Otto Schnellbacher was one of the greatest athletes in KU history

It’s not often in your life when you have the priceless opportunity to interview and write a story on one of the greatest athletes in KU history, KU football’s first All-American and one of the rare athletes in sports history to play both in the NFL and NBA.

But that’s what happened to me on a November day in 2000 when I did a phone interview with Otto Schnellbacher, one of the true giants in KU sports history. Otto was in New York at the time watching KU basketball in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

We had a wonderful interview, as Otto fondly recalled his KU days, how he got started in football at Kansas, his favorite Jayhawk memories, his NBA and NFL career, and what he’s been up to since retiring from the NFL in 1951.

He was a phenomenal athlete but an even better person. I was saddened when he passed in 2008 at age 84 of cancer in Topeka, where he lived most of his life.

His death and storied accomplishments were written about in the New York Times and on ESPN.com. He is a proud member of KU's Ring of Honor and was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1972 and also the University of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Perhaps above all, Otto was an extremely loyal Jayhawk to the last day of his life.

Don Fambrough, the former KU football player and head coach and teammate of Otto's, spoke fondly of him after his death to the Lawrence Journal-World on March 10, 2008.

"This is a tough one," Fambrough said. "Otto was from the little old town of Sublette and he used to tell me stories of the dust storms out there. His mother would stay up all night long and put wet towels over their faces so they could breathe. I've always been partial to Kansas kids. They're tough kids who've had to work hard for everything they've gotten. That was Otto."

Here is that Where Are They Now? story on Otto Schnellbacher, an interview I’ll always fondly remember.

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Otto Schnellbacher arrived at KU in 1941 as a “very farmish young man” from Sublette, Kan. He was recruited by Phog Allen on a basketball scholarship, which just included books and tuition. So to make ends meet, Schnellbacher waited tables at Delta Chi fraternity for room and board, and also worked at Memorial Stadium on game days.

“They notified me that I had a football job and I was on basketball scholarship, and they were going to have to fire me,” Schnellbacher said. “So I went to see Phog and he said, ‘Well, go out for football and you can keep your job.’ That’s how come I went out for football at KU. It turned out to be pretty good for me.”

A legend was born.

Hailed as the “Double Threat from Sublette,” Schnellbacher became one of the greatest athletes in KU history. He excelled on the gridiron and hardwood, and was one of just three Kansas players to serve as captain in both basketball and football. Schnellbacher earned all-conference in basketball four years and was a two-time All-Big Six selection in football. He capped off a scintillating football career in 1947 with 58 total receptions for 1,069 yards — both marks stood as school records for 22 years. 

Schnellbacher’s greatest accomplishment was helping lead KU to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 1948 (KU’s first bowl) and being named Kansas’ first All-America selection (along with Ray Evans).

“Ray Evans was a super player and super individual,” Schnellbacher said. “There was no finer individual that ever lived. That makes me feel very proud to be included with Ray.”

Schnellbacher, whose KU career was interrupted in 1943 (World War II), admits his sports preferences changed after he spent three years in the service.

“When I first went to KU, basketball was by far my favorite sport,” he said. “By the time I left there, I think football was my favorite sport. ... I think a lot of it has to due with the type of success you have. My last year, I had much more success in football than I did in basketball. We weren’t that whippy as a basketball team (KU went just 9-15 in 1947-48).  I knew my future was in football.”

Schnellbacher actually wound up being drafted in both sports. He played four years of professional football (he shifted from a split end to a defensive back) with the New York Yankees of the All-America Football Conference and the NFL New York Giants, as well as playing one year with the NBA Providence Steamrollers and St. Louis Bombers in 1948-49. 

 

He was named football All-Pro two times before retiring in 1951, leading the NFL in interceptions that year with 11.

“I thought it was great,” Schnellbacher said. “I wasn’t going to go into coaching or stay in sports, so it was time to quit after four years and make my home in Topeka.  I could have played more, but I had enough.”

Schnellbacher has lived in Topeka ever since.  

“I wanted to stay near Lawrence,” he said. “Lawrence was a little bit too small and Kansas City was too big. Topeka was just right in size for me.”

Schnellbacher, who worked in the insurance business for American United Life and Indianapolis Life before officially retiring in 1988, is now extremely active in volunteer work with his church and such deserving agencies as Let’s Help and Concerned Citizens for Topeka against Hate. He’s also president of the Topeka Jayhawk Club and follows the crimson and blue faithfully.

In fact, he was recently in New York to watch the basketball team in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

“Since I lived there back in the 40s and 1950 and ‘51, I know the town,” he said. “We had a great time. We went up to West Point and Bear Mountain.”

Of course, Schnellbacher’s fondest memories of the 1940s center around Mount Oread. He remains forever grateful to Allen for steering him into football and molding him into the person he is today.

“Phog Allen was the greatest thing to ever happen to my life,” Schnellbacher said. “He was just a super human being. He was very supportive and helpful with ideas and motivated you to do things right and be somebody, and try to do things right in a positive way in the world. He was a very fine motivator. Roy Williams has the same traits.”

And about that Jayhawk moniker as the “Double Threat from Sublette?

“I didn’t care what they called me,” Schnellbacher said, laughing. “I didn’t mind, as long as they called me something.”

A Closer Look at Otto Schnellbacher:

Years at KU: 1941-1943; 1946-48

Career Notables: Football All-American in 1947... Co-Captain of 1947 Orange Bowl team and captain of 1947-48 basketball squad (one of three KU athletes to serve as captain in both sports)...Led KU in receiving in 1942, ‘46, ‘47...All-Conference in basketball four years.

Family: Schnellbacher and his wife, Jane, have seven children and 13 grandkids (he and his first wife, who died over 10 years ago, had three children. Schnellbacher’s second wife, Jane, had four children).

Education: B.S. Education, 1948.

Since Leaving KU: Schnellbacher played one year in the NBA (1948-49) with Providence and St. Louis and four years in professional football (AAFC New York Yankees and NFL New York Giants) before retiring in 1951. He then moved to Topeka and worked in the life insurance business until 1988.

Currently: Schnellbacher, who still has his insurance license, is retired and lives in Topeka.

Hobbies: Playing golf and following the Jayhawks. 

Favorite KU Memories: The 1942-43 basketball team (22-6 and Big Six Champions) and 1947 Orange Bowl squad. “Back in those days, they only had four bowls — Orange, Sugar, Rose and Cotton. So to get to the Orange Bowl was quite a thrill.” 

On the Jayhawks Today:  “The basketball team is going to be great this year. It’s already on its way...I’m a fan of Terry Allen and I hope for his success. I think we got to give him some time to recruit some better personnel.”

Former Jayhawk Jeff Dishman was a fierce battler on and off the court

                                                             KU Libraries Digital Collection

I first met Jeff Dishman in the summer of 1981 at Allen Fieldhouse, still an impressionable teenager about to enter my sophomore year at Lawrence High School. Dishman was hanging out around the trophy area outside the court when I approached him and asked: “Are you a KU recruit?” He replied: “I signed with KU.” My friend Phillip and I then had a very nice conversation with the new KU signee and rebounded for him as he shot free throws. It was quite a thrill for me rebounding for the new Jayhawk. He was as kind and nice as can be.

KU assistant coach Bob Hill came over to Dishman and spoke briefly with him. Hill would go on to become head coach in the NBA with the Knicks, Pacers, Spurs and Sonics.

My friend’s dad drove us home that dreamy hot afternoon as I dreamed of Dishman creating his hardwood magic at Allen Fieldhouse. I began making up nicknames for him during the drive home, counting the days when he would suit up and don the crimson and blue.

A Medicine Lodge, Kan., native and junior college star at Hutchinson Community College, Dishman battled valiantly for two years as an undersized 6-5 power forward. He never backed down competing against the likes of North Carolina superstar Sam Perkins in his first college game (he even drew a foul on Perkins while driving the left baseline) and the Big Eight stars.

Unfortunately, Dishman played on two losing teams at Kansas, which marked the end of Ted Owens’ 19-year head coaching career. He averaged 33.2 minutes per game his first season (junior year) while his minutes dropped to 21.4 minutes as a senior as Owens went with the youth movement.

“(Owens) had some heat on him,” Dishman told me in a Where Are They Now? interview in 2003. “He was banking on the future. He was basically saying, ‘This is going to be kind of a building year,’ and he ended up using that year trying to build it and playing a lot of younger guys (KU had three highly touted freshmen in Kerry Boagni, Ron Kellogg and Calvin Thompson). I was a much better player my senior year (Dishman averaged 5.7 ppg) than my junior yea (9.3 ppg), but my minutes were diminished because Ted had basically said, ‘I’m going to go with the youth movement.’ You’re not happy about it when it’s happening. I took it. When you look back on it, you understand it, because the guy was trying to save his livelihood.”

Despite two losing years, Dishman cherished his KU experience.

“After you get done at KU, you think about some of those games and you think about some of the good times and stuff,” Dishman said. “I can’t tell you every score. I can’t tell you every loss or win, but I can tell you the camaraderie and the friendships you develop over the years and the stuff that happens on road trips and the fun you had and those kind of relationships you develop. That’s the thing about college basketball.”

Dishman was a fierce battler on and off the court. Diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1986, he had his bladder removed the following year and has been cancer free since 1987 at the time of our interview. He gained a greater a appreciation of life through his battle.

Dishman boasts career averages of 7.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 56 games while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 69.2 percent at the free throw line. He led the team in free throw percentage his senior year in 1982-83 (82.9), where he was also a co-captain and earned Academic All-Big Eight honors.

“I couldn’t ask for two better examples of hard work and discipline,” Owens said at the time about Dishman and fellow co-captain Mark Summers.

Dishman is currently working as a financial advisor at Stifel in Topeka.

No, Dishman certainly isn’t one of the all-time KU greats, but his accomplishments at KU can never be forgotten as the consummate team and role player. I will always respect him for the great, genuine kindness he showed me and my friend when I first met him that summer of 1981. And I had a wonderful Where Are They Now? interview with him as well.

Here is Dishman recalling growing up in Medicine Lodge, B.H. Born, and his major college basketball dreams during our 2003 interview.

"Bill Forsyth (from Medicine Lodge) played at KU also. Us three (B.H. Born is the other) are the guys that played at KU. B.H. and I have met a couple two or three times and had some nice conversation. In fact, I saw him in Medicine Lodge about three years ago. He was down, they were retiring his jersey and stuff at the school and putting him in the Kansas Hall of Fame. It was nice visiting with him. I really enjoyed that. B.H. was the guy back in the day. He was really quite a dominant force back in his day playing for Medicine Lodge High school. I heard a lot about B.H. whenever I got in high school. I heard he got a lot of scoring records, had scored a lot of points and went on to play at KU. 

"Of course, I knew of KU because growing up Wilt Chamberlain was always one of my favorite players, and I always enjoyed watching him play. When I was in junior high, he was still a fairly dominating force in the NBA Then, hearing about B.H. Born, it eventually became a pretty good fit for me to go to KU. You hear stories on how many points he scored. He was pretty much an unstoppable post player and struggled a little bit because he was behind (Clyde) Lovellette. After Lovellette, everyone thought it was going to be a down year, and B.H picked up the slack. I remember hearing about all the stories, and people around town talking about B.H. Of course, he was a little bit bigger guy than I was at that time. In small towns, word travels pretty fast. He had quite a reputation as being a pretty strong, physical player. When you’re in Medicine Lodge, you’re so far removed from big-time basketball. 

"My thought was I’m going to do whatever I can possible do to try and get there. Obviously, you hear about those guys. You watch Wilt on TV and you hear about B. H. Born. To me, I had some goals to play major college. And if KU was one of them, that would be great. I kind of had to take a little bit longer route to get there. You’re so far removed when you’re in Medicine Lodge from being around big-time basketball that you don’t know if you can get there or what it’s going to take for you to get there. By me going to the junior college route, it kind of opened my eyes a little bit and let me figure out how hard it was going to be to get there. I had a lot of work to do. In fact, I was more highly recruited in football than anything. I had more major colleges looking at me for football. All the junior colleges and small four years were looking at me as a quarterback, basically. I put up some nice numbers in high school. We went to the state playoffs and had a nice senior year, but my love was basically basketball. I think probably looking back on it, football would have been a better avenue for me to get in the pros. I kind of had more of a build for a football player. But I just had that basketball in me. I don’t know if it was because of watching Wilt play or B. H. Born, or all the great athletes you’d see on TV. I just had this interest in basketball more so than football. Maybe kind of like a Tony Gonzalez type deal, love to play basketball, but football, he’s kind of done it right. He loves to play basketball, and football is something he’s really good at. Even though he’d love to be in the pros probably more so than the NFL, he’s a premier tight end. I was kind of a tweener like he is, I mean a big strong body. In the NBA, you got to be really tall and big. He just doesn’t fit the mold for what his game is. I was kind of the same way. A lot of people that played pro football, I know they got a great deal there. 

"(I have) no regrets. I had a great time at KU. I met a lot of great people, and had a lot of great relationships and memories. When you’re playing at one of the premier programs in basketball in the country and you get to do that, I don’t know if you’d trade that for anything. I wanted to play major college basketball no matter how I had to get there, basically my way to get there was through Hutchinson juco. I really liked Hutch and wanted to go to Hutch.”

Now, here is my 2003 Where Are They Now? story.

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Jeff Dishman’s life story is about hard work, discipline, perseverance and heart. From defying the odds and earning a basketball scholarship at Kansas, where he fought like a warrior as an undersized 6-5 power forward for two trying seasons, to at 26, contending the battle of his life in cancer, Dishman has always tested his will and triumphed over the human spirit.

His inspirational roots were planted in little Medicine Lodge, Kan., where Dishman grew up and developed a passion for basketball. As a 6-5 high school post player, though, Dishman didn’t exactly have the college basketball world beckoning at his doorstep. So he took the next route of going to Hutchinson Community College in hopes of achieving his dream of playing major college basketball.

After working on his wing skills and achieving All-America honors his sophomore year, Dishman decided to follow his heart and become a Jayhawk. KU was, quite simply, a perfect fit. After all, B.H. Born was a Medicine Lodge native as well who starred at Mount Oread in the 1950s.  

“Once KU came into the fold and I came to visit, it was pretty much a done deal,” Dishman said.

Soon after Dishman arrived at Kansas, an unexpected happening occurred. Center Victor Mitchell left the team, which forced power forward Kelly Knight into the five spot and Dishman was pegged as the new four man. Recruited as a shooter to back up small forward David Magley, Dishman was now counted on to log major minutes and guard bigger players at power forward.  He excelled in his new role. Dishman averaged 9.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 33 minutes per game in 1981-82.

“I suppose being a naive kid from Medicine Lodge, I think I felt like I’d have an impact,” Dishman said. “I don’t know if I thought I’d play 33 minutes per game. I don’t know if anybody really thought that would be what we would end up doing, but our bench was not very deep. The drop-off was pretty dramatic. I don’t know maybe if playing three or four minutes less a game might have helped us out down the road. By February, our legs were pretty much gone.”

While KU started the season off well, disaster happened when the already thin Jayhawks lost Knight with a sprained ankle just before conference play. He was out four weeks.

“That really killed us,” Dishman said. “I don’t know if we ever got our confidence back. Kelly came back, and was never quite the same that year. It was disappointing.”

Dishman, 42, started the season slowly, but came on strong down the stretch. A tweener with good hops, he was a fabulous role player who did the dirty work inside and got the ball to Tony Guy and Magley. Unfortunately, KU, which had advanced to the Sweet 16 the previous season in 1980-81, finished the year at 13-14. Coach Ted Owens was under some fire to bring a winner back to Kansas. 

He named Dishman and Mark Summers co-captains for 1982-83.

“I couldn’t ask for two better examples of hard work and discipline,” Owens said.

Dishman took his role as senior co-captain very seriously.

“I was probably more of a leader by example than by being a rah-rah guy,” he said. “I was more a guy who would lead them in wind sprints, be first in line in for drills, and bust your butt and do those type of things.”

Dishman started the first seven games that season before assuming a backup role. His best game of the year was at Nebraska on Feb. 5, where he had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Overall, Dishman said his senior campaign was very trying.

“(Owens) had some heat on him,” Dishman said. “He was banking on the future. He was basically saying, ‘This is going to be kind of a building year,’ and he ended up using that year trying to build it and playing a lot of younger guys (KU had three highly touted freshmen in Kerry Boagni, Ron Kellogg and Calvin Thompson). I was a much better player my senior year (Dishman averaged 5.7 ppg) than my junior year, but my minutes were diminished because Ted had basically said, ‘I’m going to go with the youth movement.’ You’re not happy about it when it’s happening. I took it. When you look back on it, you understand it, because the guy was trying to save his livelihood.”

Owens ended up being fired after leading Kansas to another down season (13-16). Despite going through two losing years, Dishman said he loved playing for Owens and relished his KU experience.

“After you get done at KU, you think about some of those games and you think about some of the good times and stuff,” Dishman said. “I can’t tell you every score. I can’t tell you every loss or win, but I can tell you the camaraderie and the friendships you develop over the years and the stuff that happens on road trips and the fun you had and those kind of relationships you develop. That’s the thing about college basketball.”

After his collegiate career ended, Dishman spent the 1983-84 season as a graduate assistant under new KU coach Larry Brown. He then taught and coached high school basketball in Bartlesville, Okla., for a year before playing a season overseas in the Persian Gulf. Dishman returned to coaching for the next six years (1986-92) at Mission Valley High School southwest of Topeka, where he was also the athletic director. He then switched careers and worked for five years selling building materials for a wholesale company. In 1997, Dishman changed directions again and became a financial advisor for U.S. Bank Piper Jaffray. He manages stock and bond portfolios for people.

“It was a chance for me to get off the road,” he said. “I had been traveling every day, and now I work two minutes away from my house. The first two years were really good, the last three have been really difficult with the market and all. I’m enjoying it.”

He also loves being back in coaching. Dishman took over the head-coaching job at Hayden High School in Topeka this past year, where he is rebuilding a program that went 2-19 a year ago. He said he accepted the position, in part, to “give back to these kids, and try to teach them something about the game and life in general.” Dishman, who was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 1986, certainly has many lessons to teach. He had to have his bladder removed the following year, and has been cancer free since 1987.

 

Dishman said that cancer helped give him a greater appreciation of life and taught him to keep matters like coaching in perspective. He now revels in the day-to-day moments which capture his imagination.

“What you figure out is there’s a lot of other important things out there than winning or losing a ball game,” Dishman said. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like losing. But in the scheme of things, winning a high school basketball game or losing is not life or death like some people would like to make it. It is important, and that’s how I coach. I coach it to be very important. I also try to strive and tell my kids that you need to go at these things full force with your mind, your body and your soul, because you never know when those things are going to be taken away from you.  They can be taken away from you at the snap of a finger. They need to live life to the fullest every day.”

And that’s exactly what Dishman does. He’s at peace with himself 20 years after playing his last basketball game at Kansas. Dishman played hoops like he battled cancer. With passion. With determination. And with heart.  

“I’m a very optimistic person,” Dishman said. “I guess I always thought you could work hard enough to get things right, and if you do that long enough and hard enough, eventually you’d get to where you want to be. I never had a quit attitude whatsoever, and that’s how I practiced and that’s how I played. If I was overmatched, I’d still give it all I had. I just wouldn’t throw up my hands and say I can’t do this, because that’s not my nature. And I think that’s how you attack a deal like cancer. You just have to say,  ‘Hey I got to fight this thing, because the other alternative is not very good.’ You got to keep as positive mentally and emotionally as you possibly can, too. You can’t be thinking the worse is going to happen. You got to be thinking the best can happen.”

A Closer Look at Jeff Dishman:

Years at KU: 1981-83

Career Notables: Career-high 21 points versus Michigan State on Dec. 5, 1981, and career-best 11 rebounds against Rollins on Jan. 9, 1981...Co-Captain in 1982-83...Led ‘82-83 team in FT percentage at 82.9...Academic All-Big 8 in 1983.

Family: Wife, Tammy, and son, Caleb, 14.

Education:  1984. B.S. Education. 

Since Leaving KU:  Dishman served one year as a graduate assistant at KU before coaching high school basketball in Bartlesville, Okla., in 1984-85. He then spent a year overseas playing basketball in the Persian Gulf. Dishman returned to coaching from 1986-92 at Mission Valley High School near Topeka, while also serving as athletic director for five of those years. He left coaching and spent the next five years selling building materials for a wholesale company. In 1997, he accepted a job with U.S. Bank Piper Jaffray.

Currently: Dishman is a financial advisor for U.S. Bank Piper Jaffray, and also the head boys coach at Hayden High School in Topeka.

Hobbies: Golf.

Favorite Memories: Shocking Oklahoma in the first round of the Big 8 Tournament on March 8, 1983 (KU won, 87-77). “We kept running a play for Calvin (30 points) to get open. We kept running the same play over and over again, and they never could get it stopped. And, of course, then our whole deal on the other end was stopping Wayman Tisdale. I think we held him to his lowest season total (13 points). I remember it being a  total team effort, and Calvin stepped up and hit some big shots. We pretty much knew if we could close down on Wayman a little bit, we’d have a shot. Nobody expected us to do that, I don’t think, have a shot against them at that point in our season. It was a good memory.” ... Battling North Carolina and freshman Michael Jordan on Nov. 28, 1981 (KU lost to UNC, 74-67). “We stretched them as far as they could go. We had a shot, but then Kelly Knight fouled out with five minutes left...Michael really didn’t stand out on that team at that point in time, but we heard about him because of his vertical jump and his athleticism that everybody had been talking about. It was on ESPN, and that was one of their first games that year. ESPN was just getting started, and so it was a pretty big deal.”

Recalling my KU basketball childhood hero Herb Nobles

Herb Nobles was one of my childhood heroes, a smooth shooting and slender 6-7 forward who could shoot, rebound and block shots with the best in the Big Eight. My memories of him are kind of vague since I was only 9, 10 years old when I saw him play, but he still left a lasting impression with his hardwood magic at Allen Fieldhouse, where I attended games with season tickets with my Dad since 1973 until 1998, when I began covering KU basketball for 20 years.

I thought so highly of Herb that I named my softball team after him, a genuine tribute to my childhood hero who could do no wrong on the court. I put Herb on a pedestal as I did all my childhood KU hoop heroes; he was larger than life to me.

Herb is kind of a forgotten player in KU annals since he played just two years and on some poor and mediocre teams during his career at Mount Oread after transferring from Johnson County Community College. KU went just 13-13 his first year in 1975-76 before improving the following season, going 18-10 with Nobles the second-leading scorer behind John Douglas at 14.8 points per game and leading rebounder at 8.2 rebounds per contest. Nobles, who blocked six shots against Oklahoma, also averaged 1.7 blocks per game (48 blocks).

He led the team in blocked shots his junior season with 38 (1.5 blocks per game), while averaging 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

An East St. Louis, Illinois, native, Nobles arrived at KU after a highly decorated career at Johnson County Community College. Inducted into the the JCCC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008, Nobles is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,463 points. He led JCCC to back-to-back 28-win seasons and two conference titles. His freshman year, Nobles led the Jayhawk Conference in scoring, rebounding and shooting percentage, averaging 23.3 points, 12.2 rebounds while making over 57 percent of his shots. He again the led the conference in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore, averaging 26.5 points and 13.5 rebounds a game. He left JCCC earning two all-conference and all-region selections and a team MVP honor. Until JCCC switched to Division II, he was the only player to earn two all-region honors.

After leaving KU in 1977, Nobles was a sixth-round draft pick by the Detroit Pistons (124th overall selection).  On Sept. 14, 1977, Nobles signed a multi-year contract with the Pistons. Eight days later, Detroit waived him. I’ve tried researching his whereabouts and even called him once (non-working number), but failed to find any information on him.

That is, until 2013, when a basketball writer from Belgium named Bert Larsimont contacted me via email after reading my blog on Rick Suttle, who starred at KU from 1972-75. He sent me a team picture with Suttle and Nobles in it from the late 1970s/early 80s with the Belgian historic club CEP Fleurus. I was thrilled to see my childhood heroes Nobles and Suttle in the picture, playing in Belgium about 35 years ago. That’s all I know about Nobles after he left KU; he’s never attended any of the Kansas basketball reunions.

I learned I’m not the only person who loved Herb Hobles’ game before the Legend of the Phog exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse in September 2011. A KU fan named “Jaybate” posted this comment on KUsports.com before the contest:

“I am going to come out of the weird closet on this and say: I want to see Herb Nobles play in this game, though I suspect he is, to(o) old now to get up and down the floor. Herb Nobles is for me kind of KU's Dennis Rodman--a remarkable mid sized player who was too weird by half even for the strange years he played during.

Herb Nobles seemed just a little crazed, but always in a good way. Herb had a style all his own. His moves were like no one else's. His hair was ahead of its time. His body language was ahead of its time. His game was maybe ahead of its time.

Herb Nobles could do things with a basketball.

Herb had hops like nobody's business.

Herb Nobles apparently stoned into short periods of attention span remains intermittently one of the best forwards I have seen at KU.

And he would have been in those days hardly alone on his teams, if he were El Fumarando.

All bad habits work for some players and not for others.

It is rumored that Brandon, Chalmers, Mario, and Sherron (I always wondered if smoke were at the bottom of his weight problem) and others sang La Cucaracha and they won a ring.

I have always secretly felt that Herb might have fit in with the ring team a bit better than the teams he actually played on.

Self always encourages the go get a basket guys to improvise once the opportunity comes to them. Herb could improvise with a basketball like Robin Williams with a stand-up routine.

And Self has always said he likes characters, and Herb was perhaps the ultimate character of all time to wear a KU jersey. Scott Pollard, bless his spacey little heart, seems like a Presbyterian deacon compared to Herb Nobles. Herb was so naturally unorthodox he did not have to morph his appearance at all to attract attention.

It is my belief that if Scott Pollard ever met Herb Nobles, Scott would say, ‘Whew, that dude makes me feel like Pat Sajak.’

My hunch has always been that had Herb been smoke free, at least on the floor (note: again, no one but Herb could say for sure if he walked the dog, or not), he might have been more consistent and been pretty highly regarded among KU's players.

Hence, I want to come out and say, Herb, if you are out there and reading this, I would love it and be proud, if you showed up, suited up, and played even just a minute or two, on behalf of all past characters that have played for KU.

There really were strange rangers before Scott Pollard at KU. And they really were just as lovable as Scott.”

I learned much more about Nobles’ game and personality after reading this tribute comment from “Jaybate.”

Above all, Herb Nobles: I will never forget you! Once a Jayhawk, Always a Jayhawk!

Former KU standout Thomas Robinson persevered through extreme adversity

In Part II on Thomas Robinson, I include this feature I wrote on him in the March 2011 issue of Kansas City Sports & Fitness.

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KU's Robinson overcomes tragedy

Thomas Robinson’s life changed forever at approximately 11 p.m. on Jan. 21.

That’s when Robinson’s 7-year-old sister Jayla called from home in Washington, D.C., to tell her older brother and KU sophomore forward that their mother, Lisa, had just died of an apparent heart attack.

Lisa was just 43.

Robinson’s teammates, the KU coaching staff, and some of the players’ mothers soon gathered in Robinson’s Jayhawker Towers apartment to console and support him through the dark night. Junior guard Tyshawn Taylor’s mother, Jeanell, massaged Robinson’s back as he sobbed uncontrollably. The entire team cried. They mourned. They came together as a family.

“It was the saddest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” KU coach Bill Self said, “but it was probably something that was humbling and made you proud because those kids and family and everybody do care about each other an awful lot.”

Robinson, who had lost his mother, grandmother and grandfather within a three-week period, played against Texas the next day in KU’s first loss of the season.

“He’s a stud,” Self said afterwards. “For him to even be out there is remarkable. ... How his life has changed so much overnight, it’s a pretty sad thing. People deal with it all the time and he’ll deal with it like a man. Still, your heart certainly hurts for him and his family.”

Suddenly, at age 19, Robinson had just his baby sister and older half-brother Jamah left in his immediate family. As the man of the house, Robinson went back home with KU director of basketball operations Barry Hinson and Angel Morris (mother of teammates’ Marcus and Markieff Morris) to Washington, D.C., to handle funeral arrangements. He picked out the casket and the clothes for his mother.

The entire team and staff attended the funeral at Antioch Baptist Church before an overflow gathering of about 200 people to help Robinson say goodbye to his mom one final time. Prior to the service, Robinson, Jamah and Jayla placed a white rose into their mother’s casket, while Robinson also placed a KU basketball jersey there and Jayla placed a stuffed toy Jayhawk next to Lisa.

“It was a beautiful service,” Self said. “It was sad, but also very uplifting. It was great to see that Lisa had so many family and friends come to pay their respects and pay tribute to her. I know our team was very glad and proud that we were able to come.”

Indeed, they were.

 

“We’re family, and this is something we wanted to do for Thomas,” senior guard Tyrel Reed said. “Thomas is our brother and he and Jayla are hurting. We’ll do anything we can to make sure they get through this. Our support will continue for them in the future; we want what is best for them. We want them to be in the best situation and have the utmost opportunities.”

Two days later, Robinson honored his mother by playing one of the best games of his career in KU’s emotional 90-66 victory over K-State in Allen Fieldhouse, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 20 minutes.

He dunked again and again. He battled under the boards. He even scored six straight points in a 54-second span during the second half.

It was one of the most inspirational and courageous performance ever displayed by a Jayhawk.

“I played tonight because I cannot sit around too long,” the 6-9, 237-pound Washington, D.C., native said afterwards. “I know my mother wouldn’t want me to sit around crying forever, but I keep going on and striving to reach my goals.”

The fans cheered his every move and every play, giving him a standing ovation when he entered the game at the 16:47 mark of the first half and the last time he left the contest with 1:04 remaining.

“That’s a special moment, that’s one he will never forget,” Self said. “We’re really proud of him and our team is really happy for him. This was an extra special game, not because it was K-State, but because it was one that probably for the first time, he had an opportunity to play for his mother.”

Robinson waved to the fans and blew a kiss when he left the game for the final time to say thanks for their overwhelming support.

“We have great people all across Kansas,” Robinson said. “This past month really has opened my eyes to how amazing this place is. It is beyond words to describe how I feel and the love that I have for the University of Kansas and the fans.

“The support that I received was beyond amazing, and the support is still coming,” Robinson added. “I know that I cannot physically say thank you to every person that has helped me, but if this could get out I just want to thank people that have tried to reach out to me or thought about me.”

The support has come from coast to coast as Robinson’s and Jayla’s plight became a national story, gripping the hearts of basketball fans and non-hoops fans alike. KU fans have reached out and even wanted to adopt Jayla, who for now, is living with her dad in D.C., while a college scholarship fund in her mother’s name has been set up for her by the family.

Over a thousand miles away here in Lawrence, Robinson continues to go about his business with a heavy heart. He has been a rock through this ordeal and somehow managing to have a smile on his face while playing the best basketball of his career in the four games following his mother’s funeral and emerging as one of the big sixth men in college basketball before persevering through more misfortune when he underwent surgery on Feb. 11 to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee.

Robinson (8.7 points and 6.4 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game), who showed his unwavering spirit by remarkably bouncing back and playing 10 days later against Oklahoma State, averaged 12.8 points on 80 percent field-goal shooting (20-25) during that four-game stretch while shooting 73.7 percent from the free-throw line the last three games. Robinson is a 52.6 percent free-throw shooter for the season.

Self said T-Rob had been “more aggressive” and “putting himself in position to score.” 

“I think he’s a little bit more focused than what he was,” Self said. “I think reality has slapped him in the face. He’s playing for much more than himself right now. It’s going to be his obligation in someway shape or form to make sure his younger sister’s life is good, well beyond age 10, 12, 15, and he has a responsibility towards that. That’s what his mother would want, so I see a pretty good focus on him.”

Robinson will be a pivotal factor this March as the Jayhawks hope to make a big splash in the NCAA tournament. But no matter how far KU goes this postseason, Robinson has already passed his biggest test by overcoming extreme adversity and triumphing of the human spirit.

That’s won him great admiration from fans, his teammates, and coaches.

“I always liked him,” Self said. “I like all our guys. Thomas is a guy I really, really liked. Then after seeing how he’s handled everything, I think he’s become an unbelievable young man in a short amount of time. He’s a guy you go from like to really respecting. It’s one thing to like somebody, but it’s another thing to respect their core and who they are. He’s certainly got all of our respect in our locker room.”

Lisa Robinson would be proud.

Thomas Robinson played for the love of his Mom

Thomas Robinson seemed destined for NBA stardom after a standout career at Kansas, where he was named a consensus first-team All-American his junior year and led KU to the national title game. Robinson averaged 17.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game that magical season.

I interviewed an NBA scout before the 2012 NBA Draft, and he was extremely high on Robinson.

“He will have a strong chance at putting up good numbers immediately and I would expect him to be in the ROY (Rookie of Year) discussion,” the scout wrote in an email while comparing Robinson to then-Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap, who earned his third straight All-Star appearance that season.

“(He) could be a double-double guy and a starter for 10 years,” the scout added about Robinson. “Probably not a perennial all star but could be a one-two time all star.”

This scout loved Robinson’s game.

“(He’s) physical, rebounds, competitive, improved offensive talent,” the scout wrote.

Many observers believed Robinson could go as high as No. 2 in the draft to Charlotte. However, Sacramento picked him at No. 5 and then gave up on him after 51 games and traded him to Houston.

Seven years after he was drafted with tremendous fanfare, Robinson is out of the NBA. Since leaving the NBA in 2017 after a year with the Los Angeles Lakers, the former KU star has played in Russia, China, and most recently with the Maine Red Claws of the G-League in 2019, averaging 19.0 points and 13.5 rebounds in four games.

The 6-9 forward with a high motor played with six teams during five NBA seasons, starting just 12 out of 313 games and averaging 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per contest. He recently competed for the San Antonio Spurs in Salt Lake City and the Las Vegas Summer League in hopes of making an NBA comeback, averaging 9.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 60 percent from the floor and just below 80 percent from the free throw line.

Robinson talked about what he was trying to do in Summer League.

“Honestly, I’m not trying to show that I could do anything different,” he told poundingtherock.com on July 15. “I’m not scared to shoot it. I just want to show that I am doing everything they ask me to do the first time. That’s pretty much the plan. To get everyone’s attention. I’m not 30, and I’m not about to pass away. I’m not old. I’m still young. I still got plenty of years left in me. I’m just happy to be here.”

In Salt Lake City, second-year Spurs’ player Lonnie Walker IV spoke highly of Robinson. Walker said Robinson was “a great guy. He’s shown me his work ethic is impeccable. He’s making me work harder, he’s a true motivation . . . I’m grateful to have a guy like that to be able to talk to and still learn things.”

Robinson isn’t at all resentful of how his NBA career has panned out.

“I’ve accepted my route,” Robinson said. “I’m fine with how things went. I wouldn’t change anything. It made me more mature. It made me smarter. It made me more grateful.”

According to Jeph Duarte of poundingtherock.com, Robinson was “eventually told that he lacked the basketball IQ to truly compete.”

“It’s hard when you tell somebody to work on their IQ. Because how do you do that? It’s terminology and knowing the right places to be and just watching the game,” Robinson said. “You have to know the game. I’ve been a raw talent all my life, so I got this far by not having to know certain things or do certain things. That’s been the case with me.”

While his NBA career hasn’t been successful thus far, Robinson was simply unstoppable at Kansas his junior year while working his way through the big man rotation his first two seasons.

He ranks No. 1 in KU history for double-doubles (27) in a single season in 2012 and his 11.9 rebound average that year ranks No. 8 for a season. Robinson ranks No. 55 on KU’s career scoring charts and No. 15 in rebounding.

He will eventually receive the ultimate honor and have his jersey retired in the Allen Fieldhouse rafters.

Regardless of what happens next in Robinson’s basketball career, he is already a resounding success for how much adversity he’s overcome during his life. His mom, grandmother and grandfather died within three weeks during his sophomore season. He played against Texas a day after his mom, Lisa, died, and he competed versus K-State two days after her funeral.

It was simply a courageous act to be on the court both times. I wrote about Robinson’s heroic performance against KSU on Phog.net on Feb. 2, 2011, the most inspirational performance by a  Jayhawk that I’ve ever witnessed in 46 years of following KU basketball.

Here is that story.

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A Son To Be Proud Of

DAVID GARFIELD

02/02/2011

Phog.net

Three hours after Thomas Robinson waved to the fans and blew a kiss after leaving the KU-K-State game with just over a minute remaining, all the cheers and chants of "Let's Go T-Rob" in Allen Fieldhouse still echoed in my mind.

As I drove my car with the radio amped to the grocery store on this cold winter Saturday night in Lawrence, I felt the chills. And it wasn't because of the weather. These were deep, cold chills, the kind you get when you've just seen something so extraordinary, so magical and mesmerizing that you don't know if you'll ever see again.

The kind of chills you get after witnessing probably the most inspirational and courageous performance I've ever seen by a KU basketball player in 38 years of following Jayhawks hoops.

Eight days after Thomas Robinson's mother, Lisa, died of an apparent heart attack in Washington, D.C., and just two days after her funeral, Robinson put on a jaw-dropping show with 17 points and nine rebounds in KU's 90-66 victory.

He dunked. Again and again. He battled under the boards. He shocked the fieldhouse by swishing an 18-foot jumper just below the top of the key, capping six straight points in a 54-second span during the second half.

And with every dunk, with every rebound, with every point, with every sprint down famed James Naismith Court, Robinson honored his mother with one of the best games of his life.

For two hours, Robinson could forget about his pain and play the game he loved. For two hours, Robinson had fun and joy with his teammates and lost himself in the moment. For two hours, he showed the fans how much he cared for their support during this trying time, where he lost his mother, grandmother, and grandfather within three weeks.

And for two hours, Robinson played a game that he and the 16,300 fans will never forget.

I know I never will.

The grieving process can be a long and hard road, and sometimes even unbearable with pain and heartache. I know this was the case for me when I lost a loved one 17 years ago on Jan. 8, 1994. I cried constantly. I lost my joy. I lost my way of life. I was gripped with sadness and grief for a whole year. I could never have played a basketball game the day after my loss or two days after the funeral.

But that's what Robinson did. First, he played in the Texas game on Jan. 22 following the death of his mom the previous night, and then he came up huge against KSU two days after saying goodbye to Lisa one final time at her funeral.

"I played tonight because I cannot sit around too long," Robinson said after the K-State game. "I know my mother wouldn't want me to sit around crying forever, but I keep going on and striving to reach my goals."

It will be a long journey ahead for him, his 7-year-old sister, Jayla, and also his half-brother, Jamah. But Robinson knows he will have the love of the Jayhawk Nation supporting him and his family every step of the way.

"We have great people all across Kansas," Robinson said. "This past month really has opened my eyes to how amazing this place is. It is beyond words to describe how I feel and the love that I have for the University of Kansas and the fans.

"The support that I received was beyond amazing, and the support is still coming," Robinson added. "I know that I cannot physically say thank you to every person that has helped me, but if this could get out I just want to thank people that have tried to reach out to me or thought about me."

As I drove my car after the game, I couldn't help think about an ex-Jayhawk who also showed triumph of the human spirit. Jerod Haase, a standout guard from 1994-97, scored 16 points and dished out five assists in 30 minutes against UCLA as a freshman playing for California on Jan. 24, 1993, just a day after the unexpected death of his dad, Gary.

"He's one courageous kid," Cal Coach Lou Campanelli told the Los Angeles Times after the game.

Haase's effort earned him "Most Courageous Performance" by USA Today.

Almost exactly 18 years later, Robinson displayed tremendous courage and heart in helping KU beat its Sunflower rival and start a new homecourt winning streak.

"What a night Thomas had," KU coach Bill Self said. "He was unbelievable. He was so fired up and played so hard. That was a special deal for him. The fans here are incredible, how they recognized him when he checked in (standing ovation at the 16:47 mark of the first half) and how they recognized him when he checked out. That's a special moment, that's one he will never forget. We're really proud of him and our team is really happy for him." 

Self could tell Robinson was driven and on a mission.

"I think he's focused," Self said. "He's been through a lot and it's a unique thing, but this was an extra special game, not because it was K-State, but because it was one that probably for the first time, he had an opportunity to play for his mother."

And he did so in a way that I bet every fan in the Phog felt the same chills that I did. Above all, with his courageous and heroic play, Robinson took a giant first step in the grieving process.

Lisa Robinson would be proud.

Emmett Edwards ranks as one of best wide receivers in KU history

You just never forget your first childhood heroes; they stay a close part of you forever. That’s why I’ll never forget former KU star wide receiver Emmett Edwards, one of the all-time KU football greats. Emmett was my first KU football hero and he brightened my childhood immensely.

I was just 7 years old when I first saw Edwards play in the fall of 1973. I can still close my eyes and see Edwards sprinting down the right sideline and catching a bomb from quarterback David Jaynes. This memory still makes me smile and think back to happy times at Memorial Stadium.

Edwards finished his magical career in 1974 as KU’s all-time leader in receptions (105) and yardage (1,808). Despite playing only three years (freshmen were ineligible back then), this former world-class sprinter currently ranks No. 6 in career yardage and No. 11 in career receptions.

Edwards, a Kansas City native, also ranks No. 1 in average yards per catch (17.2) with a minimum of 100 catches. His career-best 49 receptions in 1973 ranks No. 14 for a single season. Edwards would rank even higher in the KU record books had the Jayhawks not gone to a wishbone offense in 1974, when Edwards caught a team-high 30 passes.

He was named All-Big Eight in 1973 and 1974, and was a ‘74 Sporting News first-team All-American. Edwards, who was a member of the 1973 Liberty Bowl squad, was also named to the all-time KU team.

Edwards and Bruce Adams comprised one of the best receiving duos in KU annals.

I soon thought of Emmett when my editor at Jayhawk Insider Lauretta McMillen asked me to write the Where are they Now? profiles on former KU athletes in the summer of 1999. That was a dream come true. I immediately walked out of my home, smiled and took a deep breath. I had always wanted to write these profiles, and now I was finally getting my chance.

Since it was August with football season upon us, the first person I thought of calling for my Where are they Now? interview was Emmett. We had a wonderful conversation about his KU career, his short stint in the NFL, where he teamed with O.J. Simpson for one season in Buffalo, and what he’s been up to since his football career ended.

I felt a great sense of satisfaction and happiness interviewing my childhood hero. Emmett couldn’t have been any kinder.

Here is that Where are they Now? story on Emmett Edwards, the first one I ever wrote for Jayhawk Insider.

...

Emmett Edwards will never forget the phone call he received from Don Fambrough in 1971. Fambrough, who was beginning his first year as Kansas head football coach, called Edwards to talk about the pros and cons of redshirting that season.

“He told me, ‘Well Emmett, you could redshirt, and you never know, you could have a career like O.J. Simpson.’ I said, ‘That’s a pretty good one, coach.’”

Edwards, who eventually redshirted and became one of the greatest football players in KU history, didn’t think too much about his talk with Fambrough at the time until five years later when he began his second and final season in the NFL.  

Edwards had just been traded to the Buffalo Bills by the Houston Oilers, where he played his rookie season. On his first day in Buffalo, Edwards held court with a group of reporters in the Bills’ locker room.

“A guy just asked me about Gale Sayers,” Edwards said from his home in Lee’s Summit, Mo. “As I was saying Gale this and Gale that, he (Simpson) comes in. Everybody just stopped. My mind immediately went back to what Don Fambrough said. All of a sudden, one of the reporters asked, ‘What about O.J. Simpson?’ I said, ‘Well, he’s pretty good, too.’”

Edwards, who concluded his career as the all-time leading receiver in KU history (he now ranks third), caught two passes for 53 yards with the Bills in 1976, and was waived the following year. Edwards then relocated from Houston back to his native Kansas City. After an unsuccessful tryout with the Chiefs, he waited patiently for another team to call. 

It never came.

 

Edwards, who received his degree in social studies education in 1975, moved on with his life. He spent five years as a middle school teacher in the Kansas City school district. Then, in 1983, he changed career paths again and went to work at Allied Signal in Olathe. He has been there ever since. 

 

As production control specialist, Edwards’ job is to formulate a plan on getting the electronic and avionic products through the processing system and out the door to the customer.

He explains why he made the jump from teaching to Allied Signal.

“I liked to teach, but teaching, you start out low man on the totem pole,” Edwards said. “It was moving a little slow.”

Nobody could ever excuse Edwards of being slow. A product of Kansas City Central High School, Edwards made his name at KU with his blazing speed in both football and track. He culminated a stellar track career in 1974 by anchoring Kansas to the NCAA championship in the 440-yard relay at Austin, Texas.

“That was the king of the hill,” he said.

Of course, Edwards is best known for his feats on the gridiron. He was all-Big Eight in 1973 and 1974, and a first-team Sporting News All-American in 1974. Edwards actually had his best season in 1973, when he caught 49 passes for 802 yards in helping lead KU to a berth in the Liberty Bowl. He has fond memories of that year, especially the thrilling stretch run. KU beat Iowa State (22-20), Colorado (17-15) and Missouri (14-13) in three of its final five games.

 

“Everyone was bringing all they had to bring,” Edwards said. “I just give credit to the coaching and everyone living up to the Kansas tradition.” 

Edwards, 47, feels blessed to be a part of this rich tradition at Mount Oread.

 

“It was a great experience, and one I wish everyone could witness and be a part of,” he said. 

While he wishes he could have duplicated his success at KU in the NFL, Edwards is at peace with himself. He said he loved playing with Simpson in Buffalo. It seems the two hit it off after the first day they saw each other in the Bills’ locker room. Simpson respected Sayers and “knew about everyone from Kansas.” 

“We had a lot of things in common,” Edwards said. “He really wasn’t a big talker. What I liked about him was that he showed by example. He was probably like Gale — no-nonsense player. He was low-keyed and you could talk to him. He treated everyone fairly. I felt he had a big heart.”

Edwards doesn’t have too much time to think about the past. He keeps an active lifestyle working at Allied Signal, spending time with his daughter, Mia, and playing golf. As for the future, he does have one major goal he’d like to accomplish.

“I’d like to get down to a six or seven handicap,” Edwards said.

A Closer Look at Emmett Edwards

Years At KU: 1970-1974 (played on the freshman team in 1970 and redshirted in ‘71)

Career notables: All-Big Eight in 1973 and 1974...A 1974 Sporting News first-team All-American...Third-leading receiver in KU history...Member of the 1973 Liberty Bowl squad... Named to the all-time KU team.

Family: Edwards, who is divorced, has three children — Emmett IV, 29, Micheala, 23, and Mia, 13.

Education: B.S.E in social studies education, 1975.

Since Leaving KU: Edwards played two years in the NFL with the Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills. Waived by the Bills in 1977, Edwards moved back to his native Kansas City. He taught middle school in the Kansas City school district for five years until 1983, when he changed careers and began working at Allied Signal in Olathe.

Currently: Edwards is production control specialist at Allied Signal, and also owns some rental property in Lee's Summit.

Hobbies: Avid weekend golfer (12 to 15 handicap).

Favorite KU Memories: The run to the Liberty Bowl in 1973, when KU beat Iowa State, Colorado and Missouri in three of its final five games...Winning the 440-yard relay in the NCAA track championship in 1974...Meeting such great players as John Hadl, John Riggins and Gale Sayers.

On The Jayhawks Today: “Hopefully, he (coach Terry Allen) can get his program to a level where he wants it and what the fans of Kansas are used to. I think they have a good nucleus of young players.”

John Parker was the co-captain and point guard who helped lead KU to the 1957 NCAA title game

I had a wonderful Where are they Now? interview with John Parker in 2001 for Jayhawk Insider, co-captain of the great 1956-57 KU team. He was the point guard and leader, and got all his teammates into their sets.

Parker achieved his lifetime dream of playing for KU and coach Phog Allen and then Dick Harp his senior season. At the time of our interview, Parker was battling multiple sclerosis and couldn’t walk. He was noticeably frustrated by this, but reveling this night about watching his beloved Jayhawks on TV after our interview.

Sadly, Parker passed in March 2005.

Dr. Ken Johnson, an author and KU graduate, wrote a tribute to Parker on hoopzone.net after Parker died.

"John Parker, former starting point guard on Kansas’ 1956-57 squad, recently died of multiple sclerosis at age 70. As a sophomore at Topeka High in ’57, I had the opportunity to see Parker in action, gaining admiration for his determination, leadership and dignity on and off the court. Parker, along with future KU teammate Gene Elstun, led his Shawnee-Mission North team to the 1953 state basketball championship. 

"Recruited by Phog Allen, 6’0 Parker was a three-year part-time starter and letterman on the 55-57 teams. He wasn’t flashy and didn’t pile up big numbers (his career scoring average was 4.8ppg), but he provided steady leadership to the Wilt Chamberlain-led Jayhawks in ’57, directing the Jayhawks all the way to the NCAA championship game against North Carolina; a game that many feel was the best NCAA final game ever.

"While at KU, Parker also was an accomplished javelin thrower for the Jayhawks’ track squad. He also helped pave the way for racial integration at KU, confronting the adversity faced by teammates Maurice King and Wilt Chamberlain, the first two black starters in what was then the Big Seven conference. 

"In Max Falkenstein’s book, Max and the Jayhawks, Parker reported on the racial tensions KU faced that year.  'Wilt and his brash talent came along, and racial tensions, particularly in the traditionally southern states like Missouri and Oklahoma, escalated. Officials would often ignore blatant fouls committed against black players, and opposing schools waved Confederate flags and played “Dixie.”

"Parker further reported that 'None of us could have imagined the atmosphere awaiting the team at the 1957 Midwest Regionals. The tournament hotel refused to accommodate blacks, so we stayed at a dingy motel miles away. No restaurant would serve us, so we took all our meals together in a private room. Our first game was against our hosts, the fifth-ranked and all-white SMU Mustangs. SMU was undefeated in its new fieldhouse, an it was easy to see why. Their crowd was brutal. We were spat upon, pelted with debris, and subjected to the vilest racial epithets imaginable. The officials did little to maintain order. There were so many uncalled fouls, each more outrageous than the last, that Maurice and Wilt risked serious injury simply by staying in the game. And, incredibly, they responded to some of the best basketball of their lives. We escaped with a 73-65 overtime win.'

"All Jayhawk basketball fans owe tribute to Parker, not only for leading one of KU’s best basketball teams ever, but for helping break the color barrier in sports."

Here is a wonderful excerpt from Robert Cherry’s 2004 book: “Wilt: Larger than Life.” It details a very positive reunion between Parker and The Big Dipper.

“One year I was on vacation in Phoenix when the Lakers were in town,” Parker told Cherry. “I called up and asked for Wilt Chamberlain. They said, ‘He’s not taking any calls.’

“I said, ‘OK, tell him John Parker called and here’s my number. Ask him to call me back.’

“And within a few minutes, Wilt called. I said, ‘Wilt, this is John. I’m down here with my wife and I wanted to know if you could give me a couple of tickets to come to the game.’

“He said, ‘I’d love to. When you get there, just ask at the ticket counter, and I’ll leave a couple of tickets for you. I want you to meet me after the game.’

“When I met Wilt after the game, he said he wanted me to meet his teammates, and he took me in the locker room. There was Jerry West and all the guys he played with. He introduced me and said, ‘This is Johnny Parker, who was captain of our 1957 team.’

“That’s the kind of guy Wilt was---a really good guy.”

Parker was inducted into the Shawnee Mission North Hall of Fame in 2014.

From his bio: "He was quarterback on the top ranked football team for two years and starting guard on the basketball team for two years as well as state champion in the javelin in 1953. He went on to play basketball at KU and was co-captain of the 1957 team that lost to North Carolina in the national championship game."

Here is my Where are they Now? story on the great John Parker.

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John Parker grew up in Mission, Kan. dreaming of donning the crimson and blue and playing for Phog Allen. He admits he didn’t go to many home basketball games in Hoch Auditorium since “it didn’t seat many people and it was hard to get a ticket.” So Parker spent many cold winter nights at home listening to Max Falkenstien on the radio and cheering for his heroes like Charlie Hoag and Gil Reich.

After winning the state championship at Shawnee Mission North in 1953, Parker (along with high school teammate Gene Elstun) followed his dream and accepted a scholarship at Mount Oread. Although KU had won the NCAA championship in 1952 and finished runner-up in ‘53, Parker said he never envisioned playing for a national title.

This all changed when a 7-footer from Philadelphia named Wilton Chamberlain arrived on campus in 1955 and became eligible for varsity competition for the 1956-57 season.

“After we got to KU and got Wilt, we thought we could probably win every game we played, which we almost did,” said Parker, a 6-foot point guard and three-year starter. “We had some good players before Wilt came, but he made all the difference in the world.”

Indeed, he did.

A fiery leader and “savage little battler,” Parker played his sophomore and junior seasons on teams that finished fifth in the Big Seven. He entered his senior campaign as co-captain and relishing the opportunity of teaming with Chamberlain. With players like Maurice King, Elstun and Ron Loneski added to the mix, KU seemed invincible.

“Every game we played in Allen Fieldhouse was sold to capacity,” Parker said recently from his home in Kansas City. “They had standing room only. I don’t know how many they crammed in there, but I think somebody said one game they got about 18,000. Those home games were quite a scene. We never lost a game in Allen Fieldhouse.”

Kansas lost just two games all season (total of four points) before entering the NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional in Dallas, Texas. After beating host school SMU in overtime (73-65), the Jayhawks breezed past Oklahoma City to advance to the Final Four in Kansas City. KU’s victories came in a violent environment in the segregated South.  

“They didn’t like Wilt or Maurice King (KU’s two African-American players),” Parker said. “They threw coins and food on the floor. The athletic director (SMU) had to come out and tell the crowd if anything else hit the floor, he was going to forfeit the game for KU. ...The fans were terrible. They cussed and spit on everybody. It was terrible the way they treated Wilt and Maurice. I’d never been around anything like that, and of course, neither had they. They kind of broke the barrier, I think. From then on, I think things got better between blacks and the people in the South.”

After the Jayhawks beat defending NCAA champion San Francisco in the Final Four, Chamberlain, Parker and company were primed for their title match with North Carolina. Parker can still vividly recall practically each segment of the game, especially the last few seconds of regulation.

“Still to this day, they called a foul on Maurice at the end of the game and I don’t think he fouled anybody,” Parker said. “They shot and I got the rebound, and the official blew his whistle and called a foul on Maurice King. He wasn't even close to anybody. I have never been able to understand that.”

North Carolina, which made a free throw to send the game into overtime, eventually won the championship (54-53) in three OT’s.

“It was a terrible way to lose the national championship,” Parker said. “I don’t feel like we lost it. I feel like we got it stolen from us.”

Parker, who admits the game haunted him for many years, moved on with his life. After getting married and receiving a business administration degree in 1957, he played five games for the new Kansas City team in the N.I.B.A. Parker then spent two years in the Army before entering the oil business in Hutchinson. In 1963, he changed professions and became involved in the restaurant industry as owner of Taco Grande. Parker was responsible for 10 franchises in central and western Kansas.

“It kept you busy and occupied, and I made a little money,” Parker said.

About two years ago, Parker was forced to retire due to multiple sclerosis (he was first diagnosed with MS in 1960). 

“It just got progressively worse,” he said. “Now, I can’t walk. When you can’t walk, you need a lot of help.”

The former Jayhawk sharp-shooter finds comfort reliving his days on the Hill. Despite the bitter loss to North Carolina over 40 years ago, Parker looks back with great pride knowing the 1956-57 KU squad is generally regarded as one of the top 25 teams to ever play college basketball and told American Heritage that “our regional title in the segregated South did more for the game than any national championship has ever done.”

“I’m glad I had some small role in challenging the inequities of the day,” Parker said. “And I’m honored to have been associated with some of the bravest men ever to don a basketball uniform.” 

A Closer Look at John Parker:

Years at KU: 1953-57

Career Notables: Co-Captain on 1956-57 Final Four Team...Second on team in field goal percentage in 1957 (45.5 percent)...career-high 21 points vs. K-State on March 6, 1956...Lettered in track (javelin) three years.

Family: Parker has five children and eight grandkids.

Education: 1957, B.S. Business Administration.

Since Leaving KU: Parker spent two years in the Army before moving to Hutchinson and working in the oil business. In 1963, he changed professions and worked in the restaurant industry as owner of Taco Grande until retiring two years ago.

Currently: Parker is retired and lives in Kansas City.

Hobbies: Watching sports on television...Ex golfer.

Favorite Memories:  Wilt Chamberlain’s varsity debut against Northwestern on Dec. 3, 1956. “I thought that was probably the best game (school record 52 points) he played.” ... Inaugurating Allen Fieldhouse on  March 1, 1955 against K-State. “We won the game. K-State was favored to win. Dedicating Allen Fieldhouse, that was quite a deal. At the time, it was the biggest fieldhouse in the United States.”

On the Jayhawks Today: “I’m really proud of Roy (Williams) because he’s carrying on the Kansas tradition. He’s got a great team this year, a team I think could make the Final Four.”