Emails on Maravich, the Big Bowl and Billy Sims
My column on Pete Maravich’s 1968 All-College performance drew uncommon response. Lots of memories were stirred. Let’s get to it. Bill wrote, “Really enjoyed your story about Pete. I remember driving from Tulsa to OKC to see the game and how bad the roads were.”
Several people referenced the icy roads. I’m just glad to know we had ice back then. When I was a kid, seemed like it was pretty rare. Now it seems like we get hit once a month every winter. I blame it on the TV weathermen. James wrote, “Just a little humorous note on Pistol Pete’s 138-point performance at the All-College. My wife and I were at a Blazers hockey game during that time, and during the intermission between the second and third periods fans were chosen to try to shoot the puck through a slot in a board that covered the south goal. Pete Maravich was invited down to try his luck and promptly shot the puck dead-center throught the slot. 139 points!”
Sounds like the story from Seinfeld, when George rescues the beached whale and reveals the problem — something obstructing the whale’s blow hole. He produces a golf ball, which Kramer obviously had been knocking into the ocean. Kramer looks a little sheepish and says, “A hole in one.”
Jon wrote, “Enjoyed your story on Maravich. I didn’t have many idols, but he was one of them. Like a lot of kids, I tried to make sure I wore floppy white socks and had them down around my ankles when playing in the driveway. I also took a marks-a-lot and scrawled ‘Pistol, No. 23′ on my basketball. When I read in Sport Magazine that Maravich would take a basketball to the movies and dribble in the aisle, I tried to do the same and pitched a fit when my parents quickly nixed the idea. But as you know and wrote about, Maravich was like Big Foot. You seldom ever saw the guy. I remember watching him play on TV exactly twice because it was such a huge deal. Once was against Kentucky and Dan Issel and the other was when LSU was in the NIT. The rest of the time was just following his exploits in the paper. “Maravich scores 53 in win” or something like that. Can you imagine today? He’d have his own network.”
I don’t know about the movies, but former Sooner Bo Overton is a friend of mine. We grew up together. And his dad used to say that Bo would get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or something and would dribble a ball on his way to the john.
Chris wrote, “AWESOME article on Pete! Just awesome. Thank you. That brought back so many memories. I was fortunate to be at all three games. We drove in from Kingfisher and you pegged it, with 8,700 packed frenzied fans (who says Oklahoma doesn’t like basketball) it was just unbelievable. Pete probably had 15-20 assists per game as well.”
I wish we had full stats on basketball from the ’50s and ’60s. Wilt Chamberlain, for instance, I’ll bet had a ton of blocked shots. But they didn’t record them back then, so Wilt is largely forgotten as an enforcer.Lynn wrote, “Enjoyed your article on Pete Maravich. It brought back many memories. 1968 was the first year I became at all interested in basketball as a spectator sport. Up to then it had been baseball and football only. 1968 was also the year of the Elvin Hayes-Lew Alcindor dual in the Astrodome, which I believe got many folks interested in college basketball for the first time. So I guess one could say that it was as great a year for basketball as it was a horrible year for politics and social justice.”
Here’s the truth about college basketball in the ’60s. It was a better game, except for the lack of a shot clock. Check out some of these scores from the ‘68 All-College: 94-86, 93-71, 101-85, 104-87, 94-91, 91-81, 83-81. College basketball today has the shot clock and the 3-pointer but is choked by physicality and control-freak coaches.Jim Burgar, a former OU football player, wrote and said, “I enjoyed your article on Pistol Pete. I had the opportunity to see the Hawks vs. the Knicks play in 1972. What a show! I can still see in my mind, Pete with his behind-the-back, between-the-legs passes and Walt (Frazier) with his back-you-up-turn-around jump shot. I wish I could I have seen Pete play in the” 68 All-College, but I think we were preparing for SMU in the Bluebonnet Bowl.”
That Bluebonnet Bowl was a heck of a game, too; 28-27 SMU.Jon wrote, “Most amazing athletic show in my life! My uncle took me and my cousins all from Chickasha. I witnessed Pistol Pete pass between his legs on a fast break which then went between the legs of an OCU player to an LSU teammate down the left side of the lane for a layup. The crowd never cheered for the Chiefs again after that. I was 14 and will never forget!”
What we really don’t know is whether Maravich really did pull off these miracles, or if his flair was even more magical, that it knocked the crust off our imagination. I think the latter makes him even more special, if so.Greg wrote, “It brought back many fond memories of a time long ago. I was one of the fortunate ones to attend the All-College Tournament in December 1968. I was a sophomore at OSU, home on Christmas break, and attended two of the three games at the State Fair Arena. I knew I was watching history be made by having an opportunity to watch the greatest college basketball player ever to don a uniform. Incredible basketball games! Again, great memories of growing up in Oklahoma City and watching historic basketball.”
You know what? I still get a charge out of going to State Fair Arena, if for no other reason than all the history that’s been made there.Another Greg wrote, “I attended these three games also. The Duquesne game is the greatest basketball game I ever saw. My father was one of the originally enrolled foot soldiers for the All Sports Association. When I turned five in 1957, I began going to the All College when it was conducted at the Civic Center (we had seats on the stage, I felt like this was ‘big time’). We always sat by my dad’s best friend. They were opponents in Kansas high school basketball before the war. What made them connoisseurs of Pete’ s basketball talents, they played for two coaches who played fast break basketball in the ’30s before even Abe (Lemons) and Paul (Hansen) had ever been heard. What was interesting was they could almost comment as fast as Pete did something because it was almost as if they were on the floor with him. They were kids again.”
The most important thing about sports are memories. Do not let anyone ever tell you differently.Slim wrote, “Pete, the last man off the court from pre-game warmups, casually puts the ball off the floor between his legs and into the basket from 15 feet. Swish. I would not have believed it had I not seen it.”
You know what? I don’t care if they are fish stories. I love to hear them.Steve wrote, “Thanks for the article on Pete Maravich. It brought back memories of those three great games 40 years ago. I was home for Christmas break from college and saw each of the games at the fairgrounds. My college was Vanderbilt of the SEC so I was able to watch him in person four times from ‘67 to ‘70, including his freshman year when he dazzled the young Commodores with skills that Memorial Gym had never before seen. In my view he was indeed legendary in OKC in ‘68. As amazing as he was then, those performances were matched many times in his collegiate career throughout the South. What left us stunned was everything about the Pistol; the dribbling, passing and scoring all done in his own superb and unique style. It was soulful and it was funky.”
I’ve often wondered if Maravich wasn’t discounted somewhat because he was white. I know there’s plenty of discrimination going the other way, but if Maravich had been black, don’t you think his reputation would have gone out of this world? I don’t know. Maybe I’m off. But I’m not sure the world was ready for a white guy to play with the flair that Maravich. Maybe the world still isn’t ready for it.Steve wrote, “Cool article on the Pistol! I was a ballboy at that ‘87 All-College as a high school kid and got to meet Pete one afternoon at the Myriad. I’ll never forget it. He gave me a few great pointers about my jump shot and then spun the ball on his finger and headed it in off the glass. Me and my buddies were in awe. Was a great day.”
What was that I was saying about memories?Ed wrote, “My brother and I went to those games and we talk about the Duquesne game frequently. Right behind one of the goals, we could see his magic unfolding every time he touched the ball. Duquesne was good and had an All-American, Bob Quick. The first LSU possession was coming right at us. I think Duquesne was in a box and one. Maravich flew across half court dribbling furiously and heading for the corner. What was he going to do? I swear to you, two steps before he dribbled out of bounds, he shot a pass between his legs, through the two defenders on that side of the box and right into the hands of an unsurprised Danny Hester for a layup. To this day, 40 years later, I don’t believe what I saw.”
You know, we really ought to have a contest on who can recall the wildest Maravich play from that All-College.OK, now it’s back to my day job as mental therapist for worried OU fans. Chris wrote, “What are your thoughts on Bradford going pro? You think he will? How will the Sooners do without Murray & Granger?”
I think I’d go pro if I was Sammy B. I think OU will Murray in the passing game, not in the running game, and I think OU will Granger in the Florida running game, not the passing game.Derek wrote, “Will OU have 22 guys left to play on Jan. 8? Jeesh. I cling to the thought of Arkansas in 1978. I have this vision in my head of Bradford being sacked six or eight times and a halftime score of Florida 28, OU 7, en route to another less than stellar performance in the national spotlight. Of course, I thought T-Tech was going to beat OU, too.”
It’s interesting how Sooner fans, who some claim are really arrogant, can become so self-defeating so quickly. It really is worth a case study in some psychology class.Shlomo wrote, “So Murray is out. And now Granger is out. And Reynolds was already out. OK. So Madu can play some. And Brown can play a lot. Maybe we hang half a hundred on ‘em. But, wait. How ’bout that D? You said that they’d show up in KC and they sure did. I don’t recall how much, if at all, Granger played in that game. But we are definitely short-handed now. It’s time to circle the wagons. We need a defensive game plan that is inspired. We need our defensive guys to be mobile, agile, hostile and smart. We need to wrap up. We need to tackle low. If we try to ride Tebow to the ground, well, it will probably be a long ride. Isn’t it amazing that a team that averages 54 points a game has to sweat out the defensive game plan?”
Actually, this sounded like a very good pre-game pep talk. Perhaps Stoops and Venables can use Shlomo.Mark wrote, “Can OU contain Tebow? We had trouble with OSU QB, Texas QB and dare I say it Baylor QB, who looked pretty swift a foot.”
Except Tebow’s not all that fast. He’s a battering ram that will knock you into next week, but he’s no roadrunner. Don’t borrow trouble.Mark wrote, “I agree with your assessment of the Murray loss — it should not have a significant impact. What is the latest on the middle linebacker situation? OU really needs this one!”
Well, I think Austin Box is supposed to be back. It’s a good question. You can fool around at middle linebacker against Missouri or Kansas. You can’t fool around at middle linebacker against Tim Tebow.Of course, we had the little matter of the Heisman Trophy since our last batch of emails. Beryl wrote, “Bradford winning the fifth for OU, it seems interesting to me that that makes four Oklahoma high school players to have won at OU. I don’t know of others from other schools who may have gone to high school in Oklahoma – don’t think there are any. I wonder if any other state has a higher number, per capita. It’s an amazing stat it seems to me.”
Well, no, no other Okies have won, even for out-of-state schools. It’s a good solid number. It’s not like Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, which produced both Tim Brown and Davey O’Brien, or Mater Dei in Santa Ana, Calif., which produced John Huarte and Matt Leinart, but still impressive.But the biggest part of the Heisman story, at least for Sooner fans, was Billy Sims and his silly “Boomer” chants. Jason wrote, “When I heard Boomer being shouted, I knew it was Billy Sims. I remembered it from Jason White’s triumph four years earlier, and part of me cringed. But as I contemplated the event Sunday evening, I thought to myself, why am I getting bent out of shape about this? Yes, the Heisman Trophy is quite a prestigious honor in athletics, and other than an Olympic medal it’s right at the top. But we’re not talking about a Presidential address or the burial procession of a soldier who gave his life for our freedom. If what Billy Sims did makes him a clown, then clown does not have the negative connotation I thought it did. He’s our clown, and darn proud to be a Sooner.”
Sims also is a guy that on Bradford’s greatest moment tried to steal the spotlight and to some degree did. I think that qualifies for clownness, in all its negativity.Ryan wrote, “It is a shame that such a great moment gets spoiled by Billy Sims — for both Jason White when he won and Sam Bradford. What an embarrassment.”
Spoiled? Probably a little harsh. Embarrassment? Absolutely.Corbin wrote, “I’m the biggest Sooner fan of all, but someone has to get a hold of Billy and get him to cut it out. The Oklahoma stereotype that many have on a national level is only validated when he does that. I know he is excited and I certainly appreciate all he had done and continues to do. But these Heisman presentations when an OU player is involved are getting painful to watch.”
That’s a great point. You almost don’t want to watch, because you’re afraid of what crazy uncle Billy will do.Marshall wrote, “As a Texas graduate and fan I would have preferred to see Colt McCoy win the Heisman. Bradford is the winner and like Obama we’re stuck with him. However, I feel the ceremony was cheapened by some idiot yelling Boomer while the award was being presented to Bradford. I’m pretty sure it was Billy ‘Wanna buy my Heisman?’ Sims. Don’t they realize that this type behavior only reinforces the perception that Oklahoma is just a bunch of big mouthed hillbillies? By the way, I would have the same reaction if Colt had won and someone starting yelling ‘Hook ‘em’ during the presentation.”
Hey, don’t dogpile Bradford and Obama. All they did was win with dignity.Evan wrote, “Another Heisman Trophy presentation has come and gone, and once again, Billy Sims embarrasses not only himself but probably anybody that has anything to do with the University of Oklahoma. It seems that every year this guy thinks that the whole hour is all about him. What made Saturday night even more of a shame than previous years is that it took away (in my opinion) a very special moment from a fellow Sooner. Sam Bradford is such a classy guy and to have the spotlight taken away from him by a 50-something classless Sims was sad. It’s time for someone – Barry Switzer, Steve Owens or the Heisman committee – to step up and tell this clown (good word for him this morning, Berry) that he needs to try and show a little bit of class and stop the antics. Enough is enough.”
Here’s the deal. Sims apologized but said he’s not going to stop doing it, because he loves OU. But that’s precisely why he should stop. He is hurting his school.Jacob wrote, “Do you think we can get a recount on Sims’ Heisman? He just embarrasses the state with his shenanigans.”
Actually, if we’re going to recount Heisman ballots, I think we start with ‘68, not ‘78. 1968 is the year O.J. won.Mitch wrote, “Berry, your comments about Sims were right to the point. Know Billy bleeds crimson & red, but his inappropriate behavior at the Heisman announcement was way beyond acceptable and embarrassing. It’s unfortunate that Billy wanted to draw attention to himself even in a stupid way and detract from Sam Bradford’s moment in the nation spotlight. Billy has had more praise and attention than 99 percent of the people in America, but now it’s time for him to show some maturity and wisdom.”
I’ve generally found that people who have been in the spotlight need more stage time, not less.Dick wrote, “Thanks for mentioning Billy Sims’ childish and disrespectful performance. I though I was the only one who was embarrassed by it.”
No. Turns out there’s an army of anti-Sims.Robert wrote, “I hate to be a scrooge at Christmas, but I think Billy Sims has earned a jeer for his embarrassing behavior. He was calling attention to himself — and away from Sam — with that Boomer yell during the most important 30 seconds in Sam’s life, and he was doing it on national television. This is not the way we want the University of Oklahoma to be represented on such a national stage. Can’t someone encourage him to tone it down a bit? Someone has to have the courage to speak up, or it’s going to happen again.”
Here’s the sad thing. My emails for the week ran about 10-to-1 Sims to Bradford. There is no doubt that Bradford’s Heisman was overshadowed by Sims’ behavior.Craig wrote, “Come on Berry, why punk on Billy? He was proud. I thought it was great.”
Often I’m on the minority side. Not this time.And finally, let’s move on to the woeful Thunder. Tony wrote, “Some buddies and I were bemoaning the current state of the Thunder when someone mentioned that Presti and Co. are just biding time until they can lure some major free agents, either next year or 2010. That prompted this depressing thought: Given the financial straits of Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward and their respective energy companies, will the Thunder be able to spend everything it has in salary cap room? Granted, Clay may be in much better shape, but I have to think he’s been hurt by the recession as well.”
The status of Chesapeake and SandRidge are the least of the Thunder’s worries. A lot better question is this: How will the Boomers lure any self-respecting ballplayer to play for an organization that is 2-24?Nancy wrote, “Any thought to the possibility of the team playing bad on purpose, supported by those in Seattle who were so against the team moving to Oklahoma? Hopefully not, but it just seems strange how badly they are playing. I feel most people did not think this would be a terrific team immediately and would support them anyway going forward just to have their presence in OKC.”
Well, yes, it’s a stupid question and a stupid idea. But you know what? Nancy is right about something. It does seem strange how badly they are playing, since hardly any team ever in basketball history has played so bad. You can’t blame people for trying to figure out some reason why.Craig wrote, “Gee whiz, I think PJ is probably chuckling ‘told you so’ about now. This team is really bad. When is Scott Brooks going to quit giving the same old speech after each game? I know the team wants high draft picks but this is crazy. We are the laughing stock of the NBA. Doormat. Presti should make some trades. Rebounding is an attitude. They apparently have no attitude. Free throw shooting sucks. Perimeter shooting sucks. Turnovers galore. This team has actually regressed in my mind. I am a fan and I am losing my patience.”
Hey, settle down. They’re a bounce here or there from being 4-22.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
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Comments
Come on you guys…LIGHTEN UP! Billy showing his enthusiasm and being proud of being a Sooner is something that everyone should do around here a little bit. The ones criticizing him are probably aggie fans. Note Steve Owens and other Sooner players who support him.
I realize some time has passed since the Heisman ceremony but I need to vent….
It’s a shame Sam Bradford’s special day was ruined by a classless, fame deprived, social misfit like Billy Sims. Was he drunk or is he as much of a hillbilly as he appears to be??
I loved the e-mail from Marshall. In 28 years of living in Austin, I have found endless amusement in how Oklahomans can be lectured by Texans — OF ALL PEOPLE — on how bad it is to do things that “encourage a negative stereotype”, and that they say it with absolutely no sense of the irony. It’s a little like Hitler scolding someone for anti-semitism.