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Despite the gloom of the social and
economic issues on the horizon, there was reason for great optimism
in the small Illinois community named after the 16th president and
located on Route 66 northeast of Springfield. The loyal and rabid
basketball fans of Lincoln Community High School’s boys basketball
program had waited a long time for a team like the one assembled for
the 1972-1973 season. Many older Railer fans would tell you that the
1972-73 Lincoln Railsplitter team was the most talented team to ever
step on the floor at Roy S. Anderson gymnasium, and that statement
would be hard to disprove. Eleven young men, one intensely
competitive head coach and his two assistants were about to give
Lincoln fans a winter they would not soon forget.
The 1972-73 team came into the year
highly touted, after a strong showing the previous season. The
’71-72 Railers won 24 games, finished as Big 12 champs with a 13-1
mark and won both the Washington Round Robin and the Edwardsville
Christmas Tournament. Four juniors saw the bulk of the playing time
on the ’71-72 team, the only seniors being Scott Betzelberger, Herb
Gorens and Joe Foster. The ’71-72 team, rated second in the state
earlier in the year, was derailed by a talented Springfield
Southeast team in the regional final at Roy S. Anderson, adding to
the motivation of the returning players.
Entering his eighth season at the helm,
fiery head coach Duncan Reid led teams to 144 wins at Lincoln, and
he had a lot of firepower at his disposal for the ’72-73 campaign.
Reid came to Lincoln after a stint as an assistant to the legendary
Dawdy Hawkins at Pekin and replaced Norm Kaye at Lincoln in 1965.
Reid’s intense, disciplinarian coaching style was a perfect fit for
the Lincoln program. His focus on a patient, disciplined offense
looking for good shots and tough, man-to-man pressure defense fit
well with the talent in the Lincoln program. He had rebuilt the
Lincoln basketball program into one of the best in the state. His
teams in 1969 and 1970 made the Sweet Sixteen, and the 1970 team won
its first 30 games before losing to Peoria Spalding in the Peoria
Super-sectional. While he may have been controversial, no one could
doubt his coaching ability.
Leading the returning Railsplitters was
6-8 senior center Norm Cook, rated by Street and Smith’s magazine as
one of the top 15 high school players in the nation. Cook, who came
from Chicago’s Farragut High School to Lincoln after his freshman
year, averaged nearly 21 points per game for the Railers his junior
year. The 6-8 center was quite a package, able to score from the
inside as well as 20 feet from the basket, and he could handle the
ball as well. Cook was being recruited by nearly every major college
in the country, including Illinois and Indiana.
Complementing Cook on the front line
was rugged 6-6 forward Tim Bushell, also a fine football player.
Bushell had size and weight and a nice touch around the basket. He,
too, was being recruited by several major colleges. The other
forward who would end up starting was the lone junior in the lineup,
6-5 Dale Ritchhart, like Bushell a rugged player who would be
counted on to rebound and provide defense. Senior John Bunner at 6-5
and junior Steve York at 6-4 gave Reid solid backups for his front
court.
The backcourt was one of the finest in
the state. Mike Schneider (5-10 senior) ran the offense much like a
quarterback. He was a good defender and a solid outside shooter who
played football as well. At 6-1 Mike Swingle wasn’t very tall, but
he was a good strong athlete and one of the best shooters in the
state. He could hit from practically anywhere on the floor.
Reid had a solid backcourt bench as
well. Juniors John Williamson, Clayton Reed and Greg Ely could
relieve at either guard slot, while 6-2 junior sharpshooter Jeff
Boss could swing between guard and forward.
Reid had help on the bench himself,
with assistant Jim Jost (later a successful head coach on the Class
A varsity level) and Bob Guy, a star at the defunct Beason High
School.
Lincoln was the overwhelming favorite
to win the Big 12, with their stiffest competition being
Springfield, Bloomington and Danville.
The Railers opened the ’72-73 campaign
in the newly created Lincoln Round Robin, and right away they got a
scare from arch nemesis Peoria Spalding. Lincoln won the game 59-58,
but it took 35 points from Norm Cook to seal the victory. The
Railsplitters easily disposed of Rantoul the next afternoon and beat
Washington by eight in the nightcap to take the tournament hardware.
The Big 12 Conference schedule opened
on Dec. 8 with a long road trip to Danville. The Railers beat the
Vikings by 20 on the road, Cook scoring 22 and Swingle 20.
Unfortunately Lincoln lost Mike Schneider, who suffered an injury
that would keep him out the next two games.
With Schneider out, the Railers
returned home the next night to face the Springfield Senators. Cook
dominated the game, going 10-of-15 from the floor and scoring 24
points, as well as grabbing 14 rebounds. Swingle added 16, Bushell
14 and Ritchart nine as the Railers won by 15 at home.
Two tough conference foes on the road
awaited the Railers the next weekend. Lincoln handled both easily,
winning by 19 at Champaign as Bushell had 18 and Cook 17. Mattoon
threw a two-one-two zone at Lincoln the next night, holding Cook to
just six points. However, it wasn’t enough, as the Railers battered
the Green Wave on the strength of a 25-point performance by Mike
Swingle and the return of Mike Schneider.
Perennial foe and rival Springfield
Lanphier was next for the "Red and Green Express," coming to Roy S.
Anderson for the last game before the Christmas break. The Railer
machine steamrolled the Lions, winning 95-43 behind Cook’s 30-point,
14-rebound performance. Bushell added 24 points and nine boards,
with Swingle chipping in 13 points and Ritchhart 10 rebounds of his
own.
Entering the Edwardsville classic as
the No. 1 seed, the Railers were less than impressive against
first-round foe Madison on Dec. 27. Madison led the game at the
half, as Cook was benched with three first-quarter fouls. While it
seemed there might be an upset in the making, Reid woke his troops
up at halftime, and they beat the Trojans by 27 behind Swingle and
Bushell’s 16 each. Cook recovered from the foul trouble to add 14 as
well.
The next day, Lincoln faced the squad
from Robinson, and this time Swingle and Cook led the way with 22
each as the Railers handled Robinson a 15-point loss. Lincoln then
faced a talented and quick East St. Louis squad in the semifinals,
and Cook got in foul trouble again with three in the first quarter
of play. Lincoln was lucky to escape with a one-point win, thanks to
Swingle’s 20 along with Cook’s 15 and eight boards.
The title game presented Lincoln with a
familiar foe, conference rival Bloomington. The Purple Raiders were
a good ballclub, led by future all-stater, Indiana and Duke player,
and Illinois State head coach Bobby Bender. Bloomington was a dark
horse in the conference race and a team that could cause problems
for the Railers. While the final score showed a five-point win for
the Railers, it didn’t tell people that Cook dominated this game
with 31 points and 13 rebounds, helping him to the MVP award of the
Edwardsville tournament. Swingle added 20, while Bender was held to
just 15 for Bloomington.
The regular season resumed Jan. 6 with
a non-conference contest against two-time defending state champ
Dolton Thornridge. Gone were all-staters Quinn Buckner and Boyd
Batts, as well as coach Ron Ferguson. The Railers had little trouble
with Thornridge, winning by 14 as Swingle scored 25 on 10-of-17
shooting. Cook added 16 and Ritchhart 10 as the team shot 52 percent
from the floor. Reid added a little in the way of a good luck charm
— a pair of red and green socks given to him which he displayed when
the students began chanting at him during the fourth quarter.
Lincoln had a week off before facing
Bloomington again, and this time the game wasn’t close. A 79-59
Lincoln victory saw 23 points by Bloomington’s Bob Bender wasted as
Cook scored 28 (with 12 rebounds), Swingle added 16 and Bushell 15.
A week later it was a 45-point win over Urbana, as the Railsplitters
scored 95, in part due to Cook’s 32-point performance. A road trip
to Decatur the next night saw four Railers in double figures in a
24-point win, this time led by Bushell’s 24. Lincoln was now 16-0.
Not even a trip to face Lee Cabutti’s
four-corner offense in Champaign could slow down the Railer Express.
Now ranked second in the state, behind Lockport, Lincoln led the
Maroons 28-6 at half and won by 29 behind Cook’s 33 and Swingle’s
23. A showdown at Springfield awaited them the next Friday.
A sellout crowd of 1,800 packed the
tiny gym for the rematch between the Senators and Railers.
Springfield was led by standout Gary Dorr, who would later become
the head coach at Springfield Griffin. Swingle had 22 and Cook 19 as
the Railers built a 13-point lead in the third quarter, only to see
it cut to four with 2:30 to go. Reid switched from his traditional
man-to-man to the two-one-two zone used earlier against them by
Mattoon, and the Railers hung on for a six-point win. Afterward,
Reid lashed out in a locker room tirade at the team’s poor play.
The tirade and a week’s worth of
practice must have been the medicine the Railers needed, in addition
to the fact the next two games were at home. On Friday, Feb. 9, the
Railers survived a slowdown attempt by Mattoon, taking the win
40-27. The next night the storied Pinckneyville Panthers came to
town and fell 63-45 to the "red and green machine." It was Lincoln’s
20th win without a loss.
Two tough road contests loomed the next
weekend, one at Bloomington, the other one in the pit known as the
"Bowl" in Jacksonville. A win at Bloomington would mean a tie for
the conference title with three games left to play.
The Railsplitters came out smoking
against the Purple Raiders, amassing a 41-28 halftime lead en route
to a 92-65 massacre. Cook (with 29) led four Railers in double
figures (Bushell 19, Swingle 17, Schneider 13), while Rutledge had
21 and Bender 16 for Bloomington. The slaughter continued the next
night, as Lincoln went to Jacksonville and beat the host Crimsons by
23.
Three games remained, including a
Friday night contest against Danville, which marked "Senior Night"
and the last regular-season home game for the Railers. Before a
packed house, the Railers tuned up on the Running Reds, leading by
17 at half and once again placing Cook (27), Swingle (19) Bushell
(17) and Mike Schneider (12) in the double-figure scoring column.
With the win over Stephen Decatur,
Lincoln won the Big 12 Conference crown outright for the third time
in the last four years and was looking at an undefeated conference
record for the second time in four years. The balanced and
high-powered offense, combined with tough man-to-man pressure
defense, was simply too much for most teams to overcome. This team
was easily on its way to establishing a school record for team
offensive average for a single season.
The Tigers of Urbana were next up on
the schedule, at Urbana. Lincoln nearly doubled the score, winning
71-36. Danville on Senior Night stood in the way of perfection for
the Railsplitters.
Ranked No. 1 (by UPI) for the first
(and only) time in the school’s history, Lincoln faced a tough
Viking squad making the 90-mile trek to Roy S. Anderson gymnasium.
Danville hung tough against the Railers, using a swarming defense to
close to 31-28 at the half. Lincoln, led by Norm Cook and Mike
Swingle, broke the game open in the third period, outscoring the
guests 16-8 on the way to a 68-52 triumph. Cook’s 24, Swingle’s 16
and Bushell’s 12 offset the four Vikings in double figures. The
victory capped the second perfect regular season in school history.
Ranked first in the UPI coach’s poll
and fourth in the AP sportswriters poll, the Big 12 Conference
champions were host and No. 1 seed in their own regional. Cook was
averaging 23.1 points per game and had become the school’s career
scoring and rebounding leader, passing Seymour Reed toward the end
of the year. Norm had also set single-season marks in points scored
and scoring average and would soon have the mark for rebounds in a
season. Swingle was averaging 17.8 and Bushell 15.8, giving the only
undefeated team in the state a balanced attack.
Unfortunately, the celebrating couldn’t
last too long. The regional featured Lincoln, Hillsboro,
Taylorville, Lanphier and the previous year’s spoiler, Southeast.
First up for the Railers were the Tornadoes from Taylorville.
Lincoln gained the No. 1 spot in the AP
poll on Tuesday, March 6, before the game. It may have been a
booster for the team, because they annihilated the Tornadoes.
Lincoln destroyed the two-three zone employed by Taylorville by
shooting 40-78 from the floor as a team on the way to a 96-66 rout.
The Railers put four players in double figures once again, led by
Norm Cook’s 32 and Mike Swingle’s 20. Lincoln out-rebounded
Taylorville 39-31, led by Cook’s 15.
Southeast beat Hillsboro, and Duncan
wasn’t above using revenge as a motivational factor for the team, as
well as the game being the last in Roy S. Anderson for the seniors.
On Friday night, Norm Cook must have felt the need for revenge most
of all because he turned in one of the best performances ever in a
Railer uniform. Scoring at will from inside or outside, Cook was
12-of-17 from the field and 10-of-12 from the line, with 34 points
and 16 rebounds for the night. Swingle and Schneider complemented
the senior center with 16 each, and Bushell had 11 in the 25-point
romp, giving Lincoln its 27th IHSA regional championship in school
history.
[to top of second column in this
article] |
The Lincoln team that season was
comprised of talented young men. Reid stated later that 10 out of 11
of his players had a B average in school, and Cook himself had three
A’s and one C. Additional recognition from the Big 12 Conference
came during the week, as Cook was named Big 12 MVP, and Bushell and
Swingle made first team all-Big 12. Schneider was named to the
second team.
Lincoln’s win, combined with Quincy’s
win at Jacksonville, set up an improbable scenario. The No. 1 and
No. 2-rated teams in the state would be in the same sectional,
slated unfortunately to meet in a first-round game at the
Springfield Armory. Quincy was led by coach Sherrill Hanks, a
coaching legend and someone almost as animated as Reid on the
sidelines. Hanks had his own star on the team, sharpshooting 6-2
guard Jimmy Wisman, who would later play for Bob Knight at Indiana.
Wisman was complemented by fellow all-stater Bob Spear. The other
two teams in the sectional were Capitol Conference power Decatur
Eisenhower and Big 12 foe Mattoon.
Lincoln and Quincy met March 13 before
a rowdy, sellout crowd at the Armory. Right away it looked like No.
2 was going to upset No. 1. Quincy led 19-8 at the quarter and 31-23
at half, despite 15 points from Norm Cook. Quincy kept a seven-point
lead at the end of the third quarter, and the Blue Devil fans could
smell the Railer blood. The person to apply the "band-aid" was coach
Duncan Reid. Exasperated over his team’s performance, with 6:30 to
play in the game, Reid booted a chair, and the act of aggression
seemed to fire up the Railsplitters. Not long after, Lincoln stormed
back to take a 49-47 lead over Quincy. It was nip and tuck the rest
of the way, and frustration began to set in on the Quincy team.
Wisman was called for a flagrant foul and ejected during the
quarter. With :12 to go and the game pretty much decided, Hanks (who
later was furious and called the referees "incompetent") got two
technicals and was ejected. Lincoln escaped with a hard-fought, yet
controversial 58-53 win. Cook led the winners with 27 points and 13
boards; Swingle chipped in 14. Wisman led Quincy with 20, and
teammate Bob Spear had 14. Turnovers were a real factor in the game,
as Quincy had 10 more than the Railers.
Eisenhower beat Mattoon 65-57 in the
other contest, leading to a showdown between the Capitol Conference
and the Big 12.
Recognition continued to come for the
Railers. Norm Cook made the Class AA all-state team, with Swingle
gaining honorable mention.
Eisenhower entered the sold-out contest
23-5, while the Railers had won 28 consecutive games. Eisenhower was
no slouch as an opponent, as they led Lincoln 30-28 at the half on
47 percent shooting. Their two-three zone was forcing Lincoln into
bad shots and a lot of turnovers, and the Railers were having
trouble containing Jarrett and Jones, the Panther’s two stars.
An unlikely hero entered the game for
the Railers in the second half in the person of 6-1 junior Clayton
Reed. Duncan Reid assigned Clayton Reed to guard Jarrett, and the
junior guard used his quickness to clamp down on the Eisenhower
star. His defense inspired the rest of the team to shut down the
Panthers, and Eisenhower shot only 25 percent in the second half. In
the meantime, the Lincoln offense kept plugging away and took the
lead for good, 43-41, on two Bushell free throws at the end of three
periods. The Railers went on to claim the school’s sixth sectional
crown and Sweet Sixteen berth, 56-53. The Lincoln crowd swarmed the
floor after the game, and the celebrating continued through the
night.
Cook led the team with 14 points and 15
rebounds, Bushell added 12 points and nine boards, Swingle added 10
points of his own, while Mike Schneider chipped in 13. Lincoln shot
only 20-of-57 from the floor, was out-rebounded 37-33 and committed
22 turnovers. Jarrett had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the
Panthers, Jones 14 points and 13 rebounds. Unfortunately, the
Eisenhower zone defense may have exposed a weakness in the Railer
machine.
And so the 29-0 Railers headed to
Horton Fieldhouse on the campus of Illinois State University, making
their third state tournament appearance in five years. Cook was
being pursued by several NCAA Division I schools, a list that now
included Illinois, Bradley, Kansas and Cincinnati.
The opponent for the Normal
Super-sectional was Bradley Bourbonnais, an AA school near Kankakee
that defeated Danville in the sectional. Bradley was small, yet very
quick, and promised to be a tough test for the Railers.
Lincoln led 30-28 at the half but
wasn’t getting the ball to Norm Cook, as he had only four shots at
the half. Reid was straightforward with the team in the locker room,
telling them that they had better pound the ball to Norm if they
wanted to win the game. And pound it is what they did. Cook scored
14 points in the third quarter alone, and with Lincoln ahead 42-40,
the Railers went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-point lead. Reid had the
team spread the floor, and Lincoln went on to a 61-49 win. Cook led
the Railers with 18 points and 21 rebounds, Schneider had 16, and
Swingle 13. Brad Remole led the losers with 16.
The Railers out-rebounded the shorter
Bradley team 38-29 but shot only 22-51 from the floor. A caravan of
fans led the Railers back into Lincoln, all the way to the high
school, where an impromptu assembly was held in the gym.
The good feeling continued all week in
the city of Lincoln, as the Railsplitters were headed for their
first Elite Eight slot in 18 years and looking at taking home their
first piece of hardware from the state tournament. There was a good
possibility that hardware might be the first-place trophy.
The eight semifinalists for Class AA
state finals at the Assembly Hall in Champaign were some of the best
programs and teams in the state, with a roster of Hall of Fame
coaches. Collinsville had legendary Vergil Fletcher; New Trier East
was coached by John Schneiter, who had won a state title with
Stephen Decatur in the ’60s; Aurora West was coached by legendary
John McDougal; while Elgin, Moline and Chicago Hirsch all had very
good programs. In fact, the list of coaches who made the Sweet
Sixteen included Pekin’s Dawdy Hawkins, Proviso East’s Glenn
Whittenberg and Rockford West’s Alex Saudargas — some heady company
indeed.
The list of players to make the final
16 was heady as well. Hirsch had future Michigan star Rickey Green
and John Robinson, future Marquette star Bo Ellis played at Chicago
Parker, Collinsville had Bob Bone and Marc Fletcher, and all-state
pick Jeff Wilkins was the top gun at Elgin. Rockford West had Ernie
Kent, while Proviso East had future DePaul star Joe Ponsetto. Aurora
West had all-staters Matt Hicks and John Bryant.
Lincoln wasn’t any slouch when it came
to talent. Norm Cook was named to the Chicago Daily News all-state
team during the week, and Bushell and Swingle made the honorable
mention list.
The Railers faced stiff competition on
the road to the title, and making the task more difficult was the
fact that Lincoln, enrollment 1,152, was the smallest school in the
final eight. In fact, none of the other seven schools in Champaign
that weekend had an enrollment of less than 2,000 students! Further
compounding matters were a cracked bone in Tim Bushell’s hand, which
required a cast, and the flu, which caused Norm Cook to make a trip
to the hospital. As a result, the Railsplitters weren’t at full
strength entering the 2 p.m. Friday contest.
It was a bad time to have problems,
because their draw was the Porters of Lockport, coached by Bob
Basarich. Lockport had lost only one game after being ranked first
during a good portion of the season, and it was that loss that
allowed Lincoln to slide into the No. 1 slot. The Porters entered
the game ranked third and were led by 6-6 all-state center Ellis
Files and Al Green. Their defense allowed only 47 points per game,
and to make matters worse they employed a one-three-one zone that
was difficult to figure out.
Had someone been inclined, he could
have robbed the town of Lincoln blind that afternoon. The team was
given a grand send-off that morning, with a large caravan of fans
headed for the Assembly Hall. Those who couldn’t go were glued to
the TV set that afternoon, with some turning down the sound and
turning up Lanny Slevin on the radio. Those who didn’t have access
to the TV were blaring Slevin’s WPRC broadcast on the radio. School
children all over town were in classrooms, auditoriums or gymnasiums
with TV sets. Not many citizens were roaming the streets that day.
The banged-up Railers gave them reason
to cheer early on; they led 16-14 and had a six-point cushion at one
time. Lockport rallied to tie the game at 26 and led 41-34 at the
end of three quarters. Lincoln managed one last rally, tying the
game at 43 with 4:36 to go, and Lincoln seemed poised to make a run.
However, the Lockport defense took over and held the Railers
scoreless for two minutes, while their offense built a nine-point
cushion as Swingle fouled out. The only thing in doubt was the final
margin of victory, as Lockport won 62-54. The dream season had come
to a bitter end, leaving Lincoln’s fans and players stunned and in
tears.
Whether it was the sickness and
injuries, the Lockport defense, or the cavern-like dimensions of the
Assembly Hall, no one on Lincoln’s team shot particularly well on
the big floor. The team was six-of-20 in the fourth quarter and
21-of-55 for the game. Cook had 14 points on five-of-13 shooting,
Bushell had 12 points and eight rebounds despite the bad hand,
Swingle had 10 points on five-of-16 shooting, and Schneider ended up
with 12. The Railers used only six men during the game. Green led
Lockport with 22, and Files chipped in 15.
While Reid could have pointed to a
number of things as excuses for the loss, he didn’t. After the
contest he simply told the media that Lockport was the quickest team
Lincoln had faced all year, and when it came down to it, the best
team had won.
Lockport got beat in the semifinals the
next day by Chicago Hirsch, and Hirsch eventually went on to win the
state title. Lincoln stayed in Champaign, and despite the loss, was
greeted by a large crowd Sunday afternoon for a rally at the high
school.
Tim Bushell went on to sign a letter of
intent to play basketball at Illinois, while Mike Swingle played
baseball in junior college. Swingle went on to become the grade
school coach at Beason and had a couple of very successful seasons
as the varsity coach at Hartsburg-Emden in the 1990s. Mike Schneider
had offers for both football and baseball at Illinois State
University. He later returned home to run programs for the Lincoln
Park District. Fellow senior John Bunner became a Lincoln policeman
and is now Detective Bunner with the LPD.
Speculation began to run rampant after
the year as to where Norm Cook and Duncan Reid would be the next
season. Reid announced he was staying at Lincoln, while Cook
narrowed his college choices to Kansas, Drake, Bradley, Cincinnati,
Oregon and Illinois.
Reid eventually got an offer too good
to refuse: to be an assistant to Ted Owens at Kansas. On May 2 the
Springfield newspaper ran a story that said Duncan was leaving
Lincoln, a story he confirmed on May 3. On May 4, Norm Cook made
Kansas his college choice. Not only was a dream season gone, but the
school’s best player and coach as well. As a side note, the school
lost longtime radio voice Lanny Slevin as well. His departure led to
the new voice of the Railsplitters, a young Sam Madonia would handle
the play-by-play duties in the 1973-74 campaign.
Reid left Kansas for the head job at
Dodge City Community College, where he was very successful. He came
back to Illinois during the ’80s, running the program at Rock Island
and getting to the Elite Eight several times before retiring at the
end of the 2002 season.
Norm Cook left Lincoln as the all-time
leader in scoring and rebounding and became a college star at
Kansas. He was so good, in fact, that he was able to leave Kansas
after his junior year and declare as a hardship case for the NBA
draft. He was taken as a first-round pick of the storied Boston
Celtics, where he lasted two seasons. After a stint in Denver, Cook
returned home and married the former Joyce Kelley, a star on the
girl’s team herself. Their daughter Kristina became a good athlete
in several sports at Lincoln High School, while son Brian is the
star center at the University of Illinois and appears headed to the
NBA.
While the
players, coaches and fans have gotten older, it took a long, long
time before anyone got over the loss to Lockport in the spring of
1973. Just about every good Lincoln team since 1973 is compared to
that "dream team," and while some have come close, it’s still open
for debate if any team was the equal of that near-perfect Railer
squad. On the 30th anniversary of the "dream season," one thing is
certain: The 1972-1973 Lincoln Railsplitter basketball team was one
of the best ever in Illinois high school basketball history.
[Jay Hardin]
['72-73 Lincoln
roster and schedule]
Editor's Note: Jay Hardin graduated LCHS class of 1980.
He is an attorney, married, has
three daughters and lives in Marion. His mother, sister and her
family live in Lincoln. An
uncle and his family live in Atlanta
Thanks
for the memories Jay! |
|
Congratulations, Mount Pulaski! The LDN
tips our cap to coach Donna Dulle and the Toppers of Mount Pulaski
High School for their runner-up showing at the Class A state
volleyball tournament. Mount P. has been great all season long, and
we just want them all to know how proud we are of them! Nice going,
ladies! [See game stats]
Illini’s
upset train derailed
For most of Saturday’s supposed
mismatch between the BCS No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes and the lightly
regarded Illinois Fighting Illini, it appeared from our vantage
point that the Illini were the better team.
But don’t be fooled by those fans who
want to tell you that the refs or some other force intervened to
take the game away. When you’re in a heavyweight bout against the
champ, you have to knock them out! And Illinois had such a chance
when OSU faced a crucial third down-and-10 starting the overtime
cycle. Their QB, Craig Krenzel, executed yet another amazing 14-yard
scramble that led to a 9-yard TD scamper by Maurice Hall, and the
Bucks had the Illini’s backs against the wall.
[Photos by Tom Seggelke]
[Buckeye fans]
But unlike Illinois’ El Foldo
performances over most of the last 2½ months, their pride and
character rose to the surface. Two well-timed and well-aimed passes
by Illini QB Jon Buetjer just missed tying the game and sending it
to a much-deserved second overtime period!
The first one, to Aaron Moorehead, was
well-thrown, but the OSU defense pushed him out while he was in the
air, which is a legal and great defensive play. On the ensuing down,
Buetjer found Walter Young in the other corner of the end zone, but
the refs ruled that Young did not have control of the ball WHILE he
was inbounds. The guys on 670-AM The Score say he caught it and it
was a touchdown.
Believe me when I say that there are
few bigger Illini fans in the world than I am, and I’m not so sure
that it was TD. Why ANYone would not want instant replay is totally
beyond the LDN’s ability to explain.
I was, however, very impressed with the
gritty, gutsy performance of this Illinois team on this day. Had
they played like this all year, I could be packing my bags and
heading for a warm-weather climate somewhere. Instead I’ll be
spending the holidays in a little-known garden spot called Indiana
with in-laws, outlaws, and dogs and cats… Thanks, fellas!
Seriously, I was very proud of our
team, and I hope that recruits across the country (especially the
ones who usually enroll at schools like Miami) will give Illinois
another look (and realize with one more look-see that if they and a
dozen or so of their friends came to Illinois, what a grand world it
would be) before signing all those letters of intent!
Speaking of Miami…
I saw them earlier in the season, and
they are so much better than everyone else that it’s not even funny!
No offense to OSU… They came into Champaign and did what they had to
do, but I don’t think they, Oklahoma or anyone can knock out this
Miami ballclub. Heck, they may be better than three NFL teams!!!
Don’t worry… I won’t NAME those teams!
[to top of second column in this
article] |
Proud
of our crowd…
I’ve been pretty harsh on our Illini
crowds the last two years in all sports, but I must compliment them
on Saturday’s performance. I thought they were classy and REALLY
supported our team when we needed a lift. I’ll never forget the roar
that went up when Jon Gockman nailed the 48-yard field goal to send
the game to OT. (By the way… someone asked me how eight seconds went
off the clock on that kick. The answer —outstanding home clockwork
by assistant Pontiac basketball coach Gary Brunner! Well done, my
friend. Brunner has been a longtime friend and clock operator at
Memorial Stadium.) But again, our fans were great!
Many fans don’t seem to realize how
important their role is. When you get inside the game and begin to
realize how hard it is to win ANY game on the road, you begin to
understand how much the home support can mean to your team and
program. IF you don’t believe me, talk to anyone who tries their
luck betting on sports and goes through a bookie. They can ALL tell
you how much the home field and the home court is worth in any and
all contests. That’s why I love it when our crowds show up and do
their best. Many times it is the difference in the contest… for good
or for bad. Energy can be transferred, and when the fans’ energy
gets inside a player or a team, great and unbelievable things can
happen and get accomplished.
This game Saturday was a prime example
of my point. Our crowd almost willed us to victory. It was a sight
to behold… AND I’d like to see a LOT more of it!!!
Loyalty and friendship comes first…
I have, or should say had, a ticket to
tonight’s Bears-Rams game on MNF, but other priorities must come
first. So, I’m letting my good friend Tom Seggelke go in my place
(he says he’s glad he knows me… at times like this). My wife has
something for my son and me to do, AND tonight is our BIG basketball
show on "FANdamonium." Don’t you hate it when responsibilities get
in the way of fun?!!!
Speaking of "FANdamonium…"
TONIGHT is a very special night indeed!
This will serve as our BIG showcase for men’s basketball. In the
studios tonight will be Lincoln College Lynx head coach B.J.
McCullum, Lincoln Christian College head coach Randy Kirk and the
head coach of YOUR Lincoln Railers, Neil Alexander. Greg and I are
thrilled to have such an awesome lineup.
Since we won’t have much time, we will
NOT be accepting any calls tonight, and that will give us more time
to gather more give-away stuff for next week. So, at 6 o’clock
tonight click on the LDN’s
LIVE link, or listen at FIX 96.3 or set your TV dial to Channel
5, and we’ll try to showcase three awesome basketball programs from
right here in beautiful downtown Lincoln!
Speaking of basketball…
The LDN would like to extend our
sympathies to former ISU Redbird star and former LCC development
guru Dale White on the passing of his father Don White. Those of you
who follow Indiana High School basketball have known of Mr. White’s
many contributions to gathering the history of basketball in that
state and all the many contacts he had in virtually every sport over
there. IF the long, standing-room-only line in the church yesterday
was any indication, this man was loved by all! We send out our
condolences to Dale and his family!
The LDN would also like to send out a
congratulatory salute to LCC Angel basketball coaches Amanda and
Donnie Bowman. The Bowmans were blessed early Saturday morning with
the birth of their first child, Karissa Jo Bowman. Mother and child
are said to be doing fine. I say, put a uniform on that girl and get
her into the lineup quick! IF she’s as good as her mom and dad were,
the basketball world will soon have another REALLY special player!
CONGRATULATIONS, Bowmans!!!
HAVE a GREAT
week, everybody!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
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