (.653) | all appearances in Big Ten Tournament |
Mick Cronin | UCLA | 21-12 (.636) | 6-1 (.857) in Ohio Valley Tournament, 6-6 (.500) in Big East Tournament, 9-4 (.692) in American Athletic Tournament and 0-1 (.000) in Pac-12 Tournament |
Jay Wright | Villanova | 33-20 (.623) | 9-5 (.643) in North Atlantic/America East Tournament and 24-15 (.615) in Big East Tournament |
Kelvin Sampson | Houston | 28-18 (.609) | 2-3 (.400) in Pacific-10 Tournament, 1-2 (.333) in Big Eight Tournament, 17-7 (.708) in Big 12 Tournament, 0-1 (.000) in Big Ten Tournament and 8-5 (.615) in American Athletic Tournament |
Jim Boeheim | Syracuse | 54-35 (.607) | 50-29 (.633) in Big East Tournament and 4-6 (.400) in ACC Tournament |
Bruce Weber | Kansas State | 25-21 (.543) | 5-5 (.500) in Missouri Valley Tournament, 12-8 (.600) in Big Ten Tournament and 8-8 (.500) in Big 12 Tournament |
Rick Barnes | Tennessee | 38-32 (.543) | 2-1 (.667) in CAA Tournament, 5-5 (.500) in Big East Tournament, 2-4 (.333) in ACC Tournament, 22-17 (.564) in Big 12 Tournament and 7-5 (.583) in SEC Tournament |
Mike Brey | Notre Dame | 31-27 (.534) | 9-3 (.750) in North Atlantic/America East Tournament, 11-18 (.379) in Big East Tournament and 11-6 (.647) in ACC Tournament |
Matt Painter | Purdue | 12-15 (.444) | 1-1 (.500) in Missouri Valley Tournament and 11-14 (.440) in Big Ten Tournament |
Special K: Celestial Coach Krzyzewski Went Where No Man Has Gone Before
At his introductory press conference 42 years ago, Mike Krzyzewski was an unfamiliar commodity who had to spell his 10-letter last name to the press covering Duke. Nearing the end of his subsequent illustrious career, those letters commence the following 10 subheads spelling the feature subject's last name -- K, R, Z, Y, Z, E, W, S, K, I - summarizing the good, bad and ugly (as losing to bitter rival North Carolina) of his regal reign which you won't be told elsewhere:
KNIGHT SCHOOL GRADUATE: Understandably, Krzyzewski long ago reached a mountaintop where he isn't fond of persistent references to him being a former assistant to Bob Knight. But because there have been so many former Knight assistants and players serving as Division I head coaches, Knight School wasn't exactly remedial learning. The link between Knight and Krzyzewski also includes both of them coming off losing seasons at Army when they assumed control of the Indiana and Duke programs, respectively. Knight compiled an 11-13 record at Army in 1970-71 before joining the Hoosiers. Krzyzewski, who played for Knight at Army (6.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 45.7 FG%, 75.9 FT%), was 9-17 with the Cadets in 1979-80 before he was hired by Duke.
RAGS TO RICHES: Duke registered five consecutive non-winning league records from 1980 through 1984, including ACC marks under Krzyzewski that got worse each of his first three years. He ended his third season with the worst defeat in school history, a 43-point setback against Virginia in the first round of the 1983 ACC Tournament, to give him a 38-47 record with the Blue Devils at that juncture. Krzyzewski, after losing his first four games at North Carolina by an average of 17 points, probably knew he had the Blue Devils on the right track when they snapped an 18-game Chapel Hill losing streak with a decisive triumph there in 1985. After compiling an amazing 25 NCAA playoff wins in a five-year span from 1988 through 1992 en route to becoming the first school since UCLA (1967-73) to repeat as national champion, it became a fluke for Duke not to win at least 25 games annually, which the Blue Devils have done every season except two (22-11 in 2006-07 and 13-11 in 2020-21) since 1997-98.
ZERO ALL-AMERICANS FROM IN-STATE: Coach K and his staff have had to be travelin' men on the recruiting trail in order to assemble the Dynasty in Durham. None of the first 30-plus different individuals to become an All-American with Duke, two-thirds of them during Krzyzewski's tenure, were in-state recruits from North Carolina. By contrast, all 17 of St. John's All-Americans attended high schools in New York. Moreover, the archrival North Carolina Tar Heels had seven in-state All-Americans since Coach K joined the Blue Devils (Brad Daugherty, Brendan Haywood, Antawn Jamison, Michael Jordan, Rashad McCants, Jerry Stackhouse and James Worthy).
YARDSTICK NEVER TO BE MATCHED: Krzyzewski's NCAA Tournament success (five national titles and 12 Final Four appearances) is unparalleled by any active coach. He moved atop the list of all-time winningest playoff coaches years before becoming the all-time winningest coach overall early in the 2011-12 campaign. His unparalled success came after getting off to a shaky start in the NCAA playoffs by losing two of his first three games to worse seeds (Washington in 1984 and Boston College in 1985). If Krzyzewski wins three NCAA playoff games in his farewell tour, he will reach a mind-boggling 100 tournament victories.
ZENITH OF PROFESSION: Krzyzewski's pristine portfolio includes 13 ACC regular-season championships and 15 ACC Tournament titles. The Blue Devils' profoundly devilish fans are always worth a few points in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke, which lost at home to lowly Wagner midway through Krzyzewski's third year, almost never lost at home to a non-conference opponent thereafter.
EMPEROR HAD NO CLOTHES: Coach K's ability to overcome adversity isn't confined to his first three seasons with Duke and back ailment in the mid-1990s. While the nation was celebrating its bicentennial, Krzyzewski was trying to cope with coming off a season in 1975-76 when he lost to obscure SUNY-Buffalo, Scranton (Pa.) and King's College (Pa.) while coaching Army.
WEAKEST LINKS IN RECRUITING: Coach K deals in bulk in bringing prime prospects to campus, but it doesn't always work out as anticipated. McDonald's All-Americans who averaged fewer than 3 ppg in their Duke careers included:
1983 - Martin Nessley (2.4)
1988 - Crawford Palmer (2.4)
1993 - Joey Beard (1.3)
1999 - Casey Sanders (2.7)
2002 - Michael Thompson (1.4)
2005 - Eric Boateng (0.7)
STIGMA AMONG ALL THE GLORY: No one is perfect. K's career was stained by prize prospect Corey Maggette paid by AAU coach/convicted felon Myron Piggie, affiliation with disturbing DC agent Malone, scolding an Oregon player in handshake line, $100G in jewelry for mediocre player, Sullen-man Title IX reporting, great-kid Okafor and Reddick abortion contract. Chicago native also should have worked harder at keeping #AudacityofHype "body man" Reggie Love from partying on UNC's campus.
KING OF THE HILL: K has had more than 40 NBA first-round draft choices. Keep in mind that inactive Division I national coaches of the year P.J. Carlesimo, Perry Clark, Tom Davis, Eddie Fogler, Jim Harrick, Marv Harshman, Clem Haskins, Maury John, Jim O'Brien, George Raveling, Charlie Spoonhour and Butch van Breda Kolff combined for 17 All-Americans in a cumulative 251 years coaching at the major-college level.
IDENTITY CRISIS: K's 12 disciples going on to become DI head coaches have been anything but special in postseason competition, combining for a losing mark in NCAA playoffs.
Never Never Land: PC Wins First Big East Title After 42 Seasons of Futility
"No, you never get any fun out of the things you haven't done." - Ogden Nash
To freedom loving red-white-and-blue-blooded Americans, Never Never Land is prospect of possible detainment in re-education camps promoted by press pestilence Katie Couric and Eugene Robinson. But nobody other than smug DC swamp cancel-culture creatures said it was going to be easy. The preceding quote definitely rang true for Providence until the Friars left Never Never Land behind this season by posting its first-ever Big East Conference regular-season championship after 42 years of futility since formation of the league. PC left list, but following is a list of college basketball's noteworthy virgin territory:
85: Seasons for The Citadel failing to win Southern Conference championship (regular season or postseason tournament) since the Bulldogs joined league in 1936-37.
83: Seasons for Big Ten Conference member Northwestern plus Ivy League members Harvard and Yale failing to participate in NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
68: Years for Clemson failing to win ACC Tournament title since formation of league in 1953-54.
52: Mountain West Conference entrants without any of them reaching an NCAA playoff regional final. . . . Years for Northwestern as only power-league member failing to lose undergraduate as high draft selection by the NBA or ABA since 1971.
44: Seasons for Duquesne failing to win Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season championship since its formation (Dukes out of league in 1992-93).
43: Seasons for no Big East Conference member to go unbeaten in league competition since its formation. . . . Seasons for Arizona State failing to win Pac-12 Conference championship (regular season or postseason tournament) since the Sun Devils joined league in 1978-79 (league tourney commenced in 1987). . . . Seasons for Cliff Ellis as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament regional final.
42: Seasons for Bowling Green failing to win Mid-American Conference Tournament championship since inception of event in 1980. . . . Seasons for Florida A&M failing to win MEAC regular-season championship since joining the league in 1979-80. . . . Seasons for Grambling failing to appear in NCAA Tournament since SWAC moved up to Division I status in 1979-80.
41: Seasons for MEAC and SWAC members never reaching Sweet 16 since number of automatic qualifiers was increased to at least 26 in 1981. . . . Seasons for no Northeast Conference member to go unbeaten in league competition since its formation.
40: Seasons without an undefeated team in Summit League competition since formation of conference when it was known as Mid-Continent. . . . Seasons for Saint Francis (N.Y.) failing to win Northeast Conference Tournament championship since formation of conference in 1981-82.
39: Seasons for William & Mary failing to win CAA Tournament championship since the Tribe joined conference in 1982-83. . . . Seasons for Maryland-Eastern Shore failing to win MEAC championship (regular season or postseason tournament) since the Hawks rejoined league at Division I level in 1982-83.
36: NCAA Tournament appearances for Notre Dame without the Fighting Irish reaching national championship contest. . . . Seasons for Hartford failing to win America East Conference championship (regular season or postseason tournament) since the Hawks joined league in 1985-86.
35: NCAA Tournament appearances for Texas without the Longhorns winning a national championship. . . . Seasons for Stetson failing to win TAAC/Atlantic Sun Conference championship (regular season or postseason tournament) since the Hatters joined league in 1986-87.
33: NCAA Tournament appearances for Oklahoma and Temple without the schools winning a national championship. . . . Seasons for Leonard Hamilton as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Final Four.
32: NCAA Tournament appearances for Purdue without winning a national championship.
31: NCAA Tournament appearances for Illinois and Kansas State without winning a national championship. . . . Seasons for Army failing to win Patriot League championship (regular season or postseason tournament) since formation of conference in 1990-91.
30: NCAA Tournament appearances for Brigham Young without the Cougars reaching a Final Four. . . . NCAA Tournament appearances for St. John's and West Virginia without the schools winning national title.
29: Seasons for Penn State failing to win Big Ten Conference championship (regular season or postseason tournament) since the Nittany Lions joined league in 1992-93. . . . Seasons for Jeff Jones as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Final Four.
28: NCAA Tournament appearances for Missouri and Xavier without the schools reaching a Final Four.
27: Seasons for Herb Sendek as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament regional final.
26: Seasons for Fordham and La Salle failing to win Atlantic 10 Conference championship (regular season or postseason tournament) since both schools joined league in 1995-96. . . . Seasons for Steve Alford as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament regional final. . . . Seasons for Fran O'Hanlon as Division I coach without posting an NCAA Tournament victory.
25: NCAA Tournament appearances for Princeton without the Tigers reaching a national final. . . . Seasons for Eastern Illinois failing to win Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship since the Panthers joined league in 1996-97. . . . Seasons for Cal Poly failing to win Big West Conference regular-season championship since the Mustangs joined league in 1996-97. . . . Seasons for Cal State Sacramento failing to finish among top two in Big Sky Conference standings or reach postseason tournament title game since joining league in 1996-97. . . . Seasons for Tommy Amaker as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament regional final. . . . Seasons for Fran McCaffery as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
24: Seasons for Northwestern failing to reach Big Ten Conference Tournament championship contest since inception of event in 1997-98. . . . Seasons for Marist and Rider failing to win Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament championship since they joined the league in 1997-98. Marist never has reached MAAC tourney final. . . . Seasons for Dan Monson as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Final Four.
23: NCAA Tournament appearances for Tennessee without the Volunteers reaching a Final Four. . . . Seasons for Lorenzo Romar and Mark Turgeon as Division I coaches without reaching an NCAA Tournament regional final. . . . Seasons for Ron Hunter as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. . . . Seasons for Greg Kampe and Bob Marlin as Division I coaches without posting an NCAA Tournament victory.
22: NCAA Tournament appearances for Alabama and Creighton without either school reaching a Final Four. . . . Coaches for The Citadel (including Norm Sloan and Les Robinson) failing to reach NCAA playoffs with Bulldogs since inaugural event in 1939. . . . Seasons for Gonzaga coach Mark Few without finishing lower than top two in West Coast Conference standings. . . . Seasons for Colorado State failing to win Mountain West Conference regular-season championship and Air Force failing to reach MWC Tournament title game since formation of league in 1999-00. . . . Seasons for Rod Barnes and Kermit Davis as Division I coaches without reaching an NCAA Tournament regional final. . . . Seasons for Mike McConathy as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
21: Coaches for Army-West Point (including Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski) failing to reach NCAA playoffs with Cadets since inaugural event in 1939. . . . Seasons for Travis Ford as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
20: Seasons for Steve Donahue as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament regional final. . . . Seasons for Mark Schmidt as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. . . . Seasons for Johnny Jones as Division I coach without posting an NCAA Tournament victory. . . . Seasons for Keith Richard as Division I coach without earning an NCAA Tournament berth.
19: Coaches for William & Mary (including Bruce Parkhill and Charlie Woollum) failing to reach NCAA playoffs with Tribe since inaugural event in 1939. . . . NCAA Tournament appearances for Boston College without the Eagles reaching a regional final. . . . Seasons for Mike Anderson as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Final Four. . . . Seasons for Brad Brownell as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament regional final. . . . Seasons for Ritchie McKay and Rick Stansbury as Division I coaches without reaching an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. . . . Seasons for Tod Kowalczyk as Division I coach without appearing in NCAA Tournament.
18: Seasons for Jamie Dixon as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Final Four.
17: NCAA playoff appearances for Miami (Ohio) without school reaching a regional final. . . . NCAA playoff appearances for Murray State without the Racers reaching a Sweet 16. . . . Seasons for former Big East Conference members Boston College, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Virginia Tech failing to win ACC championship (regular season or postseason tournament) since VT joined league in 2004-05. . . . Seasons for Matt Painter as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Final Four. . . . Seasons for Brian Gregory and Frank Haith as Division I coaches without reaching an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. . . . Seasons for George "Tic" Price as Division I coach without posting an NCAA Tournament victory.
16: NCAA playoff appearances for Arizona State and Weber State without reaching a regional final. . . . Seasons for Mark Fox as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
15: Seasons for coach Ed Cooley without reaching an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
14: NCAA Tournament appearances for Texas A&M without the Aggies reaching a regional final. . . . NCAA Tournament appearances for Mike Brey without reaching a Final Four (most among active coaches). . . . Seasons for Buzz Williams as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Final Four. . . . Seasons for Kevin Willard as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. . . . Seasons for Tim Jankovich as Division I coach without posting an NCAA Tournament victory.
13: NCAA Tournament appearances for Clemson without the Tigers reaching a Final Four. . . . Seasons for Cuonzo Martin as Division I coach without reaching an NCAA Tournament regional final.
12: Coaches for St. Francis NY (including Lou Rossini and Bob Valvano) failing to reach NCAA playoffs with Terriers since inaugural event in 1939.
11: NCAA Tournament appearances for coach Sean Miller without reaching a Final Four.
9: Seasons for Missouri failing to win SEC regular-season title or reach league tournament semifinals since joining conference in 2012-13.
8: NCAA Tournament defeats for Eastern Kentucky without a victory (most by any school winless in playoffs).
7: NCAA playoff appearances for Nebraska and Boise State without either school posting a victory.
BOTTOM OF THE BARREL
A striking number of universities haven't even received a participation trophy. Following is an alphabetical list of 17 NCAA playoff wannabees failing to appear in the national tournament despite being classified at DI level more than 25 years (first season classified as major college in parentheses): Army (1948), Bethune-Cookman (1981), Cal State Northridge (1992), Cal State Sacramento (1992), Chicago State (1985), The Citadel (1948), Grambling State (1978), Maine (1962), Maryland-Eastern Shore (1982), New Hampshire (1962), Saint Francis NY (1948), Stetson (1972), Tennessee-Martin (1993), Texas-Rio Grande Valley (1969), UMKC (1990), Western Illinois (1982), William & Mary (1948) and Youngstown State (1982).
Cliff Clavin Clippings: Timeless Trivia Tidbits Trace Tantalizing Tourney Trail
The amazing six-overtime thriller between Connecticut and Syracuse in the 2009 Big East Conference Tournament quarterfinals is relatively easy to remember. But one of the most titillating tourney tidbits among all leagues that gets overlooked because the Southwest Conference is defunct remains Texas Tech's Rick Bullock single-handedly outscoring the "Triplets" from Arkansas (Ron Brewer, Marvin Delph and Sidney Moncrief) by seven points, 44-37, when he set the SWC's single-game tournament scoring record in the 1976 semifinals.
As league tourney action commences, don't hesitate to capitalize on the links for the current Division I conferences cited below to refresh your memory about past champions and events. Following are many of the names and numbers of note only Cliff Clavin knows regarding previous conference tournament competition you can reflect upon as teams tune up for the main event by jockeying for position in the NCAA playoff bracket:
America East - The 1989 North Atlantic Tournament was dubbed the MIT (Measles Invitational Tourney) because all spectators were banned due to a measles outbreak. Delaware competed for 17 years in the East Coast Conference and never won an ECC Tournament championship. But the Blue Hens entered the AEC predecessor, the North Atlantic, in 1992 and won their first-ever title and went to the NCAA playoffs for the initial time. They successfully defended their crown the next year before closing out the decade with another set of back-to-back tourney titles.
American Athletic - In their lone season as members of the conference, Louisville (joined ACC) routed Rutgers (Big Ten), 92-31, in 2014 quarterfinals.
Atlantic Coast - Maryland, ranking fourth in both polls, lost in overtime against eventual NCAA champion North Carolina State, 103-100, in the 1974 final in what some believe might have been the greatest college game ever played. Three players from each team earned All-American honors during their careers - North Carolina State's David Thompson, Tom Burleson and Monte Towe plus Maryland's John Lucas, Len Elmore and Tom McMillen. The Terrapins had four players score at least 20 points - Lucas, McMillen, Owen Brown and Mo Howard - in a 20-point victory over 22-6 North Carolina (105-85) in the semifinals. The Terps, of course, didn't participate in the NCAA playoffs that year because a 32-team bracket allowing teams other than the league champion to be chosen on an at-large basis from the same conference wasn't adopted until the next season. Duke and/or Carolina participated in every tourney final from 1996 until 2021.
Atlantic Sun - Belmont hit 12 of 19 first-half shots from beyond the arc in the 2007 final against top seed East Tennessee State.
Atlantic 10 - Temple reached the tourney semifinals 19 consecutive seasons in one stretch.
Big East - St. John's doesn't seem to have any advantage at Madison Square Garden. It lost five consecutive tourney games on its homecourt by an average margin of 11.4 points from 1987 through 1991.
Big Sky - Montana, capitalizing on a homecourt advantage, overcame a jinx by winning back-to-back tournament titles in 1991 and 1992. The Grizzlies had just two losing regular-season league records from 1976 through 1990, but they didn't win the tournament title in that span, losing the championship game five times from 1978 through 1984.
Big South - The No. 1 seed won this unpredictable tourney only five times in the first 17 years. Radford failed to reach the postseason tournament final for nine years until capturing the event in 1998.
Big Ten - Illinois won as many games in the 1999 tourney as the Illini did in regular-season conference competition that season (3-13). Northwestern, en route to its initial NCAA playoff appearance, scored 31 unanswered points in the first half of a 2017 quarterfinal game against Rutgers.
Big 12 - Kansas won the first three championship games from 1997 through 1999 by at least 14 points. No Texas-based member won tourney title until the Longhorns in 2021.
Big West - Pacific didn't compile a winning league record from 1979 through 1992, but the Tigers climaxed three consecutive appearances in the tournament semifinals by advancing to the '92 championship game.
Colonial - Navy, seeded No. 8 in 1991 in its last year in the tournament before joining the Patriot League, upset top seed James Madison in overtime, 85-82, in the opening round.
Conference USA - Three of four C-USA Tournament champions from 1997 through 2000 won four games in four days. Cincinnati captured six league tournament titles in seven years from 1992 through 1998 in the Great Midwest and C-USA.
Horizon League - The first two tournament winners (Oral Roberts '80 and Oklahoma City '81) of the league's forerunner, the Midwestern City, subsequently shed Division I status and de-emphasized to the NAIA level. ORU, which also won the crown in 1984, returned to Division I status in 1993-94. Butler lost its first 12 games in the tourney until breaking into the win column in 1992.
Ivy League - Harvard aspired to become the fourth different member to win the conference's postseason tournament in the first four years of the event until the alliance tucked tail and ran, cancelling the event due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.
Metro Atlantic Athletic - Eight different schools won the tournament title in an eight-year span from 1992 through 1999.
Mid-American - Bowling Green never has won the MAC Tournament. John Whorton, tourney MVP in 1999 when guiding Kent State to its initial NCAA playoff appearance, won $1.3 million with his wife in late 2016 on a NBC game show, "The Wall," created and produced by Akron native LeBron James.
Mid-Eastern Athletic - North Carolina A&T won seven consecutive titles from 1982 through 1988. The Aggies defeated Howard in the championship game each of the first six years of their streak with the middle four of them decided by a total of only 17 points.
Missouri Valley - Indiana State won only two of its next 20 MVC tourney games after All-American Larry Bird led the Sycamores to the 1979 title.
Mountain West - Not once has Air Force reached the championship game of the WAC or Mountain West.
Northeast - The final pitted the top two seeds against each other 11 times in a 13-year span from 1983 through 1995.
Ohio Valley - Former member Western Kentucky reached the championship game in eight of the OVC's first 10 tourneys. Tennessee Tech won only one tournament game from 1975 through 1992.
Pacific-12 - Arizona won the last three tourney finals from 1988 through 1990 by a minimum of 16 points before the league discontinued the event until reviving it in 2002.
Patriot League - No seed worse than third reached the championship game in the first 20 years of event from 1991 through 2010.
SEC - Seven of the 13 tourney MVPs from 1979 through 1991 didn't play for the champion. One of them, LSU's John Williams, didn't even compete in the 1986 title game. Although Kentucky standout center Alex Groza saw limited action in the 1947 tournament because of a back injury, the Wildcats cruised to victories over Vanderbilt (98-29), Auburn (84-18), Georgia Tech (75-53) and Tulane (55-38). UK was also without Converse All-American guard Jack Parkinson (serving in the military), but the five-man all-tourney team was comprised of nothing but Wildcats - forwards Jack Tingle and Joe Holland, center Wallace "Wah Wah" Jones and guards Ken Rollins and Ralph Beard. UK (24) has won more than half of the SEC's tourneys.
Southern - Furman's Jerry Martin, an outfielder who hit .251 in 11 years with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets from 1974 through 1984, was named MVP in the 1971 tournament after the 6-1 guard led the Paladins to the title with 22-, 36- and 19-point performances to pace the tourney in scoring. Two years earlier, current Davidson coach Bob McKillop scored three points for East Carolina against the Lefty Driesell-coached Wildcats in the 1969 SC Tournament championship game.
Southland - North Texas State's Kenneth Lyons outscored Louisiana Tech's Karl Malone, 47-6, when Lyons established a still existing single-game scoring record in the 1983 tournament quarterfinals. Malone led the SLC in rebounding (10.3 rpg) and steals (1.9 spg) that season as a freshman before going on to score more than 30,000 points in the NBA. Two years earlier, McNeese State won a first-round game after going winless in regular-season conference competition.
SWAC - Regular-season champion Grambling State lost by 50 points to Southern (105-55) in the 1987 final. An interesting twist that year was the fact Bob Hopkins, Grambling's first-year coach, had coached Southern the previous three seasons.
Summit League - The first tournament final in 1984 featured two teams with losing league records in regular-season competition (Western Illinois and Cleveland State).
Sun Belt - South Alabama's stall didn't prevent the Jaguars from losing to New Orleans, 22-20, on Nate Mills' last-second jumper in the 1978 final. The next season, the Sun Belt became the first league to experiment with a 45-second shot clock. The four different schools that accounted for the participants in six consecutive finals from 1980 through 1985 went on to join other conferences - UAB, Old Dominion, South Florida and Virginia Commonwealth. Two-time champion Charlotte also abandoned ship.
West Coast - Gonzaga has participated in tourney final for the last 23 years from 1998 through 2020. The top two seeds didn't meet in the championship game until 2000. The most tragic moment in the history of any conference tournament occurred in the semifinals of the 1990 event at Loyola Marymount when Hank Gathers, the league's all-time scoring leader and a two-time tourney MVP, collapsed on his home court during the Lions' game with Portland. He died later that evening and the tournament was suspended. The Lions earned the NCAA Tournament bid because of their regular-season crown and advanced to the West Regional final behind the heroics of Bo Kimble, who was Gathers' longtime friend from Philadelphia.
Western Athletic - The tourney's biggest upset occurred in 1990 when No. 9 seed Air Force defeated No. 1 seed Colorado State in the quarterfinals, 58-51. Hawaii's Carl English, averaging 3.9 points per game as a freshman during the regular season, had a season-high 25 in a 78-72 overtime victory against host Tulsa in the 2001 final.
Shooting Stars: DI Conference Tournament Single-Game Scoring Standards
Do you know the individual boasting highest-scoring game in history in an NCAA Division I conference postseason tournament is a genuine gamebreaker-turned-lawbreaker? You can find him in prison serving a life sentence without parole after facing felony charges stemming from automobile hijacking, kidnapping the driver by holding a gun to his head and robbing a convenience store following a 3 1/2-year stint in prison for a probation violation. Well, it's Marshall guard Skip Henderson, who erupted for 55 points in the 1988 Southern Conference quarterfinals against The Citadel. Marshall (also C-USA) and Texas Tech (Big 12 and SWC) are the only schools to have two players hold existing league tourney scoring marks in two different NCAA Division I alliances.
Three mid-major leagues - America East (twice after three-time MVP Jameel Warney's 18-of-22 field-goal shooting six years ago for Stony Brook), Ivy League (Harvard's Bryce Aiken three years ago) and Horizon League (Detroit's Antoine Davis last year) - provide the only players setting existing NCAA DI conference tournament scoring marks in a tourney final. All-Americans Lennie Rosenbluth (North Carolina) and Cliff Hagan (Kentucky) accounted for the two of following DI league tourney scoring standards (ACC and SEC) standing since the 1950s:
Conference | Round | Record Holder | School | HG | Opponent | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
America East | Final | Taylor Coppenrath | Vermont | 43 | Maine | 3-13-04 |
America East | Final | Jameel Warney | Stony Brook | 43 | Vermont | 3-12-16 |
American Athletic | Semifinal | Russ Smith | Louisville | 42 | Houston | 3-14-14 |
Atlantic Coast | Quarterfinal | Lennie Rosenbluth | North Carolina | 45 | Clemson | 3-7-57 |
Atlantic Sun | Quarterfinal | Reggie Gibbs | Houston Baptist | 43 | Georgia Southern | 3-7-89 |
Atlantic 10 | Quarterfinal | Tom Garrick | Rhode Island | 50 | Rutgers | 3-7-88 |
Big East | Quarterfinal | Donyell Marshall | Connecticut | 42 | St. John's | 3-11-94 |
Big Eight | Quarterfinal | Eric Piatkowski | Nebraska | 42 | Oklahoma | 3-11-94 |
Big Sky | First | Randy Onwuasor | Southern Utah | 43 | Montana State | 3-7-17 |
Big South | Quarterfinal | Chris Clemons | Campbell | 51 | UNC Asheville | 3-2-17 |
Big Ten | First | Michael Thompson | Northwestern | 35 | Minnesota | 3-10-11 |
Big 12 | First | Mike Singletary | Texas Tech | 43 | Texas A&M | 3-11-09 |
Big West | First | Josh Akognon | Cal State Fullerton | 37 | UC Riverside | 3-11-09 |
Colonial | Semifinal | Justin Wright-Foreman | Hofstra | 42 | Delaware | 3-11-19 |
C-USA | Semifinal | Trey Freeman | Old Dominion | 42 | Western Kentucky | 3-11-16 |
Horizon League | First | Antoine Davis | Detroit | 46 | Robert Morris | 2-25-21 |
Ivy League | Final | Bryce Aiken | Harvard | 38 | Yale | 3-17-19 |
Metro Atlantic | Quarterfinal | Kevin Houston | Army | 53 | Fordham | 2-28-87 |
Mid-American | Semifinal | Ron Harper | Miami (Ohio) | 45 | Ball State | 3-8-85 |
Mid-Eastern Athletic | First | Richard Toussaint | Bethune-Cookman | 49 | Morgan State | 3-11-03 |
Missouri Valley | Quarterfinal | Hersey Hawkins | Bradley | 41 | Indiana State | 3-5-88 |
Mountain West | Semifinal | Jimmer Fredette | Brigham Young | 52 | New Mexico | 3-11-11 |
Northeast | Quarterfinal | Rahsaan Johnson | Monmouth | 40 | St. Francis (N.Y.) | 3-3-00 |
Ohio Valley | Quarterfinal | Charles "Bubba" Wells | Austin Peay | 43 | Morehead State | 2-25-97 |
Pac-12 | Quarterfinal | Klay Thompson | Washington State | 43 | Washington | 3-10-11 |
Patriot League | Quarterfinal | Joe Knight | Lehigh | 45 | Colgate | 3-4-05 |
Southeastern | Semifinal | Cliff Hagan | Kentucky | 42 | Tennessee | 3-1-52 |
Southeastern | Quarterfinal | Melvin Turpin | Kentucky | 42 | Georgia | 3-8-84 |
Southern | Quarterfinal | James "Skip" Henderson | Marshall | 55 | The Citadel | 3-4-88 |
Southland | Quarterfinal | Kenneth Lyons | North Texas | 47 | Louisiana Tech | 3-10-83 |
Southwest | Semifinal | Rick Bullock | Texas Tech | 44 | Arkansas | 3-5-76 |
Southwestern Athletic | unavailable | unavailable | unavailable | TBD | unavailable | TBD |
Summit League | Final | Bill Edwards | Wright State | 38 | Illinois-Chicago | 3-8-93 |
Sun Belt | Quarterfinal | Dee Brown | Jacksonville | 41 | Old Dominion | 3-3-90 |
West Coast | Quarterfinal | Tim Owens | San Francisco | 45 | Loyola Marymount | 3-2-91 |
Western Athletic | Quarterfinal | Mike Jones | Texas Christian | 44 | Fresno State | 3-6-97 |
NOTE: Scoring outbursts by Fredette (Mountain West), Garrick (Atlantic 10), Gibbs (Atlantic Sun), Harper (Mid-American), Henderson (Southern), Houston (Metro Atlantic Athletic), Lyons (Southland) and Piatkowski (Big Eight) are also existing school single-game standards. Warney's output is highest for Stony Brook at DI level.
Happy Birthday! Celebration Dates in March For All-Americans & HOF Coaches
North Carolina (seven) and Duke (six) combine for 13 All-Americans born in the month of March. Duke is among three different North Carolina universities providing a striking number of 11 All-Americans born on the 14th of March. Two Oklahoma State All-Americans were born on the 6th of the month, two from Purdue on the 12th and two from Duke on the 18th. This year marks the 100th anniversary of birthdates for All-Americans Wyndol Gray (Bowling Green), George Kok (Arkansas), Andy Phillip (Illinois) and Gerry Tucker (Oklahoma) plus Hall of Fame coach Guy Lewis (Houston). Following is a day-by-day calendar of All-Americans and Hall of Fame coaches born in March:
MARCH
1: All-American Mayce "Chris" Webber (1973/Michigan).
2: Hall of Fame coach Denzil "Denny" Crum (1937/Louisville).
3: All-Americans Allan Hornyak (1951/Ohio State), Markus Howard (1999/Marquette), Jim Jarvis (1943/Oregon State) and Corey Kispert (1999/Gonzaga).
4: All-Americans Melvin Ejim (1991/Iowa State), Draymond Green (1990/Michigan State), Jack Parkinson (1924/Kentucky), Jared Sullinger (1992/Ohio State) and Obi Toppin (1998/Dayton) plus Hall of Fame coach Gary Williams (1945/American University, Boston College, Ohio State and Maryland).
5: All-Americans Mason Plumlee (1990/Duke), Scott Skiles Sr. (1964/Michigan State), Wally Szczerbiak (1977/Miami of Ohio), Mike Warren (1946/UCLA) and Reggie Williams (1964/Georgetown).
6: All-Americans Armando Bacot Jr. (2000/North Carolina), Eric "Sleepy" Floyd (1960/Georgetown), Josh Hart (1995/Villanova), John Jenkins (1991/Vanderbilt), Gale McArthur (1929/Oklahoma A&M), Shaquille O'Neal (1972/Louisiana State), Marcus Smart (1994/Oklahoma State) and Irv Torgoff (1917/LIU).
7: All-Americans Luke Maye (1997/North Carolina), Wally Palmberg (1912/Oregon State), Andy Phillip (1922/Illinois), Bob Rensberger (1921/Notre Dame) and Jeff Withey (1990/Kansas).
8: All-Americans Marvin Colen (1915/Loyola of Chicago), Robbie Hummel (1989/Purdue), Kenny Smith (1965/North Carolina) and Charles "Buck" Williams (1960/Maryland) plus Hall of Fame coach George Keogan (1890/St. Louis, Valparaiso and Notre Dame).
9: All-Americans Frank Burgess (1935/Gonzaga), Adonal Foyle (1975/Colgate), Chris Jackson (1969/Louisiana State), Jeff Lamp (1959/Virginia), Ed Mullen (1913/Marquette), Wayne Simien (1983/Kansas), Darrell Walker (1961/Arkansas) and Ron Widby (1945/Tennessee) plus Hall of Fame coach Ralph Miller (1919/Wichita, Iowa and Oregon State).
10: All-Americans Austin Carr (1948/Notre Dame), LeRoy Ellis Sr. (1940/St. John's), Kirk Haston (1979/Indiana) and Mark Workman (1930/West Virginia).
11: All-Americans Vince Boryla (1927/Denver), Elton Brand (1979/Duke), Anthony Davis (1993/Kentucky) and Jim McMillian (1948/Columbia).
12: All-Americans Charlie Bell (1979/Michigan State), Norm Cottom (1912/Purdue), Carsen Edwards (1998/Purdue), Bob Houbregs (1932/Washington), John Richter (1937/North Carolina State), Isaiah "J.R." Rider (1971/UNLV) and Doron Sheffer (1972/Connecticut) plus Hall of Fame coaches Ed Diddle (1895/Western Kentucky) and Eddie Sutton (1936/Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State).
13: All-Americans Bobby Jackson (1973/Minnesota), Glen "Max" Morris (1925/Northwestern) and Jack Parr (1936/Kansas State).
14: All-Americans Marvin Bagley III (1999/Duke), Stephen Curry (1988/Davidson), Marv Huffman (1917/Indiana), Larry Johnson (1969/UNLV), Clyde Lee (1944/Vanderbilt), Henry Logan (1946/Western Carolina), Bill Morris (1920/Washington), Paul Nowak (1914/Notre Dame), Charlie Share (1927/Bowling Green State), Gerry Tucker (1922/Oklahoma) and Wes Unseld (1946/Louisville) plus Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins (1930/Texas-El Paso).
15: All-Americans Lawrence Butler (1957/Idaho State), Terry Cummings (1961/DePaul), Kevin Loder (1959/Alabama State), Jabari Parker (1995/Duke) and Don Schlundt (1933/Indiana).
16: All-Americans Toney Douglas (1986/Florida State), Blake Griffin (1989/Oklahoma), Bob Harris (1927/Oklahoma A&M), Porter Meriwether (1940/Tennessee State), Dave Quabius (1916/Marquette) and Jalen Smith (2000/Maryland) plus Hall of Fame coach Arthur "Dutch" Lonborg (1898/Northwestern).
17: All-Americans Danny Ainge (1959/Brigham Young), Sam Bowie (1961/Kentucky), Johnny Juzang (2001/UCLA), Kyle Korver (1981/Creighton), Clyde Mayes (1953/Furman), Thomas Robinson (1991/Kansas) and Willie Somerset (1942/Duquesne).
18: All-Americans Sherron Collins (1987/Kansas), Kris Dunn (1994/Providence), George Kok (1922/Arkansas), Mike Lewis (1946/Duke), Jeff Mullins (1942/Duke) and Win Wilfong (1933/Memphis State) plus Hall of Fame coach Everett Dean (1898/Indiana and Stanford).
19: All-Americans Larry Fogle (1953/Canisius), Casey Jacobsen (1981/Stanford), Scott May (1954/Indiana), Andre Miller (1976/Utah) and Bill Spivey (1929/Kentucky) plus Hall of Fame coaches Guy Lewis (1922/Houston) and Jim Phelan (1929/Mount St. Mary's).
20: All-Americans Daron "Mookie" Blaylock (1967/Oklahoma), Ken Charlton (1941/Colorado), Chuck Darling (1930/Iowa), Marcus Denmon (1990/Missouri), Bob Lewis (1945/North Carolina), Steve Logan (1980/Cincinnati), Ronnie Perry Jr. (1958/Holy Cross) and Pat Riley (1945/Kentucky).
21: All-Americans Miles Bridges (1998/Michigan State) and Mike Olliver (1959/Lamar).
22: All-Americans Marcus Camby (1974/Massachusetts), Ed Macauley (1928/St. Louis) and Danny Schultz (1943/Tennessee) and Azuolas Tubelis (2002/Arizona).
23: All-Americans Joseph Forte (1981/North Carolina), Kyrie Irving (1992/Duke), Rich Kelley (1953/Stanford) and Jason Kidd (1973/California).
24: All-Americans Chris Bosh (1984/Georgia Tech), Terrance "T.J." Ford (1983/Texas) and Mike Woodson (1958/Indiana).
25: All-Americans James Anderson (1989/Oklahoma State), Kyle Lowry (1986/Villanova), Lawrence Moten (1972/Syracuse) and Leon Wood (1962/Cal State Fullerton).
27: All-Americans Danny Fortson (1976/Cincinnati), Tom Hammonds (1967/Georgia Tech), Tyler Kolek (2001/Marquette), John Kotz (1919/Wisconsin) and Chris Lofton (1986/Tennessee).
28: All-Americans Rick Barry (1944/Miami FL), Chris Corchiani (1968/North Carolina State), Len Elmore (1952/Maryland), Justin Jackson (1995/North Carolina) and Jerry Sloan (1942/Evansville).
29: All-Americans Kay Felder (1995/Oakland), Walt Frazier (1945/Southern Illinois), Ed Ratleff (1950/Long Beach State) and Dennis Wuycik (1950/North Carolina) plus Hall of Fame coach Jack Gardner (1910/Kansas State and Utah).
30: All-Americans Wyndol Gray (1922/Bowling Green State), Jerry Lucas (1940/Ohio State), Joe Richey (1931/Brigham Young) and Oscar "Ossie" Schectman (1919/LIU).
31: All-Americans Don Barksdale (1923/UCLA), Dennis DuVal (1952/Syracuse), Herman "J.R." Reid (1968/North Carolina), Chris Smith (1939/Virginia Tech) and Steve Smith (1969/Michigan State).
Birthdays in January for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in February for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in March for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in April for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in May for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in June for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in July for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in August for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in September for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in October for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in November for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
Birthdays in December for All-Americans and Hall of Fame Coaches
On This Date: March Calendar For Notable Games in College Hoops History
Existing single-game rebounding records for San Francisco (Bill Russell) and Santa Clara (Ken Sears) were set on the same day (March 4) in West Coast Conference competition in 1955. Two Philly Big 5 institutions - Penn (37 points by Keven McDonald) and La Salle (35 by Michael Brooks) - had players establish school NCAA Tournament single-game scoring marks in the same regional (East) on same day (12th in 1978). Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (44 points) and Auburn's Chris Morris (36) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards in the same contest in 1988 (March 17). Two years apart in the late 1980s, Reggie Williams and Charles Smith set and tied Georgetown's single-game scoring mark in NCAA tourney competition on the same day (March 19). Sixty-five years apart, Bill Logan and Luka Garza set and tied Iowa's standard on the same day (March 22). In another oddity, Yale's single-game scoring and rebounding marks against a major-college opponent were established in the same game against Harvard in 1956. Following is a day-by-day calendar citing memorable moments in March major-college basketball history:
MARCH
1 - Kentucky's Cliff Hagan (42 points vs. Georgia in 1952 semifinals) set SEC Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . New Hampshire's Matt Alosa (39 vs. Hartford in opening round of 1996 North Atlantic Conference Tournament at Newark, DE/tied school mark), Saint Louis' Anthony Bonner (45 at Loyola of Chicago in overtime in 1990), Southern Illinois' Dick Garrett (46 vs. Centenary in 1968) and Southern Utah's Davor Marcelic (43 at Cal State Northridge in 1991/subsequently tied) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Larry Jeffries (40 vs. Abilene Christian in 1969) had highest-scoring game for Trinity TX in season when school made its lone NCAA DI Tournament appearance. . . . In 1952, Penn State and Pittsburgh combined for only nine field-goal attempts (fewest in a game since 1938). . . . North Carolina State ended South Carolina's school-record 32-game winning streak (43-24 in 1934) and Southern Methodist's school-record 44-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Texas A&M (43-42 in 1958). . . . East Tennessee State's Tommy Woods (38 vs. Middle Tennessee State in 1965) and Holy Cross' Tom Heinsohn (42 vs. Boston College in 1956) set school single-game rebounding records. Heinsohn also scored 51 points against BC to become the only player in NCAA history to collect more than 50 points and 40 rebounds in single contest against major-college opponent. . . . Chris Collier (23 vs. Centenary in 1990) set Georgia State's single-game rebounding record against a DI opponent.
2 - Junior forward Ralph Jukkola became the only Louisiana State teammate to outscore NCAA all-time leading scorer Pete Maravich in a regular-season game (22-17 in 74-71 loss at Tennessee in 1968) when Pistol was limited to fewer than 20 points for the lone time in college. Jukkola averaged 9.1 ppg in his three-year varsity career compared to Maravich's lofty mark of 44.2 ppg. . . . Campbell's Chris Clemons (51 points vs. UNC Asheville in 2017 Big South quarterfinals) and San Francisco's Tim Owens (45 vs. Loyola Marymount in 1991 WCC quarterfinals) set conference tournament single-game scoring records. . . . Colgate's Jonathan Stone (52 vs. Brooklyn in 1992), McNeese State's Michael Cutright (51 at Stephen F. Austin in double overtime in 1989), New Mexico's Marvin Johnson (50 vs. Colorado State in 1978) and Southern Methodist's Gene Phillips (51 at Texas in 1971) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Johnson's output is also a Western Athletic Conference record in league competition. . . . Oklahoma tied an NCAA single-game record by converting all 34 of its free-throw attempts (against Iowa State in 2013). . . . Penn State's school-record 45-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Penn (85-79 in 1955). . . . Jameel Warney (23 vs. UMBC in 2016 America East Conference Tournament quarterfinals) set Stony Brook's single-game rebounding record against a DI opponent.
3 - Jacksonville's Dee Brown (41 points vs. Old Dominion in 1990 quarterfinals) set Sun Belt Conference Tournament single-game scoring record and Monmouth's Rahsaan Johnson (40 vs. St. Francis NY in 2000 quarterfinals) set Northeast Conference Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Drake's Philip "Red" Murrell (51 vs. Houston in overtime in 1958), Lafayette's Bobby Mantz (47 vs. Wilkes College PA in 1958), Maine's Jim Stephenson (54 vs. Colby in 1969), St. John's Bob Zawoluk (65 vs. St. Peter's in 1950), Santa Clara's Carlos "Bud" Ogden (55 at Pepperdine in 1967), Temple's Bill Mlkvy (73 at Wilkes College PA in 1951), Tulsa's Willie Biles (48 vs. Wichita State in 1973/subsequently tied his own mark), UNLV's Trevor Diggs (49 vs. Wyoming in 2001) and Weber State's Jerrick Harding (46 vs. Montana State in overtime in 2018) set school single-game scoring records. Mlkvy scored an incredible 54 unanswered points for the Owls. Diggs' output is also a Mountain West Conference record in league competition. . . . Florida State's Al Thornton (45 vs. Miami in 2007) and Tennessee-Martin's Lester Hudson (42 vs. Tennessee Tech in 2009) set school single-game scoring records against a Division I opponent. . . . Kentucky's Adolph Rupp became the coach to compile 800 victories the fastest with a 90-86 win at Auburn in 1969 (974 games in 37th season). . . . Army's Todd Mattson (24 vs. Holy Cross in 1990), Iowa's Chuck Darling (30 vs. Wisconsin in 1952) and Minnesota's Larry Mikan (28 vs. Michigan in 1970) set school single-game rebounding records.
4 - Marshall's Skip Henderson (55 points vs. The Citadel in 1988 Southern Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Asheville, NC) and Montana State's Tom Storm (44 vs. Portland State in 1967) set school single-game scoring records against an NCAA Division I opponent. Henderson's output is also highest-scoring contest in NCAA history for a DI league postseason tourney. . . . Lehigh's Joe Knight (45 vs. Colgate in 2005 quarterfinals) set Patriot League Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Villanova's school-record 72-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by St. Francis PA (70-64 in 1958). . . . San Francisco's Bill Russell (35 vs. Loyola Marymount) and Santa Clara's Ken Sears (30 vs. Pacific) set school single-game rebounding records in WCAC contests in 1955. . . . Chattanooga's Mindaugas Katelynas (21 at Appalachian State in 2005 Southern Conference Tournament semifinals) and Notre Dame's Collis Jones (25 vs. Western Michigan in 1971) set school single-game rebounding records against a Division I opponent. . . . One of the most tragic moments in college basketball history occurred in semifinals of 1990 West Coast Conference Tournament at Loyola Marymount when Hank Gathers, the league's all-time scoring leader and a two-time tourney MVP, collapsed and died on his homecourt during the Lions' game with Portland.
5 - Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (41 points vs. Indiana State in 1988 Missouri Valley quarterfinals) and Texas Tech's Rick Bullock (44 vs. Arkansas in 1976 SWC semifinals) set conference tournament single-game scoring records. . . . Cal State Northridge's Mike O'Quinn (39 vs. Eastern Washington in overtime in 1998 Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals at Northern Arizona/subsequently tied), Cornell's George Farley (47 at Princeton in 1960), Houston Baptist's Darius Lee (52 vs. McNeese State in quadruple overtime in 2022), Michigan's Cazzie Russell (48 vs. Northwestern in 1966/subsequently tied by Rudy Tomjanovich), Minnesota's Eric Magdanz (42 at Michigan in 1962/subsequently tied), Southeastern Louisiana's Cedric Jenkins (39 at New Orleans in 2015/tied) and Wichita State's Antoine Carr (47 vs. Southern Illinois in 1983) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Lee's output tied HBU's all-time scoring mark. . . . Carnegie Tech's Melvin Cratsley set Eastern Intercollegiate Conference single-game scoring record with 34 points vs. West Virginia in 1938. . . . Boston University's Kevin Thomas (34 vs. Boston College in 1958), Delaware State's Kendall Gray (30 vs. Coppin State in 2015), Pacific's Keith Swagerty (39 vs. UC Santa Barbara in 1965) and Saint Louis' Jerry Koch (38 vs. Bradley in 1954) set school single-game rebounding records. . . . Baylor's Jerome Lambert (26 vs. Southern Methodist in 1994) and Wyoming's Leon Clark (24 vs. Arizona in 1966) set school single-game rebounding records against a DI opponent.
6 - Texas Christian's Mike Jones (44 points vs. Fresno State in 1997 quarterfinals) set WAC Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Duquesne's Ron Guziak (50 vs. St. Francis PA at Altoona in 1968), Minnesota's Ollie Shannon (42 vs. Wisconsin in 1971/tied), Missouri's Joe Scott (46 vs. Nebraska in 1961) and Sam Houston State's Senecca Wall (45 vs. Texas-Arlington in double overtime in 2001 Southland Conference Tournament quarterfinals) set school Division I single-game scoring records. . . . Ohio State set an NCAA single-game record by making 14 consecutive three-point field-goal attempts (against Wisconsin in 2011).
7 - Houston Baptist's Reggie Gibbs (43 points vs. Georgia Southern in 1989 TAAC quarterfinals), North Carolina's Lennie Rosenbluth (45 vs. Clemson in 1957 ACC quarterfinals) and Southern Utah's Randy Onwuasor (43 vs. Montana State in triple overtime in 2017 Big Sky first round) set conference tournament single-game scoring records. . . . Lehigh's Daren Queenan (49 vs. Bucknell in double overtime in 1987 ECC Tournament semifinals at Towson State), Notre Dame's Austin Carr (61 vs. Ohio University in first round of 1970 NCAA Tournament Mideast Regional), Rhode Island's Tom Garrick (50 vs. Rutgers in 1988 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament quarterfinals at West Virginia/tied mark) and Saint Mary's Jordan Ford (42 vs. Pepperdine in double overtime in 2020 WCC Tournament quarterfinals) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Carr's output is also an NCAA playoff single-game record and output by Garrick is are single-game mark in league tourney. . . . Oklahoma State center Arlen Clark established an NCAA standard for most successful free throws in single game without a miss by converting all 24 of his foul shots against Colorado in 1959. . . . In 1928, Butler beat Notre Dame, 21-13, in inaugural game at legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse, which was the largest basketball arena in the U.S. at the time and retained that distinction until 1950. . . . Jacksonville's Artis Gilmore (30 vs. Western Kentucky in 1970 first round) and Southern California's John Rudometkin (31 vs. Utah in 1960 first round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records.
8 - Wright State's Bill Edwards (38 vs. Illinois-Chicago in 1993 Summit League final) set conference tournament single-game scoring record and Kentucky's Melvin Turpin (42 vs. Georgia in 1984 quarterfinals) tied Cliff Hagan's SEC Tournament single-game scoring standard. . . . Harvard's Brady Merchant (45 vs. Brown in 2003), Miami of Ohio's Ron Harper (45 vs. Ball State in 1985 Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals) and Vanderbilt's Tom Hagan (44 at Mississippi State in 1969) set school single-game scoring records. Harper's output is also a MAC tourney single-game scoring mark. . . . Brown's Gerry Alaimo (26 vs. Rhode Island in 1958) and Georgia's Bob Lienhard (29 vs. Louisiana State in 1969) set school single-game rebounding records against a Division I opponent.
9 - Greg Ballard (43 points at Oral Roberts in 1977 NIT first round) set Oregon's single-game scoring record. . . . Marcus Mann (28 vs. Jackson State in 1996) set Mississippi Valley State's single-game rebounding record against a Division I opponent. . . . Houston's Elvin Hayes (49 vs. Loyola of Chicago in 1968 Midwest Regional first round), Marquette's Terry Rand (37 vs. Miami of Ohio in 1955 East Regional first round) and Texas-El Paso's Jim "Bad News" Barnes (42 vs. Texas A&M in 1964 Midwest Regional first round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Bill Butler (34 vs. Boston College in 1968 East Regional first round) tied St. Bonaventure's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard.
10 - North Texas State's Kenneth Lyons (47 points vs. Louisiana Tech in 1983 Southland quarterfinals), Northwestern's Michael Thompson (35 vs. Minnesota in 2011 Big Ten opening round) and Washington State's Klay Thompson (43 vs. Washington in 2011 Pac-12 quarterfinals) set single-game scoring records in their respective conference tournaments. Lyons' output is also a school single-game scoring record. . . . Paul Williams (45 at Southern California in 1983) set Arizona State's single-game scoring record. . . . John Lee (41 vs. Harvard in 1956) set Yale's single-game scoring record against a Division I opponent. . . . Lamar's school-record 80-game homecourt winning streak was snapped by Louisiana Tech (68-65 in 1984 Southland Conference Tournament championship contest). . . . Ed Robinson (32 vs. Harvard in 1956) set Yale's single-game rebounding record. . . . Johnny O'Brien (42 points vs. Idaho State in 1953 West Regional first round) set Seattle's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record.
11 - Connecticut's Donyell Marshall (42 points vs. St. John's in 1994 Big East quarterfinals), Texas Tech's Mike Singletary (43 vs. Texas A&M in 2009 Big 12 opening round), Hofstra's Justin Wright-Foreman (42 vs. Delaware in 2019 CAA semifinals), Old Dominion's Trey Freeman (42 vs. Western Kentucky in 2016 C-USA semifinals), Cal State Fullerton's Josh Akognon (37 vs. UC Riverside in 2009 Big West opening round) and Bethune-Cookman's Richard Toussaint (49 vs. Morgan State in 2003 MEAC first round) set single-game scoring records in their respective conference tournaments. . . . Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette (52 vs. New Mexico in 2011 Mountain West Tournament semifinals at Las Vegas), Montana's Anthony Johnson (42 at Weber State in 2010 Big Sky Tournament final) and Nebraska's Eric Piatkowski (42 vs. Oklahoma in 1994 Big Eight Tournament quarterfinals at Kansas City) set school single-game scoring records. Outputs for Fredette and Piatkowski are also single-game scoring records in their respective conference tourneys. . . . Indiana (95) and Michigan (57) combined for an NCAA single-game record of 152 rebounds in 1961. Walt Bellamy (33) set IU's individual rebounding record in the contest. . . . Ohio State's Jerry Lucas (36 vs. Western Kentucky in 1960 Mideast Regional semifinal) and Utah's Jerry Chambers (40 vs. Pacific in 1966 West Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records.
12 - Bradley's Bob Carney set NCAA Tournament single-game record by converting 23 free-throw attempts (against Colorado in 1954 West Regional semifinals). . . . Stony Brook's Jameel Warney (43 points vs. Vermont in 2016 America East final) tied conference tournament single-game scoring mark. Warney's output is also a school standard since moving up to NCAA Division I level. . . . DePaul's George Mikan (53 vs. Rhode Island State in 1945 NIT semifinals), Fairleigh Dickinson's Elijah Allen (43 vs. Connecticut in 1998 NCAA Tournament East Regional first round) and Navy's David Robinson (50 vs. Michigan in 1987 NCAA Tournament East Regional first round) set school Division I single-game scoring records. Allen's output also set a Northeast Conference NCAA playoff scoring standard and Robinson's output established a Colonial Athletic Association NCAA playoff scoring mark. . . . Syracuse outlasted Connecticut, 127-117, in six overtimes in 2009 Big East Conference Tournament quarterfinals in longest postseason game in NCAA history. . . . Georgia's Willie Anderson (35 vs. Kansas State in overtime in 1987 West Regional first round), Kentucky's Dan Issel (44 vs. Notre Dame in 1970 Mideast Regional semifinal), La Salle's Michael Brooks (35 vs. Villanova in 1978 East Regional first round) and Penn's Keven McDonald (37 vs. St. Bonaventure in 1978 East Regional first round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Jacksonville's Artis Gilmore (30 vs. Iowa in 1970 Mideast Regional semifinal) and Penn State's Jesse Arnelle (25 vs. Kentucky in 1955 East Regional third-place game) tied their own school NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks. . . . Morehead State's Dan Swartz (39 vs. Marshall in 1956 Midwest Regional first round) set Ohio Valley Conference NCAA playoff single-game scoring record. . . . Miami of Ohio's Wally Szczerbiak (43 vs. Washington in 1999 Midwest Regional first round) set Mid-American Conference NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard in a 59-58 win. Never before has a player exhibited such dominant solo act in NCAA tourney history as Szczerbiak accounted for an incredible 72.9% of Miami's offensive output.
13 - Vermont's Taylor Coppenrath (43 points vs. Maine in 2004 final) set America East Conference Tournament single-game scoring record. . . . Charlotte's Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell (32 vs. Central Michigan in 1977 Mideast Regional first round), Colorado's Cliff Meely (32 vs. Colorado State in 1969 Midwest Regional semifinal), Duke's Jeff Mullins (43 vs. Villanova in 1964 East Regional semifinal), Holy Cross' Togo Palazzi (32 vs. Wake Forest in 1953 East Regional semifinal), Oklahoma State's Bob Mattick (35 vs. Texas Christian in 1953 West Regional semifinal), San Francisco's Ollie Johnson (37 vs. UCLA in 1965 West Regional final), Tennessee's Ernie Grunfeld (36 vs. Virginia Military in 1976 East Regional first round), Texas Christian's Lee Nailon (32 vs. Florida State in 1998 Midwest Regional first round) and Washington's Bob Houbregs (45 vs. Seattle in 1953 West Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. . . . Brigham Young made the largest comeback in NCAA playoff history, erasing a 25-point deficit to beat Iona (78-72 in 2012 First Four). Iona scored 55 points in first 16 minutes before collecting only three field goals and seven points over the next 16 1/2 minutes.
14 - Louisville's Russ Smith (42 points vs. Houston in 2014 semifinals) set American Athletic Conference Tournament single-game scoring record. Smith's output also set a school mark for most points against a major-college opponent. . . . Indiana's Don Schlundt (41 vs. Notre Dame in 1953 East Regional final), North Carolina State's David Thompson (40 vs. Providence in 1974 East Regional semifinal/subsequently tied), Providence's Austin Croshere (39 vs. Marquette in 1997 South Regional first round), St. Bonaventure's Fred Crawford (34 vs. Rhode Island in 1961 East Regional first round/subsequently tied), Santa Clara's Dennis Awtrey (37 vs. Long Beach State in 1970 West Regional third-place contest) and Wichita State's Dave Stallworth (37 vs. Kansas State in 1964 Midwest Regional final) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Billy Knight (34 vs. Furman in 1974 East Regional semifinal) tied Pittsburgh's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard. . . . Wyoming's Fennis Dembo (41 vs. UCLA in 1987 West Regional second round) set Western Athletic Conference's NCAA playoff single-game scoring mark.
15 - Arizona State's Byron Scott (32 vs. Kansas in 1981 Midwest Regional second round), Boston College's John Bagley (35 vs. Wake Forest in 1981 Mideast Regional second round), Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson (56 vs. Arkansas in 1958 Midwest Regional third-place contest), George Mason's George Evans (27 vs. Maryland in 2001 West Regional first round), Louisville's Junior Bridgeman (36 vs. Rutgers in 1975 Midwest Regional first round), North Carolina's Lennie Rosenbluth (39 vs. Canisius in 1957 East Regional semifinal/subsequently tied), Rutgers' Phil Sellers (29 vs. Louisville in 1975 Midwest Regional first round), Virginia Commonwealth's Rolando Lamb (30 vs. Marshall in 1985 West Regional first round/subsequently tied) and West Virginia's Rod Thorn (44 vs. St. Joseph's in 1963 East Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. . . . Houston's Rob Gray (39 vs. San Diego State in 2018 West Regional first round) set American Athletic Conference's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard.
16 - Kentucky's Kenny Walker (11-of-11 vs. Western Kentucky in 1986 Southeast Regional second round) became only player in NCAA Tournament history to make all of more than 10 field-goal attempts in a single playoff game. . . . Temple's Fred Cohen (34 vs. Connecticut in 1956 NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinals) set school and NCAA Tournament single-game rebounding records. . . . Nate Thurmond (31 vs. Mississippi State in 1963 Mideast Regional third-place game) set Bowling Green's single-game rebounding record against a Division I opponent. . . . Alabama's Antonio McDyess (39 points vs. Penn in 1995 East Regional first round), Arkansas' Mario Credit (34 vs. Loyola Marymount in 1989 Midwest Regional first round), Loyola of Chicago's Jerry Harkness (33 vs. Illinois in 1963 Mideast Regional final), Northwestern's Bryant McIntosh (25 vs. Vanderbilt in 2017 West Regional first round), Pittsburgh's John Riser (34 vs. Notre Dame in 1957 Mideast Regional third-place contest), Southern Methodist's Jim Krebs (33 vs. St. Louis in 1957 Midwest Regional third-place contest), Virginia's Richard Morgan (33 vs. Providence in 1989 Southeast Regional first round/tied by him two days later) and Wake Forest's Len Chappell (34 vs. St. Joseph's in overtime in 1962 East Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. McIntosh's output occurred in Northwestern's first-ever tourney contest. JeQuan Lewis (30 vs. Saint Mary's in 2017 West Regional first round) tied Virginia Commonwealth's NCAA playoff single-game scoring mark. . . . Loyola Marymount's Bo Kimble (45 vs. New Mexico State in 1990 West Regional first round) set West Coast Conference's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard.
17 - Texas' Travis Mays (23-of-27 vs. Georgia in 1990 Midwest Regional first round) tied NCAA Tournament single-game record for most free-throws made. Mays (44 points), Auburn's Chris Morris (36 vs. Bradley in 1988 Southeast Regional first round), Baylor's Taurean Prince (28 vs. Yale in 2016 West Regional first round), Bradley's Hersey Hawkins (44 vs. Auburn in 1988 Southeast Regional first round), Dayton's Roosevelt Chapman (41 vs. Oklahoma in 1984 West Regional second round), DePaul's Dave Corzine (46 vs. Louisville in double overtime in 1978 Midwest Regional semifinal), Mississippi's Stefan Moody (26 vs. Brigham Young in 2015 First Four), New Mexico State's Teddy Allen (37 vs. Connecticut in 2022 West Regional first round), Oregon State's Gary Payton Sr. (31 vs. Evansville in 1989 West Regional first round), Texas A&M's Acie Law IV (26 vs. Louisville in 2007 South Regional second round/subsequently tied) and Virginia Tech's Glen Combs (29 vs. Indiana in 1967 Mideast Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards. Mays' point production is the highest in tourney history for an individual never named an All-American. Hawkins' output is also Missouri Valley Conference's NCAA playoff record. . . . Harvard's Bryce Aiken (38 vs. Yale in 2019 final) set Ivy League Tournament single-game scoring mark. . . . Maurice Stokes (43 vs. Dayton in 1955 NIT semifinals) set Saint Francis (PA) single-game scoring record against a Division I opponent. . . . In 1939, Villanova defeated Brown, 42-30, in the first NCAA Tournament game ever played. . . . Al Inniss (37 vs. Lafayette in 1956 NIT first round) set St. Francis NY single-game rebounding record.
18 - Loyola Marymount's Jeff Fryer (11 three-pointers vs. Michigan in 1990 West Regional second round) became the only player in NCAA playoff history to make more than 10 three-point field-goals in a single playoff game. . . . Arizona's Khalid Reeves (32 points vs. Loyola MD in 1994 West Regional first round/subsequently tied), Iowa State's Lafester Rhodes (34 vs. Georgia Tech in 1988 East Regional first round), Louisiana State's Bob Pettit (36 vs. Washington in 1953 national third-place contest/subsequently tied), Minnesota's Willie Burton (36 vs. Northern Iowa in 1990 Southeast Regional second round/subsequently tied) and Syracuse's Gerry McNamara (43 vs. Brigham Young in 2004 Phoenix Regional first round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Richard Morgan (33 vs. Middle Tennessee in 1989 Southeast Regional second round) tied his own Virginia NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard.
19 - Louisiana State's Shaquille O'Neal (11 rejections vs. Brigham Young in 1992 West Regional first round) set NCAA Tournament single-game record for most blocked shots. . . . Texas Southern's Aaric Murray (38 points vs. Cal Poly in 2014 First Four) became only HBCU player to score more than 30 in a single NCAA Division I Tournament game. . . . Butler's Shelvin Mack (30 vs. Pittsburgh in 2011 Southeast Regional second round), Georgetown's Reggie Williams (34 vs. Kansas in 1987 Southeast Regional semifinal/subsequently tied), Kansas State's Jacob Pullen (38 vs. Wisconsin in 2011 Southeast Regional second round), Massachusetts' Marcus Camby (32 vs. Maryland in 1994 Midwest Regional second round), Memphis' Roburt Sallie (35 vs. Cal State Northridge in 2009 West Regional first round), Michigan's Glen Rice (39 vs. Florida in 1988 West Regional second round), Nebraska's Eric Piatkowski (29 vs. New Mexico State in 1993 East Regional first round), Oklahoma's Stacey King (37 vs. Auburn in 1988 Southeast Regional second round/subsequently tied) and Wisconsin's Michael Finley (36 vs. Missouri in 1994 West Regional second round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards. Georgetown's Charles Smith (34 vs. Notre Dame in 1989 East Regional second round) and North Carolina State's Rodney Monroe (40 vs. Iowa in 1989 East Regional second round) tied school NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks.
20 - Duke's Mike Krzyzewski passed North Carolina's Dean Smith (65 victories) for the most coaching wins in NCAA Tournament history with a 63-55 second-round triumph against Mississippi State in 2005 Austin Regional. . . . Michigan State's Adrien Payne (17-for-17 from free-throw line vs. Delaware in 2014 East Regional opener) set NCAA Tournament single-game record for most successful foul shots without a miss. Payne (41 points), California's Lamond Murray (28 vs. Duke in 1993 Midwest Regional second round), Florida State's Sam Cassell (31 vs. Tulane in 1993 Southeast Regional second round), Missouri's Willie Smith (43 vs. Michigan in 1976 Midwest Regional final), Penn State's Jesse Arnelle (25 vs. Southern California in 1954 national third-place contest/tied his mark next season), South Carolina's Tom Riker (39 vs. Fordham in 1971 East Regional third-place contest) and Villanova's Howard Porter (35 vs. Penn in 1971 East Regional final) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards. Iowa State's Dedric Willoughby (34 vs. UCLA in 1997 Midwest Regional semifinal), Minnesota's Bobby Jackson (36 vs. Clemson in 1997 Midwest Regional semifinal) and Texas A&M's Josh Carter (26 vs. Brigham Young in 2008 first round) tied school NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks. . . . Princeton's Bill Bradley (58 vs. Wichita in 1965 national third-place contest) and UNLV's Armon Gilliam (38 vs. Wyoming in 1987 West Regional semifinal/tied eight days later by teammate Freddie Banks) set NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards for the Ivy League and Big West Conference, respectively. Bradley's output is the highest in any Final Four contest. . . . UCLA's Gail Goodrich (18 vs. Michigan in 1965 championship contest) established Final Four single-game record for most free throws made.
21 - UNC Wilmington's John Goldsberry became only player in NCAA Tournament history to make as many as eight three-pointers without a miss in single playoff game (against Maryland in 2003 South Regional first round). . . . Creighton's Doug McDermott (30 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette in 2014 West Regional first round), Drake's Jonathan Cox (29 vs. Western Kentucky in overtime in 2008 West Regional first round), Illinois' Deron Williams (31 vs. Cincinnati in 2004 Atlanta Regional second round), Miami's Jack McClinton (38 vs. Saint Mary's in 2008 South Regional first round), Mississippi State's Charles Rhodes (34 vs. Oregon in 2008 South Regional first round), Vanderbilt's Matt Freije (31 vs. North Carolina State in 2004 Phoenix Regional second round) and Washington State's Paul Lindemann (26 vs. Creighton in 1941 Western Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Shaquille O'Neal (36 vs. Indiana in 1992 West Regional second round) tied Louisiana State's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard. . . . Davidson's Stephen Curry (40 vs. Gonzaga in 2008 Midwest Regional first round) and North Carolina Central's Jeremy Ingram (28 vs. Iowa State in 2014 East Regional first round) established NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks for the Southern Conference and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, respectively.
22 - The only time in major-college history two undefeated teams met in a national postseason tournament was 1939 NIT final between Loyola of Chicago and Long Island University (LIU won, 44-32). . . . University of Chicago ended Penn's school-record 31-game winning streak (28-24 in 1920) and LIU ended Seton Hall's school-record 41-game winning streak (49-26 in 1941 NIT semifinals). . . . Duquesne's Jim Tucker (29 points vs. Illinois in 1952 East Regional final), Iowa's Bill Logan (36 vs. Temple in 1956 national semifinal/subsequently tied), Kansas' Clyde Lovellette (44 vs. St. Louis in 1952 West Regional final), St. John's Bob Zawoluk (32 vs. Kentucky in 1952 East Regional final), Stanford's Brook Lopez (30 vs. Marquette in 2008 South Regional second round) and Texas Tech's Jarrett Culver (29 vs. Northern Kentucky in 2019 West Regional first round) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. In 2021, Luka Garza (36 vs. Oregon in West Regional second round) tied Iowa's standard.
23 - Hal Lear (48 points vs. Southern Methodist in 1956 NCAA Tournament national third-place contest) set Temple's single-game scoring record against a Division I opponent. In addition to Lear, Clemson's Gabe DeVoe (31 vs. Kansas in 2018 Midwest Regional semifinal), Gonzaga's Brandon Clarke (36 vs. Baylor in 2019 West Regional second round) and Oregon's Tajuan Porter (33 vs. UNLV in 2007 Midwest Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standards. . . . San Francisco's Bill Russell (27 vs. Iowa in 1956 championship contest) established Final Four single-game mark for most rebounds.
24 - Askia Jones (62 points vs. Fresno State in 1994 NIT quarterfinals) set Kansas State's single-game scoring record. . . . Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox (39 vs. UCLA in 2017 South Regional semifinal) set NCAA Tournament single-game scoring standard by a freshman. . . . Florida's KeVaughn Allen (35 vs. Wisconsin in overtime in 2017 East Regional semifinal), Indiana State's Larry Bird (35 vs. DePaul in 1979 national semifinal) and Purdue's Glenn Robinson Jr. (44 vs. Kansas in 1994 Southeast Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records. Arizona's Derrick Williams (32 vs. Duke in 2011 West Regional semifinal) and Connecticut's Kemba Walker (36 vs. San Diego State in 2011 West Regional semifinal) tied school NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks.
25 - Eventual 10-year N.L. OF Frankie Baumholtz scored a team-high 19 points for Ohio University in 1941 NIT final defeat against LIU. . . . Connecticut's Ray Allen (36 points vs. UCLA in 1995 West Regional final/subsequently tied), Dartmouth's Audley Brindley (28 vs. Ohio State in 1944 Eastern Regional final), Georgia Tech's Dennis Scott (40 vs. Minnesota in 1990 Southeast Regional final), St. Joseph's Jack Egan (42 vs. Utah in 1961 national third-place contest) and Xavier's Jordan Crawford (32 vs. Kansas State in 2010 West Regional semifinal) set school NCAA playoff single-game scoring records.
26 - UCLA's Bill Walton (44 points vs. Memphis State in 1973) set NCAA Tournament championship game scoring record by sinking a Final Four standard 21-of-22 field-goal attempts (95.5%). Walton's output remains a school NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard. . . . DePaul's Mark Aguirre (34 vs. Penn in 1979 national third-place game) set Final Four single-game scoring mark by a freshman. . . . Buddy Hield (37 vs. Oregon in 2016 West Regional final) tied Oklahoma's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record.
27 - Jim McDaniels (36 points vs. Kansas in 1971 national third-place contest) set Western Kentucky's NCAA playoff single-game scoring record and Ben Gordon (36 vs. Alabama in 2004 Phoenix Regional final) tied Connecticut's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard. . . . Garrison Mathews (44 at North Carolina State in 2019 NIT) established Lipscomb's single-game scoring mark at Division I level.
28 - UNLV's Mark Wade (18 vs. Indiana in 1987 national semifinal) set NCAA Tournament single-game record for most assists. Teammate Freddie Banks established Final Four mark for most three-point field goals with 10. Banks established the Big West Conference mark and tied the Rebels' NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard with 38 points against IU. Also tying school NCAA playoff single-game scoring marks were Iowa State's Dustin Hogue (34 vs. Connecticut in 2014 East Regional semifinal) and North Carolina's Al Wood (39 vs. Virginia in 1981 national semifinal). Wood's output set scoring record for NCAA Tournament national semifinal game.
30 - Doremus Bennerman (51 points vs. Kansas State in 1994 NIT third-place game at Madison Square Garden) set Siena's single-game scoring record. . . . Juan Dixon (34 vs. Kansas in 2002 national semifinal) established Maryland's NCAA playoff single-game scoring standard.
31 - Villanova made Final Four-record 18 three-pointers (2018 national semifinal vs. Kansas). . . . Kansas' Jeff Withey (7 rejections vs. Ohio State in 2012 national semifinal) set record for most blocked shots in a Final Four game since they became an official statistic. . . . Duke made the largest comeback in Final Four history, erasing a 22-point deficit to defeat Maryland (95-84 in 2001 national semifinal).
APRIL
3 - John Morton (35 points vs. Michigan in 1989 national final) set Seton Hall's existing NCAA playoff single-game scoring record.
Memorable Moments in February College Basketball History
Memorable Moments in January College Basketball History
Memorable Moments in December College Basketball History
Memorable Moments in November College Basketball History
Transferring Talent: Tshiebwe Thrives With UK After Transferring From WVU
"Stepping onto a brand new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation which is not nurturing." - Maya Angelou
Whether schools are simply filling out a roster with a backup or chasing a pot of gold at the end of a Larry Bird-created rainbow jumper, they seem to be looking around every corner and under every rock for a transfer. Bird left a potential powerhouse at Indiana but never played for the Hoosiers before becoming national player of the year with Indiana State. The majority of All-American transfers depart from universities that currently are power-league members.
How many All-Americans actually played varsity basketball for two different four-year schools? The average is about one every two years. Duke and Kansas, two of the five schools with the most All-Americans in history, had their first transfer in that category during the previous decade - Duke guard Seth Curry (Liberty) and KU center Jeff Withey (Arizona). Of course, the premier player in this category in 2021-22 is Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe, who transferred from West Virginia after averaging 10.6 ppg and 8.9 rpg for the Mountaineers in 2019-20 and first semester of 2020-21. Tshiebwe is shaping up as becoming the first transfer ever to become national player of the year after competing in games with another four-year school. He has a chance to become the first player to average more than 15 rpg since Alcorn State's Larry Smith in 1979-80 (15.1).
Mississippi State lost a transfer All-American when Ben Hansbrough departed for Notre Dame but the Bulldogs had their own player in this category earlier this century after Lawrence Roberts left Baylor. In an era when transfers have almost become an obsession for various reasons, there was a modest uptick in the ratio with seven All-Americans in this category in a six-year span from 2000 through 2005 before Louisville's Luke Hancock (George Mason) became Final Four Most Outstanding Player. Tshiebwe will join the following alphabetical list of A-As who began their collegiate career at another four-year school:
*Attended junior college between four-year school stints.
NOTE: Burgess was an Air Force veteran.
Senior Celebrations: Pensive Parents Pause at Heart-Tugging Homecourt Exits
Naturally, coast-to-coast parental pride displayed during Senior Night or Day the end of February and early March doesn't necessarily need to stem from athletics. Amid proper priorities (including not always being offended by characters in Dr. Seuss books), your child didn't have to be the best but he had to try his level best even amid a disruptive coronavirus.
A parent knows life goes on after the anticipation of a senior salute. But how can a mom and dad express appreciation for all of the memories shared together?
Adding sports as a factor for authentic student-athletes makes the lessons-learned equation more complex. Culminating at bittersweet senior celebration, it takes a significant amount of resilience to endure withdrawal from all of the devotion and emotion, last-second decisive shots, motivational talks coping with occasional slump, chance to dance in postseason competition, title dream dashed in close contest, team awards banquet, etc., etc., etc.
Who would have thought the first time he picked up a ball that he would make such a difference and stand so tall? Reflecting on all they've experienced, the parent is fortunate to still have a pulse whether their offspring is a walk-on or walks to center court as team standout.
It's easy enough to substitute girl for boy in the following poem portraying a parent trying to come to terms with an impending spread-their-wings departure; whether it be from high school to college or from college to the "real world." These reflections might be therapeutic if you went through a similar range of emotions amid whatever success your own flesh and blood enjoyed along the way.
Lord, there's a little thing I need to know
Where in the world did my little boy go?
Perplexed from time to time but one thing I know today
I'm a proud parent beyond words; what more can I say
Kids go through stages but not with this sort of speed
It was only yesterday he was unable to read
Wasn't it just months ago he went from crawl to walk
Hard-headed as a mule; certainly knew how to balk
Took one day at a time raising him the very best we could
Now inspires those around him just like we believed he would
High achiever turning a corner in his life
He has got what it takes to cope with any strife
Can't carry a tune but set school shooting star records
Now, the game-of-life clock dwindles from minutes to seconds
So angels above please watch over him daily
Although some of his antics may drive you crazy
He represents everything that I value the most
For that very reason, I'm offering a toast
But if he feels sorry for himself and about to give up
Do not hesitate to give him a gentle kick in the rump
Remembering what I did wrong but at least a couple things right
Always said you could do it; just try with all your might
I just yearn to see all of his grandest plans come true
God, it's my turn to have a great commission for You
Be with him, bless him and give him nothing but success
Aid his climb up that mountain; settle for nothing less
Guide his steps in the dark and rain
Pick up the pieces and ease any pain
Time to share our best with the remainder of the world
It is much like having a family flag unfurled
How can a once infant son make grown man cry
Groping for right words trying to say goodbye
To me, he'll always be a pure and spotless lamb
Cradled in our arms or holding his little hand
If I was Elton John, I'd tell everyone this is "Your Poem"
Simply sing how wonderful life was with you in our home
My soul swells with pride at any mention of you
How long gone are you going to be; wish I knew
Sure don't believe it is at all out of line
To seek to rebound for you just one more time
Although you're going to be many miles away
I will see you in my heart each and every day
So go down that windy path; don't you dare look back
You've found faith; it will keep you on the right track
He's headed for real world and all it offers
But first, here are your final marching orders
Always do the very best you possibly can
Refuse to lose even when you don't understand
There's no telling the goals you will be able to reach
By giving proper respect to instructors who teach
Aspire each and every day you wake
Not to waste a single breath you take
Might as well let all of your ability show
Because those gifts turn to dust whenever you "go"
Don't bury your talents in the ground
Lend helping hand to those you're around
I'll never forget the times when you were all you could be
Rose to the occasion and sent playoff game to OT
Cherish all the moments - the hugs and tears
For all your passion play through these years
My little guy is bound far beyond a Final Four
Poised for more success; prosperity at his door
All things are possible; he has found out
How much I love him is what I'm thinking about
Wherever you go, you'll be best from beginning to end
To that most truthful statement, I say Amen and Amen
After Senior Night, I'll stroll into your off-limits room
Try to keep my composure when it seems like doom and gloom
You will always be on my mind
But nothing like gut-wrenching time
When I ask the Lord a big thing I need to know
Where in His big world will His maturing man go?
Presidential Candidates Way: Numerous College Hoopers Became Politicians
Much is written about college basketball in the daily newspaper sports pages, weekly/monthly specialty magazines and on the internet. But you might be surprised the extent to which the written word beyond The Audacity of Hoop, much of it outside the world of sports, emanates from former college basketball players who became politicians.
For instance, politician extraordinaire Dean Rusk, Davidson's most noted alumnus pre-Stephen Curry who wrote his memoirs in the book As I Saw It, was a star center in the late 1920s and early 1930s with former Davidson President Dr. D. Grier Martin (1957 until 1968).
"Basketball at Davidson reminds me of the old French proverb, 'Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose,'" said Rusk, who served as Secretary of State under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War era. "The game itself has been revolutionized since I played it. We once beat North Carolina 17-12; it was not a slowdown game. We both were trying like everything. What has remained the same has been the sheer fun of it, the stimulation of competition, the experience of losing as well as winning and the recognition that basketball is a sport in which a small college can take on the big fellows."
Former Princeton All-American Bill Bradley, a three-term U.S. Senator (Democrat-N.J.) until 1995, took on the "big fellows" as a presidential candidate in 2000 and wrote a book called We Can All Do Better. Bradley, a tax and trade expert with a strong voice on race issues and campaign finance reform, authored two basketball volumes (Life on the Run in 1976 and Values of the Game in 1998).
"The lessons learned from it (basketball) stay with you," Rhodes Scholar Bradley wrote of the sport he still loves. "I was determined that no one would outwork me."
The information is as difficult to pry loose as liberal lunatics in #MessMedia acknowledging recently-deceased Rush Limbaugh was infinitely more talented than them for decades, transcripts of #ShrillaryRotten's overpaid speeches before Wall Street benefactors and ledger detailing Congressional slush-fund payouts regarding representatives trafficking in creepy stuff. You might not know it, but there is a striking number of luminaries who displayed determination in the political arena and wrote books after "working the crowd" in a college basketball arena. Majority of them boasted a mite more dignity than disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and backtracking press puke previously fawning over him. Essentially, the following lineup represents a rebuttal to the chronic complainers who cite politicians generally and writers specifically as individuals who don't know anything about sports generally and college hoops specifically. In deference to Presidents' Day, following is an alphabetical list of additional politicians-turned-authors who played the game:
SCOTT BROWN, Tufts (Mass.)
Stunning upset victory in special election in January 2010, becoming the first Republican elected to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate since 1979. Brown, filling the Senate seat that opened when Ted Kennedy died the previous August, drove his GMC Canyon pickup with over 200,000 miles on it everywhere during a savvy campaign. Authored a book Against All Odds released in 2011.
At Tufts (class of '81), he was known as "Downtown" Scotty Brown because of his long-range marksmanship. Averaging 9 ppg as a freshman in 1977-78, he earned an ECAC Rookie of the Week award that season. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.9 ppg and scored 35 points in a victory against Bowdoin. As a junior, he made 54.3% of his shots and had back-to-back games of 26 and 25 points against Curry and Trinity, respectively, en route to averaging 10.8 ppg. Senior co-captain capped his career with a 10.3-point scoring average, including a 35-point outburst against Brandeis. "He was not born with great basketball attributes," said his coach (John White) in a feature about Brown during his senior season. "He has gone beyond his limitations, which is very admirable." Converted more than half of his career field-goal attempts (422 of 853). Brown's 6-0 daughter, Ayla, was a starting guard most of her career with Boston College from 2006-07 through 2009-10, posting career highs of 18 points against Clemson and 14 rebounds against Wake Forest. Ayla has also released three albums after being a semifinalist in the fifth season of "American Idol," impressing the judges with her rendition of Christina Aguilera's "Reflection."
ROBERT CASEY, Holy Cross
Pennsylvania's 42nd governor served two terms from 1987 to 1995 after winning in his fourth attempt for the office. Casey, a coal miner's son, ran in the Democratic presidential primary in 1996. Pro-life candidate suffered from a rare hereditary disease that caused him to become a heart-liver transplant recipient. He died in late May, 2000, at the age of 68.
He was a 6-2 freshman in 1949-50 when Holy Cross senior Bob Cousy was an NCAA unanimous first-team All-American. The 6-2 Casey averaged 1.3 ppg in 1950-51 and 1952-53. Excerpt from Casey's 1996 autobiography Fighting for Life: "I remember best the moments I was on the court with Cousy. He was an icon in the making - a genius with a basketball. Our freshman team provided cannon fodder for Cousy and the rest of the varsity team in practice. What I remember most about Cousy was that he was always the first guy on the court at night, refining his moves a hundred times before practice even started."
WILLIAM COHEN, Bowdoin (Maine)
Moderate Republican was Secretary of Defense in President Clinton's administration after serving as a Senator from Maine. He moonlighted as an author and had a stint in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. Cohen's first bask in the national spotlight came when he voted, as a House member, to impeach President Nixon. In 1992, he pushed to reauthorize the "independent counsel" law and became a founder of the Republican Majority Coalition. "In team sports, there's a game plan," Cohen said in Ira Berkow's Court Vision. "When you're talking military it's still a game plan, but it's a war plan.
It's either how to prevent a war from taking place or what happens if you have to go to war and how you structure your forces, what happens if, what are the contingency plans, what is the escalation. All of that is not identical to a game plan, but it's training and practice." Cohen wrote The New Art of the Leader among several books, including mysteries, poetry and (with George Mitchell) an analysis of the Iran-contra affair. His second wife is author Janet Langhart, who was known as "First Lady of the Pentagon" during Cohen's tenure as Secretary.
The New England Basketball All-Star Hall of Fame inductee led Bowdoin in scoring all three varsity seasons from 1959-60 through 1961-62 (career-high 16 ppg as a junior). "A two-handed set shot was obsolete in college when I was playing, but I shot it," Cohen said. "I was able to shoot it from very far and get it off very fast. Dolph Schayes was kind of a role model for me."
ROBERT J. DOLE, Kansas
Represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1997. Senate majority leader from 1985 to 1987 and again starting in 1995 when he began his third quest for the Republican presidential nomination. He was the Republican nominee for Vice President as Gerald Ford's running mate in 1976.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Ben Cramer described Dole as a good player who "could handle the ball, shooting that newfangled one-hand push shot, and big and tough under the boards." Member of Kansas freshman basketball team in 1942-43 for one semester before enlisting in the Army during World War II, where his right shoulder was destroyed in a mortar barrage in the Italian mountains. He spent 39 months in and out of hospitals, returning to his hometown of Russell, Kan., to recuperate from the wound that also cost him a kidney. A book about his recovery, A Soldier's Story, was published in 2005.
JOHN H. GLENN JR., Muskingum (Ohio)
U.S. Senator (Democrat from Ohio) for 24 years and former astronaut. In 1962, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. Nearly 40 years later, he became the oldest human to enter space when he joined the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998. Among the seven candidates who lost to Walter Mondale for the 1984 Democratic Party nomination.
In Glenn's memoir, he wrote: "I went out for the freshman basketball squad and made that, but I noticed that while I had not gotten any faster or grown any taller, the other players had." He also played freshman football in college before World War II interrupted his career. "Each individual has to prepare himself to do his very best, whether it's in an individual or team sport," Glenn said. "In team sports, you have to have great teamwork to reach any goal, which is exactly what we have to do in life after athletics and college."
AL GORE, Harvard
Democratic Presidential nominee against George W. Bush in 2000 waged a long-shot campaign for president in 1988, when he was 39. Vice President in Bill Clinton's administration was a Senator from Tennessee after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1985. Shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize after his film An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary on global warming, won an Academy Award. Gore's book with the same title was published concurrently with the theatrical release. For the "Unabomber" crowd that believes dinosaurs became extinct because they burped and farted too much, he subsequently wrote similar environmental-related books called The Assault on Reason, Our Choice and Earth in the Balance.
Gore averaged 2.8 ppg for Harvard's 12-4 freshman team in 1965-66. In the biography Inventing Al Gore, he was described as "rarely playing but working on his game incessantly." His competitive drive led him to challenge roommates "out of the blue" to push-ups, a vestige of the boyhood regimen imposed by his Senator father. He "wanted to challenge you or himself, intellectually or physically. He was always, 'I bet I can beat you at the last thing you did.'"
LEE H. HAMILTON, DePauw (Ind.)
Vice Chairman of 9/11 Commission and co-chair of Iraq Study Group in 2006 was a leading Democratic voice on foreign policy and a steadying force in the House of Representatives for 34 years from 1965 through 1998. He chaired three committees - Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Joint Economic - and was the ranking minority member of the House International Relations Committee. Representing Indiana's Ninth District, he retained not only his crew cut but also his moderate, common-sense approach and a Methodist work ethic that got him to his office nearly every day before 6 a.m. Wrote a book called How Congress Works and Why You Should Care.
Ranked fourth on DePauw's career scoring list when he graduated in 1952. The 6-4 Hamilton led the team in scoring as a junior (11.4 ppg) and was the second-leading scorer as a sophomore (9.8 ppg) and senior (10.9 ppg).
VANCE HARTKE, Evansville
Mayor of Evansville before serving as U.S. Senator from Indiana (1959-77). Democrat ran for President in 1972 as an anti-war candidate, finishing as high as fifth in the New Hampshire Primary. He wrote four books, including "The American Crisis in Vietnam."
Graduated in 1940.
HENRY "HANK" HYDE, Georgetown/Duke
Starting out as a Democrat, he became a 12-term Republican Congressman from Illinois and eventual chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. His towering stature as a lawmaker made him the ideal GOP point-man to lead an impeachment inquiry of President Clinton. Wrote books called Moral Universe and Forfeiting Our Property Rights.
He was a forward-center for Georgetown's 1943 NCAA Tournament runner-up that compiled a 22-5 record. The 6-3 Hyde scored two points in a 53-49 victory over a Chicago hometown team, DePaul, and fellow freshman George Mikan in the Eastern Regional final (playoff semifinals) before going scoreless in a championship game loss against Wyoming. "I can only say about the way I guarded him (Mikan scored one point in the second half) that I will burn in purgatory," Hyde deadpanned. "The rules were considerably bent." The next season as a Naval trainee at Duke, he earned a letter but was scoreless in the Blue Devils' 44-27 Southern Conference championship game victory over North Carolina. Hyde served as an ensign in the Asiatic and Pacific Theaters during World War II before re-enrolling at Georgetown, where he graduated in 1947. Twenty-one years later, Clinton earned his diploma from the same university. Sketch of Hyde in Georgetown guide: "Possesses a pivot shot, difficult to stop, and a shot made while cutting from the bucket to give his scoring threats a double edge."
TOM McMILLEN, Maryland
Co-chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness under Bill Clinton. Elected in 1987 as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland. From 1991 to 2003, he served on the Knight Foundation's Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics investigating abuses within college sports. He is co-author of Out of Bounds, a book on sports and ethics in America.
The 6-11 center averaged 20.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in three seasons for Maryland from 1971-72 through 1973-74. Member of 1972 U.S. Olympic team is the only player in Terrapins history to have a career scoring average above 20 ppg. Averaged 8.1 points and four rebounds in 11 NBA seasons (1975-76 through 1985-86) with four different franchises.
GEORGE MITCHELL, Bowdoin (Maine)
Devout Democrat assumed position as Majority Leader in 1989 after arriving in the Senate from Maine in 1980. The son of a janitor received more than 80% of the vote in 1988. He served as independent chairman of talks that culminated in the signing of the Northern Ireland peace accord in April, 1998 and was tapped by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to spearhead an investigation into the use of performance-enhancing drugs by players. Mitchell served as Disney Chairman of the Board from March 2004 until January 2007. He has written several books - Not For America Alone, World on Fire and Making Peace.
Wiry point guard was a senior in 1953-54 when he scored eight points in eight games.
SAM NUNN, Georgia Tech
Democratic Senator from Georgia retired in 1996 after four six-year terms. Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, who served in the Coast Guard, helped defeat President Clinton's intention to allow open gays and lesbians in the military. He authored books on working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
His sketch is included in the 1957-58 Georgia Tech guide as a non-scholarship sophomore. However, Nunn is not included in the 1957-58 school scoring statistics, which include all players who scored, and is not listed on the 1958-59 roster. His son, Brian, played for Emory University in Atlanta.
BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA, Occidental (Calif.)
U.S. Senator from Illinois outlasted Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election before defeating Republican John McCain to become the nation's first African-American commander-in-chief. Authored a book entitled Audacity of Hope.
The 6-1 1/2 lefthander played on Occidental's junior varsity squad in 1979-80 before transferring to Columbia and subsequently attending Harvard Law School. In Dreams From My Father, Obama described basketball as a comfort to a boy whose father was mostly absent, and who was one of only a few black youths at his school in Hawaii. "At least on the basketball court I could find a community of sorts," he wrote. Pickup basketball was his escape from the sport of politics. Brother-in-law Craig Robinson, a two-time Ivy League MVP with Princeton, was Oregon State's coach when Obama was elected.
PAUL SARBANES, Princeton
Democrat served as a member of House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977 and Maryland Senator from 1977 to 2007. Consistent and staunch advocate for Greek-American issues. His son, John, held dad's old House seat.
Teammate of eventual MLB pitcher Dave Sisler scored 19 points in 12 games in 1951-52, including a made free throw against Dayton in East Regional third-place game.
ALAN K. SIMPSON, Wyoming
U.S. Senator from Wyoming (1978-96) was a staunch conservative and loyal lieutenant to Republican leader Bob Dole. Simpson's father, Milward, served in the same capacity (1962-67). The younger Simpson, who garnered 78% of the vote in 1984, served as chairman of Veterans' Affairs and Social Security and Family Policy. He charmed the Washington establishment with his earthy wit and folksy wisdom, becoming somewhat of a media darling because of his pithy quotes. Simpson authored a book Right in the Old Gazoo - a lifetime of scraping with the Press.
Forward-center earned a letter in 1952-53 after scoring seven points in six games for a team that went on to participate in the NCAA Tournament. He also played football for the Cowboys.
JOHN THUNE, Biola (Calif.)
South Dakota member of House of Representatives from 1997 to 2003 until the Republican defeated Democratic Senate leader Tom Daschle in 2004.
The 6-4 Thune played two seasons (1979-80 and 1982-83), averaging 1.9 ppg and 1.6 rpg in 37 games while shooting 40% from the floor and 73.3% from the free-throw line.
MORRIS "MO" UDALL, Arizona
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1961 to 1991) and candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. Brother of former Secretary of the Interior Stew Udall served as Chairman of the House Interior and Insular Affairs. Stemming from his wit, columnist James J. Kilpatrick labeled him "too funny to be president," which wound up being the title of his autobiography.
He was the Wildcats' captain and second-leading scorer with an average of 10 points per game for the 1946-47 Border Conference titlist finishing with a 21-3 record. The next year, he was the leading scorer (13.3 average) on an Arizona squad that successfully defended its league crown. The 6-5, 200-pound forward-center was named to the first five on the 1947-48 Border Conference all-star team and finished second in the league in scoring. He played with Denver in the National Basketball League in 1948-49.
Back-to-Back Years of Ugly Incidents Involving Tough-Guy UM Coach Howard
Did classless Michigan coach Juwan Howard get this fighting mad about a timeout when Wolverines teammate Chris Webber committed a mental blunder requesting one leading to a technical foul in 1993 NCAA Tournament championship contest against North Carolina? Don't think so. Not wanting to possibly offend sensibilities of The Undefeated, equally classless were ESPN (Extra Sensitive Pious Network) "proper-tone experts" Jay Bilas and Seth Greenberg tiptoeing around Howard's hubris as they conveniently overlooked comparable ugly incident from less than a year ago involving now repeat offender.
A suspension for rest of regular season hit Howard in light of similar unacceptable intimidation tactics in 2021 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals when he was ejected after towering over another coach (ex-Maryland mentor Mark Turgeon) reportedly yelling, "I'm gonna f---king kill you." Howard, ESPN blowhards, the conference office and school's athletic department apparently learned absolutely nothing from last year's embarrassing escapade. In fact, this leader of men received a five-year contract extension and hefty raise in salary from UM's sports factory praising him for "his great character second to none." Should university rewrite that release or Big Tech will ban them for spreading misinformation? Penalty probably should have included having Turgeon serving as the Wolverines' interim coach while Howard sits and sulks with his mask on.
After another subpar performance, Howard could have acknowledged timeout probably allowed sufficient time for his son (Jace) to score a rare basket for his underachieving club (ranked sixth nationally in preseason but tied for seventh in Big Ten). Instead, he offered a feeble postgame explanation sans apology regarding Wisconsin calling a seemingly gratuitous TO with 15 seconds left. Apparently incapable of comprehending gravity of his actions, there was no word from finger-pointing Howard about what triggered his Will Smith-like bitch-slapping a Wisconsin assistant coach. Did aide say something about UM continuing to full-court press backups/walk-ons while having starter still in game down 19 in last 30 seconds or longstanding inability to control himself (number of different baby mamas or previous herpes allegations)? Was combative Chicago product expecting Wisconsin to reach out and "touch him" in manner Michigan representatives arranged at Detroit's Pontchartrain Hotel on Fraud Five (no Big Ten regular-season titles) stimulating recruiting trip in spring of 1991 apparently commencing string of baby mamas?
Perhaps tough-guy scholar's next world-class spin will be to shift gears and blame Donald Trump's mean tweets for this physical assault specifically and on our intelligence generally. In the meantime, maybe Plagiarist Bidumb, Cacklin' Kamala, Al "Not So" Sharpton, Joyless Reid and BLM activists will start raising funds if bail money is ever required for another vile incident.
Black Magic: Hill of Beans Going From Power Conference to Impotent HBCU
After integration finally swung open the doors of higher education to everyone with any modicum of intellectual motivation, enrollment at HBCUs (Historically-Black Colleges and Universities) steadily declined and athletic programs nosedived nearly into oblivion. Understandably, the vast majority of the premier African-American athletes follow the alluring money trail to superior facilities and greater exposure rather than enroll any longer at HBCUs. Actually, most HBCU institutions currently are imprisoned at the NCAA DI level, where collectively the Washington Generals of college entertainment are little more than indentured servants doing the bidding of their major-university masters; almost always getting whipped on the road as sacrificial lambs during non-conference competition. HBCUs also suffer from substandard scholastic standards typified by nine of their institutions having athletic programs failing to reach Academic Progress Rate threshold required to compete in the 2021 postseason.
It's not a Trumped-up "go back to where you came from" but, if anything, the MEAC and SWAC should simply return to DII significance. Seven different historically-black colleges and universities advancing to the NCAA DI level captured a total of nine NAIA and NCAA College Division Tournament championships in a 21-year span from 1957 through 1977 (Tennessee State from 1957 through 1959, Grambling '61, Prairie View '62, Winston-Salem State '67, Morgan State '74, Coppin State '76 and Texas Southern '77). Coppin State is the lone school in this group to go on and post a triumph in the NCAA Division I playoffs. Thus, anyone making mistaken assumption premier players such as Makur Maker (Howard University) picking a HBCU to attend, rather than a power-conference member, will become trendy is simple perpetually-perplexed victim of poor public-school education emphasizing ebonics. Patronizing Plagiarist Bi-dumb pretends he attended Delaware State, but HBCUs don't have access to $400,000 to consistently reel in regal recruits. There is more of a chance MEAC/SWAC members will depart similar to Hampton and North Carolina A&T for league resembling Big South Conference than HBCU schools reviving their glory years as delusional pipedream depicted on ESPN's Rhoden Road Trip.
With that historical background yielding a mite more perspective than diversity demonstrated by "open-minded" bloc voting for one party more than 90% of the time, let's also proclaim the political acumen part of journalistic jackal Jemelle Hill's brain couldn't fill an identity-politics thimble worthy of toppling any riot-worthy statue. The savvy shortfall is akin to another Michigan misfit, Odd Squad Congresswoman Tlaib, and fellow ultra-liberal Dimorats #MadMaxine, Sheila #Jackass-Lee and Ayanna "Don't Need Black Faces That Don't Want to Be Black Voice" Pressley. Exhibit A for jaded viewpoint of Hill, the sports world's progressive press puke playpen equivalent of NPR freedom-of-the-press hypocrite April Ryan, is her genius admonition imploring African-American "supremacist" athletes to abandon attending PWIs (Predominantly White Institutions) for HBCUs. Does Hill really believe hoopdom can go back to her "good old days" when a total of 23 products from HBCU schools presently at the NCAA Division I level were among top 22 NBA draft choices in 20-year span from 1957 through 1976. Such a ploy doesn't quite seem to be a sweet "art of the deal" insofar as Norfolk State's Kyle O'Quinn (2012) is the only HBCU product chosen in last 15 NBA drafts and no HBCU school over four decades has reached a Sweet 16 in the NCAA DI Tournament while winning an anemic 10% of their postseason games.
What do you have to lose accepting Hill's repulsive racial profiling resembling throwing buckets of water on policemen? Can you say dignity? Her HBCU thesis is an affront to the many courageous hoopers who broke the color barrier 50 and 60 years ago. By wandering off progressive plantation, they are looked upon by her ilk similar to life in womb in NYC, where thousands more black babies are aborted than born alive each year (a/k/a black genocide advocated by Planned Murderhood founder Margaret Sanger). In a nutshell, Hill is a do-as-I-provocatively-say; not-as-I-do-before-lecturing-you huckster. Why didn't ivory-tower social engineer attend TSU or a MEAC/SWAC member rather than a power-conference affiliate (Michigan State) to achieve her personal goals? While perhaps having a valid point if restricted to Trump University (no athletic program), the doltish former ESPN shrew shouldn't get critical welfare after showing how unfit and unqualified she was by failing to unearth the Larry Nassar predator scandal at her alma mater while managing editor at the State News or as a writer for the Detroit Free Press. Perhaps she should have been as aggressive with story as when we witnessed content of her character via fake NASCAR noose for driver Bubba Wallace-Smollett. Assessing the mental gymnastics exhibited by Hill and her equally-inept colleagues, the derelicts in duty need to don some enabler shame stemming from incompetence virtually allowing Nassar's sexual-abuse atrocities before, after and during six years she covered MSU. Prior to abusing our sensibilities about what an athlete is worth to a university, failed-at-my-job Hill should pay reparations by purchasing and reading abuse survivor gymnast Rachael Denhollander's memoir What is a Girl Worth? Unless, of course, her life didn't matter; let alone numerous other female gymnasts due to color of their skin. Blame game can go both ways.
Value wasn't much when all but two of the 25 HBCUs had at least one season with 20 defeats in a six-year span from 2003-04 through 2008-09 while Hill toiled for the Free Press and Orlando Sentinel prior to securing spot for her political pap at the Extra Sensitive Pious Network (ESPN). The pair of HBCU institutions emerging unscathed during that stretch were Hampton (worst record was 13-17 in 2003-04) and Norfolk State (11-19 in 2006-07). But in an attempt by someone who actually met the real G-Man "White Tiger" firsthand (not actor Bruce Jenner who played QB role in movie) to avoid being levied a $4.5 million fine by the U.S. Department of Education for withholding handout to lame-stream #MessMedia maven "needing a history lesson," following are additional relevant HBCU basketball historical nuggets for Hubris Hill to utilize in any way the genuine racist and bigot sees fit. Perhaps she and chest-pounding #Dimorat operative #DonnaBrazilla will pass this inside Basketball Jones intel on to certain "Dem(wit)" presidential candidates for an edge in any debate. At a bare minimum, maybe know-it-all Hill can help #Brazilla secure direct access for the FBI to investigate hacked DNC computer server while incessantly spewing how racist you and sports are at her new gig (massive failure CNNminus).
A computer database isn't necessary to know there has been only two HBCU regulars on NBA rosters the last half of past decade (O'Quinn and Tennessee State undrafted free agent Robert Covington). O'Quinn is one of only three HBCU products (all second-rounders) picked in an NBA draft over the past 23 years (a/k/a length of time since Not Worth a Hill of Beans graduated from college). That's a stark contrast to average of three HBCU draftees annually selected in first two rounds in five-year span from 1974 through 1978 after a total of 10 different HBCU schools produced players among the top 69 picks in 1969. The next season (1969-70), Southern schools Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina crossed the color barrier by featuring an African-American on their freshman basketball squad for the first time. As a further means of comparison, 17 straight NBA drafts from 1969 through 1985 had an HBCU product selected in first two rounds (total of 37 such players) despite the league not having more than 18 franchises until absorbing four ABA teams in 1976.
We presume Hill is referring to a HBCU school such as Grambling, which never has appeared in the NCAA DI playoffs. Success wasn't so difficult to find for the Tigers at the small-college level where they belong in order to thrive again. Beginning with third-rounder Charles Hardnett in 1962, they supplied one of the top 21 NBA draft choices four consecutive years through 1965. The majority of them didn't perform at the NCAA DI level, but following at the top of the hill is a ranking of the all-time top 25 HBCU players (a dozen from Grambling if include alphabetical list of honorable mention selections acknowledged below):
Rank | HBCU Player | Pos. | HBCU School |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Earl "The Pearl" Monroe | G | Winston-Salem State (N.C.) 64-67 |
2. | Willis Reed | C | Grambling (La.) 61-64 |
3. | Elmore Smith | C | Kentucky State 69-71 |
4. | Dick Barnett | G | Tennessee A&I 56-59 |
5. | Travis "Machine Gun" Grant | F | Kentucky State 69-72 |
6. | Zelmo Beaty | C | Prairie View A&M (Tex.) 59-62 |
7. | Marvin "The Human Eraser" Webster | C | Morgan State (Md.) 72-75 |
8. | Sam Jones | G | North Carolina Central 52-57 (missed two seasons serving in military) |
9. | Lindsey Hunter | G | Alcorn State (Miss.)/Jackson State (Miss.) 89-93 |
10. | Purvis Short | F | Jackson State (Miss.) 75-78 |
11. | Cleo Hill | G | Winston-Salem State (N.C.) 58-61 |
12. | Bob "Butterbean" Love | F | Southern (La.) 62-65 |
13. | Bob Dandridge | F | Norfolk State (Va.) 66-69 |
14. | Leonard "Truck" Robinson | F | Tennessee State 71-74 |
15. | Anthony Mason | F | Tennessee State 85-88 |
16. | Larry Smith | F | Alcorn State (Miss.) 77-80 |
17. | Ben Wallace | F | Virginia Union 95-96 |
18. | Marques Haynes | G | Langston (Okla.) 43-46 |
19. | Charles Oakley | F | Virginia Union 82-85 |
20. | Larry Wright | G | Grambling (La.) 74-76 |
21. | Rick Mahorn | F-C | Hampton Institute (Va.) 77-80 |
22. | Woodrow "Woody" Sauldsberry | F | Texas Southern 54-55 |
23. | Ted "Hound" McClain | G | Tennessee State 68-71 |
24. | James Jones | G | Grambling (La.) 64-67 |
25. | Bob Hopkins | F | Grambling (La.) 53-56 |
Honorable Mention
Johnnie Allen, Bethune-Cookman (Fla.)
Al Attles, North Carolina A&T
Ken Bannister, St. Augustine's (N.C.)
John Barnhill, Tennessee A&I
Billy Ray Bates, Kentucky State
Joe Binion, North Carolina A&T
Hal Blevins, Arkansas AM&N
Tom Boswell, South Carolina State*
Alonzo Bradley, Texas Southern
Frank Card, South Carolina State
John Chaney, Bethune-Cookman (Fla.)
Bob Christian, Grambling (La.)
Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton, Xavier (La.)
Emanual Davis, Delaware State
Mike Davis, Virginia Union
Monti Davis, Tennessee State
Terry Davis, Virginia Union
Warren Davis, North Carolina A&T
Charles Edge, LeMoyne-Owen (Tenn.)
Alphonso Ford, Mississippi Valley State
Jake Ford, Maryland State
Wilbert Frazier, Grambling (La.)
Mike Gale, Elizabeth City State (N.C.)
Earl Glass, Mississippi Industrial College
Charles Hardnett, Grambling (La.)
Fred Hilton, Grambling (La.)
Harold Hunter, North Carolina College
Lewis Jackson, Alabama State
Aaron James, Grambling (La.)
Jerome James, Florida A&M
Ben Jobe, Fisk (Tenn.)
Avery Johnson, Southern (La.)
Clemon Johnson, Florida A&M
Ed Johnson, Tennessee A&I
George T. Johnson, Dillard (La.)
Rich Johnson, Grambling (La.)
Caldwell Jones, Albany State (Ga.)
Charles Jones, Albany State (Ga.)
Earl Jones, District of Columbia
Major Jones, Albany State (Ga.)
Wil Jones, Albany State (Ga.)
Arvesta Kelly, Lincoln (Mo.)
Harry "Machine Gun" Kelly, Texas Southern
Julius Keye, Alcorn A&M (Miss.)
Richard "Pee Wee" Kirkland, Norfolk State (Va.)
Bobby Lewis, South Carolina State
Earl Lloyd, West Virginia State
Johnny Lloyd, Southern (La.)
Kevin Loder, Kentucky State/Alabama State
Ed Manning, Jackson State (Miss.)
Bob McCoy, Grambling (La.)
Maurice McHartley, North Carolina A&T
Porter Merriweather, Tennessee A&I
Tony Murphy, Southern (La.)
Ronald "Flip" Murray, Shaw (N.C.)
Lloyd Neal, Tennessee State
Audie Norris, Jackson State (Miss.)
Sylvester Norris, Jackson State (Miss.)
Willie Norwood, Alcorn A&M
Kyle O'Quinn, Norfolk State
Joe Pace, Maryland-Eastern Shore/Coppin State (Md.)
Bobby Phills, Southern (La.)
Timothy Pollard, Mississippi Valley State
Willie Porter, Tennessee A&I
Marlbert "Spider" Pradd, Dillard (La.)
Carlos Rogers, Tennessee State
Frankie Sanders, Southern (La.)
Bruce Seals, Xavier (La.)
Willie Shaw, Lane (Tenn.)
Eugene Short, Jackson State (Miss.)
Tal Skinner, Maryland-Eastern Shore
Larry Spriggs, Howard University (D.C.)
Larry Stewart, Coppin State (Md.)
Bennie Swain, Texas Southern
Carlos Terry, Winston-Salem State (N.C.)
Willis Thomas, Tennessee A&I
Henry Ward, Jackson State (Miss.)
Ben Warley, Tennessee A&I
Cornell Warner, Jackson State (Miss.)
Thomas "Trooper" Washington, Cheyney State (Pa.)
Donald "Slick" Watts, Xavier (La.)
Hershell West, Grambling (La.)
Earl Williams, Winston-Salem State (N.C.)
Kenny Williams, Elizabeth City State (N.C.)
Milt Williams, Lincoln (Mo.)
*Transferred with coach Ben Jobe to South Carolina and played for the Gamecocks in 1974-75 before becoming a first-round NBA draft choice as an undergraduate.
Perhaps Hill's bruised ego can (first) take time away from petty feud with former ESPN colleague Stephen A. Smith, who played sparingly for Winston-Salem State in the late 1980s under legendary coach Clarence "Bighouse" Gaines because of a knee ailment. For what it's black-privilege worth to someone as conceited as Hill, following is an assortment of additional trivia tidbits if grievance-industry huckster is interested in becoming an authentic HBCU expert rather than mob-rule associate:
Football coaching legend Eddie Robinson won more than 70% of his games as Grambling's basketball bench boss from 1942-56.
North Carolina College's Rocky Roberson scored 58 points in a game against Shaw (N.C.) during the 1942-43 season for what was believed to be a college record at the time.
CIAA champion West Virginia State was the nation's only undefeated college team in 1947-48, finishing with a 23-0 record. The squad, coached by Mark Cardwell, included future NBA players Bob Wilson and Earl Lloyd.
Tennessee A&I, coached by Henry A. Kean, was the nation's only undefeated team in 1948-49 with a 24-0 record. The Tigers' leading scorers, Clarence Wilson and Joshua Grider, were both eventually longtime standouts with the Harlem Globetrotters.
Florida A&M won the 1952 SIAC Tournament final against host Alabama State, 71-67, despite having just four players on the court the final 13-plus minutes (including two overtimes) because of players fouling out.
The first predominantly black college to take the floor in an integrated national collegiate tournament was Tennessee State (then Tennessee A&I) in 1953. Hall of Famer John McLendon coached Tennessee State to three consecutive national titles (1957-59). Oddly, the '53 Tennessee State team defeated McLendon-coached North Carolina College for the opportunity to go to Kansas City. Seven years earlier, McLendon led North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central) to a 64-56 triple-overtime victory over Virginia Union in the final of the first Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament. The CIAA Tournament blossomed into one of the premier postseason events in the country, including major-college tourneys.
The governor of Louisiana threatened McNeese State to pull out of 1956 NAIA Tournament if HBCU institutions were allowed to participate. The Cowboys ultimately defied the governor's wishes and defeated HBCU powerhouse Texas Southern in national final.
Western Illinois missed an opportunity to become the nation's only undefeated college team in 1957-58 when it lost to Tennessee State, 85-73, in the NAIA Tournament championship game. Western had defeated Tennessee State, 79-76, earlier in the season. It was one of three consecutive NAIA titles won by Tennessee State, which boasted future pros Dick Barnett, John Barnhill and Ben Warley.
In 1959, North Carolina A&T became the first predominantly black institution to participate in NCAA Division II national playoff competition. The Aggies finished third in the tourney.
The 1961-62 All-SWAC first-team selections included three frontcourters who later played at least 10 seasons in the pros - Prairie View's Zelmo Beaty, Southern's Bob Love and Grambling's Willis Reed. Grambling finished in the top 10 of the first 76 weeks of College Division/Division II polls from January 5, 1961 through the end of the 1966-67 campaign. The Tigers, coached by Fred Hobdy, placed in the top five 40 consecutive weeks from March 2, 1961, through January 28, 1965. Grambling supplied seven top 20 NBA draft choices in a 20-year span from 1957 through 1976 before moving up to the NCAA Division I level - Bob McCoy (10th in 1957), Hershell West (16th in 1963), Reed (10th in 1964), Wilbert Frazier (12th in 1965), Jimmy Jones (13th in 1967), Fred Hilton (19th in 1971) and Larry Wright (14th in 1976).
North Carolina A&T's Hugh Evans, a 12th-round draft choice by the St. Louis Hawks in 1963, went on to become a long-time NBA referee. Evans, a high school teammate in New York with Connie Hawkins and a college teammate of Al Attles, spent three years in the San Francisco Giants' minor league system.
Longtime Harlem Globetrotter Fred "Curly" Neal was an All-CIAA selection for Johnson C. Smith (N.C.) in 1962-63.
The first family of small-college basketball, if not all of hoopdom, could be the six brothers Jones from McGehee, Ark., all 6-8 or taller, who became the top six rebounders in Albany (Ga.) State history during the 1960s and 1970s. Oliver and Melvin were borderline pro prospects before Wil (nine), Caldwell (17), Major (six) and Charles (15) each played a minimum of six ABA/NBA seasons. Major Jones, 6-9, led NCAA Division II rebounders in 1974-75 with an average of 22.5 per game. He is the last Division I or Division II player to average at least 20 per game.
Elmore Smith, a 7-0 center for 1970 NAIA champion Kentucky State, was called for goal tending 12 times in a 116-98 defeat against Eastern Michigan.
Louisiana College is the first predominantly white school to play a home-and-home season series against a HBCU (Grambling in 1971-72). Center Clarence Hall, who broke the color barrier for LC, was the first African-American hooper for a predominantly white institution to compete at Grambling.
In 1970, with an enrollment under 650 students, three Maryland State College players from a 29-2 team were selected in the NBA draft - Jake Ford (2nd round), Levi Fontaine (5th) and James "Bones" Morgan (7th). Four years later, the school (now known as Maryland-Eastern Shore) featured three more players chosen from a 27-2 squad - Rubin Collins (2nd), Talvin Skinner (3rd) and William "Billy" Gordon (4th).
Tennessee State edged Oglethorpe (Ga.), 7-4, on February 16, 1971, in what is believed to be the lowest-scoring college game since the center jump was eliminated prior to the 1937-38 season. Tennessee State had overwhelmed Oglethorpe, 82-43, earlier in the season.
Less than seven hours after returning to campus following a quarterfinal defeat against eventual 1971 NAIA champion Kentucky State, Grambling's Charlie Anderson died as a result of injuries suffered in a hit-and-run auto accident. Anderson, who averaged 18.3 ppg and 17.8 rpg, provided the game-winning basket in the Tigers' overtime win against Glassboro State (N.J.) in second round.
Kentucky State's Travis "Machine Gun" Grant set the single-game NAIA Tournament scoring record with 60 points against Minot State in 1972. Grant finished his four-year college career with 4,045 points and a 33.4-point average.
Dave Robbins, who is white, became coach at Virginia Union in 1978-79 in the predominantly black CIAA. Robbins went on to win more CIAA Tournaments than any coach in league history. VUU finished in the Top 10 of final national rankings nine consecutive seasons from 1987-88 through 1995-96 and 12 of 13 beginning in 1983-84.
Alcorn State, competing in the Braves' second season at NCAA Division I level in 1978-79, went unbeaten during the regular season. They won at Mississippi State, 80-78, in first round of NIT before bowing at Indiana, 73-69, in second round. Bob Knight-coached IU went on to capture the championship.
Texas Southern's Aaric Murray is the only HBCU player to crack the 30-point plateau in an NCAA Division I playoff game (38 against Cal Poly in 2014 First Four). Murray is one of 10 different HBCU players to score more than 25 points in a single NCAA DI Tournament contest after Prairie View's Gary Blackston tallied 26 in 2019 First Four. Texas Southern transfer Zach Lofton set New Mexico State's existing NCAA playoff single-game scoring record with 29 against Clemson in 2018 first round.
Numerous HBCU hoopers were so versatile they eventually excelled professionally in other major sports. Earning acclaim as MLB All-Stars were: George Altman (Tennessee State), Al Bumbry (Virginia State), Larry Doby (Virginia Union), Chuck Hinton (Shaw NC) and Monte Irvin (Lincoln PA). Ex-hoopers among NFL/AFL Pro Bowl selections included: Buck Buchanan (Grambling), Harold Carmichael (Southern LA), Ben Coates (Livingstone NC), Len Ford (Morgan State), Too Tall Jones (Tennessee State), Jacoby Jones (Lane TN), Cy McClairen (Bethune-Cookman FL), Zeke Moore (Lincoln MO), Art Shell (Maryland-Eastern Shore), Otis Taylor (Prairie View A&M) and Rayfield Wright (Fort Valley State GA).
Former ABA/NBA players who went on to coach HBCUs at the NCAA Division I level include Butch Beard (Howard University/Morgan State), Juan Dixon (Coppin State), Jerry Eaves (North Carolina A&T), Tommy Green (Southern LA), Bob Hopkins (Southern LA/Grambling/Maryland-Eastern Shore), Lindsey Hunter (Mississippi Valley State), Aaron James (Grambling), Clemon Johnson (Florida A&M), Gene Littles (North Carolina A&T), Larry Smith (Alcorn State), Mo Williams (Alabama State) and Larry Wright (Grambling).
Hill's hackneyed handiwork isn't exactly a novel concept. Doubt she realizes "trend," but the following alphabetical list of HBCU players didn't need her "tunnel-vision" encouragement to shift from a power-conference member:
Transfer | Pos. | Power-League Member | HBCU Destination |
---|---|---|---|
Galen Alexander | F | Louisiana State 18/Georgetown 20 | Texas Southern 21 |
Andre Allen | F | Arizona State 20 | Southern 21 |
Richard Anderson | G | Oklahoma 17 | Florida A&M 19 |
Ebuka Anyaorah | G | Georgia 10 | North Carolina Central 12-14 |
Wayne Arnold | G | Georgia 03 | Tennessee State 05-06 |
A.J. Astroth | F-G | Vanderbilt 13 | Hampton 17-18 |
Kent Auslander | G | Maryland 16 | Coppin State 18-19 |
Carl Blair | G | Oklahoma 11-12 | Prairie View 13 |
Brandon Bolden | C-F | Georgetown 13/Kansas State 15 | Southern 17 |
Christian Brown | F | Georgia 20-21 | Tennessee State 22 |
Jimmy Brown | G | Southern California 81 | North Carolina A&T 83-85 |
Jon Brown | F | Georgia Tech 18 | Tennessee State 20 |
Derrick Bruce | G | Oregon State 16 | Texas Southern 18-19 |
Stanley Caldwell | F-C | Tennessee 93-95 | Tennessee State 96 |
Arthur Carlisle | F | South Carolina 96-97 | South Carolina State 99-00 |
Jason Carter | F | Alabama 11 | Texas Southern 15 |
Darryl Cheeley | G | Wake Forest 89 | North Carolina A&T 92-93 |
Quinton Chievous | G | Tennessee 13-14 | Hampton 15-16 |
Adrien Coleman | G | Nebraska 10 | Bethune-Cookman 12-13 |
Jeremy Combs | F | Louisiana State 18 | Texas Southern 19 |
Gregory Davis | F | Syracuse 01 | North Carolina A&T 04-05 |
Keith Davis | F-C | Texas A&M 11-13 | Southern 15 |
Aric Dickerson | G | West Virginia 13 | Delaware State 15-16 |
Kris Douse | F | Nebraska 07 | Delaware State 08-10 |
Emmanuel Dowuona | C | Purdue 20 | Tennessee State 22 |
Nojel Eastern | G-F | Purdue 18-20 | Howard 21 |
Moses Edun | F | Auburn 04-06 | Alabama State 07 |
Eden Ewing | F | Purdue 18 | Texas Southern 19-20 |
Ed Farmer | F | Maryland 83 | University of District of Columbia 85 |
Cedric Fears | F | Houston 03 | Texas Southern 05 |
Jamal Ferguson | G | Marquette 13 | North Carolina Central 15-16 |
Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey | G | Mississippi 16-17 | Tennessee State 19 |
Rod Flowers | C | Cincinnati 01-03 | Tennessee State 05 |
Kevin Galloway | F | Southern California 07/Kentucky 09 | Texas Southern 11 |
Vincent Garlick | G | Penn State 83-84 | Delaware State 86-87 |
Chucky Gilmore | F | Clemson 99-00 | South Carolina State 03 |
John Gilmore | C | Oklahoma State 99 | Tennessee State 01 |
Derrick "Big Daddy" Glanton | F | Kansas 73 | Bishop College TX |
Calvin Godfrey | F | Iowa State 11 | Southern 14 |
Carte'are Gordon | C | DePaul 20 | Grambling 21 |
Ty Graves | G | Boston College 17 | North Carolina Central 20 |
Jimmy Gray | G | Vanderbilt 80-81 | Tennessee State 83 |
Blake Harris | G | Missouri 18/North Carolina State 19 | North Carolina A&T 21 |
Wesley Harris | F | West Virginia 18-19 | Tennessee State 20 |
Marvin Haynes | G-F | Florida State 80 | South Carolina State 82-84 |
Harrison Henderson | C | Southern California 17-18 | Southern 21 |
Darius Hicks | F | North Carolina State 17-18 | Jackson State 21 |
Willie High | G | Louisiana State 76 | Alabama State 77 |
Elijah Holifield | G | St. John's 16-17 | Prairie View 19 |
Joell Hopkins | F | Florida State 14 | Southern 15 |
Demetrius Houston | F | Mississippi State 15-16 | Alabama State 17-18 |
Jerrell Houston | F | Mississippi State 06 | Tennessee State 07-09 |
LaSean Howard | F-G | Syracuse 97-98 | Hampton 00-01 |
Jimmy Hudson | F | Clemson 04-05 | Bethune-Cookman 07-08 |
Ron Jackson | F | Wisconsin 61-62 | Clark GA 65-66 |
Wesley Jones | F | Mississippi 08 | Alabama State 09 |
Marquise Kately | F | California 04-05 | Morgan State 08-09 |
Eric King | F | St. John's 02-03 | Tennessee State 05 |
Ben Kone | F | Oregon State 17-18 | Tennessee State 20 |
Justin Leemow | G | South Florida 10 | North Carolina Central 11-12 |
Troy Lewis | G | Baylor 94-95 | Coppin State 97-98 |
Wendell Lewis | C | Mississippi State 10-13 | Alabama State 15 |
Gerald Liddell | F | Texas 19-21 | Alabama State 22 |
Samarr Logan | F | Miami (Fla.) 90-92 | Bethune-Cookman 94 |
Cam Mack | G | Nebraska 20 | Prairie View A&M 21 |
Leonel Marquetti | F | Southern California 79-80 | Hampton 81 |
Jerron Martin | G | Mississippi 14 | Texas Southern 16-17 |
Dundrecous Massey | G | Mississippi 11-12 | Jackson State 13 |
Aaron Matthews | F | Villanova 00-01 | Delaware State 03-04 |
Josh "Cookie" Miller | G | Nebraska 08-09 | West Virginia State 10 |
Mike Milligan | G-F | Florida 79-81 | Tennessee State 83 |
Kris Monroe | F | Providence 19-21 | North Carolina Central 22 |
Bill Moody | G | Florida 73 | Dillard LA |
Brandon Moore | C | Arkansas 09 | Southern 13 |
Christian Morris | C | Rutgers 09 | Norfolk State 10 |
Victor Morris | F | Georgetown 83-86 | Alcorn State 87 |
Bawa Muniru | C | Indiana 10 | Tennessee State 12 |
Aaric Murray | C | West Virginia 13 | Texas Southern 14 |
Leon Murray | F | Pittsburgh 97 | Tennessee State 99 |
Zach Naylor | F | Mississippi 19 | Texas Southern 21 |
Julysses Nobles | G | Arkansas 10-12 | Jackson State 14 |
Shawn Olden | G | Texas Christian 18 | Texas Southern 19 |
Jordan Omogbehin | C | South Florida 13 | Morgan State 15 |
Derrick Patterson | F-G | Georgetown 92-93 | South Carolina State 95-96 |
James Ratiff | F | Tennessee 78 | Howard University 80-82 |
Trayvon Reed | C | Auburn 15 | Texas Southern 18-19 |
Quincy Roberts | G-F | St. John's 09-11 | Grambling 12 |
Eric Sanders | F | Virginia Tech 87-89 | South Carolina State 91 |
Maurice Searight | G | Michigan 01 | Grambling 04-05 |
Sam Sibert | F | Texas Tech 71 | Kentucky State 72 |
Al Smith | G-F | Florida State 73 | Jackson State 75-77 |
Harrison Smith | G | Texas 07-09 | Texas Southern 11 |
Shaun Smith | G | Mississippi State 11-12 | Alcorn State 14 |
Chris Sodom | C | Georgetown 18 | Delaware State 20 |
Howard Spencer | F | Auburn 84-85 | Howard University 87-88 |
Elijah Staley | F-G | Mississippi State 16 | Morgan State 18 |
Dimingus Stevens | G | Seton Hall 21 | Florida A&M 22 |
Dominique Sutton | F | Kansas State 08-10 | North Carolina Central 12 |
A.J. Taylor | F | North Carolina State 20 | Grambling State 22 |
Vandale Thomas | F | Mississippi State 93-95 | Southern 96-97 |
Malachi Thurston | G | Southern California 00 | Prairie View 03 |
Malique Trent | G | Texas Christian 16-17 | Hampton 18 |
Jethro Tshisumpa | F-C | Arizona State 17 | Texas Southern 20 |
Larry Turner | C | Oklahoma 03-05 | Tennessee State 06-07 |
Keith Valentine | G | North Carolina 76 | Virginia Union 78-80 |
John Walker III | F | Texas A&M 19 | Texas Southern 20 |
Steve Walston | C | Arizona State 96 | Tennessee State 97 |
Michael Weathers | G | Oklahoma State 19 | Texas Southern 21 |
Vincent Whitt | G | Clemson 97-99 | South Carolina State 01 |
Brian Williams | G | Oregon 95-96 | Tennessee State 98-99 |
Ray Willis | G | Oklahoma 09-10 | North Carolina Central 12-13 |
Mohamed Woni | F-C | Clemson 97-99 | Hampton 00 |
Seventh Woods | G | North Carolina 17-19/South Carolina 21 | Morgan State 22 |
Terrence Woods | G | Tennessee 00-01 | Florida A&M 03-04 |
Outhouse to Penthouse: HBCU Players Matter to Power-Conference Members
A high percentage of bottom feeders among the lowest-ranked NCAA Division I squads are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference. We're a long way from "the good ole days" when Historically Black College and University hoopers included extensive list of standouts.
Perhaps the premier player ever to transfer from a HBCU to a major university was Tom Boswell. The 6-9 forward averaged 18 ppg and 13 rpg for South Carolina State in 1971-72 and 1972-73 before switching to South Carolina, an independent school at the time where he averaged 16.5 ppg and 8.7 rpg in 1974-75. The best contemporary player in this category probably is guard R.J. Cole, who transferred from Howard University to Connecticut. Cole joined the following alphabetical list of rare players, including ex-Howard product Xavier Singletary, transferring from a HBCU to NCAA DI power-league member in the past 25 years:
Player | Pos. | HBCU | HBCU Statistics | Power-League Member | Power-League Member Statistics |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Andre Adams | G | Prairie View 14 | 1.5 ppg, 1.1 apg | Arizona State 17 | 1.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg |
Malcolm Bernard | G-F | Florida A&M 16 | 14.4 ppg, 7 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.3 spg | Xavier 17 | 6.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1 spg |
R.J. Cole | G | Howard University 18-19 | 22.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.8 spg, 37 3FG% | Connecticut 21-22 | 14.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.3 spg, 35.7 3FG%, 84.1 FT% |
James Daniel III | G | Howard University 14-17 | 21.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.7 spg | Tennessee 18 | 5.6 ppg, 2.8 apg, 37.2 3FG% |
Edric Dennis | G | Jackson State 17 | 14 ppg, 4.1 rpg | Texas Christian 20 | 6.2 ppg, 2.3 apg |
Bassirou Dieng | C | Norfolk State 05 | 2 ppg | Georgia Tech 09 | 1.2 ppg |
RaShid Gaston | F | Norfolk State 13-15 | 11.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 57.8 FG% | Xavier 17 | 7.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 59 FG% |
Barry Honore' | F | Southern LA 08-09 | 8.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg | Oklahoma 11-12 | 1 ppg, 0.9 rpg |
Dale Hughes | G | Florida A&M 09-10 | 8.8 ppg, 35.6 3FG% | Mississippi 12 | 0.7 ppg |
Sam Hunt | G | North Carolina A&T 16-17 | 14 ppg | North Carolina State 18 | 5.5 ppg |
Deion James | F | North Carolina A&T 16 | 1.3 ppg | Washington State 20 | 2.6 ppg |
Branden Johnson | F-C | Alabama State 16-19 | 5.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 62.8 FG% | Virginia Tech 20 | 0.4 ppg |
Gerald Jordan | F-C | Morgan State 94 | 13.5 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.7 bpg | Pittsburgh 96-97 | 8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg |
Darryl Labarrie | G | Florida A&M 97 | 12.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.3 apg | Georgia Tech 99-01 | 4 ppg, 1.3 rpg |
Christian Mekowulu | F | Tennessee State 15-18 | 8.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1 bpg | Texas A&M 19 | 8.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1 bpg |
Femi Olujobi | F | North Carolina A&T 18 | 16.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 53.6 FG% | DePaul 19 | 12.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 60.1 FG% |
Richaud Pack | G | North Carolina A&T 14 | 17 ppg, 4.6 rpg | Maryland 15 | 5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg |
Matt Pilgrim | F | Hampton 07-08 | 9.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.3 spg, 1 bpg | Oklahoma State 10-11 | 6.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.1 spg |
Cecil Rellford | F | Kentucky State 74 | 21.7 ppg, 10 rpg | St. John's 76-77 | 11.2 ppg, 6 rpg |
M.J. Rhett | F | Tennessee State 12-14 | 6.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg | Mississippi 15 | 7.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg |
Gerald Robinson | G | Tennessee State 08-09 | 16.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.8 spg | Georgia 11-12 | 13.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.8 apg |
Johnnie Rogers | F | Jackson State 95 | 2.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg | Mississippi 97-99 | 3.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg |
Frank Russell | C | Hampton 03-04 | 2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg | Rutgers 06-07 | 2 ppg, 1.8 rpg |
Xavier Singletary | F | Howard University 97-98 | 18.7 ppg, 6 rpg | Boston College 00-01 | 11.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg |
LaRon Smith | F | Bethune-Cookman 16 | 7.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg | Auburn 17 | 2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg |
Sterling Smith | G | Coppin State 13-15 | 10 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 spg | Pittsburgh 16 | 4.5 ppg, 3 rpg |
Ben Stanley | F | Hampton 19-20 | 13.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 57.7 FG% | Xavier 21-22 | 4 ppg, 5.1 rpg |
Davion Warren | G | Hampton 20-21 | 14.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.3 spg | Texas Tech 22 | 10.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.3 spg |
NOTE: Dennis attended UTA between Jackson State and TCU.
Pioneers: Hoopers Breaking Color Barrier at Predominantly White Universities
Particularly during Black History Month, every sports fan accepts the cultural significance of Jackie Robinson. But in the aftermath of a series of anniversary celebrations regarding Robinson beginning his major league baseball career, it is easy to forget there was a time when the now 80%-plus black National Basketball Association was 100% white. It's also easy to forget that Robinson was instrumental in college basketball's "civil rights" movement.
Before Robinson arrived on the scene in the National League, however, there was Columbia's George Gregory, who became the first African-American to gain college All-American honors in 1930-31. In an era of low scoring, he was the team's second-leading scorer with a 9.2-point average. But he was proudest of his defense, and a statistic that is no longer kept: "goals against." In 10 games, Gregory held rival centers to only eight baskets. "That's less than one goal a game," he told the New York Times. "I think they should have kept that statistical category. Nowadays, one guy scores 40 points but his man scores 45. So what good is it?
"It's funny, but even though I was the only black playing for Columbia, and there was only one other black playing in the Ivy League - Baskerville of Harvard - I really didn't encounter too much trouble from opponents. Oh, I got into a couple of fights. And one time a guy called me 'Nigger,' and a white teammate said, 'Next time, you hit him high and I'll hit him low.' And we did, and my teammate, a Polish guy named Remy Tys, said to that other player, 'That's how we take care of nigger callers.'"
But Gregory said the worst racial incident he encountered was at his own school. "After our last game in my junior year, the team voted me captain for the next season. Well, there was a hell of a battle when this came out. Columbia didn't want a black captain, or a Jewish captain, either, I learned. The dean was against it, and the athletic director was against it, and even the coach was against it.
"The coach told me, 'Get yourself together, Gregory, or I'll take your scholarship away.' They were worried that if we played a school in the South and met the other captain before the game, the guy would refuse to come out and it would embarrass the school. But the campus was split 50-50 on whether to have a black captain for its basketball team.
"The fight went on for three or four weeks. The school insisted that the team vote again. We did, and I won again. One of my teammates said, `You forced the school to enter the 20th Century.'"
Harrison "Honey" Fitch, Connecticut's first black player, was center stage during a racial incident delaying a game at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for several hours in late January 1934. Coast Guard officials entered a protest against Fitch, arguing that because half of the Academy's student body was from southern states, they had a tradition "that no Negro players be permitted to engage in contests at the Academy." Eventually, UConn's coach kept Fitch on the bench the entire contest and never explained why.
The first black to appear in the NBA didn't occur until a couple of decades after Gregory graduated and Fitch transferred to American International. UCLA's first basketball All-American Don Barksdale, one of first seven African-Americans to play in NBA, was the first black U.S. Olympic basketball player (1948) as well as the first black to play in an NBA All-Star Game (as a rookie in 1952).
Inspired by the black labor movement in the 1930s, Barksdale said, "I made up my mind that if I wanted to do something, I was going to try to do it all the way, no matter the obstacles."
As a 28-year-old rookie with the Baltimore Bullets, he was paid $20,850 (one of the NBA's top salaries) to play and host a postgame radio show, but that notoriety also put extra pressure on him. Forced to play excessive minutes during the preseason, he sustained ankle injuries that plagued him the remainder of his four-year NBA career (11 ppg and 8 rpg).
Why play so many minutes? "It's Baltimore, which is considered the South," said Barksdale, who wound up back in the Bay Area as a well-known jazz disc jockey. "So the South finally signed a black man, and he's going to play whether he could walk or crawl."
Chuck Cooper, who attended Duquesne on the GI Bill after originally enrolling at West Virginia State College, was the first black player drafted by an NBA franchise. "I don't give a damn if he's striped or plaid or polka-dot," were the history-making words of Boston Celtics Owner Walter Brown when he selected Cooper, who averaged 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in six pro seasons. In Cooper's freshman campaign, Duquesne was awarded a forfeit after refusing to yield to Tennessee's refusal to compete against the Dukes if Cooper participated in a game just before Christmas.
In the 1955-56 season, the Hazleton (Pa.) Hawks of the Eastern League became the first professional league franchise to boast an all-black starting lineup - Jesse Arnelle, Tom Hemans, Fletcher Johnson, Floyd Lane and Sherman White. Arnelle (Penn State) and White (Long Island) were former major-college All-Americans.
As for the multi-talented Robinson, UCLA's initial all-conference basketball player in the 1940s was a forward who compiled the highest scoring average in the Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons with the Bruins (12.3 points per league game in 1939-40 and 11.1 ppg in 1940-41) after transferring from Pasadena (Calif.) City College. Continuing his scoring exploits, the six-time National League All-Star was the leading scorer for the Los Angeles Red Devils' barnstorming team in 1946-47.
Seven-time All-Star outfielder Larry Doby, the first black in the American League, was also a college basketball player who helped pave the way for minorities. He competed on the hardwood for Virginia Union during World War II after originally committing to LIU. The four-month lead Robinson had in integrating the majors cast a huge shadow over Doby, who was the first black to lead his league in homers (32 in 1952), first to hit a World Series homer and first to win a World Series title.
There are ramifications when assessing the issue of race and it would be nice if we were all color blind. Nonetheless, it's impossible to properly evaluate the history of college basketball without broaching the sensitive topic.
Julian Abele, a 1902 Penn graduate considered the first major African-American architect in the U.S., designed Duke's famous Cameron Indoor Stadium, which hosted all-white teams and games for decades after opening in 1939. Nonetheless, Cameron's doors were closed to minority players for an extended period as Duke's roster didn't include a black athlete at the varsity level until C.B. Claiborne in 1966-67. The previous year, Maryland's Billy Jones became the first black player in the ACC. The all-white snack bar at the downtown train depot in Durham, N.C., refused to serve the Terrapins' black players following a game at Duke, and the entire squad went hungry.
"You just learn to deal with that stuff," Jones told Barry Jacobs, the author of Across the Line. "It taught me an awful lot in terms of just plain perseverance, just hang tough, do what you have to do to stay focused."
It was difficult for Claiborne to concentrate amid the problems he encountered at school. Some older players harassed him during practice; he wasn't notified of an end-of-the-year athletic awards banquet at the notoriously segregated Hope Valley Country Club; an engineering professor told him it was impossible for him to earn an A in his class. And, perhaps most telling of all: Claiborne spent so much time at nearby North Carolina Central University, a historically black college, that he had his own meal card there.
Two decades before Robinson was UCLA's meal ticket, the first black to play for the Bruins was Ralph Bunche, who earned letters as a guard for three Southern California Conference champions. Legendary Bruins coach John Wooden acknowledges that Bunche, named UCLA's Alumnus of the Year in 1949, was instrumental in helping recruit New York City native Lew Alcindor to his alma mater.
Bunche became the first black person to win the Nobel Peace Prize (in 1950 for his deft handling of the armistice negotiations as a U.N. envoy leading to the Arab-Israeli truce). In 1945, Bunche said he was "obsessed with a burning desire to excel in everything I undertake," and moved by "a calculated and deliberate interest to prove to (whites) that I am, despite their race, their equal if not their superior in intellect, ability, knowledge, and general savoir-faire."
In the early 1950s, Wayne State (Mich.) became the first non-historically black college to play five African-Americans together at the same time. They defeated major universities such as DePaul, Detroit, Duquesne, Georgetown, Marquette, Memphis State, Niagara, Penn State, St. Francis (Pa.) and St. Mary's (Calif.).
In the mid-1950s, only about 10% of basketball programs for predominantly white institutions recruited black players. "You could count the number of black players on West Coast teams on the fingers of one hand," said coach Pete Newell, who guided San Francisco (NIT in 1950) and California (NCAA in 1959) to national tournament titles.
In 1954, the year of U.S. Supreme Court's Brown vs. Board of Education desegregation decisions, the pressure escalated for coaches and players alike. No school excelled more than San Francisco, which won 55 consecutive games and back-to-back NCAA titles.
In 1957-58, blacks accounted for five of the six NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans - Seattle's Elgin Baylor, Kansas State's Bob Boozer, Kansas' Wilt Chamberlain, Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson and Temple's Guy Rodgers. All five played at least 11 seasons in the NBA.
USF '55 and fellow kingpin Cincinnati '62 were the first teams to start three and four black players, respectively, in the NCAA Tournament championship game. But Texas Western, now called Texas-El Paso, is credited most for putting the finishing touches on dismantling the prejudiced myth that black athletes couldn't play disciplined basketball by using seven players, all blacks, in winning the 1966 NCAA playoff final against all-white Kentucky.
"Young black players told me that it (the championship) gave them confidence and courage," said Harry Flournoy, a starter for Texas Western. "Some of them, before that game, had been afraid to go to white schools."
In 1956, Texas Western became the first school in the Southern half of the U.S. to integrate its athletic teams. Despite its relative openness, Texas Western did not yet permit blacks to live in campus dorms so the first two African-American basketball players - Air Force veteran Charlie Brown and his nephew, Cecil Brown - lived in a downtown apartment at first after transferring from junior college. George McCarty, the Miners' coach at the time, set aside an empty room in the athletic dormitory for the Browns to dress on game days.
"I wasn't allowed in the movies downtown and things like that, and there were a few minor (racial) incidents with professors," recalled Brown in the book And the Walls Came Tumbling Down. "But there were absolutely no problems with anyone in athletics there. I always said Texas Western was going through integration, I wasn't."
Although UTEP generated much of the integration buzz, Pan American was another school in the state employing numerous black starters while coach Lou Henson broke the color barrier at Hardin-Simmons in his inaugural season as a major-college coach in 1962-63. The next team to win an NCAA major-college title with five black starters was Louisville in 1980. In the first 20 years after the Miners captured their national title, the average number of blacks on college rosters doubled from three to six. About two-thirds of Division I basketball rosters currently are comprised of black players.
In 1966-67, Western Kentucky's Clem Haskins, Houston's Elvin Hayes and Louisville's Wes Unseld became the first African-Americans from Southern schools to be named NCAA consensus first-team All-Americans. Haskins, a three-time OVC Player of the Year, and Dwight Smith were WKU's first two black players, sparking the Hilltoppers to a 66-15 record in their three varsity campaigns. "He (Dwight) needed me and I needed him," said Haskins, who is generally considered the first black to earn a league MVP honor while attending a Southern school. "We leaned on each other's shoulders. We had a lot of wars to fight then with the barrier just broken. The people will never know what we went through then. There were many nights where we cried ourselves to sleep."
In early 1966, Hayes and fellow Louisiana product Don Chaney led UH to a victory at Centenary, where the coach (Orvis Sigler) undertook extraordinary measures meeting the mayor and city council to schedule the game. Laws still on the books at the time in Shreveport, La., forbidding whites and blacks from competing against each other had to be rescinded.
A total of 13 of Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith's 22 All-Americans with North Carolina are African-Americans. Wrote Smith in his autobiography A Coach's Life: "To me, the presence of (All-American) Charles Scott on the court for us (from 1967-68 through 1969-70) was nothing to commemorate or remark on. It was simply past due." However, Scott was more fond of Lefty Driesell ("I was a kid who never had anything. He would give me anything I wanted.") and committed to attend Davidson before a racial slur while dining in Charlotte when the eatery owner said to Lefty: "Coach, I'm sorry but my wife and I don't serve n------ on this side of the restaurant."
Bigotry seemed to still persist in 1968-69 when Scott, the first African-American on Carolina's varsity roster, didn't receive his just due by failing to become a consensus All-ACC first-team selection (22.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 3.4 apg for regular-season champion). He also lost the conference player of the year vote to South Carolina's white sophomore guard John Roche (23.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg for league runner-up) by a significant margin. Scott, a first-team All-American by the NABC and USBWA, was left off a handful of first-team All-ACC ballots while Roche wasn't named an All-American by the coaches, writers and either of the national wire services. "I thought it was a slap in the face," Scott told Jim Sumner of theACC.com. "It definitely was a motivator for me. It's the only time in the ACC I felt slighted."
In the midst of perhaps Scott's greatest triumph, a 40-point performance (hitting 13 of 14 second-half field-goal attempts) in a come-from-behind victory over Duke in the 1969 ACC Tournament final, he could not escape the loneliness of his pioneer status. "You want to know what I did after I scored the 40 points?" Scott told Jacobs. "I was by myself. Who am I going to go out with? I was by myself after I did that. We had great fun in the locker room. After that, we walked out of the locker room; everybody went one way, and I went another way. I had to celebrate it myself."
Scott's final season with UNC was the last time a simple majority of the NCAA consensus All-American first-team selections were white (LSU's Pete Maravich, Purdue's Rick Mount and Kentucky's Dan Issel). Since Scott graduated, whites have accounted for only 20 percent of the NCAA consensus All-American first- and second-team selections.
In 1970-71, the first season that Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina featured an African-American on their varsity rosters, every member of the NCAA consensus All-American first team was black. In the next 10 years, Alabama (Leon Douglas), Clemson (Tree Rollins), Georgia (Dominique Wilkins) and Kentucky (Jack Givens) had blacks pass the test and become among their all-time best All-Americans. As for South Carolina, no black is among its eight All-American selections in school history.
Douglas' Bama club, coached by C.M. Newton, fielded the first all-back starting lineup in SEC history (also included Charles Cleveland, T.R. Dunn, Ray Odums and Charles Russell) on December 28, 1973, in a 65-55 win at Louisville. The groundbreaking game occurred just over nine years after the Boston Celtics fielded the NBA's first all-black lineup at St. Louis on December 26, 1964, when Willie Naulls replaced injured Tommy Heinsohn, joining regular starters K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Bill Russell and Tom "Satch" Sanders. The Celtics won 12 games in a row with Naulls starting in place of Heinsohn and featuring an all-white bench.
A majority of ACC recruits were African-American by 1975 but it took until 1983 for an all-black starting five (North Carolina State) to win an ACC title.
Amid burning crosses and waving Confederate flags, prejudice probably prevented the ACC and SEC from becoming the nation's premier conferences in the 1960s and first half of the 1970s. Blacklisting almost certainly kept the SWC as a "football-only" league. All-Americans, future NBA standouts, Harlem Globetrotter greats, small-college sensations and prize postseason performers who attended high school in Southern states and might have enrolled at universities in the ACC, SEC or SWC if not for being deemed second-class citizens included:
Alabama - Harold Blevins (attended Arkansas AM&N), Tom Boswell (South Carolina State/South Carolina), Dave Bustion (Denver), Carver Clinton (Penn State), Danny Crenshaw (Alabama State), Jimmy Dew (Alabama State), Claude English (Rhode Island), Artis Gilmore (Jacksonville FL), Travis Grant (Kentucky State), Bill Green (Colorado State), Lamar Green (Morehead State), Elvin Ivory (Southwestern Louisiana), Willie "Hobo" Jackson (Morehead State), Bruce King (Morehead State), Sam McCamey (Oral Roberts), Thales McReynolds (Miles), Cal Ramsey (NYU), Willie Scott (Alabama State), Bud Stallworth (Kansas), Bennie Swain (Texas Southern) and Bob Veale (Benedictine KS).
Arkansas - Herbert "Geese" Ausbie (Philander Smith), Jim Barnes (Texas-El Paso), Frank Burgess (Gonzaga), Larry Ducksworth (Henderson State/Arkansas AM&N), brothers Oliver/Melvin/Wilbert Jones (Albany State GA), Eddie Miles (Seattle), Tom Patterson (Ouachita Baptist), Jackie Ridgle (California), Reece "Goose" Tatum (Harlem Globetrotters) and Jasper Wilson (Southern LA).
Florida - Luke Adams (Lamar), James Mack "Red" Allen (Arkansas AM&N), Johnnie Allen (Bethune-Cookman), Cyril Baptiste (Creighton), Waite Bellamy (Florida A&M), Joe Brunson Jr. (Furman), Pembrook Burrows (Jacksonville), Joe Bynes (Arkansas AM&N), Carl Fuller (Bethune-Cookman), Johnny Jones (Villanova), Greg Lowery (Texas Tech), Sam McCants (Oral Roberts), Stan McKenzie (NYU), Otto Moore (Pan American), Howard Porter (Villanova), Leonard "Truck" Robinson (Tennessee State), Harry Singletary (Florida Presbyterian), Joe Strawder (Bradley), Levern Tart (Bradley), Johnny Thornton (South Carolina State), Walt Wesley (Kansas) and Bob Williams (Florida A&M).
Georgia - Don Adams (Northwestern), Al Beard (Norfolk State), Curtis Bell (Morris Brown), Chuck Benson (Southern Illinois), Mack Daughtry (Albany State), Leonidas Epps III (Clark), Walt Frazier (Southern Illinois), Walt Gilmore (Fort Valley State), James Green (Paine), Charles Hardnett (Grambling LA), Garfield Heard (Oklahoma), Merv Jackson (Utah), Ed Johnson (Tennessee A&I), Julius Keye (South Carolina State/Alcorn A&M), George Knighton (New Mexico State), Lewis "Bubba" Linder (Kentucky State), Lloyd Neal (Tennessee State), Johnny Mathis (Savannah State), Elmore Smith (Kentucky State), Pete Smith (Valdosta State), Larry Strozier (Morehouse), Roman "Doc" Turman (Clark), LeRoy Walker (Benedict), Butch Webster (New Orleans), Joby Wright (Indiana) and Rayfield Wright (Fort Valley State).
Kentucky - Henry Bacon (Louisville), Butch Beard (Louisville), Ralph Davis (Cincinnati), Clarence Glover (Western Kentucky), Joe Hamilton (North Texas State), Clem Haskins (Western Kentucky), Carl Helem (Tennessee A&I), Lou Herndon (Jackson State), Charlie Hunter (Oklahoma City), Max Jameson (Kentucky State), Lou Johnson (Kentucky State), Bobby "Toothpick" Jones (Dayton), Ron King (Florida State), Jim McDaniels (Western Kentucky), Jerome Perry (Western Kentucky), Bob Redd (Marshall), Mike Redd (Kentucky Wesleyan), Jim Rose (Western Kentucky), Dwight Smith (Western Kentucky), Garfield Smith (Eastern Kentucky), Greg Smith (Western Kentucky), George Stone (Marshall), Tom Thacker (Cincinnati), Ron Thomas (Louisville), Dallas Thornton (Kentucky Wesleyan), Felix Thruston (Trinity TX), George Tinsley (Kentucky Wesleyan), Rich Travis (Oklahoma City), Jim Tucker (Duquesne), Ruell Tucker (Rockhurst MO), George Unseld (Kansas), Wes Unseld (Louisville), Jerry Lee Wells (Oklahoma City), Clarence "Cave" Wilson (Tennessee State) and Willie Woods (Eastern Kentucky).
Louisiana - Charlie Anderson (Grambling), Thurman "Zeke" Baptiste (Grambling/Northwestern State), Jerry Barr (Grambling), Charles Bloodworth (Southern/Northwestern State), Don Chaney (Houston), John Comeaux (Grambling), Jim Duplantier (Grambling), Wilbert Frazier (Grambling), Willie Hart (Grambling), Elvin Hayes (Houston), Fred Hilton (Grambling), James Hooper (Grambling), Bob Hopkins (Grambling), Luke Jackson (Texas Southern/Pan American), Aaron James (Grambling), Rich Johnson (Grambling), James Jones (Grambling), Edmond Lawrence (McNeese State), Theodis Lee (Houston), Bob Love (Southern), Tyronne Marioneaux (Loyola of New Orleans), Jesse Marshall (Centenary), Bob McCoy (Grambling), Surry Oliver (Stephen F. Austin State), Cincy Powell (Portland), Willis Reed (Grambling), Bill Russell (San Francisco after moving to California), Leslie Scott (Loyola of Chicago/Southwestern Louisiana), James Silas (Stephen F. Austin State), Curtis St. Mary (McNeese State), Henry Steele (Northeast Louisiana), Rex Tippitt (Grambling), Dale Valdery (Xavier LA), Abram Valore (Grambling), Hershell West (Grambling) and Howard Willis (Grambling).
Mississippi - Tommie Bowens (Grambling LA), Eddie Brown (Houston Baptist), Cleveland Buckner (Jackson State), Harvey Catchings (Hardin-Simmons TX), E.C. Coleman (Houston Baptist), Rowland Garrett (Florida State), Earl Glass (Mississippi Industrial), Mike Green (Louisiana Tech), Spencer Haywood (Detroit), Cleveland Hill (Nicholls State LA), Joel "McCoy" Ingram (Jackson State), George T. Johnson (Dillard LA), Arvesta Kelly (Lincoln MO), Earnest Killum Sr. (Stetson FL), Sam Lacey (New Mexico State), LyVonne "Hoss" LeFlore (Jackson State), Jesse Leonard (St. Louis), Plummer Lott (Seattle), Nate Madkins (Hardin-Simmons TX), Ed Manning (Jackson State), Jerry Nickens (Tougaloo), Willie Norwood (Alcorn A&M), John "Pete" Perry (Pan American), Aaron Sellers (Jackson State), James Ware (Oklahoma City), Cornell Warner (Jackson State), Donald "Slick" Watts (Xavier LA) and Levi Wyatt (Alcorn A&M).
North Carolina - Walt Bellamy (Indiana), Fred Bibby (Fayetteville State), Lee Davis (North Carolina Central), Larry Dunn (North Carolina Central), Reginald "Hawk" Ennis (North Carolina Central), Herm Gilliam (Purdue), Paul Grier (North Carolina A&T), Happy Hairston (NYU), Harvey Heartley (North Carolina Central), Lou Hudson (Minnesota), Harold Hunter (North Carolina Central), Sam Jones (North Carolina Central), George "Meadowlark" Lemon (Florida A&M), Henry Logan (Western Carolina), Allen McManus (Winston-Salem State), Fred "Curly" Neal (Johnson C. Smith), Willie Porter (Tennessee State), Oscar Smith (Elizabeth City State), Jimmy Walker (Providence), Bobby Warlick (Pepperdine), Willie Watson (Oklahoma City) and Harthorne Wingo (junior college).
South Carolina - Leon Benbow (Jacksonville), Theodore Chaplin Jr. (Voorhees), Larry Doby (LIU/Virginia Union), Gene Gathers (Bradley), Erwin "Chip" Johnson (Augusta), Lee Monroe (Shaw), Lindberg Moody (Morgan State/South Carolina State), Clifford Ray (Oklahoma), Art Shell (Maryland-Eastern Shore) and Kenny Washington (UCLA).
Tennessee - Willie Brown (Middle Tennessee State), James Douglas (Memphis State), L.M. Ellis (Drake/Austin Peay), Larry Finch (Memphis State), Richie Fuqua (Oral Roberts), Joe Gaines (Belmont), Carl Hardaway (Oral Roberts), Albert Henry (Wisconsin), Paul Hogue (Cincinnati), Les Hunter (Loyola of Chicago), James Johnson (Wisconsin), Rich Jones (Illinois/Memphis State), Ron Lawson Sr. (UCLA/Fisk), Ted McClain (Tennessee A&I), Charlie Paulk (Tulsa/Northeastern Oklahoma State), Ken Riley (Middle Tennessee State), Rick Roberson (Cincinnati), Vic Rouse (Loyola of Chicago), Willie Shaw (Lane), Bingo Smith (Tulsa), Dwight Waller (Tennessee State) and Henry Watkins (Tennessee State).
Texas - John Barber (Los Angeles State), Zelmo Beaty (Prairie View A&M), Nate Bowman (Wichita), Charlie Brown (Texas Western), Leroy Chalk (Nebraska), Willie Davis (North Texas State), Henry Dooley (Wiley College), Mitchell Edwards (Pan American), Charles "Tex" Harrison (North Carolina Central), Robert Hughes Sr. (Texas Southern), Eddie Jackson (Oklahoma/OCU), David Lattin (Texas Western), Charles Lindsey (New Mexico State), Wilbert Loftin Jr. (Southwestern Louisiana), Guy Manning (Prairie View A&M), Joe Billy McDade (Bradley), Elton McGriff (Creighton), McCoy McLemore (Drake), Howie Montgomery (Texas Southern/Pan American), Billy Joe Price (New Mexico State), Nolan Richardson II (Texas Western), Rubin Russell (North Texas State), John Savage (North Texas State), Dave Stallworth (Wichita), Nate Stephens (Creighton/Long Beach State), Fred Taylor (Pan American), Ernie Turner (New Mexico State), Gene Wiley (Wichita), Leroy Wright (Pacific) and John Henry Young (Midwestern State).
Virginia - Charles Bonaparte (Norfolk State), Al Bumbry (Virginia State), Bob Dandridge (Norfolk State), Jesse Dark (Virginia Commonwealth), Roy Ebron (Southwestern Louisiana), Bill English (Winston-Salem State NC), William Franklin (Purdue), Bernard Harris (Virginia Commonwealth), Junius Kellogg (West Virginia State/Manhattan), Earl Lloyd (West Virginia State), James "Bones" Morgan (Maryland State), Rudolph Peele (Norfolk State), Curtis Pritchett (St. Augustine's NC), Reggie Roach Sr. (Virginia State), Bruce Spraggins (Virginia Union), Harley "Skeeter" Swift (East Tennessee State), Walter "Fuzzy" Ward (Hampton Institute) and Charles "Jabo" Wilkins (Fayetteville State NC/Virginia Commonwealth).
Reed (21.7 ppg) and Walt Frazier (20.9), the top two scorers for the New York Knicks' 1969-70 NBA champion, could have helped rewrite SEC basketball history if they had been allowed to compete in the league. LSU wouldn't have been mired in mediocrity with a 24-25 record in 1962-63 and 1963-64 if the Tigers had successfully recruited Reed and fellow in-state products L. Jackson and Love to comprise one of the all-time premier frontcourts. Elsewhere, Georgia most assuredly wouldn't have gone 19-32 in 1965-66 and 1966-67 with Frazier and M. Jackson in the Bulldogs' lineup. Similarly, Alabama wouldn't have struggled with an 18-34 mark in 1969-70 and 1970-71 if the Tide hadn't turn its back on Gilmore, Grant and B. Stallworth.
In the late 1960s, Memphis State could have boasted one of the foremost frontlines in history if it had successfully recruited hometown heroes Albert Henry (Wisconsin), Charlie Paulk (Northeastern Oklahoma State), Rick Roberson (Cincinnati) and Bobby Smith (Tulsa). But the Tigers missed out on the four eventual NBA first-round draft choices who left Memphis for other colleges with Roberson and Smith attending fellow Missouri Valley Conference members. Adding insult to injury, local product David Vaughn Jr. reneged on an oral commitment to the Tigers in the early 1970s and became a standout with Oral Roberts.
In 1969-70, Florida State's starting lineup under coach Hugh Durham featured one white player (All-American Dave Cowens) and four black players (Ron Harris/Ken Macklin/Willie Williams/Skip Young). Memphis and FSU were joined by Virginia Commonwealth and Western Kentucky in 1970-71 to comprise group of majority-white Southern universities fielding all-black starting lineups. Contrary to the depictions by some naysayers, the influx of black talent showed it could handle pressure by helping Memphis coach Gene Bartow win more than 70% of the Tigers' games decided by fewer than eight points during his four-season tenure. At his debut, the city was only 2 1/2 years removed from perhaps its lowest point, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the balcony of a local hotel. "Memphis State and the rest of the city was racially divided," said Maxine Smith, former executive director of the NAACP. "Sport played such an overwhelming part in our community breaking down barriers."
As for coaches, it took the ACC, SEC and SWC an extended period to embrace their first African-American bench bosses. In 1974-75, Arizona's Fred Snowden became the first African-American coach to have a major-college team finish in a final wire-service Top 20 poll (17th in UPI with a 22-7 record). Two years earlier, Snowden became the first African-American head coach in the Western Athletic Conference and at a major university. Snowden was 26 games above .500 in WAC competition after his first five seasons, but was 18 games below .500 in his last five years. He won a stunning 70% of his games decided by fewer than four points in his first seven campaigns with the Wildcats (33-14 mark in those close contests during that span).
Will Robinson had become the nation's first black major-college head coach in 1971-72 when Illinois State moved up to the NCAA Division I level. It was 10 years before ISU joined the Missouri Valley Conference, where Drake's Gus Guydon is generally considered to be the first African-American assistant at a major university. Guydon was a two-time All-MVC first-team swingman for Drake under coach Maury John in the early 1960s as almost 80 percent of the first-team choices in "The Valley" during that decade were black. The MVC was dubbed a "black" league when a minimum of four first-team selections annually were African-Americans from 1961-62 through the season (1972-73) Mississippi State became the last SEC school to integrate at the varsity level. Guydon was an assistant at his alma mater before leaving with John for Iowa State following the 1970-71 campaign.
The 1970s and 1980s witnessed the following head coaches break the color barrier in major conferences: Harvard's Tom Sanders (Ivy League in 1973-74), Wisconsin's Bill Cofield (Big Ten in 1976-77), Arkansas' Nolan Richardson (SWC in 1985-86), Oklahoma State's Leonard Hamilton (Big Eight in 1986-87), Maryland's Bob Wade (ACC in 1986-87) and Tennessee's Wade Houston (SEC in 1989-90). It was largely overlooked in 1996-97 when three black coaches won or shared divisional titles in Conference USA (Tulane's Perry Clark, Memphis State's Larry Finch and UNC Charlotte's Melvin Watkins).
By 2008-09, eight of the 12 head coaches in the Mid-American Conference were black. However, just barely over 20% of the head coaches nationwide at the time were minorities.
In 1982, Georgetown's John Thompson Jr. took umbrage to depictions of him as the initial African-American coach to direct a team to the Final Four. But the injustices in the past against his race were sufficient reason for placing emphasis on Thompson's achievements with predominantly black rosters.
Dr. John Edgar Wideman, a novelist who was the first black player for Penn in the early 1960s, said: "(Thompson's) a talented man and a great coach, but the reason he's the first (Final Four) black coach is not because of his unique and individual talent; it's because he was allowed to be. We always have to keep that in mind when we look at firsts, and bests, among black people in any endeavor."
The integration of college basketball, waiting primarily on the South to emerge from the "Jim Crow" dark ages, wasn't complete until the mid-1970s. For instance, Coolidge Ball didn't become the first black athlete to sign a basketball scholarship with Ole Miss until eight years after James Meredith became the initial black student at the university in 1962. Although overt racism probably wasn't quite as pervasive as in professional sports, many of the African-American players who broke the color barriers at colleges post-World War II faced more than their share of hardships and hostility.
"They (opposing fans) were all just rabid," recalls Perry Wallace, Vanderbilt's standout forward who became the first black varsity player in the all-white Southeastern Conference in 1967-68. "I'm talking racial stuff, people threatening your life ... calling you nigger, coon, shoe polish. The first time I played Ole Miss I got spat on at halftime by four generations of one family."
Wallace, a local product from Nashville who went on to become a law professor at the University of Baltimore and American University, encountered raucous road trips throughout the Deep South, where belligerent spectators drenched him with their drinks and cheerleaders led crowds in racist chants. In Mississippi, he was punched in the eye by an opposing player whom he knew he couldn't fight back.
Wallace, overshadowed in the SEC by Maravich's scoring exploits, told the Nashville Business & Lifestyles that "I'm not one of these historical revisionists who tries to claim he was all-smart and all-seeing back in those days. Everybody knew that what was happening was important. You've got to understand that this was post-legal segregation, but it was de facto segregation."
In an interview with The Tennessean, Wallace spoke of also feeling alienated from classmates at Vandy when being informed by older members of the campus church that elders there would withhold contributions and write the congregation out of their will if he continued to attend.
"I can't say it any other way," confided Wallace, an All-SEC second-team selection as a senior in 1969-70. "I have been there by myself. It's been a very lonesome thing. People knew my name but weren't interested in knowing me. They respected my basketball ability but still considered me as a person who sweeps floors."
In The Walls Came Tumbling Down, Wallace said: "There were times when I felt close to a nervous breakdown. They weren't the worst four years any black man ever had experienced, but it took me a while to learn to deal with the pain. The fact that I did is a credit to my parents. They had eighth-grade educations and they worked as servants and what not. But they emphasized education, decency, and morality. I grew up poor but with strong values. My parents wouldn't let me hate back. They used to say, 'No matter what is done to you, you don't get the chance to hate back.'"
Wallace told the St. Petersburg Times that during his first varsity game at Ole Miss, the crowd cheered when he was punched in the eye and injured going for a rebound.
"Both of the Mississippi schools and both of the (SEC's) Alabama schools - those were the worst," Wallace said. "In other places, you still had prejudice, at Louisiana (State) and the University of Tennessee, those could be bad. But the Mississippi and Alabama schools were the worst. Those people were mobsters, like Klansmen, and were people right from that world. They knew how to destroy a black person. And that's what they tried to do to me. They did what they could to try to induce fear in me and basically make me fail. I had to make sure that I did not succumb to that."
Vandy failed to produce a black All-American until swingman Shan Foster was honored in 2008. Elsewhere in the SEC, hate mail didn't arrive just from whites for Alabama's Wendell Hudson, who earned All-American accolades as a senior. "Some of the mail I got was from black people, that was, 'I can't believe you're going to Alabama. You sold out. You should go to a black school,'" said Hudson, a two-time All-SEC first-team selection. "In my mind, this is what the marching was all about. This is what equality was all about. So now you're mad at me?"
Henry Harris, an All-SEC third-team selection in 1971-72 and Auburn's first black athlete, was for a while the only black Wallace played against in the SEC. Harris took his own life by jumping off a building in New York soon after he left college. And Tom Payne, who broke the color barrier at Kentucky a year after Wallace graduated, was imprisoned an extended period for assaulting females.
"Tom Payne had a tragic life and it wasn't all owing to playing in the SEC, but it didn't help," Wallace asserts. "You have to take the time that it requires to recover from an experience like that. You have to heal right. And fortunately, I think I have. I'm not destroyed. I've wrestled with the emotional effect that experience has had on my life. That was a process that was not easy those first few years, but I did it."
Payne, the son of an Army sergeant, went from pioneer to pariah in the wake of incurring rape convictions in three states (Georgia, Kentucky and California). Some might contend that his view is a convenient crutch. But after growing up in the integrated atmosphere of Army bases, he says that the racism he experienced during his one tumultuous season with UK led him to detest white people and abuse women. Threatening phone calls, broken car windows and eggs smashed on his front door became routine.
"That's the kind of abuse I went through," Payne said. "And people think that's not supposed to affect you? Before I went to college, nothing in my life said I was going to be a criminal. My whole life took a turn going to UK and getting damaged so much. My anger and hatred toward white society came up, and I lashed out."
Elsewhere in the SEC, ugly sentiments expressed in various ways were handled infinitely better. Collis Temple Jr., the son of two educators, never wavered in his determination to rid the stain of Jim Crow from LSU's campus. He insists that, despite being recruited by a "very racist" Press Maravich, his college career was a generally positive experience and, in the process, allowed him to help pave a smoother route for those who came after him - including two sons (Collis III and Garrett) who starred for the Tigers.
"It's the best decision I could have made," Collis Jr. said. "If I had to make that choice again, my choice would be the same."
Choices made by Brigham Young's administration probably would be different if it could make them all again. As late as 1969, BYU administrators discouraged blacks from attending the university, fostering numerous problems with Western Athletic Conference opponents. When BYU played at Arizona in 1970, a group of demonstrators tried to force their way onto the court, resulting in a 10-minute brawl with security police. The Cougars' game at New Mexico was delayed nearly one hour after protestors threw eggs and kerosene-filled balloons onto the court. At Colorado State, Brigham Young's team was met by students carrying "Bigot Young University" signs before protestors hurled eggs, a flaming molotov cocktail and a piece of angle-iron onto the court.
Sports Illustrated observed that BYU was no longer certain whether an opponent would "throw a man-to-man defense, a zone, or a grenade." Cougars coach Stan Watts complained that the team was unable to concentrate because they had to keep "one eye on the crowd and one eye on the game."
Race problems weren't restricted to major universities. Two-time NAIA Tournament MVP Al Tucker, who went on to become an NBA first-round draft choice after averaging 28.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game in three seasons for Oklahoma Baptist, played one year with the College of Knoxville before going home to Ohio because of racial issues. Said Tucker about the last straw that sent him home: "We had what they called the Tennessee Theatre and we would give the lady a dollar or whatever it cost to get in and she said 'Sorry, we don't allow Negroes in.' Next thing they're going to call the paddy wagon and take us to jail."
The old bigotry of the South fades virtually every day, but former Mississippi/Arizona State coach Rob Evans thinks the lessons in perseverance shouldn't be forgotten. Every year when Evans coached Ole Miss, he took his players to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis.
"I just think it's important to expand kids' knowledge, but I also wanted my kids exposed to what happened in the '60s, and why things are like they are now," Evans said. "I've had a tremendous amount of my white kids say, 'Coach, did this really happen?' They say, 'How did you take this?' I think it bonds the kids together."
In the early 1990s, Michigan's all-black "Fab Five" generated extensive national headlines with back-to-back NCAA Tournament championship game appearances. But their chest-pounding "me generation" era introducing baggy shorts, sullen stares and hip-hop attitudes might have been more style than substance because they never won a Big Ten Conference championship. At that time, the Center for the Study of Sport in Society supplied the following statistics: More than 55 percent of the varsity Division I players were black; seven percent of the students on campus were black, and 1 1/2 percent of the faculty was black. The dropout rate after four years of eligibility for blacks was three times higher than the 10 percent for whites. Whether or not soft bigotry still exists, a 2007 report found that only 43 percent of black male college players graduate.
To be sure, things in society have changed immeasurably for minority groups since slavery and cotton were king. Gregory, Robinson and Wallace among others could only do so much in venturing into unchartered territory. Prejudice dies hard.
Magnificent Seven: Ex-Celebrated College Cagers Ending Up in Super Bowl
They might not measure up in two-way athlete category to ex-MLB amateur draftees Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes II. But who are the premier four-year college hoopers to end up competing in the NFL's Super Bowl as players or coaches? There might not be someone in this category in Super Bowl LVI, but the following Magnificent Seven include two small-school hoop sensations who became tight end teammates for multiple Buffalo Bills teams after powering their colleges to non-DI national championships and pair of North Carolina teammates who went from the Final Four to NFL title tilt:
Rank | Versatile Athlete | Pos. | Super Bowl Team/Year(s) | Four-Year College Basketball Career Summary |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Ron Widby | P | Cowboys/V & VI | Three-time all-league selection scored 50 points for Tennessee vs. LSU as senior on his way to becoming SEC player of the year in 1966-67. |
2. | Cornell Green | DB | Cowboys/V & VI | Finished his three-year varsity career in 1962 as Utah State's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. |
3. | Harry "Bud" Grant | Coach | Vikings/IV, VIII, IX & XI | Third-leading scorer for Minnesota in 1948-49 (8.5 ppg) after named team MVP previous season over first-team All-American Jim McIntyre. |
4. | Ronald Curry | WR | Raiders/XXXVII | Team leader in assists, including career-high 10 in ACC Tournament opener against Clemson, during 2000-01 when directing North Carolina to #1 ranking and 18-game winning streak. |
5. | Julius Peppers | DL | Panthers/XXXVIII | Member of North Carolina's 2000 Final Four squad started both NCAA Tournament games in 2001, including his first double-double (10 rebounds and career-high 21 points against Penn State). |
6. | Pete Metzelaars | TE | Bills/XXV through XXVIII | Set NCAA Division III FG shooting records for single season (75.3% in 1981-82 as senior) and career (72.4%). Led Wabash IN to 1982 DIII Tournament title, scoring tourney record 129 points in five games and earning tourney outstanding player honors. Scored DIII playoff-record 45 points in championship game against Potsdam State. |
7. | Keith McKeller | TE | Bills/XXV through XXVIII | Starting center for 1985 NCAA Division II champion Jacksonville State (Ala.). Led Gulf South Conference in rebounding each of first three seasons and finished second as senior. Four-time all-league pick averaged 12.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg from 1982-83 through 1985-86. |
Super Men: College Basketball's Impact on 56 Seasons of NFL Super Bowl
College basketball fans shouldn't be assessed an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty if the NFL isn't their favorite sport, but they should rush to hold on because following is more super stuff to digest while blitzed by enough notes, quotes and anecdotes to have one seeking a sedative when assessing Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles between the Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.
For what it's worth hoop-wise, did you know former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was a 6-5 forward who averaged 11.4 points and nine rebounds per game for Georgetown in three varsity seasons from 1959-60 through 1961-62? He led the Hoyas in rebounding as a sophomore (8.9 rpg) and junior (8.2 rpg) and was their second-leading rebounder as a senior captain. Well-rounded trivia buffs should also know that Tagliabue's predecessor, Pete Rozelle, was the basketball publicist for 1949 NIT champion San Francisco before orchestrating events leading to the Super Bowl becoming a national phenomenon.
The Super Bowl's link to college basketball is much more extensive than these commissioners and had more impact than unveiling of new commercials plus halftime entertainers. Actually, there are a striking number of ex-college hoopers who participated in the Super Bowl as players. In fact, the inaugural Super Bowl in 1967 featured seven former four-year college varsity basketball players for schools currently classified at the NCAA Division I level: Bobby Bell, Buck Buchanan, Reg Carolan, Len Dawson, Dave Robinson, Otis Taylor and Fuzzy Thurston. Former college hoopers have appeared in previous Super Bowls for the Bengals (quarterback Ken Anderson/XVI) and Rams (linebackers London Fletcher/XXXIV and XXXVI plus Tommy Polley/XXXVI).
Kneeling in deference to the 56th anniversary of the Super Bowl, following are 56 questions tackling versatile players such as Anderson, Bell, Buchanan, Carolan, Dawson, Fletcher, Polley, Robinson, Taylor and Thurston in this distinctive two-way athlete category that should surprise you with some of the marquee names. If you get them all correct before peeking at answers at the end of this gridiron quiz, then you boast inflated brainpower sufficiently omnipotent to know in advance what will transpire at halftime and which new expensive commercials offer the most entertainment.
1. Name the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Cincinnati Bengals who appeared in Super Bowl XVI following the 1981 season after finishing his career as the fifth-leading scorer in his college's history. The high school teammate of Kentucky All-American and All-Pro Dan Issel led Augustana (Ill.) in field-goal accuracy and free-throw shooting as a freshman and sophomore.
2. Name the linebacker who was one of only two first-year players on the Miami Dolphins' undefeated team in 1972 and was still with the franchise the next season when the Dolphins repeated as Super Bowl champions for a 32-2 two-year mark, the best ever in the NFL. He played briefly for Louisville's varsity basketball squad before Cardinals football coach Lee Corso persuaded him to concentrate on the gridiron.
3. Name the nine-time All-Pro linebacker who was with the Kansas City Chiefs for their Super Bowl IV winner after becoming the first African American to play basketball for Minnesota when he appeared in three games in the 1960-61 season.
4. Name the tight end who caught five passes for 62 yards from Tom Brady in the New England Patriots' come-from-behind 34-28 win against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI after former Pro Bowl selection competed in 2006 NCAA basketball playoffs with Texas A&M.
5. Name the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end who appeared in Super Bowl III with the Baltimore Colts vs. the New York Jets after becoming a first-team selection as a basketball center for South Dakota in the All-North Central Conference when he averaged 7.8 points per game in 1952-53 and 11 points in 1953-54.
6. Name the first black starting quarterback in the NFL who was later converted to wide receiver and caught two passes to help the undefeated Miami Dolphins beat Minnesota in Super Bowl VIII after averaging 9.5 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 14 basketball games for Nebraska-Omaha in 1964-65.
7. Name the DT who had a streak of eight consecutive campaigns named to either the AFL All-Star Team or NFL Pro Bowl while appearing in a couple of Super Bowls. He concentrated solely on football under legendary Grambling coach Eddie Robinson after earning basketball letter as freshman in 1958-59.
8. Name the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who caught five passes for 83 yards in Super Bowl XV for the Philadelphia Eagles after he was the top rebounder for two seasons with Southern (La.). He established an NFL record for most consecutive games with a pass reception (127).
9. Name the 1963 Pro Bowl selection who participated in Super Bowl I as a defensive end with the Kansas City Chiefs after the 6-6, 235-pounder played three varsity seasons with Idaho's basketball team, averaging four points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
10. Name the 1994 first-round draft choice who was a defensive end on the Dallas Cowboys' last Super Bowl team after playing nine games during the 1992-93 season for Arizona State's hoop squad decimated with injuries.
11. Name the Pro Bowl selection who appeared in Super Bowl XXXI with the New England Patriots after the 6-5, 245-pounder played basketball one season for Livingstone (N.C.). He held the NFL single-season record for most receptions by a tight end with 96 in 1994.
12. Name the four-year starter who set school career records for total offense, passing yards and rushing yards by a quarterback plus rushing touchdowns by a QB. Most Outstanding Player in the 2002 Peach Bowl as a quarterback was activated for Super Bowl XXXVII as a rookie with the Oakland Raiders before succeeding all-time great Tim Brown as a starting wide receiver. He was North Carolina's leader in assists during 2000-01 when he directed the Tar Heels to a basketball No. 1 ranking and an 18-game winning streak.
13. Name the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs who was MVP in Super Bowl IV after playing in two basketball games as a 6-0, 180-pound guard for Purdue in the 1956-57 campaign.
14. Name the defensive left end on Miami's undefeated team in 1972 who played in four Super Bowls with the Dolphins after the 6-6, 220-pound basketball center finished his four-season career at Central College as the Pella, Iowa-based school's all-time leading scorer (15.5 ppg) and rebounder (12.4 rpg). He grabbed a school-record 29 rebounds in a game his senior season (1970-71).
15. Name the Hall of Fame tight end who played in two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, catching a TD pass to cap the scoring in Super Bowl VI, before coaching the Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears following the 1985 season after the 6-2, 205-pound forward averaged 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in two seasons with the Pittsburgh Panthers.
16. Name the defensive back for the Baltimore Colts' Super Bowl V champion who led the NFL in kickoff return average (35.4) in 1970 after playing basketball for Maryland-Eastern Shore.
17. Name the prominent ex-NFL coach who was a defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl XIII champion after averaging 2.6 ppg in 16 basketball contests with the Minnesota Gophers in 1973-74 under coach Bill Musselman.
18. Name the starting middle linebacker for a team in two of three Super Bowls in one stretch who started two games at point guard for St. Francis (Pa.) as a freshman in 1993-94 when he averaged three points per game. After transferring back home to Cleveland, the 5-10 dynamo collected 109 points and 52 rebounds in 27 games for John Carroll before quitting basketball midway through the 1995-96 campaign to concentrate on football.
19. Name the Super Bowl X tight end for the Dallas Cowboys after leading Amherst (Mass.) in scoring and rebounding in 1970-71.
20. Name the five-time Pro Bowl defensive back with the Dallas Cowboys who played in two Super Bowls after finishing his three-year varsity career as Utah State's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. The 6-4 forward scored 46 points in a game against New Mexico en route to leading the Aggies in scoring with 21.2 points per game in 1959-60 (34th in the nation), 20.3 in 1960-61 (57th) and 25.6 in 1961-62 (13th).
21. Name the Hall of Fame quarterback who played in three Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins after he was a 6-1, 185-pound sophomore guard in 1964-65 when scoring 22 points in 16 games in his only varsity basketball season for Purdue.
22. Name the 12-year veteran safety who played in Super Bowl IV with the Minnesota Vikings after averaging four points and 3.5 rebounds per game in 10 contests for Wisconsin's basketball team in 1958-59.
23. Name the wide receiver who caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Roger Staubach for the Dallas Cowboys' final touchdown in a 21-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl X after he averaged 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in three varsity seasons (1972-73 through 1974-75) for Austin Peay. It was the only pass reception in his NFL career. The 6-4, 215-pound forward averaged seven points and seven rebounds per game in four NCAA Tournament contests in 1973 and 1974 as a teammate of folk hero James "Fly" Williams.
24. Name the third-round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins in 1998 who backed up MVP Ray Lewis as a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV after being a member of Cincinnati's basketball team for the first month of 1997-98 campaign.
25. Name the three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman who appeared in three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys after the 6-8, 230-pound backup post player averaged 1.7 points and 2.6 rebounds for Tennessee State in his freshman and sophomore seasons (1969-70 and 1970-71).
26. Name the Baltimore Ravens wide receiver who caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco and opened the second half with a 108-yard kickoff return for a TD in a 34-31 win against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII after the Southeastern Louisiana track transfer was a part-time hoop starter for Lane (Tenn.), averaging 3.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg in 2004-05 and 2005-06.
27. Name the 16-year quarterback who started Super Bowl VII for the Washington Redskins after scoring eight points in six games for coach John Wooden's 1959-60 UCLA basketball team.
28. Name the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback who participated in Super Bowl XVII with the Washington Redskins after the 6-4, 190-pound forward averaged 13.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for San Diego State in 1969-70 and 1970-71. He was the Aztecs' second-leading scorer (15.2 ppg) and rebounder (7.6 rpg) as a junior.
29. Name the 10-time Pro Bowl defensive back who competed in four Super Bowls after collecting nine assists, four points and three rebounds in six games for Southern California's basketball squad as a junior in 1979-80.
30. Name the 11-year defensive lineman who played in Super Bowl XIII for the Minnesota Vikings after averaging 12.3 ppg with Michigan Tech in 1962-63.
31. Name the Minnesota Vikings defensive back who let former Prairie View basketball player Otis Taylor (Kansas City Chiefs) elude him for a long touchdown in Super Bowl IV after being a basketball teammate of Utah State legend Wayne Estes in 1964-65.
32. Name the NFL Hall of Fame tight end who caught a 75-yard touchdown pass from Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas in Super Bowl V after collecting 28 points and 28 rebounds in six basketball games with Syracuse in 1960-61.
33. Name the defensive end who scored six touchdowns in his 14-year NFL career and tackled John Elway of the Denver Broncos for a safety in the New York Giants' Super Bowl XXI victory following the 1986 season after the 6-5, 225-pound forward-center averaged just over 10 points and 10 rebounds per game for Oregon's freshman squad in 1971-72. He played briefly for the Ducks' varsity basketball team the next season.
34. Name the tight end who played in four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills after he was the starting center for Jacksonville State's 1985 NCAA Division II championship team. He led the Gulf South Conference in rebounding each of his first three seasons and finished runner-up in that category as a senior.
35. Name the defensive lineman in Super Bowl XI for the Oakland Raiders who played basketball in the 1975 NAIA Tournament for Morningside (Iowa).
36. Name the quarterback who set an NFL record with 24 consecutive completions over a two-game span in 2004 before guiding the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX the next year. He collected a career-high 10 points and six rebounds and made two clinching free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining in a 77-74 victory over Georgetown in 1997 before Syracuse appeared in the NIT. He scored two points in two 1996 NCAA Tournament games for the Orangemen's national runner-up.
37. Name the tight end who played in four Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills, catching a TD pass in Super Bowl XXVI, after the 6-8, 235-pound center for the basketball squad at Wabash (Ind.) averaged 19.2 ppg and 11.4 rpg in four varsity seasons. He set NCAA Division III field-goal shooting records for a single season (75.3% in 1981-82 as a senior) and career (72.4). He collected 45 points and 13 rebounds in the 1982 championship game, scoring a Division III Tournament record 129 points in five games and earning tourney outstanding player honors.
38. Name the Pro Bowl offensive tackle who appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins after leading Lamar in rebounding as a senior with 12.6 per game in 1968-69.
39. Name the valuable addition to Super Bowl XXXIX-bound Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 who had nine pass receptions for 122 yards against the New England Patriots after setting an NFL single-game record with 20 receptions for the San Francisco 49ers against the Chicago Bears in 2000. He collected 57 points and 49 rebounds in 38 games (four starts) for UT-Chattanooga's basketball squad in three seasons from 1993-94 through 1995-96.
40. Name the 14-year running back who played in five Super Bowls, catching more passes (five) than anyone in Super Bowls X and XII, after the guard-forward averaged 8.7 ppg and 6 rpg as a senior in 1966-67 to finish his three-year Illinois varsity career with 5.2 ppg and 3.6 rpg.
41. Name the 2002 NFL defensive rookie of the year for the Carolina Panthers who appeared in Super Bowl XXXVIII the next season after being a member of North Carolina's 2000 Final Four squad. He started both NCAA Tournament games for the Tar Heels in 2001, including his first double-double (10 rebounds and career-high 21 points against Penn State).
42. Name the St. Louis Rams rookie linebacker who had a game-high 11 tackles (solo and assisted) in Super Bowl XXXVI after playing in one basketball contest for Florida State in 1996-97.
43. Name the wide receiver who made a two-point conversion on a run for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV and threw a flea flicker touchdown pass in Super Bowl XX after collecting 16 points and 11 assists in 11 games for Indiana's 1999 NCAA Tournament team, including two points in each of the Hoosiers' playoff contests (against George Washington and St. John's).
44. Name the four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who scored the first touchdown at Super Bowl XXXI for the Green Bay Packers after he was a 6-1, 185-pound backup guard in basketball for Michigan State in two seasons (1985-86 and 1987-88).
45. Name the Hall of Fame offensive tackle who participated in two Super Bowls (XI and XV) with the Oakland Raiders after he was a two-year basketball letterman as a 6-5, 265-pound center for Maryland State College (now called Maryland-Eastern Shore).
46. Name the Denver Broncos wide receiver who had a game-high 152 receiving yards (including 80-yard touchdown pass from John Elway) in Super Bowl XXXIII after earning Missouri Southern State hoops letter as sophomore in 1990-91.
47. Name an offensive tackle for the Super Bowl XVII champion Washington Redskins after the strike-shortened 1982 campaign who averaged 2.9 ppg and 3.7 rpg while shooting 50.5% from the floor with Columbia in 1968-69 and 1969-70.
48. Name the Hall of Fame quarterback who guided the Dallas Cowboys to four Super Bowls after averaging 9.3 points per game for the 1961-62 Navy plebe (freshman) basketball team. The 6-2, 190-pound forward scored five points in four games for the Midshipmen varsity squad the next season. He was MVP in Super Bowl VI.
49. Name the defensive back for the Baltimore Colts who appeared in two Super Bowls (III and V) after playing basketball for Maryland-Eastern Shore.
50. Name the wide receiver who played in two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, catching 10 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, after he was a backup small forward in the Prairie View A&M era following the school's glory years with pro basketball standout Zelmo Beaty.
51. Name the linebacker who registered two sacks and five solo tackles in Super Bowl XLII when the New England Patriots lost against New York Giants for first defeat of season after he averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg as reserve forward for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
52. Name the Denver Broncos tight end who caught four passes from Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLVIII after being Portland State's second-leading rebounder in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
53. Name the offensive guard with the Green Bay Packers who participated in the first two Super Bowls after originally enrolling at Valparaiso on a basketball scholarship. He averaged 1.5 points per game in eight contests as a freshman with Valpo in 1951-52 before concentrating on football.
54. Name the Pro Bowl punter who appeared in two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys after averaging 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds as a sophomore, 17.3 points and eight rebounds as a junior and 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds as a senior for Tennessee. The 6-4, 210-pound forward scored 50 points against LSU as a senior on his way to becoming SEC player of the year in 1967.
55. Name the defensive end for the Denver Broncos' back-to-back Super Bowl champions (XXXII and XXXIII) who registered one steal while playing in one minute of one Big Eight Conference basketball game for Colorado in 1989-90.
56. Name the offensive tackle who was an NFL All-Pro six straight seasons in the 1970s and played in the Super Bowl five times that decade with the Dallas Cowboys after earning All-SIAC basketball recognition for Fort Valley State (Ga.).
ANSWERS TO 56 COLLEGE BASKETBALL-IMPACTING SUPER BOWL TRIVIA QUESTIONS
1. Ken Anderson; 2. Larry Ball; 3. Bobby Bell; 4. Martellus Bennett; 5. Ordell Braase; 6. Marlin Briscoe; 7. Junious "Buck" Buchanan; 8. Harold Carmichael; 9. Reg Carolan; 10. Shante Carver; 11. Ben Coates; 12. Ronald Curry; 13. Len Dawson; 14. Vern Den Herder; 15. Mike Ditka; 16. Jim Duncan; 17. Tony Dungy; 18. London Fletcher; 19. Jean Fugett; 20. Cornell Green; 21. Bob Griese; 22. Dale Hackbart; 23. Percy Howard; 24. Brad Jackson; 25. Ed "Too Tall" Jones; 26. Jacoby Jones; 27. Billy Kilmer; 28. Joe Lavender; 29. Ronnie Lott; 30. Bob Lurtsema; 31. Earsell Mackbee; 32. John Mackey; 33. George Martin; 34. Keith McKeller; 35. Herb McMath; 36. Donovan McNabb; 37. Pete Metzelaars; 38. Wayne Moore; 39. Terrell Owens; 40. Preston Pearson; 41. Julius Peppers; 42. Tommy Polley; 43. Antwaan Randle El; 44. Andre Rison; 45. Art Shell; 46. Rod Smith; 47. George Starke; 48. Roger Staubach; 49. Charlie Stukes; 50. Otis Taylor; 51. Adalius Thomas; 52. Julius Thomas; 53. Fuzzy Thurston; 54. Ron Widby; 55. Alfred Williams; 56. Rayfield Wright.
On This NFL Date: Ex-College Hooper Ready to Tackle February 7 Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as NFL ingrate #ColonKrapernick, 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-honor shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five 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 player Jordan Norwood making a name for himself on February 7 in football at the professional level:
FEBRUARY 7
- Denver Broncos WR Jordan Norwood (collected one rebound and one assist in four basketball games for Penn State in 2006-07) returned a punt 61 yards in 24-10 win against the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 following 2015 season.
#MessMedia Maven Musings: Press Pestilence Requires Complete Overhaul
"Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views." - William F. Buckley Jr.
How inept was the holier-than-thou lamestream media covering Dr. Fraud-ci and origin of Chinese's Olympian coronavirus, excessive flow of illegal aliens on our Southern border, shoplifting scumbags, liberal poster boy Mario Cuomo's nursing home death sentencing, haughty Hunter's Russian-hacked laptop, mask-less hypocrites (rules for thee but not for "Ds"), CNN's parade of pervs, Dr. Fraudci's masking treatment of innocent children as vile as his animal experiments, morally-superior cancel culture converging on renegade Joe Rogan, #ShrillaryRotten associates trying to infiltrate Trump servers, Whoopi's whooping it up with The View vixens, etcetera? A question also lingers as to how in hell did incessant shady shenanigans in hoopdom go on for decades under the nose of incompetent national and local so-called journalists. Whether covering politics or sports, the spineless media have slinked away from unbiased and thorough responsibilities while "blocking" anyone who artfully opposes their sanctimony. The FBI doesn't need to spy on the "slinkys" to acknowledge they're good for nothing beyond a Beto spasm. However, the imbeciles do bring a smile to your face when a contrarian such as #TheDonald figuratively pushes them down the stairs to make airheads entertainingly useful. If discriminating dog bites any of majority of distasteful leftist journalistic jackals complicit in conga line of collusion delusion, the hampered hound has to lick its butt for hours to shed taste of their ingrained stench. Political press puke compiled accusation accuracy average about Trump and his family even lower than abysmal charity donation ratio of income average for colossal collection of contemptible characters otherwise known as deceitful #Dimorat politician freak show.
After selective-belief-in-women creeps and blue-check media maggots needing warp-speed vaccine for TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) put all their Easter eggs in Robert Mueller's report basket had their infanticide-craving posteriors handed to them, more than 400 "America Was Never Great" liberal-leaning newspapers with same opinion as confused New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo conducted genuine collusion via group-think gabfest with inept editorial responses to #TheDonald Trumping them. Let's get after them! The cavalier Cuomos of the world claiming "ICE is a bunch of thugs," whether in press or politics, can't comprehend the separation of families involving murdered Mollie Tibbetts and Kate Steinle versus law-breaking illegal immigrants. But what was different about the pro-journalism editorial exercise? Spare us the contrived outrage! Haven't self-anointed Guardians of the Galaxy already been immersed in conservative-hating resistance for an extended period (including charges that BLM activist and former Louisville Courier-Journal editorial columnist attempted murder of Jewish mayoral candidate)? Vaccinated against facts and integrity, these are the same phony folks effusive in praise for late Sen. John McCain after emasculated elite promoted en masse the POW's opponent in presidential election in previous decade. But to hypocritical libnuts who wondered "is McCain mentally fit to be president," perhaps the only good Republican is a deceased Republican; especially if the funeral can be weaponized as miscast Meghan fell off her horse again manufacturing a mess as much as her father did in facilitating Russian dirty dossier. If CIA didn't give smear merchants a head's-up, then ex-President Trump will directly inform majority of loathsome losers in the press they've been driving fake news (in a Ford?) in same misguided direction for a longer time than Sen. Dianne Feinstein's 20-year Chinese spy valet trying to figure out what to do with "confidential" letter (perhaps routed to or from her $40 million Tahoe compound) following one of unlicensed psychologist "Dr. Christine Blasey Fraud's" many seemingly heavily-medicated flights. If not Putin toying with him, at least masked-chaos clueless clowns from left-wing orthodoxy ask Plagiarist Bi-dumb about favorite ice cream.
Media malfeasance of highest order may have been manufactured if intelligence hacks John Brennan (NBC) and James Clapper (CNN) were involved in leaking dirt to the networks subsequently hiring them. It's a byproduct of sordid show that could be called Truth or Consequences featuring smear-artist swamp creatures such as #HollyweirdHarveySwinestein, Fusion GPS filthy bankrollers to the tune of millions of dollars, rigging primary of already mentally-disturbed national political party and biased upper brass of FBI/DOJ. Concurrently, what in hell is happening when a high-priced Clinton machine attorney defends low-level IT staffer for disgraced DNC chair? How fortunate can a McDonald's dropout be? As #DebbieDoesDC amid her "adviser" trying to flee the country in shenanigans appearing to go far beyond bank fraud by the $160,000-per-year IT brothers (about three times going rate), it's time to resist these IQ-less clowns! Giving $400 million to Iran rather than Louisiana flood victims, there are plenty of press(ing)-problem reasons why the symbol of the "deplorable" Democratic Party is a jackass because they're not real bright. Unless waiting for ransom payment in foreign currency in unmarked plane or smitten with strain of "overheated" pneumonia, any Capt. Obvious simpleton including intellectually-lazy press parasites, underwear model John Conyers (a con; not icon) and maudlin #MadMaxine Waters should be able to promptly connect the dots. Exercise a few brain cells by noticing self-righteous Dim mayors for extended periods usually are seasoned diaper-pin donning leftists in charge of decaying or riotous cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Portland, St. Louis (Ferguson) and San Juan. For instance, icy Oakland mayor went out of her way to warn illegal ailens about impending ICE round-up before Minority Leader "Devil Mom" #NannyPathetic extolled the "spark of divinity" in violent MS-13 gang members.
MAGA "winning" walls are closing in on self-righteous leftist lunatics and socialist sycophants. Amid seductive attempts to remove God from party platform, Dems have become a sanctuary for Satanic precepts and history revisionism via anonymous sources such as absent-minded spin-machine attorney Lanny "Go-Fund-Me Backtracker" Davis. Their clown-show conversation convention in Philly, punctuated by demonstrable DNC staff infection (highlighted by prohibiting FBI from checking hacked server) after incorrect guess regarding which restroom to use, was a BleachBit graveyard where #MikaVirus brain-damaged cells went to die after face-lifting bleeding. It wasn't long before the predictably pathetic press corps assembled a City of Brotherly Love support group for the Kaine and Unable (to walk without aid) carnage where #BlackLiesMatter more than #BlueLivesMatter. Fair-minded observers know there is "huge" gold-star difference between immigration-lawyer Wrath of Khan coming more than a decade after Donald Trump was building his business while basket-case Hillary "I Don't Recall" Clinton was boss contemporaneously when dissing Smith family about deceased State Department employee victim of terrorist scum. Seriously? Who actually believes Khan('s) job over the years focused more on a Christian-based U.S. Constitution than Middle Eastern Sharia Law, martyrdom's 72 virgins and watering-down American immigration? Since #BlackRobesMatter, Khan exhibits every credential for Progressives to promote grandstander as 9th "Short" Circuit judge seemingly more concerned about violating Sharia rather than our Constitution.
Speaking of building, let's compare the construction handiwork. #TheDonald boasts skyscrapers, luxury hotels and resort golf courses while #ShrillaryRotten has a bungled red-plastic Russia "reset" button and had aides destroying her numerous mobile devices with hammers. Until emerging from her safe space to first learn about DNC manipulation from mess-media reports, aging-gracelessly Over-the-Hillary probably thought 'WikiLeaks' was a STD Bubba contracted while she was away flying her broom with license #666 to rope-around-dope function, video lying to grieving family members in front of their loved one's casket, waddle-dodging bullets or wiping server with specially-laced cloth to shed "boring emails." Taking credit for #MeToo Movement, we need to double check #HarveySwinestein's long list to discern if he had a pet name for delusional dame before, during or after their post-election TV documentary dinner in Manhattan. As self-absorbed/special-status #ShrillaryRotten, putting the "C" in corruption appointing disgraced DNC official to position as her honor(ary)-among-thieves campaign co-chairman, allegedly told former Bill & Hill consultant Dick Morris: "Look, the average Democrat voter (such as Miss Piggy) is just plain stupid. They're easy to manipulate. That's the easy part." No wonder typical CNN producer and DNC agitator planters described their foils as "mentally ill people, that we pay to do shit." The mentally deficient must include comedic "genius" Samantha Bee's Full Frontal gushing portrayal of disgraced NY attorney general Eric Schneiderman as a superhero and disgusting comments condemning Ivanka Trump. Perhaps sleazy Samantha would feel better about herself if the ex-President's delightful daughter donated some attire seconds to the demented dimwit or Nike-brand killer #ColonKrapernick told her: "Let's Do It." How about? "Just Blew It."
Providing pap to such a discerning audience, the "Unreliable Sources" press pimps such as ex-CBS charmer Charlie Rose and MSNBC's #PrissyTingles probably will probe whether #TheDonald directed deflating of buddy Brady's footballs. Whatever the case while groping about Lesley Stahl script, the combination of preening Dimorat politicians such as big-fat-idiot Al Franken(stein) and equally goofy accomplices among #MessMedia simply Aren't Good Enough, Aren't Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People (With Activated Brain Cells) Don't Like Them. Left-wing demented dumpster divers such as eye-rolling Anderson Pooper at CNN and perpetually-perplexed Tavis Smiley aren't just snowflakes apparently subsisting on Jayson Blair and Janet Cooke honorariums. The factories of ignorance digging dirt with "Conway shovel" are a whole damn white-out blizzard looking paler than zero-credibility #GoryGriffin during a video apology (severed head photograph always has wrong individual blurred). Anonymous sources with all of the credibility of Omarosa and jerk Jussie Small-nut (for brain) will tell Kathy's contemptible CNN colleagues, while writing political donation checks almost exclusively to alternate-nostril breather, Macedonian hackers inserted this paragraph before screwing her by manipulating Upper Midwest vote tallies. Maybe the inquisitors hiding behind "some people say" will make it up to blame-game dame by paying big bucks to attend "What the Hell Happened (to Dignity)?" marathon book tour if she also throws in a piece of huckster history (certified birth certificate proving she was named after renowned mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary or errant bullet dodged in Bosnia race out of plane or BleachBit-laced server-wiping cloth or one of post-subpoena 30,000-plus missing emails acknowledging genesis of Benghazi video hoax or piece from one of her many electronic devices destroyed by hammer or copy of #SickWillie's $500,000 "Uranium One" check from Russia for arousing speech).
Watch Project Veritas expose human debris and dirty dealing from under the (producers) table at CNN's freak show featuring creepy "Prancer" (Anderson Cooper) and weepy "Dancer" (Don "See With Ears" Lemon) in prime time. It is easy to discern "Z" stands for zero as in no integrity exhibited by abhorrent animals in zany CNN zoo such as Stormy's low-life lawyer incessantly promoted by Russian-zealous dumped President Jeff Zucker. Is there any doubt AT&T will divest itself of this hunk of junk? Ask yourself which set of "losers" tried harder to sway the presidential election - #MessMedia maggots in cahoots with unmasking #DirtyRice moonlighting as Ace Ventura in their political playpen, AG Loretta "It's a Matter" Lynch dealing from the bottom of the deck with FBI chief/leaker James "Coward" Comey, dismissing volume of non-citizens voting illegally or Russian agents hypnotizing all those "red" counties across America to do their bidding. Despite sanctuary from presstitute pansies such as morally-tainted Cokie Roberts' Southern guilt trip promoting registering "D" for dumb, the more difficult "pivot" was persuading independents and that is where collusion with lame-stream media came into play. If permanently-injured CNBC was part of a horse network rather than peacock, the smear machine would have to be shot after previous woeful performance moderating a Republican debate. Reinforcing what many right-thinkers (not left-feelers) already believe with CNBC's conceited John Whorewood serving as Exhibit A (as in _ss), the unhinged American media can no longer be trusted. Incapable on the job of putting one foot in front of the other even more than deplorable #ShrillaryRotten, their warped make-love-not-war sentiment includes lying to the masses about what comprises a winner following her admitting lying about who was responsible for the murders of individuals under her charge. Whether it is assessing the veracity of an owe-your-gender-one presidential candidate by national political pundits or prominent college basketball coach by the toy department (sports), an overwhelmingly liberal lame-stream press predictably focused on style (Ready For Hillary 2016) over substance (Shrillary for Prisoner 2016) and gave Rick Pitino's polluted program an accountability pass. In the feeble minds of genius lib-nuts hooked on #MorningJerk, it was justifiable or there was rationale for certifiably corrupt influence-peddling Clinton deserving designation as POTUS-in-waiting and Pitino's "free-love" contract with Louisville should be extended another couple of terms for more Best-Little-Whoredorm-In-KY boys-gone-wild recruiting regalia. Twisted minds must think alike as Slick Rick served as Shrillary's post-election ball boy whining about TheDonald similar to many hypocritical coaches such as Shaka Smart and Roy Williams demonstrating self-control about the then president-elect as if it was closing time at upscale Italian bistro in Get-Your-Fill-In-The-Ville. Have Get Smart and Roy Boy weighed in with their political expertise on silly Sandy "Everyone Wants Me" Cortez or Bozo Bernie boosting the voting credentials of Boston Marathon terrorist bomber?
Influence of stiletto-obsessed big media fond of vile Michelle Wolf monologue and Outlandish Omar with her head gear on a mite too tight is decreasing exponentially under own truly deplorable weight. It was a shame #TheDonald couldn't put the goofball gatekeepers out of their pecan-pie misery and bruise their widdle feelings with a single "You're Fired!" After cry-in Dim(wit)s filled pity-party WAHHHHmbulances upon losing the presidential race and failing to recapture Senate, patronizing college and professional coaches coasted from coast to coast to phony status by protecting their lifeline - access to minority mercenaries. Meanwhile, welcome to the lame-stream media cleaning service, which won't clean up its abysmal act but will sweep things under the rug for the corrupt Clintons from erection with Eve through election eve and from cattle futures through glass ceiling falling down in locked hotel room. Discernment isn't in the DNA of Washington/New York/LA elites such as the Huffington Post, which chose to cover #TheDonald in entertainment rather than political section. Why is America so "blessed" with such a magnitude of it-takes-a-village idiots in the press so cerebral they promoted apocalyptic attorney #Avenaughty as a viable presidential candidate? Deplorable before deplorable became cool, their corruption cup runneth over exemplified by condescending Washington Compost columnist Dana Milbank asking the DNC to do the majority of the opposition research for a reflexively hostile "The Ten Plagues of Trump" piece of spit before media maggot incurred Trump-induced malady. #TheDonald also was responsible for Milbank going through high school and college without a date plus bed-wetting episodes during same time frame and thereafter. Face it as lyin' eyes are supplemented by lyin' emails and rigged #Dimorat primary! If the farce-to-be-reckoned-with media was competent at its job, there wouldn't be need for WikiLeaks to shine the light of truth ("persecution") on "Dirty Donna" #Brazila pounding her suspect CNN Christian woman chest or detailing how the dishonest Clintons went from selling the Lincoln bedroom to selling Honest Abe's entire nation. Call the mess-media debris Lyin' Brian fallout as the pathetic press sniffed Dr. Ben droppings similar to "The View" pack of demented dogs doggedly trying to prove #TheDonald used Russian dressing on his salad or sandwich. How promptly did #Dimorat fraudulent feminist "leaders" or porker-borker ABC vixens whine about anyone coerced to view sweaty Swinestein massage, "a con" in Congressional underwear model John Conyers, full-throated Frenchy Franken wet-kiss fantasy following hands-full Sinator hug or their corrosive exploitation of adolescent-sounding 50-plus-year-old Dr. Fraud?
In a previous election cycle before dumb rumps foamed at the mouth attacking Trump's family and Mayor Pete became religion lecturer, a slobbering NBC anchor Brian "Save the Tin Foil" Williams of climate-change commercial fame (a/k/a self-proclaimed patriot) was fond of displaying adoring news magazine "halo" covers to failed ex-President Barack Obama and then asking if His Earness' mother would have liked the image. No wonder Williams, another thrill-down-his-leg Peacock employee, was criticized for such a softball interview of Obama, who seems more comfortable in a mosque and exhibits more cartoon-like aggression toward Christian Conservatives dictating rules of engagement than to cartoon-hating Muslim marauders murdering Seal Team 6 patriots or a nervy CNN host-ette lecturing a former Navy SEAL about ethics. Since four-Pinocchio nose-for-news Williams is in dire need of a drool bucket and truth serum, perhaps one of his echo-chamber Clinton-camp counterparts who isn't certified Obama Orgasmic should brandish photos of murdered Americans in front of pen-and-a-phone POTUS and ask DingleBarry if he sleeps well at night knowing the Monarch Messiah did everything humanly possible ("Leave No Man Behind") before and during the Benghazi consulate attack to protect and save these hero sons of steadfast mothers. The Drone Ranger, refusing to provide Benghazi attack-night itinerary amid whatever situation-room manly game playing with body-man Reggie Love, could also be asked what was the "dishonor-the-memory" initiative for give-me-a-break trusted "cloth-wiping comrade" when the former Secretary of State flippantly said during previous testimony: "What difference does it make?"
Feeling any Clinton Corruption Fatigue as the contemptible couple and cu-cu immunity minions such as overbearing Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban and Muslim marauder Keith Ellison drinking their fool-aid claim they're doing the Lord's foundation work via Mount Everest of lies? Shouldn't Cuban be a mite more concerned about his renegade front office? Astute observers donning "Make Martha/Mika/Schmucky/ChelseaHandler Weep Again" caps are still waiting on the Transparent Titans to acknowledge what percentage of Muslims are deplorable due to their religion's genuine sexism and homophobia. It seems as if every word the disgusting duo utters is a fabrication, including "and" and "the," while exposing their grandchildren and dense daughter to all sorts of maladies. Insofar as "I Am Woman/Hear Me Bore" (curing insomnia even more than fossilized sex-expert socialist/Russia honeymooner/Muppet Show balcony babbler Bozo Bernie) and a vital general weren't interviewed by the less-than-thorough accountability review board, the difference could be a "smidgeon" of honesty with the country's citizens boasting a triple-digit IQ vs. cover-up deception with much of the misguided media such as ABC phony journalist Gorgeous George serving as maddening wicked accomplices. After a geriatric "Free Spit vs. Bull Spit" duel, a probing press remained sitting on the bottom-feeder sideline missing as much as the Rose Law Firm documents collecting dust on a table years ago in Hillary the Horrible's White House office (probably under Bubba's strategically-placed cigar box) or authenticity of Lyin' Brian's stories. When she mentions private server, is "C" stands for Clinton referring to "C" for computer activity in limbo or "C" for carnal activity by #SickWillie with latest bimbo or "C" for curvature of golf drive and erect organ. Media misfits keep up with facts and vital news as well as former First Fabricator does her hustler husband's "Energizer" Honey and ex-VP's daughter/"undercover" journalist after serial sexual harasser #SickWillie's number of extra-martial affairs more than doubled the age of a pizza-delivering intern in the Oral Office. In the wake of Moonlite Bunny Ranch hookers endorsing Stepford Shrillary, Bimbo-chasing Bubba probably headed West Old Man to herd a "load of bull" and join Lamar Odom in verifying level of libido support unless hedge-fund billionaire buddy Jeffrey Epstein arranged another trip as crooked as Peyronie's Disease to Virgin Islands.
Speaking of arousal, perhaps saucy Megyn Kelly, after "The Lady in Red" pries herself loose from memorialized unwanted Roger Ailes haunting hug or blood reference or mooching off O'Reilly ratings, can lure the "I-wasn't-thinking-a-lot" Compassionate Communist to an authentic interview focusing on more than Hot Sauce in purse. Despite viewers having to settle for more of facelift-feuding Kelly's annoying lame one-liners and voice inflections while more interested in setting stage for contract negotiations, at least the shrewd ex-lawyer knows a jury needs to be comprised of peers of the accused shrew. In this instance, it will be 12 liars, con artists and/or corrupt politicos resembling her shady staff and haughty hangers-on. Beyond driving her spouse crazy to where he can't define "is" and probably installed a bed rather than desk in his Harlem office, the only thing HRC's bloated carcass has driven in the last 20-plus years is a broom with license #666. The First Felon's dignity bound together with duct tape after flaunting defense of deviant accused of raping a 12-year-old girl, Ms. Re-set Button also apparently hasn't done the wash enough like common folk to know how to tell "co-worker" to get stain off a dress. Between choleric coughing fits choking on her own #Demonrat drivel, seems as if the Hag Been was too busy selecting original Star Trek wardrobe while ignoring pleas from a soon-to-be murdered sacrificial-lamb ambassador seeking more security. Only "I'm With Her" gullible groupies grasp how he couldn't get through protective maze although someone as vital as virile actor Ben Affleck was anointed with Hillaryous' direct email amid her compromising shoddy handling of top-secret-plus communiques. Unable to spell Hill without back-to-back L's; thus can't wait to find out what was Barry's pseudonym in emails between the two Losers. Responding to Russian hackers at rare press conference or not, look for her to tersely say: "I did not have inappropriate email with that server." It was just as well press conferences were rare for worn-out "Woodsy" because honest Americans can't stand to gaze at her super-predator lying eyes. Hopefully, Mateen will "order" her to don burka for any future stern Q-and-A session or ad when She-ria Law secures royalty from BleachBit for name change of disk-space "cleaning" product to BleachBit(ch). Puke press fan-club protestations notwithstanding, lock her up is assuredly "what should happen" after $50 million underwriting of fake dossier on #TheDonald triggering a cooking-the-books FISA application from FBI/DOJ's biased brass and leaking to CNN by jaded James Claptrapper.
Anyone with a brain wave knew right off the bat "sleep-deprived" Hil-liar-y (thought she said "don't feel no ways tired") was fibbing about bogus Bosnia sniper-fire battle when Cacklin' Cankles claimed she "ran" rather than waddling over to pose for photographs with her iPhone and "proud-every-day" teenage daughter at the time. ISIS probably is using video of haggard Hillary's escape artistry, comparable to facts inventor's tale to the unwashed masses about Chelsea jogging around the World Trade Center on 9/11, to instruct recruits how to elude enemy gunfire. Excessive lying and fake news putting lives at risk takes a lot out of an old geezer, leaving one with "very low energy" and bags under their eyes while protecting Wall Street speech transcripts more than national top secrets on private server. Apparently in dire need again of beauty sleep, she cut Z's instead of getting vital intelligence briefing just days after the Benghazi attack. No wonder Sleepy avoided family members of victims and was uninterested in viewing riveting movie 13 Hours inasmuch as George-Soros-in-drag "already slept through it once." Ignoring more than 600 requests for security from "friend" she never talked with after hiring him, did the well-traveled Secretary of State, sporting a fake smile reeking of psychopath, savage the truth maneuvering more adroitly than "the guys out for a walk" who savaged four Americans in Libya? Donning a wig or not, perhaps she could have moved more adroitly if been able to join the Marines. Keg Legs' dressing-down actions such as server-wiping come out of the blue similar to wiping superior-server Monica's DNA-stained blue dress or hurling a blue vase stemming from hubby's blue-night(gown) special at K(neepad)mart. No wonder empty-suit Joe Lockhart must have been black-and-blue tackling empty-stadium-seat duties as ex-NFL p.r. chief after previous spin-doctor responsibilities (without donning helmet) in the brain-damaged Clinton Out House.
In a rare moment of gold-mettle winning candor among DC swamp creatures and #MessMedia glamorizing Kim Jong Un's sister during Winter Olympics, former DNC Chairman Ed Rendell implied majority of the left's nasty female supporters are ugly. Hitlery's hugely-hyphenated hatchet hags/goon girls/treacherous toadies fond of "If I Had a Hammer" lyrics, including Muslim Brotherhood-connected Ms. Huma Abedin-Weiner-Danger-Mongoose, left a permanent "stain" on credibility by discarding their Blackberry, which should earn each of them a "term" (four years behind bars) unless investigators are card-carrying Dimocraps or politically savvy as Charles Barkley's playing the race card. An above-the-law home-brew email account utilized on government time "transparently" describes orchestrating mindset of the frosty frequent-flyer faker forgetting to bring her pretty-and-pink outfit out of cesspool mothballs (rather than "drowned rat" look or pretty-in-prison-suit-orange) while explaining with grating voice if didn't-really-think-it-through Snapchat Queen had sufficient sleep after yoga workout when deleting more than 30,000 "personal" emails. Long before she accrued wrinkle filler by the barrel with her 4-H Fan Club President Angrier Mitchell (Hill's Haughty Hack Horde), you can go to HELLary for ethical lapses all the way back to her involvement in the Watergate probe. Talking "past" normal Americans, the height of short-circuiting diabolical "diplomacy" would be if hacked emails prove she armed jihadists in Syria (including ISIS) or triggered "if-he-has-to-leave" execution of Iranian nuclear scientist/informant Amiri.
If no Little Rock offspring, Olympian swimmer lyin' Ryan Lochte must be Chelsea's long-lost brother or infected by airborne exposure to "overheated" Clinton-speak. In a best-case scenario, the ratio of Over-the-Hill's deleted emails from an apparently premeditated setup indicates she spent more than half of her arduous labor conducting personal business circling the sewer drain on government time despite her sordid spouse failing to use email. As Yoda Jr. lackey Cheryl Mills does her reset-button bidding en route to immunity status, it takes a village idiot to fail to discern the litany of lies whenever the Margaret Sanger devotee's lips are moving; although comedy relief is welcomed when repulsive reprobate embraces black voice imitation mode. While the furor among cultist mouthpieces depended on what the meaning of classified is, a rendezvous in a dimly-lit parking garage wasn't necessary for Hillary's email scandal to remind Washington Post Watergate sleuth Bob Woodward of the Nixon tapes. If accurate about her emails would have been safer on Ashley Madison's cheating website according to former NBC news reporter Fred Francis, the alleged world's smartest woman (despite failing to discern "header" spouse was in adjacent room securing from Monica) is "Queen of the Bile" unqualified to even carry bed-pan urine in or around the nation's capitol. Always confusing to the unwashed exemplified by her stance on dealing with ISIS (whether upper or lower case, defining is-is defies description for her and sordid spouse), the Democratic Dominatrix's theme song at coronation ceremonies should have emanated from a Leslie Gore tune with the following updated lyrics: "It's my Party and I can lie if I want to . . . ."
In the meantime while blaming Colin Powell for email edicts, we anticipated another Goiter Goddess tear-fest at a Cafe' Expresso so the serfs and plebeians (militant feminists, welfare magnets, victim-hood vultures, societal illegals, lazy leeches, retread hippies, Hollyweird selfie sluts, etc.) "feel" compelled to vote for the ultimate empty pants suit because the personality-deficit-disorder eyesore is "sad as Eeyore." How convenient the State Department attorney (Katherine Duval) in charge of document production in classified information scandal had a stint at IRS putting her at center of another high-profile missing-email case. Upon a smoking gun emerging during another FBI probe, it should be relayed to the paw-some presidential candidate in the following "classified" way: "Say 'hello' to my little friend (ghost of John Dean or non-wiped server containing pertinent information)." If the wicked witch fell off national schoolmarm wannabee broom, she shouldn't balk taking a "Balkan run" so a departure door doesn't hit prolific place where the Good Lord amply split her! But if Grandma the Great's grating gatlin gun (a/k/a voice) ever is dispatched to jail, who will be there to succeed the Secretary of Yoga in supporting all the forlorn females and children around the world by wearing red outfit? For crying out loud, how long will we be subjected to Curse Ratchet barking about needing to clarify on her classified statement regarding clarification of the statement she'd previously tried to clarify? Upon seeking a future headline if thank-God-she's-gone AG Loretta Lynch properly defines gross negligence, don't be stunned if e-nailed Hillary's hell-on-earth cellmate sues for "cruel and unusual punishment" around the time Sean Penn conducts an El Chapo-like interview for Rolling Stone. If her sewer side of the aisle succeed in ridding Gitmo of disgusting terrorists, it would be fitting if she was incarcerated there cleaning toilets "like with a cloth or something" as their replacement symbolizing Central Committee corruption. Surely, such an outcome is more appropriate than charging dupes to attend a book function or screed and then persistently whine to them. Similar "hearing-impaired" Dimorat Senators such as Bozo Blumenthal (fake soldier), groping T-Bone Booker (fake Newark character before fake Spartacus), "Turban" Durbin (fake WH meetings), Cursing Kirsten, Kamala "What Can Old (Wee Willie) Brown Do For Me?" Harris, Leaker Leahy and Lie-a-lotta Warren (fake squaw) helped orchestrate Judge Kavanaugh chaos. After becoming omniscient from reading inane H.S. yearbook blurbs and looking deep into Googly Eyes of Blaze, this consortium of character-assassinating human debris would be a mite more impressive if they were qualified to be colleague Feinstein's deceitful driver. Dim Diane's stem-winding staff may extemporaneously deny everything, but her financial ties to China are extensive before playing shameless super sleuth involving hail-mary/dirty-tricks rumor forwarded to FBI about ice-throwing Kavanaugh as a teenager. Bring on the #Dimorat investigations of #TheDonald in the House of Representatives. The demented Dims will be shown for the fools they are. After left-leaning, but seasoned, prosecutors couldn't create any substantive charges, deranged House committee losers (not leaders) couldn't discern who deposited the brown streaks in their own undies.
Are the uncouth and crude - rubes in flyover country with tentacles reaching more and more to Upper Midwest - required to stop constructing boxcars and reinforce at least one inquiry for which we're entitled a direct answer? Loathsome #ShrillaryRotten, as callous as probable supporters and depraved Josephine Mengele baby butchers from Planned Profithood flushing down an organic salad with red wine while the ghouls gleefully discussed "crunchy" dismembering of a "17-weeker" or Lamborghini dreaming, needs to undergo a polygraph test to gauge her truth telling. If not a veracity quiz amid the Dims' war on words narrative, then how about a driving test since she is so fond of mingling with commoners evidenced by her rope-around-dope during a holiday parade? The Dimorat dilemma stemming from Benghazi bungling, IRS mess and self-serving server are textbook examples of cheesy corruption. Weep for our nation because thumb(drive) suckers/bed wetters among the mess media and political players needing brain bleach are in positions of power rather than rooms with padded walls. Memo to nanny-state speech-control puppeteers: What does the "I" in ISIS/ISIL stand for although the "I" in impudent accurately describes cooking-the-books INTEL about waging war against the terrorists? Amid the Obama Out House whining and dining excessively with Planned Murderhood, the cultural hope and change among the intellectually and morally bankrupt is on steroids. How else can observer explain vanity of Bruce Jenner evolving nearly 40 years after Wheaties Box appearance to secure a social-engineering courage award from ESPN (Extra Sensitive Pious Network) prior to #KneelWithJemele spiels? Actually, it takes infinitely more fortitude these days to say you are white, religious and conservative man proud of your heritage and unashamed to voice your life matters, too. But if in need of some grins amid hags and thugs striving to suppress your voice, real men can console themselves that, if Bruce gives another Olympian effort and focuses on Hill's Chairman Mao Collection outfits and $600 haircuts to try to match number of security requests from an ambassador, he can almost end up looking like Hellary, who probably needed to spend $6,000. Cosmetically, it's comparable to slim odds of viewing a video featuring an attractive female employee from PP's plundering Hag Haven Holocaust hem-hawing over whether to sell body parts or send them to a landfill. You'd have more success locating Sasquatch among the visual birth control or, for that matter, an authentic racist soiling the ranks of Tea Party patriots. Cable cockroaches Rich-with-ill-will Madcow and sister/brother or whatever Sally Kohn are so fond of abortion the ghoul girls likely seek to be artificially inseminated by #MockItMan Sir Lawrence, #SickWillie or #HollyweirdHarvey to participate firsthand in weekend special as Butch(er)'s Baby winner. Either BSLSD or CNN will then erect a Michelle Wolf "Salute to Abortion" statue honoring first snuffer as Queen of the Chicken Little "Sky-is-Falling" routine exemplifying debauchery debris lust for sale of Charlie Gard body parts.
Amid Clinton interacting with all the warmth of a slug about breaking the law while collecting her sheep supporters like yesterday's trash, the general public can't possibly have any faith in a pathetic press monitoring these contemptible characters protecting bugs more than babies. It's an injustice to say a low-end used-car salesman is infinitely more honest and credible than majority of #MessMedia promoting polls designed to create a reality rather than reflecting it. A parade of progressive puke running their mouths on outrageous cable sibling MSNBC (Moronville rather than Nerdland), in dire need of mental health checks to "pilot" their valueless programs where "All Truth Matters" is a hateful remark, clearly has contaminated the vanishing credibility of the network's news division. Between stints virtually serving as Shrillary campaign managers, insufferable Krystal "Punked I" Ball and aging Angrier "Punked II" Mitchell probably passed up Williams in their internal on-air personality rankings before execs triggered an internal fact-finding mission. At some crooked juncture, Lyin' Brian probably told "Kibble Bits" Mitchell he was there when Sick Willie manhandled Juanita Broaddrick and never saw abuse occur. When Yoda's mother Andrea, separated at birth from ET twin James Carville, subsequently fell out of the unethical tree, she struck every "awful" branch on the way down dodging "sniper" comments similar to "discredited" Shrillary and cankle comrade Loretta Lynch's view of the Federal Bureau of Matters.
But isn't "fact" a dirty four-letter word to the steady stream of left-wing televangelist imbeciles such as Donny Dunce plus goofy "GameChangers" John Heil(Hitler)mann and sociable Mark "With Virtually No Respect" Halperin deemed "talent" on this deplorable "Lien Forward" network shackled by hypocritical flock of tax cheats headlined by bow-wow Al? Inability to comprehend tax forms "is-is" who they are! Jaundiced Joy-less Reid probably feels #TheDonald colluded with time-traveling Russians to hack her pint-sized brain. Despite shifting around human-waste time slots like plunger in a commode, MSLSD's principal audience remains comprised of its control room, about half of a haughty host's immediate family plus far-left lunatics attempting to get a glimpse of their relatives on Lockup. After serving a six-month suspension, Williams was consigned to a sinking ship as (fabricating) face of an egregious enterprise full of partisan hacks and harassing sickos. Williams said his undefined number of stretched stories "came from a bad place" and then secured an "11th-hour" reprieve to return to the stench of a bad place (MessLSD), which is to journalism what the National Enquirer is to literature and what Mika the Misguided Mannequin among 100-plus supportive Brokaw Babes are to regal reporting. Despite his excessive baggage and gigantic gall condemning fake news and lecturing about moral authority, Williams is an improvement over MessLSD's low-grade lineup and witless panels unless he also failed to attend a H&R Block tax seminar. Mingling amid this cesspool of flooded-out fools fond of fake squaw Elizabeth Warren (a/k/a "Pow Wow Chow" contributor Lie-awatha envious of The Donald after failing to flip enough tee-pees), the paleface press potentate at least won't have to fib about seeing (brain)dead bodies, tingling or not, pass him in the halls of his esteemed workplace where falsehoods came as naturally as breathing before they hired Megyn to inspire them with GQ poses, voice inflections and lame puns only her mother could appreciate. When trying to withstand Warren's "withering" wit and history of ethnic exploitation, you learn anew Native-American history as to why real Indians didn't permit "nasty" squaws, fake or not, to sit around the council fire other than delivering word-for-word recipe result of Warren's "Pow Wow Chow."
Long before Amazon deleted negative reviews of Over-the-Hill's book for bozos, perhaps the most accurate of all of Trump's tranquil talk sissy RINOs revile describes "the media as the lowest form of humanity." As laughable as Trumping Univision antagonist, "courageous" NBC executives such as Andrew Lack(ofintegrity) played role of Shrillary by avoiding interviews on their own networks about the Jimmy Carter intern who never graduated from college. In other words, NBC's brass knew for an extended period about the truth decay as Williams frequently was fond of fables but the enema of the American people allowed the storytelling go on and on and on. If Variety is the spice of life regarding NBC's culture, Bozo Brian's moral compass was infected by crass face-of-network Tom Brokaw. Sounds similar to the way the wink-and-nod enablers and their piss-poor press counterparts such as Today's Olympian ogre Matt Liar treat 50-troop "man" Obama by persistently kissing the ring in No Drama's back pocket plus coddling delusional Dims claiming climate change will force women into prostitution. Meanwhile, the BBC's chatty Katty Kay can't quite comprehend between her going-to-pot MSNBC appearances whether Mainstream Media Midget George tilts left or right - which is equivalent to discerning if the Earth is flat or round. Ditto the gall of Judy Woodruff claiming she is a fair-and-balanced news reader while NPR virtually ignored the Planned Murderhood videos scandal. Do you have any doubt these media mavens gave hemorrhoid-causing Hillary a pass when she seamlessly revised and extended remarks to their limits as much as stretching seams of her Chairman Mao Collection pants suits? The leftist butt-kisser's club members also do the same for clean-and-articulate ex-Vice Plagiarist Joe Biden in regard to his anemic charitable donations. Shouldn't MSNBC's malpractice maven Mike Barnicle and Clinton News Network's token profane Arab bull-spitter Fareed Zakaria have exclusively been Biden boosters solely because they're both profound plagiarists or have they already been admonished as JV by previous POTUS because "You Didn't Write That"?
Helicopter hallucinating Williams, the (bald) face (liar) of NBC News with a five-year, $50 million contract, slapped veterans in the face with his distortion about being "under fire" during the Iraq War. The Chinook Crooks, including Williams' NBC crew, are so delusional they must have exchanged war stories with corkscrew-flying #ShrillaryRotten. Mr. Misremember apologized for the longstanding blatant falsehood but it was chock full of weasel words and deceptive in making it seem as if he witnessed the attack despite being about 30 minutes behind the actual incident. If the lunatic Lohans can sue Fox, then the nation's viewers seeking truth, especially veterans, should be able to file a class-action suit against the $10 million/year valor thief. Williams' lame excuse for the principal chopper whopper was his celebrity-driven "memory evolved," giving critical thinkers added-value insight into how evolution really works for tree-hugging/tin-foil-saving leftists. Demoncrat media celebrities from Dan Blather to perky Katie Couric's gun-rights film deception, displaying all of the analytical ability of a chipmunk, are fond of portraying themselves as righteous although Liberal Lyin' companion Mary Jo Kopechne can not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, #TheDonald can be reached after Pushy succeeded Pussy. If he seeks to be a teddy bear addressing their brain power, he'll distribute coloring books and Play-Doh. If he wants to be a teed-off bear giving media a yellow shower for overlooking DNC and Shrillary dossier funding, he'll rip their heads off and pee down their sorry necks similar to his initial one-against-everyone POTUS presser, toying with media misfits about Comey tapes and possibly thwarting incessant White House press corps grandstanding by reducing on-camera briefings. Abusing our intellect ("blah, blah, blah. . . . we despise Donald Trump. . . . blah, blah, blah"), maniacal #MessMedia is nearly as disgusting as Pennsylvania priest pedophile scandal and Catholic "I will not comment" cover-up of sexual abuse going all the way over to walled-in Vatican. Perhaps the pompous political papacy was too consumed with leftist view of illegal immigration plus playing celebrity scientist lecturing the masses during masses about man-made climate change.
Let's capsulize media mess in sufficiently rudimentary terms aptly-named Don Lemon could comprehend along with fellow stage prancer Anderson Pooper and similarly confused Commie colleague Van Jones. Okay, strike thought as these characters have well-reasoned standards comparable to anal CNN legal beagle Jeffrey Toobin persistently spewing nonsense out his butt and while petting pet snake after knocking up Jeff Greenfield's 13-year younger daughter in an extramarital affair. Dear Ill-Equipped Liberals: What if a gorilla shot an alligator with AR-15 to save Muslim refugee child of trans-gendered parents ignoring infant while "stalled" by fascination over restroom access? Do-gooder logic from self-styled intellectual supremacists insists any record-snow natural phenomenon in New England, flood in Louisiana or wild-fire out West are directly attributable to man-caused global warming. They could "gun" for a shred of credibility by supporting having Muslims register pressure cookers and knives. As intense as the lovely faces and inspiring brains on The View, the pressure to conform even has the pope seeking to become a climate change-fighting superhero rivaling Al Bore and globe-trotting Barry Obama. Meanwhile, staff-sleeping genius David "No Kidding" Letterman looked like the king of dolts by accepting BSW's series of tall tales hook, line and sinker although an all-wet majority of bed-wetting media misfits curled up in their safe places wet-kissed him and fellow leftist Jon Stewart upon their retirements. Defying common sense, a striking number of progressive nut-jobs claimed they couldn't discern incessantly creepy Letterman's politics. Ditto for slanted Stewart, a wannabee journalist comparable to Step-on-the-truth-to-us hiding behind comedian mask when a topic thrown out for consumption by Anthony Weiner's beach-house buddy doesn't strike public's funny bone.
Come on folks! Labeling the current pack of jackals as journalists is akin to designating dog food as filet mignon. Rather than focused on two scoops of ice cream for #TheDonald, shouldn't they be probing murder of DNC operative Seth Rich or at least roaming through New York woods looking for dismantled electronic devices? Don't you "trust" your memory if a dog bit you drawing blood way back in grade school or receiving stitches in an accident "playing Army" (like Williams) with your childhood buddy down the street? When will NBC's complicit colleagues chime in with firsthand accounts of Blustery Brian's brave crusades or are they just classic "yes-people" cowards reveling in street-cred infotainment limelight of "Black Hawk Down Meets Saving Private Ryan"? Call it 50 shades of say(ing) nothing from a network worthy of sponsorship from Burger King (Home of the Whoppers). Did the hangers-on also secure special-ops gifts (throat-cutter, knife and piece of helicopter fuselage destroyed in Abbottabad compound raid) from acclaimed Navy SEAL Team Six? Geez! It has reached the point where we're surprised their embedded boss didn't manage to edit events where he actually shot and killed UBL rather than Robert O'Neill to try to thwart Fox News' ratings-grabber two-part interview. Running the risk of NBC cancelling Collegehoopedia's beauty pageant, it's time to assert: "A liar is a liar is a liar." Despite needing teleprompter to tell her when to "sigh," a single screed secures more money for Shrillary than the average annual salary of a CEO. If hideous Hillary had dropped out of the presidential race to become press pundit, she could have had a "little-hard-to-take" show on MSLSD known as "The Anchor Lady." Resembling tongue-tied colleagues, her intro limerick should be "I'm a little teapot, old and stout; open my mouth and lies come out" before "hammering" home signature sign-off citing Sir Walter Scott's quote: "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."
Akin to majority of Shrillary supporters with their credibility shrinking comparable to George Costanza's appendage at a beach house, none of stench stemming from Williams' preposterous assertions passed plausible smell test. The egomaniac ex-member of the Board of Directors of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation must want for himself an award (Yellow Heart from yellow-streak POTUS by toeing the line and refraining from saying Islamic terrorist) or at least an action figure with his likeness. Beset by a bizarre super-hero addiction, Williams asserted he saved puppies as a volunteer firefighter in New Jersey, endured mugging while selling Christmas trees, witnessed history at the Brandenburg Gate the night the Berlin Wall came down and braved rocket fire just under him in Israel (another hectic helicopter trip) before performing marvelous deeds in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina - "I see dead people" floating by hotel window in French Quarter, coping with gangs invading his five-star lodging (staging area for law enforcement), insisting he contracted dysentery from ingesting flood-waters and craving Slim Jims due to a far-fetched absence of nourishment. But let's face the "facts": If the "more you know (or concoct)" every-man can survive being hit by a R.P.G. (although likely just harrowing sand), the habitual "news-faker" can survive anything (including genuinely being shot down via a six-month suspension without pay). The Tonight Show host wannabe, apparently taking acting lessons from his risque-scene daughter (Allison on HBO series "Girls") based on half-baked apology still alienating the military, must moonlight as a mortician because he claims to "have seen thousands of dead people," including a suicide in the Superdome. The trauma has sure impaired his judgment after he focused on how climate-change conference slated for Paris would be impacted before anyone knew much about carnage stemming from Islamic terrorist attacks.
In the aftermath of serial-embellisher Williams' return, it's only a question of when before parent company Comcast overhauls or pulls the plug on moronic MSNBC where, if evolution is so authentic, a possible Planet of the Apes descendant or General Ursus stand-in (apparently his evolutionary view while trying to learn to spell r-e-s-p-e-c-t) feels compelled to dwell on Happy Darwin Day? Facing a dossier of fantasy fibs, a tearful mea culpa co-hosted by Oprah and Baba Wawa is probably the only way to salvage his career by admitting celebrity was more vital to him than journalism. Speaking of apologies, when will Al Jazeera reject Ayman Mohyeldin, a miscreant Middle East reporter for NBC (No Basic Credibility), seek forgiveness for his repulsive claim that sniper hero Chris Kyle was a "racist" on "killing sprees" while protecting troops in Iraq? It's all as perverted as 60 Minutes' Steve Kroft over at CBS although another broadcast network puff-piece yields insight to the convenient love-fest arrangement regarding Kroft's menage-a-trois interview with Obama and Clinton and Williams successor Lester Holt's psychiatric question about feelings. By any fair-minded definition (including University of Michigan's offensive word-free campus and Shrillary volunteers censuring adjectives), Kroft's claptrap, Holt's hard-hitting question and ABC's Stephanopoulos selling his Dear George soul to the Clintons beyond old Whitewater whitewashing were textbook examples of the ultimate man-made disaster - press and government working together for the common good of the people comparable to pissy-and-prissy Trudeau Administration in Canada.
What difference does it make? Frequently amused by pathetic press coverage of elusive definition of radical Islam, $400 million Iranian ransom, unprotected national borders featuring an illegal immigrant disease-dump invasion coming to your community soon, short-term soccer virus knock-out of real football as the nation's top concussion-causing or flopping sport, computer "recycling" by the environmentally-sensitive/magical-way IRS, myopic Michelle's talking shopping carts and a ballet-loving Coast Guard washout worth five Taliban human debris, there are ample reasons why the majority of Americans fail to have confidence in a biased mass media to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. Grabbed by the press posse, major TV networks and liberal rags devoted to "seeking the whole truth" refused to give coverage to a Fox News report acknowledging the dictionary-less Obama Administration denied aid multiple times to Americans attacked and murdered by "random-acting" terrorists in Benghazi on September 11 of all days. A self-righteous stonewalling White House failed to supply requested information to Congress for its hearing oversight, but Judicial Watch obtained declassified emails showing ex-Out House Deputy Strategic Communications Adviser Ben Rhodes and other "rogue" (likely from Cincinnati plus probably Phoenix) West Wing p.r. officials/demented dudes/"shadowy characters" orchestrating a "spontaneous" false-narrative prep memo/campaign, especially via cozy chit-chat with AP, to "reinforce" POTUS and to portray the Benghazi consulate terrorist attack as being "rooted in an Internet video, and not a failure of policy." The knuckleheads tried to portray the closing of the U.S. embassy in Yemen as a victory in the "War Against Whatever." Meanwhile, IRS intimidation icon Lerner (a/k/a Toby Miles), disgraced ex-DNC chair Debbie Blabbermouth-Schultz, leftist Congressmen supporting Iranian nuclear deal and Dimorat benefactor George Soros will be among the few Jews in the world for whom Barry Insane Obummer's Administration would defend their backs. Although Little Debbie's (beef)cake brother is an assistant US attorney for District of Columbia, OJ did a superior job in prison searching for real killers of Nicole than the DNC did investigating or offering award regarding murder of one of their own (Seth Rich). We'll know the fusion-driven pressure is getting to female version of Sgt. "I Know Nothing" Schultz if her hair goes scared straight.
Validity of "CNN Sucks" chants terrifying Little Jimmy Acostass were reinforced with the way the Most (Dis)trusted Name in News rushed in to feed "buzz" to viewers regarding BuzzFeed's trumped-up Russian rejoinder. After all, the #MessMedia's motto is "you have to engage in false statements. If the group-think pretentious press, spearheaded by certifiable close-minded "Journolist" lib-nuts (including testy Toobin, Eric Alterman, Ezra Klein and Paul Krugman) incapable of separating corrupt from crude, withheld evidence (such as emails from the National Security Advisor's office telling a counter-terrorism unit to stand down), they're as corrupt in a cover-up as the amateurish administration's self-righteous Siskel & Ebert wannabees more concerned with monitoring content of "Bible-clinger" prayers, doctoring talking points, collective salvation outreach, making faces for Buzzfeed video promoting ObamaCare and muzzling Benghazi survivors plus front-line troops who served with a deserter (forced to sign non-disclosure agreements) rather than transparency with the public. Amid the high-horse chaos, we pay for State Department tutors (to get their stories straight) and have the prospect of the incompetent lost-all-pertinent emails IRS enforcing Obamacare if its $1 billion investment enrolling "millions" ever functions properly. Incredibly, there are IRS dogs receiving bonuses despite being delinquent on their own taxes as a VA scandal became a precursor of flailing Obowwowcare. Does the medical coverage for Conservatives include throwing up in their mouths listening to "Dim" politicians, pathetic political pundits on CNN and MSNBC plus vengeful not-quite-vixens on "The View"?
The CCCP (Colossal Collection of Condescending Politicians) fails to comprehend they work for "We the People"; not the other way around. How else did you explain the moral compass of former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen See-Soul-less, too busy to testify before Congress but not to attend a gala, failing to help a young girl secure a lung transplant years after the "human servant" prolonged her political life by accepting significant donations in Kansas from an abortion doctor known as Tiller the Baby Killer? Perhaps bloodthirsty Demonrats, capable of labeling political opponents as such but not genuine terrorists, would have a little compassion for innocent human babies if they were furry fetuses. Have these petty "public servants" any shame as their leader jokes about a pastry chef lacing pies with crack cocaine? This is supposed to be a nation of laws; not of self-absorbed men and women seemingly releasing more Gitmo detainees than creating quality jobs. Why wasn't there a single honorable IRS employee step forward casting out demons as a whistle-blower about the keep-your-faith-to-yourself agency's targeting of outstanding organizations such as Billy Graham's "mean-spirited" ministries or auditing conservative donors at 10 times the rate of the average citizen?
Why didn't the lapdog media do its watchdog job and pursue the Benghazi issue providing accountable answers to the many questions accumulated about what precisely occurred in the Celebrity-in-Chief's chamber? The Last Half-rican Standing, stymied by almost 20 years as member of the Church of GD America, failed to rise to occasion and become a genuine leader should have simply get the hell out of the way. Setting aside "fast-and-furious" race-card reveling DOJ activity, disgusting IRS transgressions, offensive lecturing of Christians at a prayer breakfast and VA Hospital waiting-list death counts, why do the vast majority of the message-massaged media remain so disinterested in pursuing the litany of "jaw-dropping" misstatements and dissembling regarding what was known before and after the Benghazi horror? It wasn't because the misfit media was too busy in Philly prepping for coverage of the chilling capital case carnage in serial killer Dr. Kermit Gosnell's late-term abortion trial or delving into the abuses of an arrogant in-over-his-head AG such as error-prone Eric and party-animal IRS targeting conservative groups plus a network (Fox) more conservative (conspiratorial to loony leftists) than its counterparts. General Motors is alive, but truth from crass Obama White House, Democratic legislators and State Department officials plus an inept press corps is dead. Meanwhile, ex-POTUS (a/k/a "Basketball Bones") was too busy going to the rack at a ceremony with UConn's male and female NCAA hoop champions rather than assembling a coherent response to a full-court press siege in Iraq or take the time to attend Justice Scalia's funeral. After feeding the hungry Huskies his rehearsed lines, a do-our-part plan for the Saul Alinsky devotee in the immediate aftermath included glamour golfing in Palm Springs, where he also went to celebrate Father's Day weekend while his vacation-junkie family ran up another hefty tab separately in Italy.
What difference does it make amid NBC's honey beer-drinking summit Super Bowl interview of Obama Been Lyin' by a network honey? Al Jazeera becomes more objective in its coverage of U.S. politics than incestuous AP (Administration's Press), ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC (More Socialist Nonsense By Commentators) and CNN (Contemptible News Network when moderator Candy Crony became a shameless shill as a virtual member of presidential debate team). It seemed like standard operating procedure when CNN's VP and Washington bureau chief tipped the Clinton campaign off to a favorable poll just before its release via her husband, who served as a deputy secretary of state under Shrillary and whose name was floated for a possible high-level spot in a second Clinton White House. In addition to taxpayers underwriting a welfare-receiving terrorist clan in Boston to the tune of more than $100,000 and paying in excess of $300,000 to merciless Major Nidal Hasan while waiting for trial since the felonious Fort Hood shooting, we finance fastidious NPR (should be NWR for National Welfare Radio), which is such a gigantic joke "All Things Considered" aired no Benghazi features the weekend after compelling Congressional testimony but did allot time to "consider" riveting rhino horns trading. It doesn't seem as if the "All Things" mindset has changed much since a former co-host's husband worked for the presidential campaigns of Obama and ready-to-serve-spit John Kerry (the self-proclaimed Vietnam War hero before heaving his medals and dignity over a fence comparable to Israel's security in a dismal deal with Iran he was still trying to salvage even after being OOO).
Everywhere you turn unless negotiating a bike with all the expertise of shadow ambassador Kerry, there is an immeasurable mess stemming from his presidency similar to the former IRS chief's wife toiling for a leftist campaign finance reform group. Incredibly, Obama lackey Valerie Jarrett's daughter boasted zero experience in journalism but was slated to cover the DOJ for CNN. Also devoid of media credentials, First Daughter Chelsea Clinton was given a political favor on a silver-spoon platter via an annual salary of $600,000 when she joined NBC News as a rock-solid "special correspondent" for Williams' Rock Center (in excess of $25,000 for each minute she displayed her hard-working brilliance on-air to make certain she wasn't dead-broke after leaving the White House and academic pursuits). If Webb Hubbell-lipped Chelsea was worth $600,000 to NBC long before possibly reaching Congress on a silver platter after Mommy Dearest was treated in same fashion en route to Senate seat, the peacock-sure network should have paid Ivanka Trump $6 million. Let's hope spoiled-brat Chelsea's "Get Going" book geared toward kids is 180 degrees removed from Bubba's get-going targeting/stalking of younger crowd. Who in their right mind other than perhaps Clinton leg humper Dear George would pay $75,000 for a nepotism-laced one-percenter Chelsea chat (down to $7,500/minute for her precious "work" while mooching off Clinton Foundation)? How much are speeches from Natasha and Malia worth; especially if they remember any of Rev. Wrong's spellbinding sermons unlike their parents, and admit hiding Oreo snacks and smoking products under beds after enduring organic-garden goodies all day or served as experimental youngsters using same restroom as troubled transgenders in father's apostate administration lowering nation's inspiration to "tear down that stall" from "tear down that wall"?
Presidents of ABC and NBC News had siblings working at the Obama White House with cozy ties to Benghazi, CNN's deputy bureau chief was married to a former aide for (brain)dead-broke Hillary, #DirtyRice was married to an ABC News executive producer and #Shrillary's cocksure campaign manager (Robby Mook) interned for Stephanopoulos. Mook learned so much from Curious George he knows more about how many times chronically-confused Kramer visited Seinfeld's apartment than how often his colleagues and White House personnel met with chaos-causing Creamer. NBC News senior political editor Mark Murray was married to an Obama official, former MSNBC "Spittle-Boy" (Chris Matthews) is married to chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, host-ette Savannah Guthrie's spouse was traveling chief of staff for #AlBore, half-ass conservative Margaret Hoover's spouse is CNN/Newsweek/Daily Beast flack, CNN-to-Fox host John Roberts' spouse has worked for CNN and ABC plus Meet the Depressed moderator UpChuck Todd's spouse worked on 2006 Senate campaign for Jim Webb (D-VA). Todd, exhibiting his typical behavior of a buffoon when saying he was proud of NBC for its handling of Williams' integrity scandal and moonlighting as DNC therapist, secured his start in politics toiling in 1992 presidential campaign for Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), who wound up nearby for the Howard Dean exorcism and endorsed the Clinton Charade. All "Rhodes" at CBS detour when inquiring about Les Moonves' manhandling maneuvering but do lead to the network's prez being the brother of Mr. Accountability's "mind-melding" speechwriter and escape-artist extraordinaire going to great lengths to avoid divulging potentially-damaging information on a "Jason Bourne" deserter. It was the best place for previous Out House operation using a Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing to "combat" Islamic terrorism.
CBS, with tasteless Moonves doing his titillating tidings with board support from former Bowdoin ME hooper/Clinton Secretary of Defense William Cohen, hired former Obama chief of staff Bill Daley as a contributor while respected investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson maneuvered out of her contract amid the network's depraved indifference. By any measure, Moonves' wife, Julie Chen, is a journalistic joke when compared to Attkisson. Around 30 liberal journalists passed through Obama's revolving door as employees. A prime example of the seamless transition for in-the-tank media was Linda Douglass, who became communications director for the Oval Office's Health Reform Office after serving as ABC's chief congressional correspondent. Such BS shouldn't have been surprising insofar as her lawyer/husband was a big fundraiser for BO. Similarly, Washington Post political reporter Shailagh Murray fit like a glove working under Biden and Obama before wild-eyed communicator Rachel Racusen sandwiched a stint with MSLSD between West Wing flings and daughter of Univision "baby" anchor Jorge Ramos joined Shrillary's campaign. Any legal immigrant knows Whore-hey is the equivalent of Ted Baxter for White America - a joke. Political operative Murray was married to a key employee for Fusion GPS, which was funneled money by the same law firm paid nearly $1 million by Obama's official campaign organization. At CBS, a bozo producer mocked Sen. Rand Paul about "being a doctor" while clueless that he indeed is a physician. Democratic operative/convicted felon Robert Creamer, the husband of Illinois Congresswoman Jan Schakowky, made 340 visits to Obama's Out House. Elsewhere, you can always count on Tingles Matthews, the tedious tapeworm of TV tales on MessLSD's "Dumbball," to pee on himself non-stop offering alternate-universe commentary for which you should promptly believe just the opposite; especially when #PrissyChrissy spewed venom about the mother of a deceased State Department employee.
The Beltway is East Coast version of Hollywood only with ugly people. Amid one of the Clintons' best friends funneling in excess of half-million dollars to spouse of high-ranking FBI official, you can't possibly make up all of this conflict-of-interest journalistic junk unless fond of the chummy White House Correspondents Dinner. The "Let's Move" (in together) extends into the kitchen where WH chef Sam Kass is married to dim-bulb former host-ette Alex Wagner from "Fall Backward" network MSLSD. Did she get talking points along with organic-food leftovers from Michelle's gorgeous garden? Departed Spite House Press Secretary/Carnival Barker Jay Carney's wife is Claire Shipman, a senior national correspondent for ABC. Blatant bias stemming from the bozo version of a "Band of Brothers (and Sisters)" also includes the Washington Post's justice department reporter married to the general counsel of the Department of Human Services, ABC News producer married to National Security Advisor/military micro-manager Susan Rice, CNN's deputy Washington bureau chief married to an ex-deputy secretary of state under Clinton, Huffington Post political editor and ex-Newsweek flack Sam Stein's spouse working for White House and NPR's WH correspondent married to a lawyer in the White House counsel's office. The symbolic evacuation from the White House press room because of smoke must have stemmed from deep-background Carney trying to blow smoke up the media's sorry butt with an off-the-record briefing for selected stenographers. Obstructing justice he was sworn to uphold, the ill-tempered AG was the next nefarious nabob to deploy a farcical off-the-record stench-fest pussyfooting around behind closed doors prior to giving illegal immigrants welfare attorneys. His successor was no better as she conducted ill-advised meeting with Bubba before FBI announced its decision regarding subversive spouse. In addition to potty training of their grandchildren, perhaps they also discussed the Clintons' expertise on underwear - Sick Willie getting tax deduction for his skivvies and #ShrillaryRotten orchestrating evidence involving pre-teen raped by her client.
Were reports any surprise about Clinton BleachBit operatives privately sanitizing potentially-damaging State Department documents to protect "7th floor" personnel? Oh, the Huma-nitwit-he-he! In Hill's wacky world where she looks more into Yoda than yoga, only four people were killed and she didn't know three of them, anyway. After spit hit the fan, State Department lackey Jan sought to silence contractors. But from their graves, the deceased cried out: "In lieu of flowers, please don't elect Hitlery (unless she at least admits we died)." In an effort to help the buffoonish media shine the light of truth on the Benghazi bungling and scrubbed-a-dozen-times talking points, following are basic "who/what/when/why/where" questions for which the public deserves answers via the president's acolytes:
* Long before throwing INTEL community under the bus, who changed the original talking points and concocted "the (fanciful) spontaneous reaction" to a YouTube video explanation for the attack (framed before the final two deaths) and did the same individual help orchestrate a coordinated response at various venues in the days and weeks immediately following said attack?
* What portion of the entire 7 1/2 hours of the attack did POTUS himself spend in the Situation Room with fellow "mom-jean dudes" and was he directly involved with multiple "stand-down" orders while the attacks were in place? Perhaps he was too busy with debate prep, playing Spades again or some Man's Country "game" with body man/ex-Duke hooper Reggie Love rather than spending 13 seconds overseeing mobilization of rescue troops enduring 13 hours of hell. Let's hope Love, charged with driving while impaired in college, didn't take Barry out on the town to a frat party rather than doing his job in Situation Room.
* When precisely did increasingly imperial POTUS and/or his national security staff first become aware that an attack was underway at the Benghazi compound and did Hillary Clinton and Leon Panetta compare notes before Clinton's proclamation emphasizing a video as the culprit?
* Why was the no-drama Obama Administration's response so lax - failing to issue a CBA (Cross Border Authority) - despite an unmanned drone providing real-time live video feed of the scene? Who atop the chain-of-command was so insensitive they let Americans die during a "demonstration" (not an attack) akin to butchering innocent babies?
* Where is evidence of the "Betray Us" administration's responses to repeated pleas to strengthen security for Americans in Libya, not only from the State Department security chief and man on the ground in charge of security, but from the ambassador? Or were progressive normalization goals with Libya more important than traditional sense of duty? Did the "Deleter of the Free World" aspirant encourage Stevens to go to Benghazi or not to set up a diplomatic outpost?
Trying to find someone "on Koch" more revolting amid the myriad of political con artists than former Senate Dimorat "leader" Harry Reid (Nevada), how do you distinguish "Dingy" (who also chimed in with "What Difference Does It Make?" before wowing the nation threatening not to attend a Redskins game) from Dumb from Dumber from Dumbest as the government goofballs and goons reveal they would rather focus their energy on invoking the 5th Amendment by grifters, coddling illegal immigrants, supporting same-sex unions, attending line-dancing conferences at taxpayers' expense, underwriting Sandra Flukey's birth control, sanctioning gays in professional sports and the Boy Scouts, funding transgender operation for military misfit Bradley Manning, monitoring everyone's phone calls including the Pope, bullying insurance companies to keep them quiet, ordering federal workers to spy on each other and giving Miranda rights to terrorists while profiling patriot, pro-life plus Tea Party affiliates? Schmucky Schumer, Dingy's successor, isn't the answer to giving a craving nation one huge "happiness" conference by dismantling the IRS. In a sick version of Obama "care," the media dimwits such as Eleanor Off-the-Cliff seem as careless and clueless in unearthing authentic autopsy results for a virtually defenseless Ambassador Stevens as the administration is in resolutely rendering justice to the incorrigible Islamic perpetrators. They reach out a kumbaya hand to Islamic scum seeking to slice off our hands (if not more). It's foreign to civility, but it spurs one to drag All the ex-President's "Men" (political parasites) through the caught-by-surprise mud similar to the ambassador's body dragged through foreign streets.
Whether or not they are yucking it up about a significant delay in apprehending terrorist leader or looking under every rock for a Christian extremist group, this is no witch-hunt because the witches in and out of government are already easy to discern. A classic example was shabby State Department spokesperson #MakeMe Barf, wearing glasses to try to appear smart, trashing brave front-line soldiers from her thousands-of-miles-away ivory tower while the haughty hag permanently stained from serving on Obama's debate prep team described torturing towel-heads as "gentlemen", deemed job-training for ISIS (Jobs for Jihadis) as the cure for halting Middle East conflict and doesn't think it's pertinent to know if Hillary's emails contained classified material. While the world went to hell around her, equally dense State Department amateur-hour colleague Gem SockItToMe tweeted about fashion before displaying her utter ignorance being unaware Jews were killed in a terrorist attack on a kosher deli in Paris prior to a timid correction tweet. Can't wait for explanation from intellectual heavyweight rejoining White House communications staff after the State Department reportedly ordered Marines to destroy their weapons upon a humiliating abandonment of the U.S. embassy in Yemen, which was Obama's textbook example of success only months earlier. Regrettably, we pay the salaries of charming charlatans who threw their political weight behind declining to put Boko Haram thugs on the terrorist list before the Islamic militants in Nigeria burned 29 students alive, massacred 59 schoolboys at a boarding school and kidnapped nearly 300 school girls (threatening to sell them into slavery). Incredibly, Fox News deemed dim bulb #MakeMeBarf capable of enlightening its viewers as a regular contributor after her dismal displays during the Obama years. Ditto chest-pounding "Dirty Donna" Brazila.
What happened? Roped-off reporters were so far up Hillary's butt during her cow(ard) roundup they could detail what she consumed doing lunch with double-dipping scrawny surrogate Huma after running down their Scoobie Doo SUV. Has the idolatry-practicing media, with fawning NBC planning a mini-series on Clinton before backing off on the project, contrasted "equal-protection-under-the-law" security measures for Ambassador Stevens compared to her when she went overseas? Did Eleanor Roosevelt give Her Thighness seance insight on baking cookies, covering up a sex and prostitution probe on her watch, lessons on transporting herself on a broom or how mostly unseen movie trailers incite Muslims? Seemingly, it's always the fault of someone else with this contemptible crowd, looking as phony as actress Diane Lane playing the role of Shrillary - which is akin to George Clooney playing the role of Dick Vitale. It takes-a-village idiot such as truth deflector Victoria "F**k the EU!" Nuland to believe her crutch, but perhaps the Democrap ditz potty mouth is simply adding to the vast right-wing conspiracy featuring a seemingly never-ending gateway list from Whitewater to Wipeserver including Filegate, Sandy Burglar "lifting" National Archives classified documents, Buddhist Templegate, Sick Willie's intern cigar, Travelgate, Vince Foster's suicide, Lippogate, Marc Rich's pardon, Lootergate, wagging the dog, Vandalgate, Orgy Island, Servergate, Foundation pay-to-play, etc., etc., etc. Now, gaffe-tastic Hillary "misses the bigger picture" sounding "is-is" similar to hubby: "I did not have decision-making responsibilities for that compound - Benghazi." Meanwhile, Billy Boy stayed above the email and server frays by claiming: "I did not have texts with that woman - who lied about name origin." When Hillary eventually implodes just before or after ObamaCare does the same, lunatic Oven Stuffer Sugar-daddy Soros will have underwritten a leftist Holocaust similar to when the Democratic Party hijacker posed as a Christian teenager watching numerous fellow Hungarian Jews shipped off to death camps.
The "buck" couldn't find any place to stop during Obama's tenure at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, where "time-is-of-the-essence" ex-POTUS chimed in on earthshaking cultural topics involving dumbbell Donald Sterling, Undocumented Democrats-to-be and documentarian Michael Sam but didn't supply his itinerary the evening when Americans were killed in Libya. Neither the self-enamored emperor nor his underwhelming underlings have any clothes or complete candor as the IRS commissioner only remembers one Easter Egg roll among his excessive 157 White House visits. Amid trying to discern State Department protocol during an attack, there was a preposterous assertion from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that "assets couldn't get there (Benghazi) in time." Did patronizing Panetta also commiserate with an omniscient Eleanor regarding upper-brass orders to save Americans? How did he know with such authority the length of "time" the siege would take as they fought for their lives? Maybe he was too busy on other travel-time matters planning his next cross-country commute home to California at tax-payer expense on military jets. Panetta isn't as principled as the press likes to portray him after Monica "I'm No. 44 (or so)" Lewinsky "worked" in the Chief of Staff's office during the government shutdown. Did this leech-filled leadership just cut their losses and "run" (let them die) rather than risk additional casualties before making the rounds, including hard-hitting media moguls Letterman (there he is again) and Barbara Walters, with their video fairy-tale?
What difference does it make? Our nation's ex-Effeminate Embellisher didn't need to be Winston Churchill while putting his bust in mothballs, but we didn't need Ward Churchill off the reservation overseeing our 57 states. Is there a single stooge from his out-of-control whining White House crew who served with honor and distinction as they boasted fewer jobs created than babies aborted? They should have focused more on closing their collective mouths than closing Gitmo and unmasking intelligence reports. If they were candid, they would be promoting their ex-boss as cover boy on the new $10 bill. The second term of a president, resembling life, is like a roll of toilet paper when you're ill. The closer you get to the end, the faster the _ _ _ _ goes resembling his brother-in-law cast adrift as Oregon State's coach. Held hostage by an Ariel Castro-like media as manipulative as Jodi Arias, the general public suffers from gullible glorification syndrome. Whatever political position you're in when the _ _ _ _ hits the fan, you just hope the grandstanding leader of the free world letting the entire Middle East turn into Alqaedaistan exhibits more "Barry" backbone (equivalent of a slinky according to Fox News funnyman Greg Gutfeld) than a best-and-the-brightest Boy King raised by an Indonesian nanny who subsequently joined a group of transvestites called the Dancing Dolls.
Unwilling to be a doll and dance around the topic like CNN's purported plane video of Sinator Oboner on the campaign trail pretending he was a basketball star strutting his stuff at nightclub, a problem ("phony scandal") persisted that the overwhelming majority of slanted reporters chronicling events big and small, including the toy department (sports), write through a liberal prism insulting our common sense and intelligence. A classic example of unethical standards was the love triangle among the elite press (Washington Compost)/government (DOJ and FCC)/sports (soft landing with The Undefeated). Many media minions such as CBS hoops elitist/Puke political science graduate/failed stand-up comedian shamelessly promoting his mom's alternative-medicine cancer elixir and dad's failed friend (#ShrillaryRotten) are as embarrassingly attentive to what is going on in their area of expertise as Supreme Judge Ruth at the state-of-the-union speech. Thus, the toughest question Obama, the executive with excessive excuses and 72% approval among Muslims, faced in a given year from the press "rat pack" probably was an ESPN bracket racket inquiry concerning whether his alma mater (Harvard) was going to advance to the second round in NCAA basketball playoff competition. How often did ESPN saps such as golfing partner Michael Wilbon and chatty host of show for non-workers Jemele Hill indulge themselves with "Audacity of Hype" presidential picks promoting the NCAA tourney while failing to exactly provide "fair share" equal time from the opposing party? At least Around-the-Horn(dog) ESPN, a Ashley Madison underwriter presenting itself as knowing as much about everything as Edward Snowden (including driving social issues down our just-want-to-watch-sports throats), didn't also portray Sir Remake America as a baseball expert following the bleeding-heart leftist's feeble ceremonial first pitch worthy of wearing mom jeans while attending a MLB All-Star Game. Unquestionably, social engineering ESPN, gutting Grantland while trying to launch Undefeated website, seeks to provide fib-lib ideals such as obsession with "Redskins" more of a forum than conservative commentators such as Mike Ditka and Curt Schilling. Perhaps ESPN is too busy working on investigative piece regarding former college basketball women's player (three-point specialist for Western Illinois in 2009-10 and Arkansas State in 2011-12) who became an exotic dancer known as "Dallas" before encountering low-life energy expert lapdog Hunter Biden. Similar to information-laden laptop, the foolish First Son claimed he had no memory of meeting stripper but she was on his consulting firm's payroll while pregnant. Come on, man! Check your Russian-hacked laptop. Plagiarist Bi-dumb should be asked if he knows name of his granddaughter she bore and whether ex-hooper should have been booted off insurance plan months by hideous Hunter after giving birth.
Let me be clear: Don't you wish the agenda-driven media would have "encouraged" leave-no-deserter-behind to develop priorities putting as much effort into meeting a budget deadline or getting the FBI to investigate Benghazi sooner than a month later instead of swooning over the Rev. Wrong disciple while providing a bracket, accepting mulligan lessons from Tiger, hosting parties at Club Obama, helping fill out H&R Block tax forms for Al "Not So" Sharpton or releasing illegal immigrant criminals from prison? If not relevant items, couldn't they have at least asked him: "What's the deal with the First Lady taking separate planes at taxpayer expense on your vacation junkets?" or "Why are Gitmo detainees receiving better health care than American veterans?" or "Did global warming cause Godzilla to return?" or "Do you want to be known as Traitor Jack after an incentive-for-kidnapping swap of five gold-star throat-slitting savages for one lily-white deserter?" or "Do you accept the laughable line that the IRS, which demands Charles Citizen keep his financial records for seven years, can't supply pertinent emails over a critical seven-month span for the gang-of-seven?" or "How many lone wolves does it take to make a pack of Islamic terrorists?" or "Are the three branches of the federal government called Me, Myself and I?"
Obama administration transplant Jim Sciutto, CNN's certifiably compromised chief national security correspondent, is a gigantic joke in network's continual Comedy Club. But then most of the honorable and distinctive media elite such as former CNN Misfire moron/shameless shrew Stephanie "Lying is a Virtue" Cutter are in the same fast-tracking cartel with chronic fabricator Tokyo Rice, who said the meandering misfit served with "honor and distinction" after a repulsive victory-lap Rose Garden publicity-stunt production where Allah was praised by Papa Taliban but not a word of gratitude directed toward the numerous shut-up-and-salute authentic soldiers killed and injured striving to rescue Mr. AWOL for Afghans. Would an extremist rules-for-radicals administration gone awry cooperate with a Hollyweird producer for a movie ("Saving Private Bergdahl"), available in Pashto, focusing on an ultimate warrior gone bad probably because of another YouTube video failing to generate four stars from Shrillary's shady State Department? Only the smartest man in the world could interrupt his ideological executive orders and negotiate a deal to save someone ashamed to be an American. Bowe Knows Islam apparently was fading fast with an illness that could only be promptly treated at a VA hospital. If you boast a triple-digit IQ and believe anything from the Worst Wing spin machine including smug Christiane Amanpour and Valerie Jarrett with their Iranian backgrounds plus DNC demons paying millions to Pakistani Anwar brothers as IT experts, then God (not Allah) help us all. Who possesses the most credibility and represents the best of us - selfless soldiers daily putting their lives on the line or self-centered White House/DNC dolts/State Department shills or DOJ version of Bonnie and Clyde (Bruce and Nellie Ohr) or self-important genuinely raggedy reprehensible press?
What difference does it make? Well, when the lame-stream sports media is as incompetent as the general newsroom and editorial department, they foist make-believe heroes upon us such as Lance Armstrong, Ryan Braun, Jose Fernandez, Aaron Hernandez, Ben Johnson, Marion Jones, Muslim convert Colon Crapernick, Johnny Manziel, Slick Rick Pitino, Ray Rice, A-Roid, Josh Shaw, O.J. Simpson, Manti Te'o, Michael Vick, Jameis Winston, Tiger Woods, "The Carolina Way" (Afro-Studies academic fraud) and shady Jackie Robinson West All-Stars. Do you really believe brand-protecting ESPN knew absolutely nothing about stretching the Chicago boundaries of Little League Baseball? A majority of the cesspool press pool cheered Sam Who I Am's social-engineering progressive values amid sizing up his shower habits after jeering Tim Tebow's religious "The Great I Am" standards. In basketball specifically, hoop media sycophants canonized tattooed Louisville coach Pitino not long after his brazen bistro-closing porn-star tryout and Jimmy V is hailed endlessly in history rewrites despite coach Valvano having two different schools - Iona and North Carolina State - vacate NCAA playoff participation. As if enthralled with Pitino getting a title tattoo, catching an enormous marlin, being featured on Maker's Mark bourbon bottles, donning Kanye West adidas shoes and competing in a seniors tournament isn't enough, the inept media's touchy-feely attempts in social engineering included trying to elevate Jason Collins to Jackie Robinson-like status.
At the time, Collins was cited as a "star" by sports know-nothing ABC anchor-ette Diane Sawyer, the wife of a Hollyweird director. Was Collins embellished as celestial because he averaged 1.1 points and 0.9 rebounds per game last season, 1.1 ppg and 1.3 rpg over the last two seasons, 1.2 ppg and 1.4 rpg over the previous three seasons, 1.4 ppg and 1.6 rpg the previous four seasons, 1.3 ppg and 1.5 rpg the previous five NBA seasons or because he fits nicely into smug Sawyer's social world view as Charles Gibson's truth-telling successor before she herself stepped aside in mid-2014? At least sanctimonious Sawyer, sounding almost like Shrillary after putting on Depends adhesive side up, showed her expertise in softball(s) with hot-air inquiries to Syrian dictator Bashar Assad about iPods and video games. Sawyer and #Shrillary must be sharing their meds with Pelosi (#NannyPathetic), Warren (#PrincessLieawatha), Waters (#MadMaxine) and #Dimorat Congressional Odd Squad (AOC/Omar/Tlaib/et al).
The misguided media, responding like the NSA in the "least untruthful manner," is so focused on accuracy that majority of folks with limited professionalism offered a one-sided depiction of troubled teen Trayvon Martin as a Skittles-loving (not weed-smoking) model citizen who must have innocently been kicked out of his home and school perhaps because he was fond of hanging around full-fledged liars who can't read cursive (eloquent to MSNBC smear merchants) coupled with his flaws including prejudiced thinking that Hispanics (White-Hispanic to appease race hustlers) could become "creepy-ass crackers." Fueled by hoodie-donning intellectual heavyweights such as the Miami Heat, a reported $1 million-plus wrongful death settlement with a homeowners association was a "justice" byproduct of the demise of the parents' son apparently enthralled with a "Gangsta" culture. It didn't take long for Baltimore bozos to exhibit their political prowess in a similar $6.4 million settlement regarding an individual with nearly two dozen drug-related offenses while incompetent city attorney failed to turn over exculpatory evidence to defense attorneys for their own police officers.
Of course, it's all about just one side of the political spectrum getting along with the other to the Amen progressive "pew" from politically-correct pundits plus gaily being who you are in a permissive society. What a stunner Collins was promptly slated to join the First Lady at a high-fiving Democrapic fundraiser. But this fundraiser was a genuine political spontaneous reaction! Collins, a college classmate of Chelsea Clinton, didn't exactly courageously dwell on the No. 98, which is about the number of months he fraudulently strung his fiancée along (see Cosmopolitan feature on fellow Stanford product Carolyn Moos). The brave Brooklyn Nets should have signed Moos to a contract as the first women's player in the NBA since Collins didn't help inspire his teammates any more than coach Jason Kidd. At least it would have taken some attention away from nut-job Donald Less-Than-Sterling, who should have remembered the old adage: "It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than opening your mouth and removing all doubt!"
What difference does it make? The full-confidence Soviets with Pravda boast a more objective and truthful media slant than the ABC pap provided from Stephanopoulos, who received a masters in (liberal) theology utilized in a bimbo-eruption Clinton War Room before "earning" a seven-year, $105 million contract. By any measure, the puff-piece enemies of illumination failed vetting Obama and his leftist fantasies before he became POTUS other than perhaps focusing on an alleged hoop prowess. But as former NBA Commissioner David Stern, a stereotypical liberal-leaning lawyer, said in jest about Obama's basketball background: "He thinks he's better than he really is." Although probably not intentional, Stern's dispassionate assessment also summarizes Obama's outlandish high-horse presidency running up the national debt as fast as he runs away from using the phrase "Islamic terrorist." At the risk of becoming the next U.S. citizen subject to a drone strike, it should be emphasized, when failing to toe the fictional party line of the high-and-mighty real sideshow, you become a demoted diplomat, face intimidation tactics having your phone records seized or are targeted by going on the abuse-of-power IRS enemies list (a/k/a "horrible customer service"). Obummer, while never mentioning the Clinton Cash racket, is so delusional he theorizes Republicans/conservatives are to blame for Loser Lois' widespread targeting.
Astonishingly, the staging-question IRS was "used" as a springboard by West Wing wackos to drive Obamacare down our throats via the same wily _itch with no integrity but plenty of bonus money despite showing her disdain for conservatives by calling them A-holes as part of her "serving" the public's interest in a non-partisan fashion. While the disgraced I-R-ME$$ official is feeding at the public servant trough (six-figure retirement) after previously harassing the Christian Coalition while with the FEC, someone needs to slow "learn her" by forcing miscreant Ms. 5th to take a remedial ethics class commencing with the Golden Rule while waiting for fallout from being held in contempt of Congress and a convenient catastrophic computer crash. Meanwhile, the nauseous networks yawned and "confidentially" looked the other way when e-mails showed computer-recycler Loser, amid distributing feelers to hook on with a pro-Obama group, sent a database of tax-exempt organizations to the FBI right before the 2010 midterm elections.
Portraying a murderous attack in Benghazi, Libya, as if it occurred in the same war as the Battle of the Bulge, it might be old news to former "stylistic" Left Wing spokesperson/current CNN spin-meister Jay Blarney while the ex-Time magazine Washington chief did his zero-credibility imitation of propagandist Joseph Goebbels with a "hope and change (the topic)" routine before getting out of Dodge (The Truth). Seems as if jaundiced Jay, who implied the IRS apologized for "not" doing something wrong, and his unprincipled ilk such as equally truth-allergic successor Josh "Anything But" Earnest proclaim a memo emphasizing Benghazi has nothing to do with Benghazi and Baghdad Bergdahl served honorably. In regard to sizing up real men, Blarney, Earnest and their misleading minions aren't a pimple on the butt of any of the genuine patriots the Out House slimed as swift-boating someone the soldiers knew firsthand. Previously, a classic example of the blame game and absence of accountability from the meek media was when the feds were more concerned with detaining some obscure producer of an anti-Islamic film making light of the prophet Mohammed. At least the dereliction-of-duty dunderheads such as CIA taxpayer-paid liar Mike More-ill(ness) didn't pull out the workplace-violence or man-made disaster card again during this convenient-truth process.
What difference does it make? Well, the excuse-ridden Obama Administration - either grossly incompetent or purposefully in "crude and disgusting" fraud - dealt with a terrorist assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi by shamelessly standing in front of caskets at an airport hangar (plus the White House press corps, the U.N. and national politically-oriented shows such as Meet the Depressed) offering an orchestrated al-Qaeda on-the-run narrative claiming the nondescript video was responsible for the murder of the American ambassador and three other Americans. Their most despicable act was regurgitating the same outrageous ruse face-to-face to grieving family members while focusing more on securing "second" non-disclosure agreements from survivors. How authentic or outright evil were those narcissistic embraces from Big Balls Biden and fellow fatal finaglers? Any miserable individual who emphasized a movie lie in one-on-one conversations with mourners doesn't possess the dignity worthy of setting foot on White House grounds except solely to use a pooper scooper while donning rubber gloves. Ingrained into their psyche, they consider lying normal behavior while showing true colors shunning nation's largest police union. If the Clinton Crime Syndicate Foundation and co-conspirators would only pay a dollar to U.S. Treasury for every fabrication emanating from them, the deficit could be paid off in short order. "How's Your Faith" journalistic jackal David Gregory is unbiased when his wife, Beth Wilkinson, represented #ShrillaryRotten's former state department staffers in FBI's probe of Clinton's use of private email? Ditto CNN colleague Jake Tapper, ex-press secretary for a Democratic congresswoman from Pennsylvania.
Incredibly, a Navy SEAL among the deceased violated stand-down orders to help save numerous individuals at the death-trap embassy and then fought the terrorists for 7 1/2 hours while his pleas for backup at a nearby annex were ignored by government officials real-time watching events unfold. Weeks later, the evasive apologist-in-chief and cowardly cronies were still striving to supply a cogent response to their deflect-and-deny sacrificial-lamb inaction all for the sake of propping up progressive policies. Where's a photo of the vaunted Obama Team deliberating at least 7 1/2 minutes, or even 7 1/2 seconds, during the Benghazi attack? Was Mr. Teleprompter even there at all to provide any input possibly "sending in the cavalry" or were his charges more concerned about contacting YouTube about a manufactured vile video? Bracing for a cross-country campaign trip, did malingerer "That's Not What We Do" go to bed while brave Americans were savaged or is it indeed "an irrelevant fact" less important than raising funds in Las Vegas? If not, then be transparent enough to at least conduct a stand-up, man-up press conference detailing what you did do during the "acting stupidly" stand-down. The Sgt. Schultz "I know nothing!" ploy isn't very becoming for an infallible commander-in-chief as it spills over to the FBI and all of the terribly-flawed feet-of-clay mental-midget mercenaries surrounding a conceited community organizer with their evolving web of deceit. Wasn't fist-bumping Obama back on the golf course about 7 1/2 minutes after announcing an American was beheaded?
Infected by pop culture, reality shows, Al Bore's global-warming hoax and thrills going up noxious newscasters legs, the average shallow American dwells on Angelina Jolie's discarded mammary glands, forlorn Amanda Knox's knife collection, Donald's luck dealing with 50-year younger model/archivist and Gitmo hunger strikers but can't spell Benghazi or even know which continent it's located. When not exploiting children as human shields for an assortment of altruistic motives, POTUS didn't mind hiding behind Hildebeast via a film fabrication as her pay-for-play State Department lawyer told witnesses not to speak to House investigators. If elected POTUS after "Debbie Does (Debate) Delay," Hillary's "tough choices" judgment is so grandiose she probably would have appointed a pervert (either Sick Willie or Huma's half-witted husband "Carlos Danger/Randy Mongoose") to be in charge of the White House's intern program and cigar room. Bubba probably would have secured the seeds-to-sow "job" since her success was achieved solely from riding his coattails. When pushing for crackdown on "epidemic" of campus sexual assault, she could have gotten off to good start regarding topic in general by neutering her chasing-tails spouse who VP pick Tim Kaine previously proclaimed should resign because of intern intertwining. Perhaps the womanizing enabler should be reminded about her personal "War on Women" cherishing so-called bimbo eruptions.
If you had a family member in dire straits pleading for help, would you rather summon support from blameless Barack Hussein Obama/Ben Rhodes dynamic duo, Hillary the Hypocrite's hubris, opportunist Omarosa or heroic Tyrone Woods? You don't need a lie-detector to even contemplate thinking about debating who is more Benghazi believable - Woods' father or Hillary Rotten? Hitting closer to home in raw terms, who would you rather have as a "sacrificial" neighbor because of comparable integrity and moral values? Period! The U.S. "isn't a Christian nation" according to our ex-fearless leader, but the answer is clear among God-fearing folks in flyover country who always seem to know a mite more about vital issues than our country's CEO (Creative Explanation Opportunist) until hearing after-the-fact media reports. Shackled by a warped sense of tone-deaf priorities, how hard did ethically-bankrupt Obama and Clinton negotiate a deal with Iran's Revolutionary Guard to release an American Christian pastor detained for years after entering the country on a humanitarian mission?
What difference does it make? Before making a repugnant remark that the Taliban 5 senior leadership isn't a threat to America, hoodwinking @Hillary's principal documented achievement as Secretary of State may have been putting an excessive amount of emphasis on that specific difference-making phrase/question. On the other hand, it could be facial pain every night after all the fake Joker-grin smiling Hill the Hun (husband's description of her) does all day on her Area 51 campaign trail more concerned about aliens from outer space than those strutting across unchecked along our Southern border. Easily recognized as Old Yeller to aging sexists fond of affixing Disney-movie titles as nicknames, her corrosive comments are reminiscent of disgraced Dan Rather at CBS frequently ending with an inane Robert Redford-worthy reference to "courage." Her tenacity, the genesis of which is captured in her senior thesis at Wellesley on Saul Alinsky, consisted of roaming the globe comparable to the ghost of Jacob Marley dragging money trunks behind her on a chain. Rather's blather was a lamentable trait exhibited by CBS when it concealed footage for an extended period from a 60 Minutes interview with Obama where he clearly refused to categorize the Benghazi attack as an act of terror. Of course, curious George is deemed a journalistic giant by ABC and eye candy for opposite-sex viewers after earning his spurs as a political hack for the petulant Clintons disparaging one female after another in the midst of Sick Willie's debauchery and hiding $75,000 in donations to their suspect enterprise. Did Little Georgie, not only vertically challenged but integrity challenged, know interns (especially blue-dress donning female) were not supposed to be in the West Wing without an escort or did the butt boy for the Clinton Crime Family simply look the other way? Perhaps Lyin' Williams was there and can give us the straight libido scoop about "Crooked" Bill relieving job pressure doing the dirty on the presidential seal rather than the self-styled chick magnet focusing on sealing the fate of OBL. Eschewing ethics and honor, are these condescending guttersnipes the best and most honest our country can produce in the newsrooms, Oval Office and State Department as they stretch the truth as much as excuse-ridden Nanny Pathetic does her sparkling-and-dazzling face while latest hacked hag supported get-out-of-jail-free cards to savages and denial of the total truth to family members of savaged Americans?
A colossal collection of contemptible characters and ethical-escapee excrement, telling the truth as often as cicadas return, could fill their own "worst wing" of the aptly-named Clinton Correctional Facility by telling pasty Shrillary she looks stunning in a bikini. Surrounded by army of apoplectic aliens sucking up to her like a Kardashian can, no wonder she is so fond of UFOs. Old vacuum cleaners don't suck as much as Step-child George, fellow Clintonista cretinous creeps such as Paul Begala, Sandy Burglar, Sidney Blumenthal, David "Let-Boys-Be-Boys" Boies, David Brock, "Trailer Trash" Carville, Greg Craig, Lanny Davis, Rahm Emanuel, David Gergen, Harold Ickes, David Kendall, Terry Lenzer, Bruce Lindsey, Lockhart, Terry "Lincoln Bedroom Racketeer" McAuliffe, Bernie Nussbaum, Panetta, John "Password" Podesta, Bill Richardson plus Cody Shearer and many media mavens defending the Clinton Foundation erstwhile slush fund. Perhaps it's easier to refrain from dealing with parasite Podesta "making an example of suspected leaker" or investigating his brother (Tony) lobbying for a pro-Russian Ukrainian group. If Snuff-out-the-truth-to-us wasn't a hollow shell of a journalist, Georgie would help orchestrate an illuminating expose on allocation of charitable donations comparing the Clinton ruse of 10% to 15% directly aiding charity work to organizations such as Feeding America (98%), Feed the Children (92%), Red Cross (91%), World Vision (85%) and Salvation Army (82%). But at least the anemic charity-aid percentage is higher than Obama's resettlement percentage of Christians among Syrian refugees. At any rate, shouldn't the Clinton Global Initiative already have ample resources stemming from hefty speaking-engagement fees and program for safe-drinking water in third-world locales such as Haiti and Flint? Need any more rehab input, Gorgeous, to help with your self-inflicted stronger-together credibility crisis leaving you "All Too (Partisan) Human"?
Gorgeous never had credibility, anyway, after his handling of Sick Willie's draft induction notice and wispy War Room wizardry. Whether or not Williams was there, perhaps Step-child thought Mitchell was going to get to the entire truth for once in her biased career. Odds are Little George was in the vicinity in moonlighting role as a Jiminy Cricket conscience when his boss turned the White House into personal Out House brothel. Does this truth-telling "titan" have firsthand knowledge regarding how Monica became the "Blue Pass Princess" as a paid staffer or will he elaborate on bigotry stemming from racial elements involving Little Rock hooker Bobbie Ann Williams and William Clay alias? Rather than accepting Rhodes' fiction verbatim, should Step-on-the-truth-to-us give an authentic author - thriller novelist Brad Thor - insider information and a forum to create a solution to the Clinton corruption? In the meantime, journalistic giant Georgey and majority of lame-stream media don't believe a Secret Service agent is worthy of interview about his book to discern whether Shrillary cursed SS agents and hurled a Bible at one of them. So wooden she makes Walter Mondale and Al Bore appear charismatic, at least she isn't a Bible-clinger of whom Obama is so derisive.
Offsetting Hillary For Prisoner 2016, the clever dwarf perhaps can help her concoct a new campaign slogan: "Hurry up and elect me so I can pardon myself before I'm incarcerated." Meanwhile, she sounded like a Maxine Smart(ass) with half-baked server apology: "Sorry about that, fief!" But at least right-thinking Americans are "Get(ting) Smart" by tuning out the Clintons' aging act/stale show. They have emerged as Exhibit A for fecal formula forging what a liberal education and law degree can do for an individual - provide license to be dishonest, insincere and unaccountable. All right, in Albright lingo there is a special place in hell for anyone who supports the Clinton corruption. Anything they say is reminiscent of floating a bad check. Albright probably thinks Shrillary's following comments are supportive of Bubba's victims: "Who is going to find out? These women are trash. Nobody's going to believe them." Just like believing her spiel about equal pay for women except on her staff. Bottles of Trump wine should be put on distinguishing characteristic ice all across the country waiting to celebrate an indictment of can't-be-civil HRC (Hillary Really Corrupt). Last unqualified human out of Over-the-Hill(ary) campaign HQ needed to turn off the lights and customized server. Eventually, there will be no vetting by God for HildaBeast and her craven Clinton cronies; simply a chute straight to see Satan. Until then, every time we look at demeanor of her pretty-in-red marchers, the climate for our day negatively changes. The deranged include "nasty" Ashley Judd, the opportunistic hoops fan so far removed from reality she likely though UK lost to North Carolina in the NCAA playoffs because Russia did it with contact from key Trump associates by hacking the scoreboard.
The biggest loser over the last couple of election cycles is the mangy "never-seen-you-lose" media serving as little more than the Praetorian Guard for liberal lunacy praising Planned Murderhood and its accompanying neck-snipping murders of innocent babies while smearing whistle-blowers crestfallen over the "abandoned" murders of innocent colleagues and revealing ABC's spiking story about egregious Epstein. No matter their gender, one half expected the #MessMedia to throw their underpants up to podium when sacred Big O spoke/performed in front of them. Meanwhile, has an enterprising sports reporter ever evaluated how many abortions have been sanctioned by college basketball coaches so female players could remain on the court and male players wouldn't be hampered by becoming deadbeat dads (see Duke All-American J.J. Redick's abortion contract with a model)? No, the media can't be too concerned about the cavalier blood-thirsty hobby to lobby for ditching unwanted little ones when a men's championship coach has an extortion trial, end-of-the-pack Kentucky Derby horse, limited-edition bourbon bottle, meaningful marlin, favorite son, Lexus dealership and testimonial tattoo to cover. And by the way, will computer whiz Dickie V charge a premium for his next speech on hacking after he was sacked from covering Duke/North Carolina?
Americans deserve an honest government covered by a media doing more than just being PRESStitutes for POTUS or extension of a university's public-relations department. Although his publication seemed to always go out of its way to support the Obama Administration, it's a mite unnerving how former Princeton hoopster Richard Stengel seemed to make a smooth transition from managing editor of TIME magazine to under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs at the State Department. Stengel subsequently supported a one-sided deal with Iran where the U.S. doesn't exercise leverage and multiple journalists were jailed. As shamelessly one-sided as conservatives have asserted for years, excessive media malpractice finally discarded the pretense of objectivity. Once and for all after spouse for NPR's White House correspondent joined counsel's office for her beat, they have been unmasked as aggressive advocates; not adversarial journalists. According to a Gallup poll, fewer than 1/4 of American adults have "a great deal" of confidence in newspapers and television news as meaningless red lines behind widespread yellow streaks. In a classic case of bias, Brazilla-based CNN had countless instances of fabrications to investigate (Liar! Liar! Pantsuit on Fire!) but spent an inordinate amount of effort trying to find a modest misstatement or two in stories from Dr. Ben Carson's childhood practicing their craft prior to parsing every word from The Donald to fit their next distortion narrative.
Running in parallel with a decrease in quality of play on the court is a reduction in competence of the pom-pom press covering them. How many sports news outlets based in the states of North Carolina and Kentucky regularly follow Duke and Louisville basketball in the ACC? How could the "Worst Little Whorehouse in KY" go on for years unnoticed? But a student newspaper and aging hooker needed to exhibit sufficient spine to do down-and-dirty jobs. Why didn't a single enterprising reporter from the professional local press and national media rise to the occasion; especially in Carolina on the heels of UNC's scholastic shenanigans? A worthwhile story stared them right smack in their mugs (faces and beers) regarding why Rasheed Sulaimon became the first in-season dismissed player during Mike Krzyzewski's long Durham Dynasty tenure. Methinks the see-no-(d)evil/hear-no-(d)evil/speak-no-(d)evil journalistic jewels were an Olympian distance up King K's 1,000-win can en route to trying to secure access to the Rio luxury ship living quarters. When the legal laryngitis fades away, will ESPN conduct a spectacle with Jay Bilas and Jay Williams interviewing K about a potential colossal cover-up while other former Blue Devil standouts and chronic coaching apologist Duke Vitale serve as a support backdrop? In an effort to help separate fact from fiction, inquire whether athletic department personnel aware of sexual assault allegations reported the cases to the Office of Student Conduct per their Title-IX obligation (including allegations against Corey Maggette after he was paid by an AAU coach/convicted felon).
It's the server, stupid! Blind chimps chucking darts connect more often with accuracy than the weekday evening/Sunday morning intellectually-superior ruling class/political pundits/strategists (a/k/a snake oil salespeople). J-School graduates are bad enough but many of TV's haughty hosts are beyond repair since they weren't so much as groomed as undergraduates to learn their craft as authentic journalists. Law school, history/international studies, philosophy and political science/economics majors dominate among Stephanopoulos and other haplessly jaded journalistic "jewels" including David Axelrod, Ashleigh Banfield, Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Eleanor Clift, Anderson Cooper, Chris Cuomo, S.E. Cupp, Seth Davis, Ronan Farrow, David Gregory, Poppy Harlow, Chris Hayes, Margaret Hoover, Kasie Hunt, Abby Huntsman, Hallie Jackson, Megyn Kelly, Martha MacCallum, Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Meghan McCain, Andrea Mitchell, Joe Scarborough, Kate Snow, Jake Tapper, Chuck Todd, Katy Tur, Gillian Turner, Greta Van Susteren, Meredith Vieira, Alex Wagner, Nicolle "New York Slimes Cougar" Wallace and Judy Woodruff. Scarborough seems to have been the banjo boy in movie Deliverance before infected by #MikaVirus to form BSLSD's version of Beavis and Butthead. The only time #TheDonald should take #MourningJoe's advice is if previous POTUS also wants to be the next Joe Crock(ofcrapper) musician, if medication is helpful in combating morbid #MikaVirus or if a mortician is needed because a young female staffer dies of head injury in the White House.
In the aftermath of Brian's lyin' and CNN Senior Media Correspondent Brian Stelter, great-and-glorious Geraldo, PolitiFact refusing to rate Williams' Iraq fable plus USATODAY hacks going out of their way to try to defend a fellow fib-lib, the good news is that the influence-peddling gig for the reprehensible broadcast networks, major daily newspapers and newsweeklies is nearly expired because the less-than-honest brokers are gutless wonders shackled by a business model in free-fall. Just ask tarnished leftist know-it-all Tina "Bitter Brit" Brown after losing $100 million in editorial endeavors and commentary totally devoid of neutrality highlighted by her failure to "Talk" about handouts and hand whatever involving humiliating head honcho #HollyweirdHarveySwinestein. Ditto equally ignorant and aggrieved Joan Walsh running Salon.com into the ground to where consortium of cultural crap can't pay its rent. Whether it's ESPN Magazine, NewsWeak, New York Magazine, Pro Football Weekly, Spin, The Sporting News, Talk magazine, 30 AOL brands after The Huffington Post "gold-digger" merger or debt-ridden dailies offering employee buyouts all across the country, good riddance to the fourth-rate estate (NY/LA/St. Petersburg Slimes, Washington Compost, NY/Philly Daily Liberal Views, Milwaukee/Orlando Libs Slantinel, Atlanta Journal-Constipation, St. Louis Post-Disgrace, USELESS Today, etc.) and don't let death's door hit you in your contemptible can on the way out! To put it bluntly after a neurotic NY Slimes feature writer flagged FLOTUS Melania as floozy (filthily in manly manner behind closed doors of course), may you and your deplorable-descriptive adjectives such as "White-Hispanic" rot among feces at the bottom of a bird or animal cage! Our nation should have a new "Yellow Shower" holiday relieving ourselves on #MessMedia's variety of perverted products such as TIME, where leftists Halperin and Stengel previously were editors similar to D.C. swamp nimrods chasing down sizzling story about Trump aide Stephen Miller eating glue as a third-grader.
Huffin'-and-Puffin'-a-ton, paying its contributors in the neighborhood of 15 cents an hour, knows as much about the difference between entertainment and politics as Airhead-ianna physically contributed to keep her husband from crossing over to what he perceived a more stimulating gender. How sick is Franken(stein) by groping Airhead-ianna? When the putrid press as we know it, totally wrong so incredibly long, is put out to pasture (including many suspect sports sandboxes and eventually the worthless White House press corps), what difference does it make as the disgraced relinquish the fight akin to quitter Roberto Duran (No Mas! No Mas!)? Actually, comedian Ron White has blossomed over the years into the smartest man in the world; especially with his "you-can't-fix-stupid" routine accurately depicting the vast majority of entitled mess media and political pundit personalities summed up by Williams, Stephanopoulos and Walsh as she took her pap from one piece of crap (MSNBC) to another (CNN). Lame-stream media wunderkind Ali Watkins became the latest poster child portraying how the press' journalistic standards include getting down on its hands, knees and back (with someone more than twice her age) to get the headline story. She resembles patronizing Kamala Harris' sugar-daddy dealing with Mayor Wee Willie Brown in the mid-1990s.
In the meantime while seeking a free-speech safe place on the fringe, we'll simply conduct a "Countdown Circumcision" for when washed-up caustic commentator Keith "Worst Person in the World" Olbermann inevitably returns to or departs from BSPN or Mess-LSD again as lunatic lie-beral keeps coming back to his flunky followers like herpes infection. After a huge hammer removed the empty pants suit blocking the draining of the swamp, we need to discern where to donate funds for celebrities promising to leave country after they were trumped in election. Unless the Russians made them do it, ditto for media misfits such as Tur-rible with Caitlyn Jenner-like parent infected by "flexibility fatigue" rubbing shoulders and whatever else against twice-her-age unprincipled Olbermann. First step to recovery for majority of #MessMedia is simply to admit that they're dumbasses. The industry is beyond repair and redemption. Truth and facts are so foreign to them that they should be shipped to sanctuary cities along with illegal immigrants. If #MessMedia such as filthy floozie Katie Nolan don't shape up, they need body slammed to activate their brains (> 90% of political donations to #Dimorats) and hearts (avid supporters of abortion/aka black genocide). In the meantime, #TheDonald and remainder of us will need to endure ene-media COVFEFE (Constant Outlandish Vitriol From Egregious Fake-news Excrement) more outraged by Trump's now-suppressed tweets than Rocket Man's plans and FBI's self-absorbed sixth-floor upper mismanagement.
On This NFL Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle February 6 Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as ingrate #ColonKrapernick, 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-honor shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five 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 making a name for themselves on February 6 in football at the professional level (especially Philadelphia Eagles tandem of Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens in Super Bowl XXXIX following 2004 season):
FEBRUARY 6
Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb (averaged 2.3 points in 18 games for Syracuse in 1995-96 and 1996-97) threw three touchdown passes in a 24-21 setback against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX following 2004 season. Eagles WR Terrell Owens (UTC-Chattanooga hooper from 1993-94 through 1995-96 started five games) had nine pass receptions for 122 yards. Patriots SS Rodney Harrison (averaged 7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3 apg and 1.6 spg for Western Illinois in 1992-93) had two interceptions and 10 solo tackles.
Atlanta Falcons WR Andre Rison (backup hoops guard for Michigan State in 1987-88) named NFL Pro Bowl MVP following the 1993 season.
On This NFL Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle February 5 Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads littered NFL pregame festivities, 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-honor shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five 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 player Martellus Bennett making a name for himself on February 5 in football at the professional level:
FEBRUARY 5
- New England Patriots TE Martellus Bennett (averaged 1.9 ppg and 1.5 rpg as Texas A&M freshman in 2005-06 before playing next season under coach Billy Gillispie) caught five passes for 62 yards from Tom Brady in a 34-28 overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51 following 2016 season.
Only 2nd Time NFL Pro Bowl Fails to Feature College Hoops Representative
This year marks only the second time an NFL Pro Bowl (joining all-star game following 1985 season) when there wasn't at least one gridiron participant who previously played college basketball. An average of eight ex-college cagers annually participated the first decade of the event in the 1950s with a high of 10 following the 1959 campaign. Pencil-necked puke politician didn't incur his brain damage from helmet collisions competing in masculine football activity but, unless you're "dazzled" by effeminate Adam Sack-of-Schiff's Russian collusion and impeachment idiocy like anal CNN connivers, following is an alphabetical list of nearly 100 Pro Bowlers who previously played hoops at varsity level for a four-year college:
NFL Pro Bowl Selection | Pos. | NFL Team(s) | 4-Year Hoop College(s) | Pro Bowl Season(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ken Anderson | QB | Cincinnati Bengals | Augustana (Ill.) | 1975-76-81-82 |
Doug Atkins | RDE | Chicago Bears | Tennessee | 1957-58-59-60-61-62-63-65 |
Al Baker | RDE | Detroit Lions | Colorado State | 1978-79-80 |
Erich Barnes | RDH | Chicago Bears/New York Giants/Cleveland Browns | Purdue | 1959-61-62-63-64-68 |
Connor Barwin | OLB | Philadelphia Eagles | Cincinnati | 2014 |
Sammy Baugh | QB | Washington Redskins | Texas Christian | 1951 |
Bobby Bell | LLB | Kansas City Chiefs | Minnesota | 1970-71-72 |
Martellus Bennett | TE | Chicago Bears | Texas A&M | 2014 |
Cloyce Box | E | Detroit Lions | West Texas A&M | 1950 and 1952 |
Ordell Braase | RDE | Baltimore Colts | South Dakota | 1966 and 1967 |
Pete Brewster | LE | Cleveland Browns | Purdue | 1955 and 1956 |
Marlin Briscoe | WR | Buffalo Bills | Nebraska-Omaha | 1970 |
Jim Brown | FB | Cleveland Browns | Syracuse | 1957-58-59-60-61-62-63-64-65 |
Junious "Buck" Buchanan | RDT | Kansas City Chiefs | Grambling | 1970 and 1971 |
Jordan Cameron | TE | Cleveland Browns | Brigham Young/Southern California | 2013 |
Harold Carmichael | WR | Philadelphia Eagles | Southern (La.) | 1973-78-79-80 |
Fred Carr | RLB | Green Bay Packers | Texas Western | 1970-72-75 |
John Carson | LE | Washington Redskins | Georgia | 1957 |
Rick Casares | FB | Chicago Bears | Florida | 1955-56-57-58-59 |
Chris Chambers | WR | Miami Dolphins | Wisconsin | 2005 |
Lynn Chandnois | RH | Pittsburgh Steelers | Michigan State | 1952 and 1953 |
Ben Coates | TE | New England Patriots | Livingstone (N.C.) | 1994-95-98 |
George Connor | LT | Chicago Bears | Holy Cross/Notre Dame | 1950-51-52-53 |
Charley Cowan | RT | Los Angeles Rams | New Mexico Highlands | 1968-69-70 |
Glenn Davis | LH | Los Angeles Rams | Army | 1950 |
Len Dawson | QB | Kansas City Chiefs | Purdue | 1971 |
Mike Ditka | TE | Chicago Bears | Pittsburgh | 1961-62-63-64-65 |
Bobby Etter | PK | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia | 1969 |
Jim Finks | QB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Tulsa | 1952 |
London Fletcher | LB | Washington Redskins | St. Francis (Pa.)/John Carroll (Ohio) | 2009-10-11-12 |
Len Ford | DE | Cleveland Browns | Morgan State | 1951-52-53-54 |
Jean Fugett | TE | Washington Redskins | Amherst (Mass.) | 1977 |
Antonio Gates | TE | San Diego Chargers | Eastern Michigan/Kent State | 2004-05-06-07-08-09-10-11 |
Tony Gonzalez | TE | Kansas City Chiefs/Atlanta Falcons | California | 1999 and 2000-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-10-11-12-13 |
Jimmy Graham | TE | New Orleans Saints/Seattle Seahawks | Miami (Fla.) | 2011-13-14-16-17 |
Otto Graham | QB | Cleveland Browns | Northwestern | 1950-51-52-53-54 |
Cornell Green | DB | Dallas Cowboys | Utah State | 1965-66-67-71-72 |
Bob Griese | QB | Miami Dolphins | Purdue | 1970-71-73-74-77-78 |
Rodney Harrison | SS | San Diego Chargers | Western Illinois | 1998 and 2001 |
Todd Heap | TE | Baltimore Ravens | Arizona State | 2002 and 2003 |
Harlon Hill | LE | Chicago Bears | Florence State (Ala.) | 1954-55-56 |
Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch | RE | Los Angeles Rams | Michigan | 1951-52-53 |
DeAndre Hopkins | WR | Houston Texans/Arizona Cardinals | Clemson | 2015-17-18-19-20 |
Paul Hornung | LH | Green Bay Packers | Notre Dame | 1959 and 1960 |
Vincent Jackson | WR | San Diego Chargers/Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Northern Colorado | 2009-11-12 |
Dave Jennings | P | New York Giants | St. Lawrence (N.Y.) | 1978-79-80-82 |
Brad Johnson | QB | Washington Redskins | Florida State | 1999, 2000 and 2002 |
John Henry Johnson | RB | San Francisco 49ers/Pittsburgh Steelers | Saint Mary's | 1954-62-63-64 |
Johnny Johnson | RB | Phoenix Suns | San Jose State | 1990 |
Aaron Jones | RB | Green Bay Packers | Texas-El Paso | 2020 |
Ed "Too Tall" Jones | LDE | Dallas Cowboys | Tennessee State | 1981-82-83 |
Jacoby Jones | KR | Baltimore Ravens | Lane (Tenn.) | 2012 |
Joe Kapp | QB | Minnesota Vikings | California | 1969 |
Billy Kilmer | QB | Washington Redskins | UCLA | 1972 |
Ron Kramer | TE | Green Bay Packers | Michigan | 1962 |
Gary Larsen | DT | Minnesota Vikings | Concordia (Minn.) | 1969 and 1970 |
Johnny Lattner | RH | Pittsburgh Steelers | Notre Dame | 1954 |
Joe Lavender | RCB | Washington Redskins | San Diego State | 1979 and 1980 |
Rolland Lawrence | CB | Atlanta Falcons | Tabor (Kan.) | 1977 |
Bobby Layne | QB | Detroit Lions/Pittsburgh Steelers | Texas | 1951-52-53-56-58-59 |
Marcedes Lewis | TE | Jacksonville Jaguars | UCLA | 2010 |
Ronnie Lott | DB | San Francisco 49ers | Southern California | 1981-82-83-84-86-87-88-89-90-91 |
Johnny Lujack | QB | Chicago Bears | Notre Dame | 1950 and 1951 |
Lamar Lundy | LDE | Los Angeles Rams | Purdue | 1959 |
John Mackey | TE | Baltimore Colts | Syracuse | 1963-65-66-67-68 |
Jack "Cy" McClairen | E | Pittsburgh Steelers | Bethune-Cookman | 1957 |
Donovan McNabb | QB | Philadelphia Eagles | Syracuse | 2000-01-02-03-04-09 |
Zeke Moore | CB | Houston Oilers | Lincoln (Mo.) | 1969 and 1970 |
Elbie Nickel | RE | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cincinnati | 1952-53-56 |
Karl Noonan | SE | Miami Dolphins | Iowa | 1968 |
Terrell Owens | WR | San Francisco 49ers/Dallas Cowboys | UT-Chattanooga | 2000-01-02-03-04-07 |
Julius Peppers | DE-LB | Carolina Panthers/Chicago Bears/Green Bay Packers | North Carolina | 2004-05-06-08-09-10-11-12-15 |
Sonny Randle | WR | St. Louis Cardinals | Virginia | 1960-61-62-65 |
Garet "Jerry" Reichow | WR | Minnesota Vikings | Iowa | 1961 |
Andre Rison | WR | Atlanta Falcons/Kansas City Chiefs | Michigan State | 1990-91-92-93-97 |
Dave Robinson | LB | Green Bay Packers | Penn State | 1966-67-69 |
Otto Schnellbacher | RS | New York Giants | Kansas | 1950 and 1951 |
Tom Scott | LDE | Philadelphia Eagles | Virginia | 1957 and 1958 |
Joe Senser | TE | Minnesota Vikings | West Chester (Pa.) State | 1981 |
Bob Shaw | E | Chicago Cardinals | Ohio State | 1950 |
Art Shell | LT | Oakland Raiders | Maryland-Eastern Shore | 1973-74-75-76-77 |
Del Shofner | RH-SE | Los Angeles Rams/New York Giants | Baylor | 1958-59-61-62-63 |
John "Jack" Simmons | OL | Chicago Cardinals | Detroit | 1956 |
Rod Smith | WR | Denver Broncos | Missouri Southern State | 2000-01-05 |
Norm Snead | QB | Washington Redskins/Philadelphia Eagles/New York Giants | Wake Forest | 1962-63-65-72 |
Ed Sprinkle | DE | Chicago Bears | Hardin-Simmons (Tex.) | 1950-51-52-54 |
Roger Staubach | QB | Dallas Cowboys | Navy | 1971-75-76-77-78-79 |
Greg Stemrick | CB | Houston Oilers | Colorado State | 1980 |
Hugh "Bones" Taylor | LE | Washington Redskins | Tulane/Oklahoma City | 1952 and 1954 |
Jason Taylor | RDE | Miami Dolphins | Akron | 2000-02-04-05-06-07 |
Otis Taylor | WR | Kansas City Chiefs | Prairie View A&M | 1971 and 1972 |
Adalius Thomas | LB | Baltimore Ravens | Southern Mississippi | 2003 and 2006 |
John Thomas | LG | San Francisco 49ers | Pacific | 1966 |
Julius Thomas | TE | Denver Broncos | Portland State | 2013 and 2014 |
Emlen Tunnell | DB | New York Giants | Toledo | 1950-51-52-53-54-55-56-57-59 |
Brad Van Pelt | LLB | New York Giants | Michigan State | 1976-77-78-79-80 |
Doak Walker | LH | Detroit Lions | Southern Methodist | 1950-51-53-54-55 |
Ron Widby | P | Dallas Cowboys | Tennessee | 1971 |
Norm Willey | RDE | Philadelphia Eagles | Marshall | 1954 and 1955 |
Alfred Williams | RDE | Denver Broncos | Colorado | 1996 |
Billy Wilson | RE | San Francisco 49ers | San Jose State | 1954-55-56-57-58-59 |
Rayfield Wright | RT | Dallas Cowboys | Fort Valley State (Ga.) | 1971-72-73-74-75-76 |
On This NFL Date: Ex-College Hooper Ready to Tackle February 4 Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads, 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-honor shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five 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 player Tony Dungy making a name for himself on February 4 in football at the professional level:
FEBRUARY 4
Worst of Times: Hoyas Humbled By Longest Losing Streak in School History
Patrick Ewing was unable to come anywhere close to duplicating as coach his All-American success with Georgetown in the mid-1980s. In fact, the Hoyas set an all-time school record of 21 defeats after bowing in Big East Conference Tournament (only four of setbacks by fewer than seven points). At least they didn't match or surpass the all-time longest losing streak by a current power-conference member - 27 by Syracuse in the early 1960s. Ewing's longest losing streak while manning the middle four seasons for GU was three setbacks in a row midway through his freshman season in 1981-82 (at Syracuse/home game vs. Connecticut/at Providence).
Jim O'Brien was the only individual to coach two current power-league members (Boston College and Ohio State) when they incurred their longest existing losing streak until BC dropped 20 in a row extending to the opener several seasons ago. Former Big East Conference rival Rutgers incurred 15 consecutive reversals to end the 2014-15 season before St. John's bowed in 16 straight decisions in 2015-16. Mizzou wasn't the only Tigers' program in SEC sidelined by tranquilizing-inducing losing streak. LSU dropped 15 consecutive contests when former Tigers coach Johnny Jones frequently looked as strategically befuddled as a chief recruiter losing a satchel full of cash on a recruiting trip. Miserable season two years ago for North Carolina (14-19) included seven straight ACC setbacks en route to registering 12 reversals in a 14-game span. But at least the Tar Heels didn't set a school standard for most defeats in a row. Utah also set a new mark for futility this month, leaving the following list of elite basketball schools such as Creighton, Duke, Iowa, Kentucky, Carolina, Purdue, UNLV and West Virginia never reaching double figures in consecutive setbacks:
School (Longest Losing Streak) | Coach(es) | Date Started | Date Ended | Opponent Ending Streak | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona (16) | Fred Enke | 12-19-58 | 2-14-59 | Hardin-Simmons | 66-64 |
Arizona State (15) | Herb Sendek | 12-22-2006 | 2-18-2007 | Southern California | 68-58 |
Arkansas (10) | Lanny Van Eman | 1-9-71 | 2-20-71 | at Texas | 88-87 in OT |
Auburn (13) | V.J. Edney | 12-13-46 | 2-8-47 | Florida | 36-30 |
Baylor (17) | Harry Miller | 1-2-99 | 11-20-99 | Eastern Washington | 68-61 |
Boston College (20) | Jim Christian | 1-2-2016 | 11-15-2016 | Maryland-Eastern Shore | 73-57 |
Brigham Young (21) | Roger Reid/Tony Ingle | 12-13-96 | 11-14-97 | at San Diego State | 73-59 |
Butler (14) | Joe Sexson | 1-31-81 | 12-12-81 | Valparaiso | 85-76 |
California (16) | Wyking Jones | 12-29-2018 | 2-28-2019 | Washington | 76-73 |
Cincinnati (10) | Mick Cronin | 1-24-2007 | 2-28-2007 | Seton Hall | 70-67 in OT |
Clemson (15) | Banks McFadden | 12-14-54 | 2-21-55 | Georgia | 105-94 |
Colorado (17) | Tom Apke | 1-8-86 | 11-28-86 | Weber State | 73-57 |
Connecticut (10) | John Donahue | 1918 | 1919 | Boston College | 46-27 |
Connecticut (10) | Burr Carlson | 11-30-68 | 1-8-69 | Syracuse | 103-84 |
Creighton (9) | Dana Altman | 1-23-95 | 2-23-95 | at Wichita State | 50-47 |
Creighton (9) | Greg McDermott | 12-21-2014 | 1-28-2015 | St. John's | 77-74 |
DePaul (18) | Jerry Wainwright | 12-31-2008 | 3-10-2009 | Cincinnati | 67-57 in Big East Tournament |
Duke (8) | James Baldwin | 2-13-22 | 3-?-22 | Durham YMCA | 37-26 |
Florida (14) | Don DeVoe | 1-17-90 | 2-27-90 | Louisiana State | 76-63 |
Florida State (13) | Don Loucks | 1-10-48 | 2-21-48 | Florida Southern | 55-48 |
Georgetown (21) | Patrick Ewing | 12-18-21 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Georgia (13) | Harbin "Red" Lawson | 12-28-51 | 2-6-52 | Georgia Tech | 72-64 |
Georgia Tech (26) | John "Whack" Hyder | 2-7-53 | 2-18-54 | South Carolina | 58-53 |
Gonzaga (10) | Dan Fitzgerald | 1-19-90 | 2-23-90 | at San Francisco | 76-75 |
Illinois (11) | Harv Schmidt | 1-12-74 | 2-23-74 | Iowa | 91-84 |
Indiana (11) | Harry Good | 1-8-44 | 2-19-44 | at Minnesota | 48-47 |
Indiana (11) | Tom Crean | 1-24-2010 | 3-6-2010 | Northwestern | 88-80 in OT |
Iowa (8) | Rollie Williams | 2-15-30 | 12-23-30 | at Creighton | 28-22 |
Iowa (8) | Dick Schultz | 1-7-74 | 2-11-74 | Purdue | 112-111 in 3OT |
Iowa State (14) | Louis Menze | 1-2-37 | 12-3-37 | Simpson IA | 41-37 |
Kansas (10) | Phog Allen | 1-21-48 | 3-12-48 | Iowa State | 61-54 |
Kansas State (15) | E.C. Curtiss | 2-28-22 | 2-17-23 | at Nebraska | 17-14 |
Kentucky (9) | George Buchheit | 1-25-23 | 2-23-23 | Sewanee TN | 30-14 |
Louisiana State (15) | Johnny Jones | 1-7-2017 | 3-1-2017 | Tennessee | 92-82 |
Louisville (19) | Laurie Apitz | 2-18-39 | 2-22-40 | Berea TN | 56-55 |
Marquette (15) | Eddie Hickey | 1-8-64 | 3-7-64 | at Xavier | 98-95 |
Maryland (22) | Howard Shipley | 3-1-40 | 2-22-41 | Washington College MD | 26-18 |
Memphis (20) | Zach Curlin | 1-7-38 | 1-26-39 | Arkansas State | 53-45 |
Miami FL (17) | Leonard Hamilton | 1-8-94 | 11-25-94 | Northeastern Illinois | 66-48 |
Michigan (11) | Bill Frieder | 12-12-81 | 1-28-82 | Ohio State | 62-60 in OT |
Michigan State (11) | Forddy Anderson | 1-9-65 | 3-1-65 | Purdue | 110-92 |
Minnesota (17) | Clem Haskins | 1-10-87 | 11-30-87 | Western Illinois | 84-52 |
Mississippi (16) | Robert "Cob" Jarvis | 12-30-75 | 3-1-76 | Vanderbilt | 81-72 |
Mississippi State (14) | Paul Gregory | 1-7-55 | 2-26-55 | at Louisiana State | 84-80 |
Missouri (13) | Kim Anderson | 1-10-2015 | 2-24-2015 | Florida | 64-52 |
Missouri (13) | Kim Anderson | 12-10-2016 | 2-4-2017 | Arkansas | 83-78 |
Nebraska (17) | Fred Hoiberg | 1-11-2020 | 11-25-20 | McNeese State | 102-55 |
North Carolina (8) | Tom Scott | 12-20-50 | 1-11-51 | Wake Forest | 65-56 |
North Carolina State (9) | Les Robinson | 1-25-92 | 2-22-92 | at North Carolina | 99-94 |
North Carolina State (9) | Sidney Lowe | 2-9-2008 | 11-15-2008 | at New Orleans | 65-59 |
Northwestern (20) | Maury Kent | 3-3-23 | 12-22-24 | Michigan State | 26-17 |
Notre Dame (13) | Johnny Dee | 12-18-65 | 2-9-66 | Butler | 84-61 |
Ohio State (17) | Jim O'Brien | 12-28-97 | 2-25-98 | at Wisconsin | 61-56 |
Oklahoma (10) | Bob Stevens | 1-6-64 | 2-21-64 | Missouri | 86-84 |
Oklahoma State (13) | James Pixlee | 1-24-20 | 1-14-21 | Oklahoma Baptist | 34-19 |
Oklahoma State (13) | John Maulbetsch/George Roddy | 1-12-29 | 1-7-30 | Oklahoma | 28-22 |
Oklahoma State (13) | George Roddy | 1-10-30 | 1-5-31 | Grinnell IA | 23-16 |
Oregon (22) | George Bohler | 12-22-21 | 2-20-22 | Nevada | 33-29 |
Oregon State (25) | Jay John/Kevin Mouton/Craig Robinson | 12-22-2007 | 11-30-2008 | at Fresno State | 62-54 |
Penn State (17) | Bruce Parkhill | 1-21-84 | 12-5-84 | Navy | 66-63 |
Pittsburgh (10) | Charles "Buzz" Ridl | 12-7-68 | 1-28-69 | West Virginia | 90-87 |
Providence (12) | Lawrence Drew | 2-5-49 | 3-9-49 | Clark MA | 46-45 |
Purdue (8) | Ray Eddy | 1-12-52 | 2-11-52 | Wisconsin | 78-67 |
Purdue (8) | Ray Eddy | 1-5-63 | 2-4-63 | Michigan State | 103-81 |
Rutgers (16) | Craig Littlepage | 12-23-87 | 2-18-88 | Penn State | 65-61 |
St. John's (16) | Chris Mullin | 12-18-2015 | 2-17-2016 | DePaul | 80-65 |
Seton Hall (15) | John Colrick/Honey Russell | 2-5-36 | 1-22-37 | St. Peter's | 30-23 |
Seton Hall (15) | P.J. Carlesimo | 1-2-85 | 3-2-85 | Connecticut | 85-80 |
South Carolina (15) | Absalon "Rock" Norman | 1-12-31 | 1-8-32 | Clemson | 31-23 |
Southern California (16) | Bob Boyd | 1-8-76 | 12-1-76 | Idaho | 104-64 |
Stanford (11) | John Bunn | 1-15-32 | 12-23-32 | at Utah | 41-37 |
Syracuse (27) | Marc Guley | 2-22-61 | 3-3-62 | at Boston College | 73-72 |
Temple (11) | Don Casey | 12-10-75 | 1-26-76 | Dickinson PA | 89-55 |
Tennessee (14) | W.H. Britton | 2-21-27 | 12-28-28 | South Carolina | 29-20 |
Texas (15) | Thurman "Slue" Hull | 12-4-54 | 2-5-55 | Arkansas | 75-74 |
Texas A&M (17) | Melvin Watkins/Billy Gillispie | 1-10-2004 | 11-19-2004 | North Carolina A&T | 89-56 |
Texas Christian (24) | Johnny Swaim/Tim Somerville | 12-11-76 | 12-3-77 | Wayland Baptist TX | 67-53 |
Texas Tech (20) | Gerald Myers | 1-4-90 | 11-25-90 | Nevada | 81-69 at Anchorage |
UCLA (14) | Pierce "Caddy" Works | 12-28-37 | 1938-39 opener | L.A. City College | 44-28 |
UNLV (9) | Michael Drakulich | 12-5-58 | 1-14-59 | at Nellis AFB | 52-47 |
Utah (10) | Craig Smith | 12-30-21 | 2-3-22 | Oregon State | 84-59 |
Vanderbilt (14) | Josh Cody | 2-15-35 | 1-9-36 | Auburn | 47-27 |
Villanova (10) | John "Rube" Cashman | 1927-28 | season finale | Alumni at Rosemont | 33-18 |
Virginia (13) | Billy McCann | 1-9-60 | 2-27-60 | Washington & Lee VA | 86-59 |
Virginia Tech (18) | Gerald "Red" Laird | 12-29-54 | 2-21-55 | The Citadel | 88-53 |
Wake Forest (22) | Murray Greason | 1-26-43 | 1944-45 | Catawba NC | 41-38 |
Washington (13) | Lorenzo Romar | 1-21-2017 | 11-10-2017 | Belmont | 86-82 |
Washington State (18) | Kelvin Sampson | 12-30-89 | 11-28-90 | BYU-Hawaii | 112-81 |
West Virginia (9) | Marshall Glenn | 1-12-37 | 2-17-37 | Penn State | 36-31 |
West Virginia (9) | Gale Catlett | 12-28-2001 | 1-30-2002 | Providence | 89-81 |
West Virginia (9) | Drew Catlett/John Beilein | 2-2-2002 | 11-22-2002 | Delaware State | 59-46 |
Wichita State (14) | Kenneth Gunning | 1-10-50 | 12-5-50 | Oklahoma Baptist | 53-45 |
Wisconsin (14) | John Powless | 1-8-76 | 3-1-76 | at Ohio State | 91-79 |
Xavier (13) | Dick Campbell | 1-29-73 | 12-1-73 | Aquinas MI | 88-48 |
On This NFL Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle February 3 Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as GQ cover boy #ColonKrapernick, 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-honor shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five 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 February 3 in football at the professional level (especially in Super Bowl XLII following 2007 season):
FEBRUARY 3
New York Giants rookie 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 a 45-yard pass from Eli Manning to fuel fourth-quarter touchdown drive in 17-14 win against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII following 2007 season. The Patriots incurred their first defeat of campaign despite SS Rodney Harrison (averaged 7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3 apg and 1.6 spg for Western Illinois in 1992-93) providing 11 solo tackles and LB Adalius Thomas (averaged 2.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg for Southern Mississippi in 1996-97 and 1997-98) supplying two sacks and five solo tackles.
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 56-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco and opened second half with 108-yard kickoff return for TD in 34-31 win against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII following 2012 season.
St. Louis Rams rookie LB Tommy Polley (played in one basketball game for Florida State in 1996-97 under coach Pat Kennedy) had seven solo tackles in a 20-17 setback against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI following 2001 campaign.
On This NFL Date: Ex-College Hoopers Ready to Tackle February 2 Gridiron
Long before kneeling knuckleheads such as Colon Krapernick, 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-honor shatterproof achievement - three members of a league championship basketball squad who promptly were among the top 41 selections in the same NFL draft.
Two years later, All-SWC first-team hoop selection Howard "Red" Hickey was instrumental in Arkansas reaching the 1941 Final Four before becoming an end for the Cleveland Rams' 1945 NFL titlist. Two-sport college teammate and fellow end O'Neal Adams scored five touchdowns for the New York Giants the first half of the 1940s. Another two-sport Hog who played for the Giants in the mid-1940s was Harry Wynne. An earlier versatile Razorback was Jim Lee Howell, who was an All-SWC first five 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 player Julius Thomas making a name for himself on February 2 in football at the professional level:
FEBRUARY 2
- Denver Broncos 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 four pass receptions in 24-13 setback against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLVIII following 2013 season.