True Sons

Premo Stuff

2009-04-04T09:03:00.006-05:00

I wrote True Sons for the same reason anyone writes a book – to be able to settle disputes among strangers on internet message boards. This week, I received an e-mail asking if I could resolve a disagreement on Tigerboard.com about the stature of Missouri’s basketball teams of 1921 and 1922.

Specifically, I was asked to verify that those Tiger teams were ranked number one nationally in the Premo Power Poll. For the uninitiated, the Premo Polls are the province of Patrick Premo, a college professor and basketball historian who spent countless hours researching and ranking the best college basketball teams from the game’s early years.

The Tigerboard dispute seems to arise from the fact that there is no complete and accurate set of the Premo Polls available online; unfortunately, it appears that an incomplete and inaccurate posting is on the web, one that incorrectly notes that Penn topped the Premo Poll for 1921 and that Kansas held the top spot for 1922 (in 1936, Penn and Kansas were retroactively awarded mythical national championships for those years by the Helms Foundation; the list provided seems to reflect Helms titles, not Premo Polls). My understanding is that one of the parties to the dispute goes so far as to suggest that I may have fabricated my claim in True Sons that Missouri was ranked number one in the Premo Polls for those seasons. I can tell you unequivocally that I did not (though when I wrote that Mizzou beat Indiana to win the 1976 national championship? That was totally made up).

I first became aware of Professor Premo’s work while reading Blair Kerkhoff’s book Phog Allen, the Father of Basketball Coaching. On page 60, while detailing the early years of the rivalry between Missouri and Kansas, Kerkhoff notes that Premo ranked the Tigers number one for the 1921 and 1922 seasons.

(click to enlarge)

My curiosity piqued, I interviewed Premo while doing research for True Sons, and I bought Mike Douchant’s Inside Sports College Basketball, a terrific history of the game, which includes a full set of the Premo Polls. Those polls do in fact show Missouri to be the number one team for 1921 and 1922. I have scanned the relevant pages, and included them below (click images to enlarge).

I believe my work here is done.

A Fine Day for a Parade

2007-12-05T13:43:00.000-06:00

In the hangover haze of Mizzou’s Orange Bowl snub, my buddy The Boy makes a pertinent point: the problem isn’t the BCS – it’s the bowls.

He’s absolutely right. Expecting the bowls to cultivate championship consensus is like expecting ice cream to cure cancer. They were never designed to deliver the desired result.

Bowl games aren’t playoffs, they’re pageants. They’re exhibitions, relics of a bygone era, designed to boost local economies. It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s where you play the game.

The BCS idea, initially, was well-intentioned and more effective than people would now have you believe. Under the old regime, this year’s slate would put #1 Ohio State vs. #7 Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl; #2 LSU vs. #3 Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl; and #4 Oklahoma vs. #5 Georgia in the Orange Bowl. In the absence of a playoff, the BCS at least gave us the one-versus-two matchup that everyone wanted by breaking the grip conference tie-ins had on the games, and allowing each of the Big Four Bowls to serve as the de facto title game once every four years.

But now that we have a dedicated, non-bowl, championship game pitting one versus two, you have to ask: Why exactly are the bowls still part of the process?

Because they’re more resilient than rats, more constant than cockroaches, more deeply rooted than giant redwoods.

Bowls still matter because they still want to matter. They are the HAL-9000 of sports, dictating the mission despite the wishes of those of us along for the ride.

And no one can fix the problem because no one is in charge. It’s like the Food and Drug Administration regulating the research and production of pharmaceuticals only to cede authority to the Federation of Deranged Anarchists when it comes to distribution. We play NCAA football until December, and then it just stops, with a confederation of parade planners and conference commissioners taking over from there. And the NCAA is powerless to act because it is nothing more than the sum of its badly fractured parts. With such a powerful voting bloc – the twenty-one schools of the Big Ten and Pac-10 – suckling off the Rose Bowl’s lucrative, milky breast, there will be no Tournament of Touchdowns so long as there’s a Tournament of Roses.

I’m through being outraged at the Orange Bowl’s pick of Kansas over Missouri, and truth be told, I was never all that outraged to begin with. The decision, on its face, was too comical to raise genuine ire, and it illustrated the epic chasm between the words “Bowl” and “Championship” in “Bowl . . . Championship Series.” This game has no more bearing on crowning a college football champion than my drive to the grocery store has on determining the Indy 500 winner. And lest anyone think that the bowls could be part of the solution, the Orange’s teaspoon-shallow reasoning – they preferred a one-loss team – should disabuse all but those who would prefer Manute Bol to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because of Bol’s superior height.

By falling to Oklahoma last Saturday night, the Tigers ensured that their next contest would be no more than a consolation game, an exhibition to allow long-sufferers like me to experience a New Year’s event for the first time, no matter where it was held. Missouri’s game in Dallas will mean the same as the Jayhawks’ game in Miami. It will mean that someone just had a parade.

Curses, Foiled

2007-11-27T12:48:00.000-06:00

I am prone to belief in the divine, but not the supernatural. I recognize the existence of coincidence, happenstance, and random events of bad fortune. Never in my life have I believed in curses. Except when it comes to the Missouri Tigers.

There are the lightning bolts of cosmic scorn that even casual fans know: Colorado’s fifth down, Nebraska’s kicked ball, Tyus Edney’s zero-to-heartbreak in 4.8 seconds. There have been other moments, equally powerful but more obscure, like first round NCAA flameouts against Rhode Island and Northern Iowa back when I’d never heard of Rhode Island or Northern Iowa (geography, alas, was not a strong suit). And then there were those times when we were made to pay for our prosperity, like when the undefeated, top-ranked football Tigers lost their shot at the national title by falling to Kansas in the 1960 season’s final game, only to have the game futilely forfeited back later. Or Norm Stewart being blindsided by cancer at age 54 in the midst of a season in which he had one of his best and toughest teams. Or 2002, when an ascending basketball program welcomed Ricky Clemons to town and became a national punch line. Sadly, I could go on. There’s more where that came from.

Despite what rational thought tells you, sometimes you have to believe your eyes. When water falls from the clouds, it’s rain. When calamity pours from the sky, it’s a curse.

After one remarkable week in Kansas City, though, I proclaim Mizzou to be cleansed. The curse is over.

It started on a Sunday night, in a reborn downtown, in a shimmering building, when Norm Stewart took his place in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. As the coach stood at the podium nearly nineteen years after beating cancer – and helping countless others do the same through his charitable efforts – you knew that he was blessed. He was surrounded by family, including Virginia, his wife of fifty-one years, and his son Lindsey, who gave a world-class induction speech, full of the humor and fire he inherited from his dad. Coach Stewart also was joined by the other starters from his high school basketball team, and by members of the Stalcup, Faurot and Devine families who brought him back to Columbia in 1967. And he was surrounded by his players, Tiger titans like John Brown, Willie Smith, Steve Stipanovich, Jon Sundvold and Derrick Chievous, who won eight league championships and eleven conference tournaments (five old holiday affairs, six post-season events) in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. To see this living history mingling in the same room, it was plain that the good times have far outnumbered the bad, and hard to fathom that we might ever have considered ourselves unlucky, let alone cursed.

It continued the next night in the same building, when the Tiger basketball team played eleventh-ranked Michigan State. I had heard laments that years of scandal and mediocrity had crushed fan enthusiasm, as evidenced by only 5,000 turning out to see the Tigers play Central Michigan on a Monday in Columbia. But what I saw in the Sprint Center suggests that the problem might be playing Central Michigan. On a Monday. In Columbia. In Kansas City, against a top-flight opponent, an overwhelmingly pro-Mizzou crowd of more than 18,000 turned out, and those fans were fierce and hungry for success. And though the Tigers’ rally from sixteen points down fell just short, they played with purpose, and the crowd loved them for it. The next night, when those fans returned to see the Tigers drill Maryland – a program with a national title this decade – it was plain that Mike Anderson’s team is immune from the voodoo of Mizzou’s recent past.

Then, on Friday, already surrounded by a family of Tigers in town for Thanksgiving, I drove to the airport to meet my friends Scott (in from Denver) and T.J. (New York). In recent years, with the demands of careers and families, our gatherings had been limited to weddings and funerals. But with our alma mater’s football team set to play its arch-rival in the year’s biggest game, we ran out of excuses not to get together. As we caught up and remembered winter nights at the Hearnes Center and spring Saturdays at Simmons Field, I realized that the Missouri Tigers had blessed me with the chance to share time with these great friends.

And then, of course, came Saturday night. I’ve never seen a stadium so electric, or a Tiger team so self-assured. From my perch on the verge of 40, it’s easy to forget how young these guys are. Chase Daniel and Martin Rucker are barely old enough to remember the past’s great disappointments. They don’t believe in curses, they believe in each other. When Stryker Sulak and Lo Williams fell down like hard rain on Todd Reesing to secure a heart-stopping triumph, I looked to my right at my wife, who has shared the joy and despair of Tiger sports with me for nearly two decades, and I saw relief. I looked left at my father-in-law, who played on that star-crossed 1960 team, and I saw vindication. Then, as I thrust my hands in the air and looked up into the night sky, from which no calamity had fallen, my mind drifted to the elegant toast T.J. made at Scott’s wedding. Traditionally, he said, the guests bless the newly wedded couple. But when a bride and groom like this share their moment, they bless us.

Missouri Tigers, you bless us. The curse is dead.

The Greatest Week in the History of Time

2007-11-18T00:06:00.000-06:00

Sunday: Attend Norm Stewart's induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

Monday: Visit spanking-new Sprint Center to see Mizzou hoops team play Michigan State.

Tuesday: Attend Coach Stewart's Hall of Fame lunch; back to Sprint Center for Tigers vs. UCLA or Maryland.

Wednesday: Rest.

Thursday: Give thanks.

Friday: Pick up buddies Scott and T.J. at the airport, head down to Tiger Rally at the spanking-new Power & Light District.

Saturday: Game of the Century.

Life is downhill from there.

Game On!

2007-11-17T16:08:00.000-06:00

How do you articulate what you can’t even fathom? How do you express what you can’t comprehend?

This week, in my hometown, on the last day of the regular season, the Missouri Tigers and Kansas Jayhawks will play a football game, and the winner will be one game away from playing for a national championship.

There, I’ve written it, put it on the page, stared at it. And I still don’t quite believe it. The Missouri-Kansas game is the center of the football universe. In the best rivalry in sports, in the town that serves as the front for the border war, these two universities will play the biggest game in more than a century of hostilities.

I’ve written it again, and it’s starting to sink in. But I still can’t quite wrap my mind around it.

Still, I like it.

Gotta love the coach

2007-11-03T21:44:00.001-05:00

On the broadcast of the exhibition game against UMSL, Norm Stewart referred to field goals as "fielders," making him the first person since Grantland Rice to use the term. Regrettably, he did not comment on modern players and their baggy pantaloons, nor on the unfortunate abandonment of underhanded free throw shooting.

Bookmark these

2007-11-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

Steve Rushin and Joe Posnanski, two of the very best writers on the subject of sport, are blogging. Rushin's blog is here, and JoePo's is here.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2007-10-25T14:13:00.000-05:00

My Mizzou basketball season tickets arrived today, and I've started to daydream. How's this for a festive holiday season scenario? Thanksgiving week kicks off with Norm Stewart's induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, followed by the Tigers playing Michigan State and UCLA or Maryland at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, just days before the football Tigers beat Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium to clinch the Big 12 North and advance to the league title game. Then its Christmas in St. Louis for a long-awaited Braggin' Rights victory, followed by New Year's in the sun belt at a BCS bowl game.

Please don't wake me.

Charlie Henke, Hall of Famer

2007-10-23T14:31:00.000-05:00

When I heard that former Rat Pack funnyman Joey Bishop had passed last week at age 89, my first reaction, regrettably, was “Joey Bishop wasn’t already dead?!?”

My reaction was much the same upon hearing that Charlie Henke had been elected to the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. “He’s not already in?” I asked, incredulously.

For many if not most of us, the men who played basketball for the University of Missouri before Norm Stewart became head coach in 1967 are largely forgotten. But Charlie Henke, from tiny Malta Bend, Missouri, remains one of the best ever to wear the black and gold.

Henke, who played from 1958 to 1961, was a star for Sparky Stalcup in the coach’s waning days at Mizzou, and he certainly would be better remembered if he had been surrounded by better talent. But statistically, Henke has few peers among Tigers of yore. On February 18, 1961, he sank a shot against Kansas State to supplant Bob Reiter as Mizzou’s all-time leading scorer, and his 1,338 career points stood as a Missouri record until John Brown surpassed it twelve years later. Henke’s career averages for points (18.1 per game, fifth all-time) and rebounds (9.8, also fifth) make him one of the most productive Tigers in history.

Despite those impressive credentials, Henke may be best remembered for his role in the most violent spectacle in Missouri lore. Entering the final game of his career, Henke was engaged in a fight for the Big Eight scoring championship with Kansas’s Wayne Hightower for the second straight year (he had finished second to Hightower the previous season). The Jayhawks invaded Brewer Fieldhouse for the season’s last contest, and the animosity between the programs was greater than ever before. KU’s football team had beaten top-ranked Missouri less than four months earlier, costing the Tigers a national title, but had been forced to forfeit the result for playing Bert Coan, a running back who was ruled ineligible. Kansas’s basketball team had also recently been placed on probation, and some in Lawrence believed that Missouri athletics director Don Faurot had snitched on them. The Jayhawk fans’ fury boiled over when the Tiger hoops team visited Allen Field House in February, and they showered Mizzou’s team with such hostility that pre-game introductions were called off. When the teams met again in Columbia, it was a nasty, physical affair, but Henke was sensational, scoring over Hightower with ease, and clinching the scoring title. But early in the second half, Hightower intercepted an outlet pass thrown by Henke, drove to the hoop, got fouled, and then sparked one of the wildest scenes ever on a basketball court.

Henke was ejected for his role in the riot, an unfitting end to one of Missouri’s finest careers.

Maybe I Should Be Flattered . . .

2007-10-22T10:31:00.000-05:00

It has come to my attention that two copies of True Sons are available through Amazon Marketplace - one listed at $299.99 and the other at $499.89. Now, it's a pretty damn good book if I do say so myself, but it's not made of diamonds.

If you'd like a copy, save yourself a few hundred bucks and buy online here, or stop by any Borders Bookseller in Missouri, or the Tiger Team Store or University Bookstore in Columbia.

Random Thoughts from a Football Weekend

2007-10-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

I officially declare it the Greatest Homecoming Weekend Ever! Glorious weather, good friends and a thorough dismantling of a nationally-ranked team made for a fabulous 48 hours . . . . I met Homecoming Grand Marshal/Football Hall of Famer Roger Wehrli and his wife Gayle (remarkably lovely people) twice over the weekend, and confessed that, when I was a kid, my favorite book was All-Pro Football Stars 1977 (it sorta still is, actually), in which Mr. Wehrli was recognized as one of the NFL’s top defensive backs. I also told him that my father-in-law wore number 23 for the Tigers just a few years before Roger and Johnny Roland did, and that we like to say that Bruce’s number was retired, which is half true . . . . A streak continues: the Tigers have never lost a Homecoming game after I’ve eaten a Heidelburger the preceding Friday night. . . . While waiting for the parade to begin on Saturday morning, I saw Gary Leonard dragging a three-wheeled red wagon along a Ninth Street sidewalk. While it might appear peculiar to see a seven-foot man captaining such a defective vessel through the streets of a mid-sized Midwestern town, with Gary it somehow seemed normal. . . . Columbia’s West Junior High School band has a scrappy cymbal player who overcame a broken strap/handle to provide the event the proper fanfare. . . . The parade’s most prolific candy-thrower, by far, was Rocky Alden, wife of Mizzou’s athletics director Mike Alden. . . . Noted without comment: A group of adult people dressed in some oddly sophisticated Star Wars regalia marched in the parade. . . . Weekend’s Moment of Zen: Attending a reception at Jesse Hall, sitting outside on the north steps, beer in hand, contemplating the Columns. . . . Offensive coordinator Dave Christensen is a mad scientist. The whole world anticipated one of history’s great aerial showdowns, and he controlled the game by running the ball down Texas Tech’s throat. Before Saturday, I could not fathom that Mizzou could score 41 points despite Chase Daniel throwing the ball just nineteen times. Pity the poor defensive coordinator who has to prepare for this team. . . . Jeremy Maclin (who badly needs a nickname, by the way; The Jet? Flash Maclin? Somebody help me) has easily the best football speed I’ve seen in two-plus decades of closely following the Tigers. The only possible precedent I can come up with is Mel Gray. Maclin’s 57-yard catch and run for touchdown in the fourth quarter was pure poetry. . . . Mizzou’s defense has developed a fourth quarter sadistic streak. In the last two home games, the front seven has pinned back its ears and punished Sam Keller and Graham Harrell. I like it. . . . Though there’s work to do before we get there, Mizzou’s November 24 meeting with Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium is starting to look like the most anticipated sporting event in Kansas City since the 1988 Final Four. Disagree? What ranks above it?

A Family Reunion

2007-10-21T11:10:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of speaking at the Kansas City regional dinner for the University of Missouri’s Jefferson Club. A packed house of Tiger supporters came to celebrate Mizzou’s basketball history and their own commitment to the University.

I’ve given lots of talks about Tiger hoops, but never in a room so alive with the program’s history. Norm Stewart was there, as was Ed Matheny (who played from 1941 to 1943), Phil Snowden (who played for Norm Stewart’s freshman team in 1957 before going on to greater fame as a Missouri quarterback), George Flamank and Ned Monsees, Don Early (1962-65), Greg Flaker, Bob Johnson (1970-71), John Brown, Al Eberhard, Gary Link, Bill Flamank (1973-75), Willie Smith, Kim Anderson, Derrick Chievous and Lynn Hardy. It was a remarkable assemblage of men who spanned nearly sixty years of Missouri basketball.

I talked about the beginnings of Tiger basketball, Missouri’s World War I era Golden Age, and stars of long ago like George Williams, John Cooper and Bud Heinemann. We celebrated the program’s history, Norm Stewart’s upcoming induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, and the brotherhood that binds these men and their school.

The past players came to celebrate all of that, but as much as anything, they came to support Bill Flamank, a hard-working forward and a second generation Tiger who was the third member of his family to wear the uniform. Bill has endured a year of incomprehensible tragedy, losing his wife and suffering devastating injuries in a terrible car accident, for which has undergone five surgeries to date. Though he moved about on crutches, Bill walked tall.

Coach Stewart spoke a few words after I finished, and praised Bill's perseverance. As you spend time with the men who played so hard for Coach Stewart and his predecessors, you can see why they were so successful. They are tenacious, dedicated men of character, and they make for a tightly-knit fraternity. John Brown made the trip to Kansas City from Rolla because he wanted to ensure that Bill got out to a dinner where he could be supported by his friends.

No one made a show of why they were there, and Coach Stewart spoke of Bill’s circumstances in only vague terms. Everything about it was understated and dignified, but stirring nonetheless. It was one of those times when you really could be proud to be a Tiger.

Clay Cooper, 1917 - 2007

2007-06-02T19:49:00.001-05:00

Mizzou lost one of its greatest Tigers on Thursday. Here's a remembrance that I posted at Mizzou Sanity.

True Sons: Undaunted, Undefeated

2007-05-18T14:58:00.000-05:00

Garris, a freshman, had been sensational—he scored thirty-one points in the game—but he had never been in such a spot. He stepped to the line, the lane vacant, the other players reduced to spectators. Garris entered the game shooting 94 percent from the line, but as he stood there, nerves shot and legs spent, the basket might as well have been fifty feet away. He focused on the hoop. He breathed in and out. He put up his first shot. It hit the rim and bounced away. There were shrieks, moans, cheers. And then all of the air was sucked out of the building as Garris prepared to shoot again, feeling pressure like never before. He squared up and released. But after so much fight, the radar was gone. The ball bounced away harmlessly. On to a third overtime.

True Sons: Season on the Brink

2007-05-18T08:56:00.000-05:00

There has never been another season like it, none that flirted so closely with triumph and tragedy, none in which such intense pressure collided with such ferocious play. The 1988–89 Tigers played for their own pride, for the integrity of the institution, and for the coach they nearly lost along the way.

True Sons: The Arrival

2007-05-16T13:32:00.000-05:00

Read about the birth of a Big Eight dynasty here.

The first call came from St. Louis, the second from Kansas City. By the time Norm Stewart put down the phone, he knew his program was about to take a giant leap forward, but he did his best to contain his joy. "We're very pleased with both Steve and Jon," he said in an act of staggering understatement. He had just received commitments that would change the course of Missouri basketball.

True Sons: The Magic Show

2007-05-15T14:08:00.000-05:00

Willie Smith put up gaudy numbers throughout his career at Missouri, but he was never motivated by individual glory. He scored for the good of the team. Smith and his teammates came from diverse backgrounds, but they shared a blinding desire to win. Even more than he loved to win, though, Mr. Magic hated to be embarrassed. One of the proudest players ever to wear the black and gold, Smith took defeat personally. Late into the night before the Kansas State game, Smith and roommate Jeff Currie talked about the mission that faced them. K-State's guards Chuckie Williams and Mike Evans formed one of the nation's best backcourts, and they had humiliated the Tigers a month earlier by leaving the Hearnes Center with a win, the only time Smith ever tasted defeat in Columbia. Already keyed up for the challenge, Smith found further motivation during the walk from Mizzou's hotel to the field house. Kansas State's fans were out in force, taunting the Tigers along the way. Smith was incensed, but managed to keep a cool exterior. "Just wait till you get inside," he thought to himself.

True Sons: The Legend of John Brown

2007-05-14T12:51:00.000-05:00

Today's excerpt takes us back to the 1972-73 season when the Tigers moved into the Hearnes Center and big farewell to John Brown, the first superstar of the Norm Stewart era.

The new building featured a space-age Tartan floor, an exotic gray court that the players loathed. The rubbery surface prevented them from sliding, and it dampened sound such that they could not hear the ball bounce, a disorienting experience for players who grew up on hardwood. Despite the new environment and crowds often well below the 12,600 capacity, the Tigers maintained the home-court edge that had become a hallmark of the Stewart era and rode it to the best start in half a century. Against Ohio, before a packed house, John Brown christened the building with a midrange jumper, and he and five other Tigers—Al Eberhard, Mike Jeffries, Orv Salmon, Gary Link, and sophomore Felix Jerman—tallied double figures. Attendance dropped sharply after opening night. Only 7,714 fans saw Brown collect thirty-five points and fifteen rebounds in a win over Purdue that moved the Tigers to 4–0.

True Sons: Enter Norm Stewart

2007-05-11T14:14:00.000-05:00

Columbia was football crazy in the 1960s, so much so that basketball was an afterthought on campus. In his first nine years at Missouri, coach Dan Devine had presided over nine winning seasons and had taken the Tigers to three New Year's Day bowl games. As such, mediocrity by the hoops squad might have been tolerated. Humiliation, however, was something different. And so it came as no surprise when a pair of football legends accepted Bob Vanatta's resignation. That was the easy part for Don Faurot and Devine, who was set to succeed the retiring Faurot as athletic director. The hard part was to find the right man to revive the program. They made their choice just four days after the end of the 1966–67 season. Missouri would wait thirty-two years to hire another men's basketball coach.

True Sons: Breaking the Barrier

2007-05-10T14:16:00.000-05:00

Today's excerpt takes us back a half century, to when Al Abram stepped on to the basketball court and and forever changed the University of Missouri.

It was the start of a long, slow fade for Sparky Stalcup. In his first ten years at Missouri, his teams finished second in the conference five times. But after Norm Stewart's graduation, they would never again place higher than fourth. Though his clubs were not devoid of talent, Stalcup could not match the enormous firepower that found its way to Lawrence and Manhattan. Part of that was due to his personal fabric. When it came to recruiting, Stalcup was ethical to a fault and even a bit naïve to the way the game was changing. He believed to his core that basketball should be just one piece of the university experience. He believed in students who played basketball, not basketball players who dabbled in education. "A school like Missouri will not relax its educational requirements for the sake of getting an exceptional athlete," he said. "The era of the dumb athlete is fast drawing to a close." He abhorred the corrupt recruiting practices that became more prevalent in the 1950s and railed against them. He believed that under-the-table payments were being made to the best big men, the kinds of players that were changing the game. He blamed alumni for brokering deals and blamed coaches for turning a blind eye. He feared for the integrity of the game.

True Sons: War and Glory

2007-05-09T13:01:00.000-05:00

Today's excerpt: 1943-44 and the arrival of Jumpin' Dan Pippin.

In 1938, enrollment at MU had surged past five thousand. By 1943 it was down to
fifteen hundred as men went off to war. But even as other activities around
campus and the country were curtailed, college athletics—including Big Six
basketball—carried on to help boost morale on the home front. Even so, Kansas
coach Phog Allen undoubtedly was right in his assessment that "not many people
will take a wartime championship seriously. With us here athletics are simply
incidental to the war effort."
That effort had decimated the Tigers. Thornton Jenkins, Pleasant Smith, and others should have led Missouri's fight for a Big Six title. Instead, they were engaged in a fight of infinitely greater consequence. And with a dwindling student population, George Edwards's immediate challenge was not to win the conference; it was simply to field a team.

True Sons: Meanwell Arrives

2007-05-08T11:54:00.000-05:00

Today's excerpt takes us back to the 1917-18 season, when a charter member of the Basketball Hall of Fame arrived in Columbia and laid a foundation that would help make the Tigers the nation's best team over the ensuing six-year span.

Few athletes are as largely forgotten as those who played basketball before World War II. Everyone knows legends from other fields of play: Babe Ruth, Red Grange, Joe Louis. But ask even a knowledgeable basketball fan to name a handful of great pre-war players and you're likely to receive a blank stare.

There are good reasons for this, not the least of which is basketball was a second-tier game in those days, far less popular than baseball, college football, or boxing. It also lacked a national stage, with the NIT and the NCAA Tournament coming into existence only in 1938 and 1939, respectively. Finally, and no less important, players from that era have been eradicated from the record books. Slower play, shorter seasons, and freshman ineligibility guaranteed this. Players simply could not score enough points during games, seasons, or careers to compete with more recent athletes, and statistics like rebounds and assists were not officially kept. This amnesia is unfortunate, especially for Missouri basketball loyalists, because the Tiger players of that era rank among the most accomplished in school history.
Yet more anonymous than the players of that era are its coaches, even the great ones. As evidence, try asking Missouri fans to name a coach who took over the Tiger program in his early thirties. Some will pick Quin Snyder, who arrived in Columbia in 1999 after serving as an assistant at Duke. Others might choose Norm Stewart, who returned to his alma mater in 1967 after six years as head coach at the State College of Iowa. But few—probably none—will mention Walter Meanwell, who became Missouri's coach in 1917 at age thirty-three. That is more than a little ironic because while Snyder and Stewart came to Columbia looking to build legacies at a major program, Meanwell arrived already established as the finest coach in the brief history of college basketball.

True Sons Excerpt: The First Tigers

2007-05-07T11:32:00.000-05:00

Beginning today and extending over the next two weeks, PowerMizzou.com will run ten excerpts from True Sons, A Century of Missouri Tigers Basketball. We start, appropriately enough, at the beginning, with the first team to don the black and gold. We continue tomorrow with the birth of a long-forgotten dynasty. Click on the intro below to go straight to the first excerpt.

From modest beginnings came magical things. Inside a little gymnasium on the edge of campus, a few young men formed a team and founded a tradition that would provide a century's worth of thrills. The rich history of Missouri Tigers basketball
begins with them, players who toiled for little more than the pride of their
school and a love of the game, but whose efforts would come to mean more than
they could ever have imagined.

Cass County, Here I Come

2007-04-24T13:48:00.000-05:00

I'll be the featured speaker at the Spring Banquet of the Cass County chapter of the Mizzou Alumni Association this Thursday, April 26, in Harrisonville. Details here.

The Call From the Hall

2007-04-03T11:56:00.000-05:00

This week, Norm Stewart was selected for enshrinement into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. I’d say that the honor is long overdue, but the College Hoops Hall hasn’t even been built yet, so it’s pretty much right on time.

The old coach is good at a lot of things, but none more than winning – 731 victories as a head coach, 634 at Missouri – and telling stories. Norm Stewart tells more stories than anyone else I’ve known. And if any part of a story is true, it counts as a true story. By that standard, what I write here is genuine, verifiable and factual, except the parts that are not.

The Missouri Tigers won a total of six games in the two years before Stewart became head coach. The Tigers lost a total of six games in Stewart’s fifth season.

Missouri borders eight other states, the most in the nation. Norm Stewart can defend all eight borders simultaneously.

Norm Stewart coached the Tigers to their first 20-win season. And their seventeenth.

Cancer tried to mess with Norm Stewart once. Cancer learned its lesson.

Before Norm Stewart took over, Missouri had won its last league championship in 1940, and its last conference tournament title in 1954. Stewart’s Tigers captured league crowns in 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990 and 1994. They won conference tournaments in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1993.

Long ago, a small tornado threatened central Missouri until Norm Stewart stood up and fought it off with his bare hands. Years later, a larger one came through, so he had Al Eberhard help him.

Once, in a hard-fought game against Kansas State, Stewart wanted to fire up the Hearnes Center crowd, but he didn’t want to pick up a technical foul, so he got in an official’s face, stomping, veins popping from his forehead, and screamed, “Do you see that tie Jack Hartman is wearing?!?! That’s got to be the ugliest tie in the whole %$#@&*% world!!! I can’t believe how ugly that thing is!!!” The crowd went bonkers. Missouri went on to win.

Sailors sometimes complain about Stewart’s language.

In 1989, while recuperating from cancer surgery, Norm Stewart heard that his players were rebelling against interim coach Rich Daly. So Stewart assembled the team and said “If Coach Daly asks you to stand on your head and crap through your nose, you stand on your head and blow.” A week later, the Tigers beat second-ranked Oklahoma to win the Big Eight tournament.

WWND? He’d kick your ass and make you like it, that’s WNWD.

Coach Stewart wrote the forward to this book and he wants you to buy a copy.

Phog Allen tried to recruit Norm Stewart to play basketball at Kansas. Phog didn’t know Norm very well.

Take 300 wins off of Norm Stewart’s record at Missouri and he’s still above .500.

As a sophomore at Mizzou, Norm Stewart went out for baseball on a bet with a fellow student. He made the team and helped the Tigers win the national championship. Stewart won the bet.

Before Norm Stewart became Missouri’s head coach, the Tigers had last appeared in the Associated Press poll in the 1954-55 season, when he was an all-conference basketball player, and they made it to number six, their highest ranking to that point. Stewart led the Tigers back into the poll in 1971-72, his fifth season. He had them at number five the next year. They reached number one for the first time in the 1981-82 season. They did it again – twice – in 1989-90.

Norm Stewart walks into a room and pride follows.

So here’s to Norm Stewart, a hall of famer – our hall of famer – and the truest Tiger of them all. Congratulations on an honor well-deserved.

Seems Like Old Times

2007-02-21T13:00:00.000-06:00

OK, after a month or so off, I'm back with something to say, which you can find over at the new Mizzou Sanity group blog.

100 Years Ago Today

2007-01-12T14:50:00.000-06:00

On January 12, 1907 – 100 years ago today – five young men donned Tiger uniforms and took to the court at state-of-the-art Rothwell Gymnasium to play the first intercollegiate men’s basketball game in the University of Missouri’s history. Hezekiah “Zeke” Henley, Carl “Curly” Ristine, William Driver and John Gardner had come to Mizzou from Joplin, and the fifth starter, Fred Bernet, came from St. Louis. With head coach Isadore “Izzy” Anderson watching from the sidelines, the Tiger five overwhelmed the Central College of Fayette team, 65-5, still one of the most lopsided victories in Missouri’s history.

Since that first day, Missouri Tigers fans have been thrilled, dismayed and enthralled by a century’s worth of moments and memories. There have been monumental wins and crushing defeats. There have been heroic players and coaches we remember well, and others who have faded from memory. But they’re all part of a continuum and a tradition that is Missouri Tigers basketball. While that first team may now seem like little more than a historical curiosity, they began a thread that winds through the program’s full history.

Carl Ristine, the first team’s best scorer, played with Herman Cohen, who played with Joe Parker, who played with George Taaffe, who played with Pip Palfreyman, who played with Fred Williams.

Williams played with Paul “Deerfoot” Vogt, who played with Craig Ruby, who played with George Williams, who played with Herb Bunker, who played with Frank Wheat.

Wheat played with Ted O’Sullivan, who played with Kenneth Yunker, who played with Wendell Baker, who played with Charlie Huhn, who played with Norman Wagner.

Wagner played with John Cooper, who played with Evans Powell, who played with Ralph Beer, who played with Kenny Brown, who played with John Lobsiger.

Lobsiger played with Herb Gregg, who played with Roy Storm, who played with Thornton Jenkins, who played with Dan Pippin, who played with Bud Heineman, who played with Bill Stauffer.

Stauffer played with Med Park, who played with Norm Stewart, who played with Lionel Smith, who played with Al Abram, who played with Charlie Henke.

Henke played with Ken Doughty, who played with George Flamank, who played with Ron Coleman, who played with Gene Jones, who played with Don Tomlinson, who played with Henry Smith.

Smith played with John Brown, who played with Al Eberhard, who played with Kim Anderson, who played with Larry Drew, who played with Steve Stipanovich and Jon Sundvold, who played with Greg Cavener.

Cavener played with Derrick Chievous, who played with Doug Smith, who played with Melvin Booker, who played with Kelly Thames, who played with Brian Grawer.

Grawer played with Arthur Johnson, who played with Thomas Gardner, who played with Marshall Brown, Matt Lawrence and several other members of the current Tigers team.

And just as the players form a thread, so do the generations of fans who have lived and died a little on each hoop this past century. One of the great pleasures of my life has been the opportunity to document and share the history of Missouri Tigers basketball. And since you’re reading this, that history is probably important to you, too. So, tonight, raise a glass to a century of thrilling, maddening, captivating Missouri Tigers basketball history, and maybe one to its future, a toast to all the true sons.

Kevin Durant is a Freak

2007-01-10T21:13:00.001-06:00

That is all.

On WHB in Kansas City on Wednesday

2007-01-09T21:08:00.000-06:00

Just got word that I'll be on Between the Lines with Kevin Kietzman at around 4:00 p.m. on 810 WHB in Kansas City this Wednesday, January 10, to discuss True Sons.

That’ll Leave a Mark

2007-01-07T11:47:00.000-06:00

Games like this wake me up at night. My eyes pop open at 3:00 a.m. and I think “we really lost that one, didn’t we?”

Yes, we did.

One unexpected loss won’t ruin a season, but the optimism that the Missouri Tigers basketball team brought into conference play hinged on winning every home game against the Iowa States and Nebraskas of the league, and stealing a couple on the road. One game into the slate, there’s already a dent in the plan, as the Cyclones won one that Mizzou never seemed in jeopardy of losing until the last sixty seconds. But as Iowa State crept closer and Missouri failed to make plays, I turned to my pal Bob Bailey, the Assistant Dean at the MU Law School, and said “this is starting to remind me of last year’s Colorado game.” The sense of déjà vu grew palpable as ISU tipped in the game-winner just before the buzzer, and the Tigers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

If Mizzou is going to win tight games in Big 12 play, this much is clear: the frontcourt quartet of Leo Lyons, Kalen Grimes, Darryl Butterfield and Vaidotas Volkus will have to combine for better than the eight points and twelve rebounds they accumulated in fifty-three minutes on Saturday. The Tigers were abused on the inside by a group of interior players not nearly as talented as they’ll see down the road. Those four players don’t have to carry Missouri, but when they produce so little, they require the Tigers’ guards to be near-perfect, which they weren’t in the league opener.

Family Picture: If you weren’t at the game, you missed a sight that was, in its own way, as remarkable as the introduction of the Tigers’ All-Century team a year ago. Sixty former players, spanning seventy years of history, took to the court as part of a hoops family reunion. The senior member of the group was John Cooper, ninety-four years old and the 1932 Big Six scoring champ. He was joined by his baby brother Clay (a standout on the 1939 and 1940 league championship teams) and a host of players who represented the full spectrum of Missouri basketball. There were plenty of stars, including Thornton Jenkins (perhaps the finest Tiger player of the 1940s), Charlie Henke (who held Mizzou’s career scoring mark from 1961 to 1973), John Brown (who eclipsed Henke’s standard), Joe Scott (whose 46 points against Nebraska in 1961 still stands as a Tiger record), Curtis Berry and Jon Sundvold. But there were also dozens of former players who filled key roles to far less glory, guys like Gary Filbert, Howard Garrett, Greg Flaker, Scott Sims and Greg Church. As a whole, the group represented toughness, dedication, loyalty and excellence, traits that are at the heart of True Sons.

Lawrence of Columbia: Matt Lawrence’s transformation from end-of-the-bench reserve to game-changing sharpshooter is complete, and the crowd at Mizzou Arena knows it. I love how now, when Lawrence lets fly from behind the arc, everyone in the house leans forward and yells “three!”

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2006-12-18T10:46:00.000-06:00

Silver bells. Twinkling lights. Children singing. There’s a feeling in the air. It’s Braggin’ Rights time.

With the Missouri and Illinois hoops teams set for their annual meeting in St. Louis on Tuesday, I’m in a reflective mood. It’s time to relive the history of the Braggin’ Rights series, or at least one side of it, remembering Mizzou’s greatest moments while completely ignoring the Illini’s. Who’s with me?

Pre-history of the rivalry

Before the Tigers and Illini ever played a game, they shared a coach. Craig Ruby, a Kansas City native who twice earned All-America honors as a player for the Tigers, coached Missouri to a cumulative record of 33-2 in the 1920-21 and 1921-22 seasons. Then, just two years into his coaching career, Ruby left for the University of Illinois, where he guided the basketball program for fourteen years, a span that included the first two meetings between the schools, both won by the Illini. (As detailed in True Sons, Ruby also had a hand in the rise of Kentucky basketball. John Mauer, one of Ruby’s earliest players at Illinois, went on to become the first successful coach in Lexington, where he installed the system that Ruby had learned from coach Walter Meanwell at Missouri. When Mauer left UK, he was replaced by a young high school coach named Adolph Rupp, who got the job largely on Ruby’s recommendation. Rather than employ the system he had learned as a player at the University of Kansas, Rupp adopted Ruby’s system, and the rest, as they say, is history).

Missouri and Illinois played only a few times before the 1970s, but their meeting in 1946 provided one of the greatest upsets in the Tigers’ history. Sparky Stalcup had just begun his long career as Mizzou’s coach in December 1946 when the Tigers traveled to Kansas City for the first-ever Big Six basketball tournament (trivia time: Southern Methodist, which along with Arkansas had been invited to round out the eight-team field, won the event, despite not being a member of the conference). After winning just one of three games in the tourney, Missouri stayed in Kansas City to face a formidable, storied Illinois team. In the 1942-43 season, the Illini had the nation’s best team, a group led by All-American Andy Phillip and known as the Whiz Kids. Toward the end of the year, though, a higher calling beckoned, and all five starters were pressed into military duty at the height of the Second World War With war over, Phillip and three of the remaining starters returned to school, where they were joined in the lineup by Walt Kirk, who himself had earned All-America honors in 1945. Undefeated and favored by as many as twenty-four points, the Illini appeared invincible when they rolled into Municipal Auditorium.

But war’s end had also brought good news to the Tigers, as Dan Pippin and Thornton Jenkins – two of the best players of their day – returned to campus and teamed up for the first time. And while each of them would give fine efforts against Illinois, the heroes were Darrel Lorrance, a transfer from Kentucky who scored 18 points, and center John Rudolph who hit the crucial shot late in a 55-50 Mizzou triumph that inspired many of the 4,500 fans on hand to spill onto the floor to celebrate the Tigers’ victory.

Long before he ever coached a game, Norm Stewart made his mark on the rivalry in another tremendous upset. With stars Bob Reiter and Med Park having graduated, Stewart, then a senior, led the Tigers to a 2-1 mark early in the 1955-56 season. Illinois came to Columbia ranked eighth nationally, and built a fifteen-point lead against the Tigers. But Stewart led a remarkable comeback, scoring 27 points in the second half as Mizzou prevailed 74-73. The teams would not meet again for two decades.

Braggin’ Rights

The seeds for what has come to be known as the Braggin’ Rights game were sown on December 3, 1976, when the Tigers and Illini met for the first time in twenty-one years. Missouri won 76-75 in Columbia, and the teams played an annual home-and-home series through 1979. Tiger Larry Drew starred in the final game to be played on-campus, scoring 25 points as Mizzou beat Illinois 67-66 in overtime in Champaign.

The game moved to St. Louis for good in December 1980, and has been played there annually ever since, save for a one-year break in 1982. Illinois took the first meeting at the old St. Louis Arena, but the Tigers got revenge the next year with a 78-68 overtime victory as Ricky Frazier scored 28 points.

Let’s, ahem, pretend the next several years never happened. In 1991, Jevon Crudup, Anthony Peeler, Melvin Booker and Jeff Warren each scored in double figures as the surprising 16th-ranked Tigers moved their record to 8-0 with a 61-44 triumph over the Illini. Mizzou made it two straight the next season, as Melvin Booker recorded 16 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in a 66-65 victory.

Missouri’s third consecutive win in the series is a story unto itself and the best basketball game I’ve ever seen. The Tigers’ epic, heroic (even lucky) 108-107 three-overtime triumph set the stage for one of the greatest seasons in Mizzou history, and marked the indisputable high point of the rivalry series. And Melvin Booker, with 21 points and 13 assists, solidified his spot as the top Tiger player in Braggin’ Rights lore.

Missouri won its fourth straight against the Illini (the Tigers’ longest winning streak in the series) in 1994, a 76-58 win paced by Paul O’Liney (19 points), Derek Grimm (18) and Julian Winfield (15). Then, after losses the next two seasons, the Tigers resumed their winning ways in 1997. New Tiger Albert White posted 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Norm Stewart got his 700th career coaching victory in a 75-69 win. John Woods led MU with 15 points in a 67-62 victory in 1998, and then Clarence Gilbert, a sophomore guard theretofore known primarily for his defense, made a statement in the 1999 contest. Though they trailed by fourteen points in the first half, the Tigers clawed back into the game, and Gilbert scored twelve straight points for Mizzou in the second half to carry the Tigers to a 78-72 triumph. With 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting (five of seven from the arc), Gilbert gave the first of many memorable performances in a Tiger uniform.

The game has been less memorable for Missouri fans in subsequent years (really, have they played it since 1999?), but Braggin’ Rights remains one of the great non-conference match-ups in college basketball. Now, Mike Anderson gets to make his mark on the rivalry. The last (and only) Mizzou coach to lose his first game against Illinois was George Edwards in 1932. Here’s hoping that Coach Edwards keeps that distinction to himself.

My Chat with Chris Gervino

2006-12-13T14:46:00.000-06:00

Recently, Chris Gervino was kind enough to have me on the KOMU Sunday Night Sports Show to talk about True Sons. You can watch the segment by clicking here. Chris and the crew added some classic Mizzou hoops footage that I think you'll enjoy.

On TV in Springfield on Monday

2006-12-09T10:12:00.000-06:00

Finally a chance to venture into southwest Missouri. I'll be on the KY3 morning show on Monday (December 11) some time in the 6:00 hour to talk about the history of Tiger hoops.

The Glamorous Life

2006-12-05T14:56:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the recent inactivity, but the past ten days have been a whirlwind of book promotion, with TV and radio appearances across the state, and a long, unintentional layover in Columbia thanks to the mother of all snowstorms.

The big promotional push is winding down, but there are a few stops left. I’ll be on The Spot on channel 38 in Kansas City on Thursday evening at 7:00, and I should show up on Chris Gervino’s Sunday night sports show on KOMU in Columbia this weekend. It also looks like I’ll be on KY3’s morning show in Springfield some day next week. I’ll post more info when I know it.

And I’ll share more thoughts on this when time allows, but doesn’t this basketball team make you proud? Their intensity, selflessness and sense of purpose are a joy to watch. As long as they continue to play like this, I’ll be happy regardless of results (but make no mistake, I’ll be even happier if they win). Obviously, we’ll need the perspective of more time to make any real judgments, but a mere four weeks into the season, it seems like the hiring of Mike Anderson was the best thing to happen to Mizzou athletics in ages.

This Date in Mizzou History

2006-11-23T09:20:00.000-06:00

November 23, 1988: Behind 21 points from swingman Byron Irvin, the Tigers top fifth-ranked North Carolina, 91-81, to advance to the finals of the Preseason NIT in New York.

This Date in Mizzou History

2006-11-22T10:35:00.000-06:00

Here are three stories from the Tigers' past, as November 22 shall henceforth be known as Kick the Crap Out of Kansas Day.

November 22, 1941: Missouri halfback Harry Ice ran for 240 yards on just eight carries as coach Don Faurot’s Tigers routed Kansas, 45-6.

November 22, 1969: In the final regular season game of the year, Dan Devine’s Missouri Tigers clinched a share of the Big Eight title and an Orange Bowl berth with a 69-21 demolition of Kansas. Jon Staggers and Mel Gray each scored three touchdowns (Terry McMillan threw for four), and Joe Moore rushed for 167 yards in the resounding victory. One legend has Kansas coach Pepper Rodgers saying “I gave Dan [Devine] the peace sign, and he gave half of it back to me.”

November 22, 1986: On the heels of a 77-0 humiliation at Oklahoma, a Missouri football team that had won just two games all year took out its frustrations on arch-rival Kansas, whipping the Jayhawks, 48-0.

On TV tonight in KC

2006-11-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

I'll be on Metro Sports Talk (6:00 p.m., Time Warner Cable channel 30) tonight to talk about the book with Mick Shaffer.

This Date in Mizzou History

2006-11-21T09:48:00.000-06:00

November 21, 2001: Down by eleven points with 2:15 minutes to play, the Tigers mounted a remarkable rally against Iowa in the finals of the Guardian’s Classic basketball tournament in Kansas City. Kareem Rush and Rickey Paulding sank three-pointers to close the gap, and Clarence Gilbert capped the comeback with a free throw in the game’s final second to give Missouri a 78-77 victory.

This Date in Mizzou History

2006-11-19T09:46:00.000-06:00

November 19, 1960: The most infamous football game in Missouri’s history happened in Columbia, as the undefeated, top-ranked Tigers played host to arch-rival Kansas, ranked thirteenth, in the regular season finale. The Jayhawk defense stifled Missouri’s running attack, and KU’s star running back Bert Coan scored two touchdowns in a 23-7 Kansas victory that cost Mizzou the national title. Two weeks later, the game’s result was reversed. The NCAA ruled that Coan had been ineligible to play, and forced Kansas to forfeit the game. But despite technically finishing with a perfect record, Missouri’s dreams of winning the mythical national championship were dashed on one bitter day at Faurot Field.

That. Was. Painful.

2006-11-18T17:31:00.000-06:00

I have nothing more to say.

This Date in Mizzou History

2006-11-18T07:49:00.000-06:00

November 18, 1978: Tiger running back James Wilder ran for 181 yards and four touchdowns, and tight end Kellen Winslow accounted for 132 receiving yards and a touchdown of his own, as Mizzou upset second-ranked Nebraska, 35-31, in Lincoln.

Bond. George Bond.

2006-11-17T10:31:00.000-06:00

George Bond’s name has popped up in the papers now that Mike Anderson is the first Missouri coach to start his tenure at 4-0 since Bond did it in 1922-23. And while Bond’s name won’t mean much to modern Mizzou fans, he was an important figure in what may have been the most successful era in Missouri basketball history.

In the period around World War I, the Tigers rose to prominence as perhaps the best program in the country, building a mini-dynasty on the philosophies of former Wisconsin coach Walter Meanwell, who led the team to 17-1 records and Missouri Valley championships in 1918 and 1920 (Meanwell was called to military duty through the 1918-19 season). After the second title, Meanwell returned to the University of Wisconsin, replaced by Craig Ruby, one of Mizzou’s finest players. During Ruby’s two-year run at coach, one of his best players was George Bond, who helped the Tigers to two more conference titles, and a cumulative 33-2 record. One prominent hoops historian ranks Missouri as the nation’s best team in both of those seasons.

When Ruby left for the University of Illinois in 1922, Bond rose from team captain to head coach. His first team was stocked with talent, including three-time All-American Herb Bunker, two-time pick Arthur “Bun” Browning, and junior guard Don Faurot, who built something of a legacy at Mizzou himself. Bond’s Tigers opened the 1922-23 season with five straight lopsided wins before Phog Allen’s Kansas Jayhawks came to Columbia and escaped with a 21-19 victory. But the Missouri team regrouped and went on a tear, defeating all collegiate competition (they lost one game to Kansas City Athletic Club, an elite group of former collegians) over the next six weeks, and the Tigers pulled into Lawrence late in the season with a chance to earn at least a share of the conference title. But another close loss to KU – this one by a 23-20 score – ended their aspirations.

Bond’s Tigers finished the season with a 15-3 record and the nation’s number three ranking, but it was the end of an era. Bunker and Browning graduated, and the Tigers went into a tailspin. After the successful first season, Bond’s team went just 4-14 in year two. After two more losing seasons, Bond left coaching for a career with General Motors.

Media bits: The promotional onslaught for True Sons has begun, which means many media appearances for me. This Sunday, I’ll talk with Ron Jacober on mighty KMOX at 12:10 p.m., leading up to coverage of Mizzou’s game against Davidson. On Tuesday, November 21 at 6:00 p.m., I’ll be on Metro Sports Talk in Kansas City (Time Warner Cable, channel 30), and the next morning, at 8:25, I’ll visit with Tom Bradley on KFRU in Columbia. I will also speak to the Tiger Quarterback Club at their noon meeting in Columbia on Monday, November 27.

I’m also pleased to report that I’ll appear regularly on KTGR’s Tiger Warm-Up show before most Mizzou basketball games throughout the season. I’ll join Kyle Elfrink to talk Tiger history in the final ten minutes of each show.

Several more appearances are in the works, and I’ll report them as they get closer.

On the Radio in Jefferson City

2006-11-15T09:51:00.000-06:00

In addition to Thursday morning's appearance on Fox 4 in Kansas City, I'll be on KWOS (950 AM) in Jefferson City this Friday, November 17, at 8:35 a.m. to talk about True Sons. I believe they'll be giving away a copy of the book at the end of the interview, so tune in.

True Sons on TV

2006-11-14T08:09:00.000-06:00

For those in the Kansas City area, I'll be on the Fox 4 Morning Show this Thursday, November 16 at 8:20 a.m. to talk about the book.

Three out of three ain’t bad

2006-11-13T09:40:00.000-06:00

Three games, three days, three wins. Makes for a good weekend. Still, the whole “John Thompson Classic” thing confuses me. I’m not sure why a tournament named for Thompson was played in Columbia, Missouri, nor am I sure what Thompson had to do with the event, but nonetheless, it was great fun to finally start the Mike Anderson era at Mizzou.

As for the Tigers’ play, it wasn’t always pretty, but it was usually entertaining, and the effort was heartening. The defense, when executed at a high level, is electrifying, and the ball movement on offense was impressive, especially on Friday night (the guards were terrific and Leo Lyons produced some slick interior passes). The days of bounce-bounce-bounce on the perimeter are over . . . Let's raise a glass to Kalen Grimes. With Kevin Young gone and no experienced big men on the team, it was imperative for Grimes to step up this year, and it appears that he has embraced the challenge, both in his effort on the court and in his conditioning off of it. His tournament MVP award was well-deserved . . . In the first two games of the weekend, I think we saw how hard it is to play a full 40 minutes with the kind of intensity Anderson’s system demands, especially for a team not used to playing with that sort of mental stamina. I’m willing to attribute Missouri’s second half lulls to a lapse in concentration, and I’m prone to believe that Army’s comeback on Saturday will be good for the team. If the Tigers didn’t understand how dangerous a letdown can be, they do now. . . I’m not sure which of these variations on the same theme is more remarkable: that Nick Berardini (three points) outscored Marshall Brown (two) in the Tigers’ opening game, or that Mizzou scored 101 points despite Brown’s meager output. . . Honk if you thought Matt Lawrence would score 27 points in any game this season, let alone the first one . . . I spotted Nolan Richardson at the Arena on Friday and Saturday, and it’s still a little jarring to think of him as a Tiger fan, especially with all the bruising battles his Arkansas teams had against Mizzou back in the day . . . I stopped by the Tiger radio wrap-up show on Friday night at T. K. Brothers to see Todd Donoho (the show’s host), and I chatted briefly with associate head coach Melvin Watkins. We talked about what an impressive all-around performance Leo Lyons gave against North Carolina A&T, and how mature freshman guard J. T. Tiller appeared in his first collegiate game . . . Years ago, an acquaintance complained that one particularly notable pianist played with an ugly technique. “Maybe,” I said, “but he sounds great.” That’s sort of how I feel when watching Keon Lawrence and his crazy elbows chuck up a three-point shot. Shooting form aside, it was great to see Keon return from injury three weeks ahead of schedule; he certainly gave the Tigers a boost with his presence and his energy . . . Milestone watch: Mike Anderson is the first Missouri men’s basketball coach to win his first three games at the helm since Sparky Stalcup’s Tigers beat Drake, Westminster and St. Louis University to start the 1946-47 season. If Mizzou can handle Lipscomb and Davidson in the coming week, Anderson would match the 5-0 start that George Bond enjoyed in 1922-23. Then, if the Tigers can top Stephen F. Austin, Anderson would be off to the best start of any new coach since Craig Ruby, who tasted victory in the first 17 games of the 1920-21 season. Suffice it to say that if Anderson could equal or surpass Ruby’s mark, there would be euphoria in Columbia and disbelief across America. . . . The Recruiting front: With just one scholarship currently available for next season, the Tigers’ top target appears to be Tyrel Reed, a 6’3” point guard from Burlington, Kansas, and Mike DeArmond reports that Mizzou’s staff is also pursuing 6’ 1” Anthony Nelson, from Plainfield, New Jersey. I’ll confess to being puzzled by the strategy. With juniors Stefhon Hannah and Jason Horton and freshmen J. T. Tiller and Keon Lawrence all set to return next year, with each capable of playing the point, and with a relative paucity of skilled post players on the roster, I’m surprised that the staff isn’t focusing its efforts on big men. Missouri should have seven scholarships to offer for the 2008-09 season, and could pursue both a high school and a junior college point guard in that class, if necessary. Still, it’s safe to say that Mike Anderson knows better than I do the kinds of players he needs to succeed.

This Date in Mizzou History

2006-11-12T08:53:00.000-06:00

November 12, 1960: Behind 169 yards rushing from Norris Stevenson, the Tigers travel to Norman and whip Oklahoma, 41-19, to move to 9-0 on the season and leap to number one in the wire service polls for the first time in school history.

On the radio

2006-11-10T13:24:00.000-06:00

If anyone in Mid-Missouri cares to hear my dulcet tones, I'll be on 1580 KTGR with Kyle Elfrink at around 5:25 this evening to talk about the book and the first century of Mizzou hoops.

Welcome to Century Two

2006-11-10T09:47:00.000-06:00

It starts tonight. The second century of Missouri Tigers basketball. A new era, with a new coach, new team, new hope, and hopefully, a new pride.

When I started working on the project that became True Sons, there was nothing but hope in the program. We had not yet heard of Ricky Clemons or the lauded recruiting class of Robert Whaley, Jeffrey Ferguson, Duane John and Uche Okafor. Tiger teams coalesced around the character of Brian Grawer and Clarence Gilbert. They could make us proud even in defeat (as against Duke in the 2001 NCAA Tournament), but especially in victory, most notably in the run to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2002. At that moment, it was a program ascending, and as I looked toward the horizon, I could see a fairytale ending to the first 100 years, a book that concluded with a trip to the Final Four, a prize that has eluded us, and in some ways defined us, for far too long.

Now, that seems like such a long time ago. You know the history, I don’t need to rehash it here. Suffice it to say that the events of the past four seasons have shaken Missouri basketball to its core, and stripped us of our pride. But even through all the turmoil, we did get one good thing at the end of Century One: A clean slate.

The effects of the previous regime’s downfall may linger, but they won’t incapacitate Mike Anderson’s vision of Mizzou’s future. Football programs are barges, slow-moving things that take time to change course. Basketball programs are speedboats, able to turn on a dime on the strength of a couple of players, the right style, and leadership borne of character. Three years ago, Texas A&M went winless in the Big 12. Now the Aggies are league’s best team south of Lawrence. Two years ago, Tennessee fired its coach. Last season, the Vols earned a number two seed in the NCAA Tournament. Is it fair to assume that Mike Anderson will achieve those results so quickly? No. But is it OK to have faith that better things are on the way for Missouri basketball? Absolutely.

I think Mike Anderson is the right man at the right time, one who can build a sustainable and successful program over the long haul, the kind that will make Missouri fans proud again. I’ll be in the Arena tonight to drink in every moment of the beginning of a new era.

This Date in Mizzou History

2006-11-08T09:45:00.000-06:00

November 8, 1997: Nebraska 45, Missouri 38 (OT). The kicked ball. Enough said.

Chaos in Columbia

2006-11-07T15:06:00.000-06:00

The first “Wow!” came just ninety seconds in to the start of Missouri’s exhibition basketball season.

With the Tigers leading 5-0, Missouri-Rolla sank a three-pointer from the right wing, the first basket allowed in Mike Anderson’s tenure as Mizzou’s coach. The inbounds play that followed was a blur, the ball blazing up the court to Matt Lawrence, who took – and made – a three-point shot with thirty-three seconds left on the thirty-five second shot clock. That, friends, is lightning.

I don’t know what the effort against the low-grade competition of Mizzou’s two exhibition opponents portends for the season, but I know what it means for me – the need to re-teach myself how to watch basketball. The style is so fast, so chaotic, that your eyes and brain don’t get to rest while either team walks it up the court. I’m willing to bet that there will be at least 20% more possessions in Missouri’s games than just a year ago. I know that Mizzou’s brave new style is exhausting for me to watch. I can only wonder what it’s like to play against.

I also know that Stefhon Hannah is for real. It has been a long time since I’ve seen a Missouri guard toy with opponents – even patently inferior ones – the way that Hannah did in exhibition play. He showed leadership, smarts and impressive instincts in both games, and his stat lines – averages of 20.5 points, 7.5 assists and 5 steals in 25 minutes per game – were eye-popping, as was the chemistry he displayed with Marshall Brown, who should thrive in this new system.

Questions, of course, remain, especially inside, where Kalen Grimes is the only conventional big man currently suiting up. I don’t know what has caused Leo Lyons’s indefinite suspension, but his lingering absence could hurt this team and make for a huge opportunity lost for him as a player. With his length and athleticism, Lyons would appear to be tailor-made for Anderson’s system. For his sake and the sake of the team, here’s hoping that Leo gets it together and soon.

Random notes: I saw only a little of Kansas’s exhibition opener against Washburn, but I saw, read and heard enough to know that the Jayhawks’ 6’9” freshman Darrell Arthur makes for another ridiculous talent on a roster that already is an embarrassment of riches. In 1957, when KU sophomore Wilt Chamberlain was systematically destroying conference opponents, The Savitar, the University of Missouri’s yearbook, wrote that “until someone comes up with an idea to stop Wilt, the Tigers are going to have to settle for some position besides first in the basketball race.” Now, until and unless Arthur, Brandon Rush and Julian Wright leave en masse for the NBA, I fear that the entire remainder of the Big 12 will be fighting for second place. . . . Unsolicited advice to Bill Self: Cut ties with C.J. Giles now. As Mizzou fans know all too well, a player who is unable to control his worst impulses can destroy a team – even a very good one – from the inside. And the fact of the matter is that the Hawks don’t need him anyway. The Big 12 is hardly bursting with dominant centers. Surround Sasha Kaun or Darnell Jackson with some combination of Arthur, Rush, Wright, Russell Robinson, Mario Chalmers and Sherron Collins, and KU goes 15-1 in the league, or start Rush, Wright and Arthur as a smallish but supernaturally gifted front line and dare teams to keep up (update: within a minute of this post originally going up, news broke that Giles had been dismissed from the team. Credit where credit's due, Coach Self) . . . . I have conflicting thoughts about K-State’s three-overtime exhibition epic against Division II Washburn. While my first thought is to smile, my second thought is to conclude that it’s no big deal. In recent years, we’ve seen a lot of good teams struggle in the exhibition season, as Oklahoma, Iowa State and Nebraska have all done this past week. Then, I have this third thought about the quality of the Cats’ guard play. While one number is surely an anomaly – KSU’s outside shooting can’t possibly be as bad as their four three-pointers in thirty tries would suggest – another sticks out at me, and that’s 15, the number of minutes that all-everything juco-transfer guard Blake Young played in the 55-minute game. If Young isn’t able to shore up the Cats’ middling backcourt, the transition to Huggins Ball could be bumpy, especially as K-State relies on inexperienced, offensively-limited players in the low post. The Wildcats’ forwards (Cartier Martin, David Hoskins, potentially Bill Walker) are terrific, but if they don’t get solid production out of their centers and guards, they may not make the expected leap above the pack of Big 12 north pretenders.

All Good but the Game

2006-11-05T16:44:00.000-06:00

Nebraska Brian and I left Kansas City at about 3:30 on Friday afternoon, and headed straight up I-29, combining a mix of the Waterboys, Ramones and the Sugar Hill Gang with lively discussion about Amendment 2 and the novels of Ernest Hemingway. After cutting across the southwest corner of Iowa, we headed into Nebraska City for a ceremonial Runza, and then up to Lincoln, where we gorged at the Valentino’s buffet, including the obligatory slice of bacon cheeseburger pizza (pickles and mustard on pizza? Oh, yes). Having experienced both of the state’s culinary icons, it was on to downtown, where a swing through the Nebraska Bookstore netted the night’s first celebrity sighting, as 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers was on hand to hawk copies of his new book on the final years of Bob Devaney’s tenure as the Huskers’ head football coach.

From there, we headed to Cliff’s Lounge, where neither the décor nor the music has changed since 1984, but the menu of signature kamikaze drinks has expanded exponentially (I had the Sharkwater, which has a bite worthy of its name). The next stop was surely the most colorful, as we made our way into the famous Sidetrack Tavern, home of the equally famous Sidetrack Band, which is led by the peculiar and bawdy mother-son team of Joyce and Paul. The place was hopping, and Mizzou fans were out in force, including a jolly bearded fellow in a Chase Daniel jersey, a nice couple from my home base of Parkville, and big Gary Leonard, who anchored the great Missouri basketball teams of the late 1980’s from his spot in the pivot. After experiencing some rousing Neil Diamond, Johnny Cash and Snoop Dogg covers, we headed out into the fresh air, and inexplicably found a used CD/record shop open and completely empty at 11:30 p.m. While the proprietor, with an unnerving enthusiasm, explained to my entourage (which by then had grown to four people) why he prefers Velvet Revolver to the newly reconstituted Guns n’ Roses, I searched in vain for David Johansen’s long out-of-print solo debut, but found a copy of Jesse Malin’s The Heat, an album my buddy Trip (who was absent) insists will reward my investment.

The evening’s final stop was the upstairs bar at W.C.’s, which was pretty sleepy, thus allowing easy access to the bartender and unlimited play at the pool tables. As closing time neared, it was off to bed (thanks to Phil for the use of the couch).

Morning brought a trip through the McDonald’s drive-thru and a campus tour (shame on the poli sci department for taking down Brian’s 1989 student of the year plaque), including a peek inside the Coliseum, which long served as the Huskers’ basketball home, and which was one of the first large on-campus venues in the country. Then after listening to Nebraska’s band rehearse its Tribute to Geeks halftime show (it’s hip to be square, y’all), we made our way into the game.

The game. Yeah, that. You saw it. I don’t need to rehash it. Suffice it to say that after the buzz surrounding the Tigers’ 6-0 start, the subsequent 1-3 stretch has made for a hard come-down. Welcome to life as a Missouri fan. Still, if the Tigers can regroup to beat Iowa State and Kansas, the 9-3 mark will certainly exceed the expectations I brought into this season.

Nebraska Brian was sporting and restrained on the ride back, killing me with kindness, while the Hold Steady provided the soundtrack for the trip home.

When I finally get a chance to watch Friday night’s exhibition basketball game, I’ll have thoughts on it and the coming season.

Going into the red

2006-11-03T10:12:00.000-06:00

I'm heading up to Lincoln today for tomorrow's clash for Big 12 North supremacy, so I'll have to watch and comment on tonight's basketball exhibition opener upon my return. I'm traveling with a friend who is a Nebraska alum. I've been promised the full Lincoln experience - the Valentino's buffet, a Runza, etc. - and I'll give a full report in the next couple of days. And here's your good omen for the day: My buddy and I have attended two Mizzou-Nebraska games together, and the Tigers won both.

This Date in Mizzou History

2006-11-02T08:28:00.000-06:00

November 2, 1974: Tiger Tony Galbreath rambles for 194 yards rushing in a 52-15 rout of Kansas State.

This Date in Mizzou History

2006-11-01T08:13:00.000-06:00

November 1, 1969: On a day when Kansas State’s star quarterback Lynn Dickey set a conference record for total offense with 394 yards, it was Missouri halfback Jon Staggers who gave a performance for the ages. Staggers caught a pass for a touchdown, returned a kickoff for a score, threw a touchdown pass on an option play, and accounted for 295 all-purpose yards in a 41-38 victory that lifted the Tigers into a tie for first place in the Big Eight.

Hope falls eternal

2006-10-31T10:28:00.000-06:00

For some, it’s the blooming redbuds and pitchers and catchers reporting, but for me, the world springs to life when the trees shed their leaves and basketball practice begins. You may find paradise in the left field bleachers on a sunny day. For me, heaven is a warm gym on a cold winter night.

It was with that sense of anticipation that I walked into Mizzou Arena on Friday night for the Black and Gold Scrimmage. I was only able to stay for the first half, so I won’t offer a full report (and anyway, you can find recaps here, here, here and here), but the first thing I noticed was how fast everything moved on both ends of the court. On defense, we saw pressure all over the floor, including an extended, trapping zone in the half-court. Offensively, it was a far cry from the ponderous pitch-it-around-the-perimeter game we’ve seen so much of in recent years. The theme was attack, attack, attack. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was consistently entertaining, and it suits a roster that isn’t exactly teeming with players known for their skills in traditional offensive sets.

There’s little point in judging players based on such a small sampling, but a few things stood out. First, as widely reported, point guard Stefhon Hannah, a junior college transfer, looks like a complete player, and the telepathy that he and Marshall Brown seemed to share in the opening minutes called to mind the chemistry Wesley Stokes and Rickey Paulding knew during their brief time as teammates. Freshman guard Keon Lawrence also turned heads with his ability to get inside the lane, draw contact, and still finish despite his spindly, spidery frame (though Monday’s news that he’ll be lost for several weeks with a stress fracture to his foot is a kick in the gut). When Lawrence first committed to Mizzou a year ago, someone close to the process told me that he was a little like former Iowa State star Curtis Stinson, with a knack for getting past defenders and scoring in unorthodox ways. Keon certainly showed that on Friday night. Mizzou’s other Lawrence, sophomore guard Matt, made impressive use of the most elegant three-point stroke seen around here since Kareem Rush left for the NBA. And finally, junior forward/center Kalen Grimes looks to have dropped several pounds without losing his ability to dunk the ball very hard.

While the conventional wisdom says that this group will struggle in coach Mike Anderson’s first season, for optimists like me, hope springs eternal. The non-con schedule is hardly a murderer’s row, and real opportunity exists for any team in the Big 12’s north. While Kansas should run away with the league – they have more talent than the division’s other five teams combined – there’s hope for any team that can establish itself as the north’s next best squad. In essence, Missouri, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State and Nebraska are going to play a round-robin tournament, and if any of those clubs can go 6-2 or better against the other four, it could win 20+ games and/or sneak into the NCAA Tournament. Kansas State seems to be the consensus pick to finish second in the north, especially with Cartier Martin back from suspension (and with super prospect Bill Walker potentially joining the team in December), but the Cats have a new (if accomplished) coach and an unproven roster. Nebraska and Iowa State also break in new coaches, and neither boasts a wealth of talent (Iowa State was stung by the early departures of Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock), and Colorado will go through the season with a coach who has already announced his resignation. And though the Buffs return Richard Roby, one of the league’s top players, they lose six of the top nine players from last year’s team. If Mike Anderson’s Tigers can get it together more quickly than the other members of the topsy-turvy north, this season could surpass the guarded expectations of most of Missouri’s faithful.

Random notes: John Cooper was on campus over the weekend, and was honored at the annual Alumni-Faculty Awards dinner. Dr. Cooper, who is 94, won the Big Six scoring title in 1932, and made college basketball history by being the first player to employ a jump shot. After graduating from Mizzou, Dr. Cooper went on to a distinguished career in academia, where he was a pioneering force in the field of kinesiology. . . . I bumped into Gary Link at Faurot Field on Saturday, and though he graduated thirty-two years ago, Link looks like he could still play ball. I bet he hasn’t gained a pound in the past three decades. Gary, who gave me a fantastic interview for my book, is one of the most loyal and enthusiastic supporters of the University I have ever met. . . . I also saw Jim Dinsdale at the stadium, but that’s not unusual; I see him everywhere. Dinsdale, who played for Sparky Stalcup and Bob Vanatta in the early 1960’s, is an ardent supporter of Mizzou, and he shows up at countless events in Columbia and Kansas City. . . . By now, you’ve heard that Red Auerbach died this past week at 89. During his legendary career, Auerbach succeeded at almost everything he tried. One of the few things he couldn’t do was to convince former Missouri star Bill Stauffer to play in the NBA. The Celtics drafted Stauffer in 1952, but military service beckoned. Upon Stauffer’s discharge, Auerbach met with the Tiger legend to try to entice him to Boston. But at a time when NBA paychecks were just a tiny fraction of what they are today, Stauffer was eager to begin his career in the newspaper business, and he politely declined the offer.

Two toes left

2006-10-28T17:28:00.000-05:00

A sure touchdown pass dropped. Blam! Interception. Blam! Fumble. Blam! Defensive holding extends a drive. Blam! Punt blocked for safety. Blam! Roughing the kicker. Failure to convert four chances inside the two. Personal foul after a third down stop. Blam! Blam! Blam!

Over the past twenty years, I’ve seen a lot of bad Missouri football teams self-destruct, but I grew numb to it. Watching a good one repeatedly shoot itself in the feet in a winnable game is much more agonizing. I’m making my first trip to Lincoln, Nebraska in a quarter century next week. A victory there would surely ease the pain.

Time to fire this thing back up

2006-10-27T12:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long dormancy here. The flu has gone through my house like lightning and I've had some other projects to keep me busy (I've achieved a certain minor fame in Philadelphia, but that's a story for another time). I promise to do better in the coming weeks.

For those interested in getting a signed copy of True Sons, we'll be in the Hearnes Center fieldhouse before the Missouri-Oklahoma football game, at an MU Alumni Association event. Feel free to stop by (and buy).

If I can get to Columbia in time tonight, I'll be at the Black and Gold Scrimmage, and I'll have thoughts about it in the coming days. I'd also be ridiculously remiss not to write some ode to this remarkable football season.

This date in Mizzou history

2006-09-20T14:40:00.000-05:00

September 20, 1969: After Air Force takes a 17-16 lead with just 33 seconds remaining in the game, the Tigers scream down the field -- thanks mostly to a 56-yard pass from Terry McMillan to John Henley -- and Henry Brown kicks a field goal to give Missouri a 19-17 victory in the season opener. The Tigers go on to capture a share of the Big Eight title, earning a trip to the Orange Bowl.

This and other stories can be found in Todd Donoho and Dan O'Brien's MizzouRah! As I understand, only a few copies are left, so get yours soon.

So the guy says “I’ll sell you my talking dog for fifty bucks” . . .

2006-09-11T14:15:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, I had the pleasure of dining at a table that included, among others, Norm Stewart and ESPN SportsCenter anchor John Anderson. Many stories were told, and up to one-third of them may have been true. We heard what Abe Lemons said to Howard Cosell at Madison Square Garden, the psychology behind Henry Iba’s bed checks, and how Johnny Orr can tell vulgar stories in mixed company with impunity. It was the first time I had met Anderson, who is a terrific guy and a proud and active Mizzou alum. And given that you’re reading this page, I probably don’t have to tell you how cool Coach Stewart is.

The next day, I had the similarly pleasurable experience of seeing the football Tigers demolish Ole Miss. I like this team.

Chuck Denny, 1934 – 2006

2006-08-29T14:14:00.000-05:00

The Missouri basketball program lost one of its own this past Thursday when Chuck Denny succumbed to ALS at the age of 71. More details can be found here.

Denny arrived at the University of Missouri from Fayette, Mo., as an ungainly six-foot-six center, and he bided his time on the bench behind the great Bob Reiter until his senior year of 1955-56. By then, he had blossomed into a rugged inside presence who would anchor the middle for a team built around perimeter stars Norm Stewart and Lionel Smith. Denny’s career highlights included a 23-point performance in an 85-78 victory at Kansas on February 6, 1956 (the Jayhawks’ first-ever loss at Allen Field House), and a 20-rebound effort four weeks later in a triumph over Kansas State. He closed his career with 23 points in a victory over Nebraska as Mizzou took second place in the Big Seven standings.

The condolences, thoughts and prayers of many Tiger fans are with the family of one of Mizzou’s true sons.

Meet Mike Anderson (and me) in KC

2006-08-23T12:15:00.000-05:00

The Kansas City Chapter of the MU Alumni Association holds its annual picnic and auction this Friday, August 25, at the Pavilion at John Knox Village in Lee's Summit. Mizzou head basketball coach Mike Anderson will be among the honored guests, and I'll be there signing copies of True Sons. Always a great event, this year's auction includes several autographed pieces of Missouri basketball, Missouri football and Kansas City Chiefs memorabilia, plus a wide array of other items, from a one-week stay at a Hilton Head condo to the entire sixth season of MacGyver on DVD (and who wouldn't want that?).

If this guy likes the book . . .

2006-08-18T13:29:00.001-05:00

"When I was reading this account that has been well documented, it became apparent to me – that even with my age, historical knowledge, and close contact with the Missouri program for 53 years – that the book brings out historical facts, individual situations, and games that I found interesting, amusing, and educational. For instance, did you know that Missouri was judged to be the best team in the country in the days before the national championship was decided by a tournament? . . . The first twenty years gave me more insight into the history of Missouri basketball. From the ’26 period on, it was a renewal of names that I had the good fortune to know. Not just at Missouri, but at the other institutions. Some of those faces I still see and am fortunate enough to have a cup of coffee with on a regular basis. I must admit that with all the enjoyment and appreciation I left a tear on some of the pages."

Norm Stewart, from the foreword to True Sons, A Century of Missouri Tigers Basketball.

True Sons in Borders Bookstores

2006-08-15T12:29:00.000-05:00

I'm pleased to announce that True Sons will be available at Borders Bookstores in Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield within the next few days. Central Missouri Tiger fans can already find the book in Columbia at University Bookstore, the Tiger Team Store, the Ninth Street Bookstore and the Missouri Shirt Company, and at the Downtown Book and Toy Store in Jefferson City.

For Kansas City-area Tigers, we'll have the book for sale on Friday, August 25 at the annual picnic and auction of the Kansas City Chapter of the MU Alumni Association. As always, the Master of Ceremonies will by KMBC-TV's Larry Moore, and Tigers head coach Mike Anderson will be there, too. I'll be signing books, and I hope to meet some of you there.

Or you can buy online.

It’s S against the world

2006-08-14T13:06:00.000-05:00

After wandering through the alpha-numeric maze of the top 100 players and Mizzou A to Z, I began contemplating how dominant the letter S has been in Missouri’s basketball history. Coaches Stewart (634 wins), Stalcup (195) and Snyder (126) have combined for 76% of the program’s 1,392 total victories, and the Tigers’ six retired jerseys – Stauffer, Stewart, Smith, Stipanovich, Sundvold and Smith – make for an alliterative alliance of All-Americans. Number nineteen in the alphabet, number one in your hearts.

So here’s the unanswerable theoretical question of the day: If I form a team of Mizzou’s past players whose surnames start with S (at the peaks of their careers), and I give you everyone else, who wins a mythical game?

Here’s my starting five: Willie Smith and Jon Sundvold (guards), Norm Stewart and Doug Smith (forwards), and Steve Stipanovich (center). Here’s yours: Melvin Booker and Anthony Peeler (guards), Derrick Chievous and John Brown (forwards), and Arthur Johnson (center). My team’s starters were ever-so-slightly more decorated during their playing days, but your team has the advantage off the bench, with the likes of Ricky Frazier, Al Eberhard, Kim Anderson and Larry Drew. We’re playing one game for all of history’s marbles. Who wins?

True Sons is out!

2006-08-09T15:05:00.000-05:00

It’s my pleasure to report that True Sons, A Century of Missouri Tigers Basketball is out and available for purchase. True Sons recounts the full history of the program, from the formation of the first team in 1906, to the hiring of coach Mike Anderson 100 years later.

Visually, the book is spectacular, which I can say without a trace of immodesty. The credit goes to the editorial and design team of Kathy Sheridan, Lynn Parrott and Scott Rule, who laid out and beautifully reproduced over 300 photos spanning the full century of Mizzou hoops. In the course of writing the book, I collected similar histories of some of the top programs in the country, and none can compare with the look of True Sons.

For those who preordered the book, shipping should start immediately (for those who ordered copies signed by Norm Stewart, those will be shipped as soon as the coach can sign them). It will also be available in the coming days (if not already) at the University Bookstore, the Tiger Team Store and the Ninth Street Bookstore in Columbia, and the Downtown Book and Toy Store in Jefferson City. We anticipate having the book in selected stores around the state in the coming weeks, and I’ll have details as they’re available. We’ll also sell the book at special events (like the alumni association Kansas City chapter’s annual picnic and auction on August 25) and at home football and basketball games throughout the year. For now, though, the easiest way to order is to buy online.

Deadline extended

2006-07-28T14:15:00.000-05:00

The deadline for MUAA members to order a copy of True Sons signed by Norm Stewart has been extended to August 9.

Time is running out . . .

2006-07-20T13:12:00.001-05:00

MU Alumni Association members who would like a copy of True Sons signed by Norm Stewart need to order before August 1. A great Christmas gift for the discerning Tiger fan.

Tigers A to Z

2006-07-14T14:39:00.000-05:00

After the full-out assault to finish the book (it’s at the printer now, thank you very much), I find myself momentarily mentally drained, spent, creatively bankrupt. But regular readers of this page demand content, and so let’s reach into the vault for something I wrote a couple of years back for Tigerboard. Tweaked ever-so-slightly to bring the previous piece up to date, I give you the tops in Missouri Tigers sports history, from A to Z.

A is for Accomplishment, and it’s also for Alternatives. On one hand, we have Ben Askren, an All-American and absolute animal, the reigning national wrestler of the year and the top mat-man in Tiger history. On the other, we have Al Abram, who led the basketball team in scoring and rebounding in 1959, and led a revolution when he broke the color barrier in Mizzou athletics. Askren and Abram share the A for their historic efforts.

Some killer B’s have buzzed about in black and gold, from John Brown and Phil Bradley to Herb Bunker, Melvin Booker, and Chester Brewer, none of whom rate as our next letter carrier. Who could better Booker, Bunker and Brewer? Tom Botts. In 26 years as head coach, Botts led the track and field and cross country squads to ten conference titles and the 1965 NCAA indoor track and field national championship.

Though shot putter extraordinaire Christian Cantwell could chuck him a country mile, C belongs to Derrick Chievous, who scored 18% more points than any other Tiger hoopster. D, on the other hand, demands no debate. D is simply Devine.

E stands for Everything, which is what George Edwards was to Mizzou over parts of five decades. After playing basketball, football and baseball for the Tigers before World War I, he returned to Columbia in the Roaring Twenties and served at various times over 30-plus years as basketball coach, golf coach, tennis coach, assistant football coach, athletics director, sports information director, and professor and chair of the physical education department. That might be enough to warrant two letters but for the immovable object in the next spot. F is reserved for the father, the founder, the favorite son of Ol’ Mizzou. F is for Faurot.

Bruce Geiger merits consideration for our next letter by virtue of playing on the 1961 Orange Bowl champs, and he gains bonus points for allowing me to marry his daughter. But a major deduction for routinely schooling me on my own pool table opens the door for Mel Gray, Missouri’s all-time G-man, a champion sprinter and brilliant wide receiver who starred for years in the NFL.

For anyone who ever witnessed her fluid, explosive grace, there’s no doubtin’ Mary Houghton, one H of a gymnast. Late 1980’s basketball hero Byron Irvin was cool personified, but nothing’s cooler than Ice – Harry Ice – the 155-pound halfback formerly famous for gaining 240 yards on eight carries against Kansas in 1941, but now known as the preeminent I of the Tigers. Keeping up with the Joneses is a popular pastime, but keeping up with quarterback Corby Jones proved nearly impossible. For leading Mizzou’s late 1990’s football mini-renaissance, Jones earns the J.

K is for Natasha Kaiser, a two-time Olympian and six-time All-American sprinter, while L is a toss-up between Kaiser’s teammate Teri LeBlanc, a record-setting heptathlete-pentathlete-sprinter, and Ed Lampitt. We’ll let them wrestle for it, which gives the decisive edge to Lampitt, the grappler who captained Mizzou’s squad to an undefeated 1968 season and later earned a place in the national Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Though he belongs more to Wisconsin than to us, Walter Meanwell – Missouri’s M – won 94% of his games in two championship seasons as Tiger basketball coach, a brief detour on his way to becoming a charter member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. In Mizzou’s sporting history, N might as well stand for Next-to-Nothing. Not a single N in the MU Hall of Fame, nor among all-conference performers in football or men’s basketball. So let’s celebrate the post-graduate achievement of Martin Nash, whose Tiger career (1938 to 1941) was nice enough, but nothing compared to being a member of 1948’s golden U.S. Olympic basketball team.

O! what a quandary! Onofrio, Olivo and O’Liney are obvious options, but we’ll pick a palindrome and go with Otto – not hard-nosed fullback/linebacker Gus, but hard-throwing, hard-hitting pitcher/DH Dave, an All-America player and scholar in the mid-1980’s. In picking a P, we proffer a preference for Anthony Peeler, a pinpoint passer, prolific pilferer and prodigious point-producer who ranks first, first and third, respectively, in Tiger hoop history in assists, steals and scoring.

In Tiger lore, the letter Q hasn’t given us much quantity or quality, just one substantial Quirk – Ed Quirk, our Q – a bone-crushing fullback whose Missouri career, interrupted by service in World War II, preceded four seasons in the NFL. R, on the other hand, is rife with candidates from Andy Russell to Kareem Rush, but none is as synonymous with past glories as Johnny Roland, the do-anything All-American offensive and defensive back from the 1960’s.

A serious question for John “Hi” Simmons, Bob Simpson, Sparky Stalcup, Bill Stauffer, Bob Steuber, Steve Stipanovich, Anton Stankowski, Dave Silvestri, Willie Smith and Doug Smith: Would it be too much to ask for one of you to change your name to Xavier or Xylophone or Xanax? While S presents the deepest field in this whole shebang, it’s also a no-brainer. Here’s the rule. If you’re an All-American basketball player and a national champion baseball player who returns home to coach the basketball team to a boatload of conference championships over a 32-year run, you make the list. The man with the S on his chest is Norm Stewart.

With apologies to superstar swimmer Susan Tietjen and pigskin pioneer Ed “Brick” Travis, the most prominent T in Tiger history isn’t a person, it’s an idea hatched in the diabolical mind of Don Faurot. Our T, the Split T – unveiled by Faurot in 1941 – introduced the option play and revolutionized college football.

Though golfer Stan Utley was utterly amazing and women’s hoops star Evan Unrau was simply unreal, U is for Ray Uriarte, a first team All-American at third base in 1958. And with mid-term elections looming, let’s acknowledge that V is for Vogt, Paul “Deerfoot” Vogt, the high-jumping, high-scoring center who helped lead Missouri basketball to regional and national prominence at the time of the first World War.

W is a paradox in and of itself. One letter, three syllables. And the choice for W’s letterman is no less paradoxical. Gridiron greats Wehrli and Winslow continue to maintain high fame despite being mere consensus All-Americans, while the clear but hardly obvious choice – 1921 national basketball player of the year George Williams – rests in peaceful obscurity.

If Christmas can be Xmas, our X-man can be Pitchin’ Paul Christman – err, Xman – the golden boy of the first golden age of Mizzou football, and the third-place finisher in the 1939 Heisman Trophy balloting.

Who is Y? In the higher-profile sports, the pickings get slim toward the end of the alphabet, thus giving us opportunity to branch out and recognize someone who gave considerable sweat for comparatively little glory, like Margaret Yanics, who all but owned the volleyball record book at career’s end in 1988.

And zowie, what to do with Z? Zig-zagging Brad Zmith? Zharp-zhooting Jon Zundvold? Just in ze nick of time comes freshman pitcher Rick Zagone, who helped the baseball team advance to this year’s NCAA super regional, and who stands to become ze staff ace next zeason for the Tigers of Ol’ miZZou.

Semi-Random Index Entry of the Day

2006-07-11T08:11:00.000-05:00

Tate, Corey
245-246

OT: Oh no he Zididn’t!

2006-07-10T22:42:00.000-05:00

As Bill Buckner will testify, legacies can change in a millisecond at fate’s cold caprice. Had Zinedine Zidane’s wicked overtime header in Sunday’s World Cup final sailed just a little to the left or right, it would have skidded past the Italian goalkeeper’s hand and into history. Zizou would have stood as the hero of two World Cups, short-listed for the title of second greatest player ever.

Instead, Buffon’s fist foiled the volley, and minutes later Zidane lowered his stubbly dome and tried to drive Marco Materazzi’s breastbone through his backbone. Now Zidane retires not simply as the player of his generation, but as a much more complicated figure, a great player for sure – World Cup 1998 and Euro 2000 cemented his stature – but also the author of the most famous and infamous moment in soccer’s history (you had a nice run, Hand of God, but it’s over now). No one will ever again think of Zidane without thinking of how he lost his cool and his country lost the Cup.

More than just his personal legacy, I can’t help but wonder what Zidane’s meltdown means for American soccer. I’m no soccer die-hard, but I enjoyed this tournament immensely, and it helped expose curious stateside fans to the international game like no event before (the 2002 Cup’s effect was blunted by its wee hours kickoffs, and 1998 was an eternity ago). A dramatic overtime goal could have provided a breakthrough moment for the beautiful game; instead, potential converts saw an ugly and confusing outburst overshadow the event, the kind of thing you’d expect from a Don King Production, not the globe’s dominant sport. And if fence-sitting fans weren’t won over by the World Cup, they certainly won’t be wowed by the middling MLS (I watched part of the Kansas City-Colorado match on Saturday night, and it was an orgy of ineptitude). When Zidane put his head on the ball in overtime, he had a chance to boost the game in the U.S. But when he stuck it in Materazzi’s chest, he just added to the murky confusion that has enveloped American soccer for so, so long.

Twenty-two Skidoo

2006-07-07T09:15:00.000-05:00

It’s funny the things you notice after you’ve looked at something a few hundred times. Over the past few weeks, as I pored over proofs for the book (the last step before printing), one number seemed to jump out of every photo. Though I’ve not been sufficiently motivated to do a thorough comparison to other numerals, the number 22 is almost certainly the most accomplished number in Missouri hoops history. Norm Stewart wore 22 as a player in the mid-1950’s, and it was retired in his honor in 2001. In the interim, a slew of stars and charismatic role players donned the pair of deuces to great effect for Mizzou. They include Win Wilfong (who immediately preceded Stewart), Sonny Siebert, Joe Scott, Ray Bob Carey, Dave Pike, Larry Drew, Steve Dangos, Moon McCrary, Nathan Buntin and Lamont Frazier. An awfully impressive group.

Can anyone come up with a number that tops it? Forty-four might be a good place to start . . .

Mizzou Century: The Complete List

2006-07-03T10:37:00.000-05:00

Here it is, the full list. As I look it over, I see some things I might change a little, but nothing drastic. And the precise order was never that important to me (Do I really think that Joe Scott was ever so slightly better than Ron Coleman, but not quite as good as Med Park? No, not exactly). The main thing was to stir up memories of some of the best players from throughout the first century of Missouri basketball, and if in the process, some of you learned about True Sons, well, that’s OK, too (the book is about to go to the printer; it should be available in mid-to-late August). This exercise was great fun for me. I hope you've enjoyed it, too.

1. Steve Stipanovich
2. Doug Smith
3. Willie Smith
4. John Brown
5. Derrick Chievous
6. Anthony Peeler
7. Norm Stewart
8. Jon Sundvold
9. Ricky Frazier
10. George Williams
11. Bill Stauffer
12. Al Eberhard
13. Melvin Booker
14. Kim Anderson
15. Larry Drew
16. Herb Bunker
17. Arthur Johnson
18. Charlie Henke
19. John Lobsiger
20. Arthur “Bun” Browning
21. Craig Ruby
22. Kareem Rush
23. Curtis Berry
24. Thornton Jenkins
25. Dan Pippin
26. Byron Irvin
27. Jevon Crudup
28. Kelly Thames
29. Bob Reiter
30. Don Tomlinson
31. Jim Kennedy
32. Clarence Gilbert
33. Marshall Craig
34. Henry Smith
35. Ray Bob Carey
36. Paul O’Liney
37. Fred Williams
38. Rickey Paulding
39. Med Park
40. Joe Scott
41. Ron Coleman
42. Lee Coward
43. Wendell Baker
44. John Cooper
45. Nathan Buntin
46. Norman Wagner
47. Greg Cavener
48. Lionel Smith
49. Bud Heineman
50. Jeff Strong
51. Malcolm Thomas
52. George “Pidge” Browning
53. Clay Johnson
54. Bob Price
55. Al Abram
56. Blaine Currence
57 & 58. George Flamank & Ned Monsees
59. George Bond
60. Brian Grawer
61. Keyon Dooling
62. Albert White
63 & 64. Mike Sandbothe & Greg Church
65 & 66. Derek Grimm & Jason Sutherland
67. Gene Jones
68. Max Collings
69 – 71. Greg Flaker, Mike Griffin & Mike Jeffries
72. Sonny Siebert
73. Jeff Warren
74. Phil Scott
75. Gary Link
76. Jimmy McKinney
77. Charlie Huhn
78. Lynn Hardy
79 & 80. Denver Miller and Kenneth “Duke” Jorgensen
81. Gary Leonard
82. Lamont Frazier
83. Jesse “Mule” Campbell
84. Mark Dressler
85. Dan Bingenheimer
86 & 87. Marvin “Moon” McCrary and Prince Bridges
88. Ken Doughty
89. Thomas Gardner
90. Carl “Curly” Ristine
91. Julian Winfield
92. Win Wilfong
93. Scott Sims
94. Travon Bryant
95. Clay Cooper
96. Gary Garner
97. Tom Johnson
98. Bill Ross
99. Chris Heller
100. Stan Ray

Mizzou Century: No. 1 – Steve Stipanovich

2006-06-30T00:12:00.000-05:00

A transformative figure in Mizzou hoops history. Under Norm Stewart’s guidance, John Brown had led a resurgence for Tiger basketball, and Willie Smith had briefly elevated the program to a more national significance. But more than anyone, Steve Stipanovich symbolized the rise of Missouri as a consistent power and a dominant presence in the Big Eight conference. A preternaturally-skilled 6’11” center from St. Louis, Stipo shared his four seasons at Mizzou with Jon Sundvold, the dead-eye shooter from Kansas City, and collectively, their achievement was stunning. They made Mizzou the only program ever to win four straight Big Eight championships, capturing the crown in each year of their careers. They led the Tigers to 100 victories, the best four-year run in school history. And Missouri achieved its first-ever number one national ranking in their stellar junior season. Individually, Stipanovich was a revolutionary player. A powerful post presence with a shooting touch to twenty feet, Stipo started all 31 games as a freshman, led the team in scoring, and was named Big Eight Newcomer of the Year. The next year, he set a school record for blocked shots. As a junior, he made his first All-Big Eight team. As a senior he made his second, in addition to being named Big Eight Player of the Year, earning various first and second team All-America honors, breaking his own blocked shots record, outplaying national player of the year Ralph Sampson head to head, and averaging 18.4 points and 8.8 rebounds. He also earned a spot on the Academic All-American team. At the end of his career, Steve Stipanovich owned the Missouri record book, ranking first all-time in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots (he now ranks fourth, third and second, respectively, in those categories). Truly, a Tiger for all time.

Mizzou Century: No. 2 – Doug Smith

2006-06-29T12:41:00.000-05:00

A starter and double-figure scorer his first two seasons, 6’10” Detroit native Doug Smith erupted as a junior. In the process of leading the Tigers to a Big Eight championship and the top of the national polls, he was named Big Eight Player of the Year, won the league scoring race, earned second team All-America honors, and blistered Nebraska for 44 points (the second highest total ever by a Tiger). Despite the lure of the NBA – and an NCAA investigation-turned-probation for the Tigers – Smith returned for his senior season and won his second straight Big Eight Player of the Year award and another scoring title (averaging 23.6 points and 10.4 rebounds), in addition to yet more All-America recognition. In his last hurrah, he propelled the Tigers to the 1991 Big Eight Tournament title, capturing MVP honors with 92 points and 30 rebounds in three games, a sweet cap to a season marred by the NCAA's post-season ban. Doug Smith closed his career as the only Tiger ever to collect 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. A truly dominant interior player, Smith ranks second in points scored (2,184) and rebounds (1,053), third in blocked shots (129), and fourth in steals (178) in the first century of Missouri basketball.

Mizzou Century: No. 3 – Willie Smith

2006-06-29T00:17:00.000-05:00

Willie Smith enjoyed the most spectacular two-year career in Missouri history. A junior college transfer, Mr. Magic was All-Big Eight as a junior. Then, as a senior, Smith produced the finest individual season ever by a Tiger, and won conference player of the year and All-America honors. Recruited for his defense, in 1974-75 Smith became the first Tiger to score 600 points in a season. The next year, he became the first to score 700, while also establishing a new Missouri single-season record for assists. A left-handed shooting guard, he had range well beyond 20 feet in an age before the three-point shot. In his electrifying senior campaign, Smith led Mizzou to its first conference title in 36 years and its first NCAA Tournament appearance in the modern era. He saved his best performance for last, raining 43 points on Michigan in the Tigers’ heartbreaking loss in the Elite Eight, an effort Tiger fans still speak of reverently. His 25.3 point per game average in 1975-76 is still a Missouri record, and his career average of 23.9 is a full four points ahead of his nearest competitor. The most explosive player ever to wear the uniform.

Mizzou Century: No. 4 – John Brown

2006-06-28T12:12:00.000-05:00

More than any other player, John Brown elevated Missouri basketball to prominence in the 1970’s. A rare blend of fire, finesse, strength and savvy, the six-foot-seven-inch, 220-pounder from Dixon, Missouri was Norm Stewart’s first marquee recruit and the prototype for so many others on this list – big, skilled, relentless and fearless. The big blond was a power forward with a soft touch, which he demonstrated as a sophomore when he averaged 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds after missing the season’s first eight games with an ankle injury. Fully healthy as a junior, Brown dominated, leading the Tigers to their first 20-win season ever and their best winning percentage in 42 years, as he averaged 21.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per game and was named first team All-Big Eight. That summer, he earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic basketball team but did not play in the fateful Munich games because of an injured foot. Healthy again as a senior, Brown earned all-conference and All-America honors as he led the Tigers to another 20-win season in their first year in the Hearnes Center. His career averages of 19.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game rank third and fourth, respectively, in Missouri history. Quite simply, a dominant player.

Mizzou Century: No. 5 – Derrick Chievous

2006-06-28T00:23:00.000-05:00

A notoriously quirky 6’7” forward from New York City’s Jamaica, Queens, neighborhood, Derrick Chievous was nearly as famous for always wearing a Band-Aid as for being one of the great pure scorers in Mizzou history. Chievous began filling the hoop from the moment he set foot on campus, scoring a freshman-record 32 points against Arizona just one month into his career. As a sophomore, he led the Tigers in scoring with 18.8 points per game, and his season total of 640 points was then the second most in school history. Chievous elevated his game as a junior, earning first team All-Big Eight and second team All-America honors, leading the conference in scoring, guiding the team to a league title, and showing a remarkable ability to get to the free throw line (for his career, he made more free throws than any other Tiger attempted). His season total of 821 points remains a Missouri record, and his three-year total of 1,879 made him the Tigers’ all-time scoring leader with a full season left to play. All-Big Eight again as a senior, Chievous scored a career-high 42 points in a win over Virginia Tech. He closed his career with 2,580 points (still first by a huge margin), 979 rebounds (then second, now fourth), and a career 19.9 points per game average, second only to Willie Smith.

Mizzou Century: No. 6 – Anthony Peeler

2006-06-27T12:55:00.000-05:00

Perhaps the most dizzying all-around talent ever to play at Mizzou, Anthony Peeler could slash, pass, score and defend the perimeter as well as any Tiger in history. A 6’4” guard from Kansas City’s Paseo High, Peeler was the Big Eight Newcomer of the Year in 1989, as he helped the Tigers reach the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. In his sophomore season, Peeler showed his remarkable versatility, averaging 16.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 2.0 steals en route to being named first-team All-Big Eight. He also became just the eighth Tiger to score 40 points in a game as he drilled Iowa State for 42, including a perfect 20 for 20 from the free throw line. After he lost the early part of his junior season to academics, Peeler returned and averaged 19.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists. Peeler was even more dominant as a senior, winning the Big Eight scoring title and Player of the Year honors, and leading a group of young role players to the NCAA Tournament. But the most vivid memory of that season came in a loss, when he scored an electrifying 43 points at Kansas. His 1,970 career points rank him third all-time, and he remains number one in assists (497) and steals (196).

Mizzou Century: No. 7 – Norm Stewart

2006-06-27T00:13:00.000-05:00

Before his legendary 32-year run as Missouri’s head coach, Norm Stewart was the best all-around player in the first half-century of Tiger basketball, a truly revolutionary athlete who combined interior size with perimeter skills. A 6’5” guard, the Shelbyville, Missouri native was a potent scorer, ball-handler and rebounder. As a sophomore in 1953-54, Stewart was second in scoring on the team to Bob Reiter. By his junior year, he had earned a reputation as the Big Seven’s best all-around player, averaging 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Then, as a senior, he simply exploded. Named to the Helms Foundation All-America team, Stewart set MU records for total points in a season (506) and scoring average (24.1) while leading the conference in scoring and becoming just the second Tiger to top 1,000 points in a career. He also averaged a remarkable 10.7 rebounds from his position on the perimeter. Decades later, Stewart still ranks in the top ten in career scoring and rebounding average. In addition to his exploits on the court (his teams posted the best records at Mizzou in 25 years), Stewart was a pitcher on the 1954 national champion baseball team and later threw a no-hitter for the Tigers.

Mizzou Century: No. 8 – Jon Sundvold

2006-06-26T12:52:00.000-05:00

Jon Sundvold – a 6’2” guard from suburban Kansas City – became a starter midway through his freshman season of 1979-80 and started every game for the rest of his career. After Larry Drew’s graduation in 1980, Sundvold became Mizzou’s backcourt leader, racking up assists as well as points from his shooting guard position, where he had seemingly unlimited range. Forever intertwined in Mizzou fans’ memories with Steve Stipanovich, his four-year teammate, Sundvold made first team All-Big Eight his final two seasons and was a consensus second team All-American his senior year. In addition to averaging 17.1 points and 3.6 assists in his final campaign, Sundvold hit a 22-footer at the buzzer to beat Kansas State and clinch the Tigers’ fourth straight Big Eight title. Dubbed “Einstein in Sneakers” by former Southern Cal coach Stan Morrison for his genius-level play, Sundvold ranked second on Mizzou’s all-time points and assists lists at the time of his graduation. He still holds records for minutes played and free throw percentage.

Mizzou Century: No. 9 – Ricky Frazier

2006-06-26T08:14:00.000-05:00

A 6’6” forward blessed with terrific athleticism and a soft shooting touch, Ricky Frazier transferred to Mizzou after a freshman year at St. Louis University in which he won the Metro Conference’s Newcomer of the Year award. His impact on the Tigers was just as significant. As a sophomore, he started 30 of 31 games, averaged 13.8 points and 5.6 rebounds, led the team in blocked shots, shot 63.5% from the floor, and helped Missouri win the Big Eight title – a feat the Tigers would accomplish in all three of his seasons in Columbia. Then he improved. First team All-Big Eight as a junior, Frazier led the Tigers with 16.5 points per game and hit the game-winning shot against Kansas State that sealed Mizzou’s second straight league championship. Frazier closed his career in 1982 by winning the Big Eight Player of the Year award, earning third-team All-America honors, and helping Mizzou to its first-ever number one ranking the national polls. His career total of 1,448 points stood as a Missouri record for just one season, but it remained the highest total for any Tiger not to play four years until Kareem Rush surpassed it 20 years later. But the greatest honor may have come from his coach, Norm Stewart, who called Frazier “perhaps the best competitor we ever had.”

Mizzou Century: No. 10 – George Williams

2006-06-25T07:49:00.000-05:00

George Williams, the big center ironically nicknamed “Shorty,” remains the only player in Missouri history to be named national player of the year, an award bestowed on him by the Helms Foundation for his play in the 1920-21 season. Williams, who also collected All-America honors for 1919-20, starred for conference champions in both of his years on the varsity as the Tigers posted a cumulative 34-2 record. Regarded as the finest center in the early years of the Missouri Valley, Williams led the conference in scoring in 1921 at 17.2 points per game. The 311 points he tallied that year stood as a Missouri single-season record for over 30 years. After leaving Mizzou, Williams led two different teams to AAU national championships, and earned places on three AAU All-Tournament teams. Truly one of the era’s great players.

Mizzou Century: No. 11 – Bill Stauffer

2006-06-24T08:54:00.000-05:00

Bill Stauffer, a 6’4” guard-turned-center from Maryville, Missouri, was the best rebounder in Missouri Tiger history. Despite typically facing larger opponents, Stauffer led Mizzou in rebounding in all three of his varsity seasons, and his per game averages in his junior and senior years (14.9 and 16.5, respectively) ranked first and second in Missouri’s first century of basketball. His career average of 13.6 rebounds is nearly two per game more than his closest competitor. In addition to rebounding, Stauffer developed into a prolific scorer, setting a Tiger season record as a senior with 368 points, and a career record with 807 points in 72 games, an average of 11.2 per contest. Stauffer twice made the All-Big Seven team, and earned All-America recognition for his play in the 1951-52 season. He then became the first Tiger to be drafted into the NBA when the Boston Celtics selected him in 1952. Stauffer, however, never played for the Celtics. Instead, a higher duty called, and he turned the Andrews Air Force base team into the world’s best military squad. His 43 was the first basketball number to be retired by Mizzou, and he remains one of only six Tigers to receive that honor.

Mizzou Century: No. 12 – Al Eberhard

2006-06-23T15:12:00.000-05:00

Strong as a horse, smart as a whip, bigger than most, but small for his position, hard-working Al Eberhard helped power the Tigers to their first two 20-win seasons. He also combined with John Brown to give Mizzou its best frontcourt tandem in decades, maybe ever. As a sophomore, Eberhard established himself as a force, earning the first of his three MVP trophies at the Big Eight Holiday Tournament (he scored 33 to help defeat Kansas State in the final) and finishing second on the team in scoring and rebounding behind Brown. Big Al (he stood 6’5” but defended men a half-foot taller) was even better as a junior, averaging 17.0 points and 9.3 rebounds. As a senior, Eberhard stepped out of the departed Brown’s shadow. He was named first team All-Big Eight while averaging 19.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per contest. With 16.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game (third-best all-time), Eberhard is one of only four Tigers ever to average a career double-double.

Mizzou Century: No. 13 – Melvin Booker

2006-06-23T12:01:00.000-05:00

Little fanfare accompanied Melvin Booker’s arrival in Columbia. Norm Stewart discovered the unassuming point guard from Moss Point, Mississippi, while recruiting a more heralded peer. Good thing he did, because Booker spent the next four years maximizing his ability as well as any player in the Stewart era. A starter as a freshman, Booker deferred to Doug Smith and Anthony Peeler on the court. But he began to come into his own as a sophomore, averaging 11.6 points and 3.9 assists. With Peeler’s departure after the 1991-92 season, Booker assumed leadership of the team. His 15.8 points per game led the club in his All-Big Eight junior season. But it was Booker’s remarkable senior season that sealed his place among Mizzou’s all-time greats. His averages of 18.1 points and 4.5 assists per game do not begin to tell the story. On his way to becoming the Big Eight Player of the Year and a second team All-American, Melvin Booker imposed his will on each game, hitting every clutch shot in a season that saw the Tigers go a perfect 14-0 in the Big Eight and advance to within one game of the Final Four. Though his career began in virtual anonymity, it ended with Booker ranking among the greats in Missouri Tiger history.

Mizzou Century: No. 14 – Kim Anderson

2006-06-23T07:21:00.000-05:00

Despite being one of the smallest centers in the conference, Kim Anderson played a key role for Missouri teams in his sophomore and junior seasons when he averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game, and helped the Tigers to the 1976 Big Eight championship and a run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. As a senior in 1976-77, however, he became Mizzou’s leader when he propelled the Tigers to a 21-8 record and was named Big Eight Player of the Year by UPI. That season, he scored a career-high 38 points in a win over Kansas, and he led the league in scoring with 22.1 points per game in conference play, while averaging 18.3 points and 7.9 rebounds overall. Anderson later became an assistant coach on Norm Stewart’s staff, and is currently the head coach at Central Missouri State.

Mizzou Century: No. 15 – Larry Drew

2006-06-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

Larry Drew was Missouri’s first great modern point guard, a leader, playmaker and scorer without peer at his position. After becoming the first freshman at Mizzou to be a regular starter in the modern era, Drew helped lead the Tigers to an improbable NCAA berth as a sophomore, earning admittance by winning the Big Eight Tournament despite a losing overall record. Steady throughout his career, Drew shone as a senior, earning all-league honors and rallying a group of underclassmen to a Big Eight title and a run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, including an upset of ninth-ranked Notre Dame, a game in which Drew dished a then-school-record 12 assists. At his career’s conclusion, Drew was number two on Mizzou’s all-time scoring list, and he held career records for assists, steals, field goals, games played, starts and consecutive starts.

Mizzou Century: No. 16 – Herb Bunker

2006-06-22T11:39:00.000-05:00

One of the true giants of Missouri athletics. In addition to being Mizzou’s only three time basketball All-American, Herb Bunker is one of only two Tiger student-athletes ever to letter in four sports (basketball, football, baseball, track and field). Though not much of a scorer, the massive Bunker (an offensive and defensive lineman for the football team) was a stellar defender and a peerless rebounder who played for the 1921 and 1922 Missouri Valley champs, teams rated as the nation’s best by at least one historian. Known for his gentlemanly demeanor, the native of Nevada, Missouri, went on to earn a Ph. D. and lead the MU Physical Education Department for years. He is enshrined in the Helms Basketball Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame.

Mizzou Century: No. 17 – Arthur Johnson

2006-06-22T08:16:00.000-05:00

At 6’9” and at least 275 pounds, Arthur Johnson combined impressive size with surprising mobility and became one of the most productive players in Mizzou history. Blessed with soft hands and a deep arsenal of post moves, Johnson surprised on-lookers in his freshman year by becoming the most prolific shot blocker ever at Missouri. In fact, he holds the number one, two, three and six positions for single-season blocked shots in Tiger history. But Johnson could do far more than swat shots. In his first season, he made the Big 12 all-freshman team, and as a sophomore, Johnson was a key player in Missouri’s late-season surge. He recorded 18 points and 14 rebounds in a win over 12th-ranked Oklahoma State that helped the Tigers sneak into the NCAA Tournament field, and later he posted 14 points and 14 boards in MU’s Sweet Sixteen triumph over UCLA. As a junior, with Kareem Rush and Clarence Gilbert gone, Johnson became a full-fledged star, averaging 16.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, and capping the season with a 28-point, 18-rebound effort against Marquette in the NCAA Tournament. In his final year, the team struggled, but Johnson continued to shine, especially late the year as the Tigers tried to resurrect their season. He tallied 29 points and 13 rebounds in a crucial win over sixth-ranked Oklahoma State, and he later scored 37 points in his final home game, a heartbreaking two-point loss to Kansas. Johnson holds Missouri’s all-time records for rebounds (1,083) and blocked shots (245), and he ranks fifth in points scored (1,759).

Mizzou Century: No. 18 – Charlie Henke

2006-06-21T16:43:00.000-05:00

Charlie Henke, a 6’7” center from Malta Bend, Missouri, surely would enjoy greater stature in the memories of Tiger fans had he played on better teams (Mizzou compiled a 29-45 record during his career, which spanned from 1958-59 to 1960-61). After a solid sophomore year, Henke dominated in his final two seasons. A two-time All-Big Eight first team choice, Henke led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding as a junior (19.3 points, 11.5 rebounds per game), and was second in the conference scoring race to Wayne Hightower of Kansas. He was even better as a senior, winning the league scoring title (Hightower finished second). In the process, Henke established new Missouri season records for points (591) and scoring average (24.6 ppg, now second all-time), and passed Bob Reiter to become the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer with 1,338 career points. (he currently ranks 18th) He is one of only two Tigers who rank in the top five in career scoring average (18.1 ppg) and career rebounding average (9.8 rpg).

Mizzou Century: No. 19 – John Lobsiger

2006-06-21T11:12:00.000-05:00

Gary, Indiana’s John Lobsiger was the finest player in the twenty seasons that George Edwards led the Missouri program (1926-46). The rough equivalent of a modern point guard, the 6’3” Lobsiger made potent use of a one-handed set shot and guided Missouri’s offense with his superior ball handling and passing. All-Conference and All-America each of his final two years, Lobsiger captained the Tigers to shares of the Big Six crown in 1939 and 1940 – their last league titles for 36 years.

Mizzou Century: No. 20 – Arthur “Bun” Browning

2006-06-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

Younger brother of George “Pidge” Browning (number 52 on the list), Arthur “Bun” Browning played sparingly as a sophomore, but he dominated the next two seasons, earning All-America acclaim each year on teams that posted a cumulative 31-4 record. The Missouri Valley Conference’s leading scorer with a 15 points per game in 1923, Bun’s shooting ability was the stuff of legend. He was known to make shots from mid-court that “dropped through the net without getting on familiar terms with the ring.” With that kind of touch, Browning was especially valuable at a time when one player was allowed to shoot all his team’s free throws. Perhaps the finest forward in the Valley’s first 20 years.

Mizzou Century: No. 21 – Craig Ruby

2006-06-20T17:26:00.000-05:00

James Craig Ruby may have been the greatest winner in the history of Missouri Tigers basketball. The forward from Kansas City’s Westport High was an All-American in 1918 and 1919 and a first team All-Valley performer all three of his varsity seasons. A good defender and a favorite among fans as well as his coaches, Ruby was one of the few Tigers to play two years for legendary coach Walter Meanwell. When Meanwell returned to the University of Wisconsin in 1920, the recently graduated Ruby assumed Missouri’s head coaching duties for two years. In his five seasons at Missouri, Ruby’s teams went 81-7 (48-5 as a player, 33-2 as coach) and won four Missouri Valley Conference titles. Those four champions posted the four highest winning percentages in school history, going 17-1 in 1918, 1920 and 1921, and 16-1 in 1922. Ruby went on to coach at the University of Illinois for 14 seasons, and he served as president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 1929.

Mizzou Century: No. 22 – Kareem Rush

2006-06-20T13:59:00.000-05:00

Perhaps the most elegant offensive performer in Missouri’s history, Kareem Rush, a 6’6” swingman from Kansas City, possessed a picture-perfect left-handed jump shot and an effortless style that made him one of the Big 12’s most dangerous scorers. The league’s Freshman of the Year in 1999-2000, Rush went on a scoring binge in conference play, including a 31-point effort in a win at Texas Tech. The next season, Rush missed half the league slate with a thumb injury that required surgery, but he still earned a spot on the All-Big 12 team, and he garnered national recognition by scoring 29 points against Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament despite wearing a specially-made cast on his shooting hand. Then, as a junior, Rush again made the all-conference team and led the Tigers to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Rush left school after his junior season for the NBA, but his career scoring average of 18.9 points per game ranks fourth in Missouri history.

Mizzou Century: No. 23 – Curtis Berry

2006-06-20T11:27:00.000-05:00

Selma, Alabama’s Curtis Berry, a 6’7” forward, emerged as a star as a sophomore in the 1978-79 season, when he averaged 13.5 points and 9.0 rebounds for a team that went just 13-15 overall, but tied for second in the Big Eight with an 8-6 record. The next year, as the Tigers added all-time greats Ricky Frazier, Steve Stipanovich and Jon Sundvold, Berry continued his tremendous play, averaging 14.4 points and 7.5 rebounds and earning all-conference honors for the Big Eight champs before a knee injury ended his season in the league tournament. But he returned in top form as a senior and helped Missouri to its second straight conference title. Berry finished his career with 1,328 points and 811 rebounds (then sixth and second, respectively, on the all-time list; now nineteenth and eighth), and his 55.6% field goal percentage still ranks fourth in Mizzou’s history.

Mizzou Century: No. 24 – Thornton Jenkins

2006-06-20T07:50:00.000-05:00

The effect of the second World War on the college game is illustrated by the career of Thornton Jenkins. In 1942-43, his first varsity season, Jenkins made the All-Big Six team and was the league’s second-leading scorer with 14 points per game in conference play. Then after two years of military service, he returned for three more years, making him the rare player to (1) play four seasons, as eligibility was extended for veterans; and (2) have a career that spanned six years. In his first season back (coach George Edwards’s last), Jenkins scored more points in conference play – 66 – than any other Tiger (including 18 in his debut against Kansas State) despite playing in just five games. Jenkins then captained Sparky Stalcup’s first two Tiger teams and helped Mizzou return to winning ways after the struggles of the final Edwards years. Jenkins led the Tigers in scoring each of those two seasons and made the All-Big Six team as a senior. He went on to have a brief but successful AAU playing career before becoming an assistant coach on Stalcup’s staff. Later, Jenkins became one of the nation’s top college basketball officials.

Mizzou Century: No. 25 – Dan Pippin

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Playing four seasons over a span of six years, Jumpin’ Dan Pippin of Waynesville, Missouri, was the Tigers’ leading scorer and an All-Big Six pick as a freshman in 1943-44 – a season in which he played center at just 6’1” and led Missouri to a surprising NCAA Tournament berth despite a 9-8 record. Then, after two years of military service during World War II, he returned to score 17 points in Missouri’s 39-34 upset of Kansas (in Sparky Stalcup’s first trip to Lawrence, a game in which Phog Allen and the new Tiger coach nearly came to blows). The Missouri forward went on to make the all-conference team in 1947 and to lead the Tigers in scoring in 1949. A deadly fade-away jumper made Pippin a fantastic scorer, and spectacular leaping ability made him Missouri’s top rebounder. His 802 career points briefly stood as a Missouri record. After his collegiate career, Pippin was a key player on the United States Olympic team that won the gold in Helsinki in 1952. He also won several national AAU championships as a star for the famed Peoria Caterpillar squad.

Mizzou Century: No. 26 – Byron Irvin

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A 6’5” swingman who transferred to Missouri from Arkansas, Byron Irvin joined the Tigers in 1987-88 as a junior, and took some time to find his way while playing alongside senior Derrick Chievous, the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer. Once he got his feet wet, Irvin came through in style, scoring 24 in a victory over 10th-ranked Iowa State, and hitting the game-winning free throws at seventh-rated UNLV after Chievous fouled out. Irvin averaged 12.9 points per game on the season, second on the team. As a senior, he was the dominant player on one of the most talented Tiger teams ever. On a squad that included Doug Smith, Anthony Peeler, Lee Coward, Nathan Buntin, Gary Leonard, Greg Church and Mike Sandbothe (among others), Irvin led Mizzou through a wild season that saw coach Norm Stewart leave the team at mid-year to battle cancer. Irvin’s finest performance came on February 25, 1989, sixteen days after Stewart collapsed on the way to a game at Oklahoma. In the rematch in Columbia, Irvin recorded 34 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists to propel the Tigers to a 97-84 triumph over the top-ranked Sooners, Missouri’s first-ever win over a number one ranked team. Irvin averaged 19.7 points per game on the year and earned a spot on the All-Big Eight team.

Mizzou Century: No. 27 – Jevon Crudup

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As physically intimidating as any Tiger ever, the scowling Jevon Crudup was six-feet-nine-inches of chiseled granite. A starter from the get-go, Crudup averaged 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds as a freshman until a broken wrist ended his season after 15 games. The superior defender returned for an outstanding sophomore season in which he averaged 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds while leading the team in blocked shots and finishing second in steals to Anthony Peeler. He put up similar numbers as a junior, and as a senior he was the powerful yin to Melvin Booker’s fluid yang on the only Missouri team ever to finish a conference season undefeated. His presence made opponents think twice before entering the lane. Crudup’s play was more steady than spectacular, but the numbers reveal that he was one of the best all-around frontcourt players ever at Mizzou – he ranks twelfth in career points (1,498), seventh in rebounds (874), eighth in steals (154), and fifth in blocked shots (116).

Mizzou Century: No. 28 – Kelly Thames

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Kelly Thames, a 6’7” forward from Jennings High School, was a freshman sparkplug on the veteran Tiger team that swept through the Big Eight schedule undefeated in 1994. The conference Freshman of the Year, his last-second game winner against Oklahoma State preserved Mizzou’s unblemished record. He also scored 24 in the Tigers’ NCAA Sweet Sixteen win over Syracuse. High expectations for Thames’s sophomore season were dashed when a terrible knee injury during a workout cost him the entire year. Though he never regained all of the explosive athleticism he demonstrated as a freshman, he battled on, twice leading the team in scoring and rebounding. Thames shares Mizzou’s record for career starts with Steve Stipanovich at 124, and ranks seventh in scoring and tenth rebounding.