1973-74 Jayhawks were a Team: Coach Ted Owens and players planning a 50-year reunion to celebrate their time in the spotlight.

This story was published in KU Today & Tomorrow (2023-24 edition) about the 50th anniversary of the miracle 1973-74 Final Four Jayhawks, the "Comeback Kids." Thanks so much for my kind editor Jean Teller for giving me the go-ahead with this pitch and story. The 1973-74 Kansas basketball team was my first KU hoops love, and the memories of my childhood heroes like Rick Suttle, Norm Cook, Roger Morningstar, Dale Greenlee, Danny Knight, Tommie Smith and Tom Kivisto have stayed with me forever. This team, even though I was only 7 years old at the time, taught me to believe in miracles, that anything possible can happen. KU and head coach Ted Owens responded from a dismal 8-18 season in 1972-73 season and showed true toughness, tremendous chemistry, and most important, a beautiful brotherhood that remains strong 50 years later. A special thanks to my friend and childhood hero Dale Greenlee for a wonderful 90-minute interview reliving the joys of yesteryear. Dale is one of the kindest and most personable individual I’ve ever met!  I’m so grateful for Dale and the time he shared with me during this story, and also with our interviews and talks over the years. Dale sent me a highlight video of the 1974 and 1975 seasons in 2009, which proved invaluable to this story for its exclusive insight and some great quotes by Owens.

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On a beautiful July day in Indianapolis, Dale Greenlee has finished playing nine holes of golf (two birdies) with his daughter, Julie, who’s visiting from Atlanta. He’s looking forward to his 70th birthday in a couple of weeks.

 

Greenlee, branch manager in industrial sales for FCX Performance, treasures Julie’s birthday gift — an autographed basketball of NBA legend Julius Erving — as he thinks back 50 years ago and reflects on his 1973–74 Kansas basketball Final Four team (23–7). He and his teammates staged the most dramatic comeback in school annals and one of the biggest turnarounds from the previous season (8-18 in 1972-73) in NCAA history. The 1973-74 team was the first team in 23 years to earn a Final Four berth after a losing season.

 

“It seems like yesterday, especially when the NCAA Tournament starts,” Greenlee says. “It’s like it’s been a few years; the memories keep flooding back. I see Kansas playing in the tournament and think, ‘Oh my gosh, it wasn’t that long ago we were there, but it was.’ It makes you feel young when you watch KU. I think (Coach) Bill Self could put me in and maybe I could get one shot. I couldn’t guard anyone anymore.”

 

The Return Season

Greenlee, one of the fiercest competitors in KU history and once called the league’s “best pure shooter,” was a sophomore in 1972–73, playing on the team that lost every close game — a “season of challenges.”

 

The returnees completely “redoubled our dedication in the offseason ... to become a better basketball player,” and the “effort and quality of play in practice was better.”

 

With the top four scorers returning and the additions of sweet-shooting 6-foot-6 community college transfer Roger Morningstar and 6-foot-9 high school star Norm Cook, KU was still picked by area media to finish fifth or worse in the Big Eight.

 

KU coach Ted Owens, now age 93, was named Big 8 Coach of the Year five times during his tenure at KU. He started senior co-captain Tom Kivisto and Greenlee as guards, Morningstar and Cook as forwards, and junior center Danny Knight, with “Super Subs” 6-foot-10 Rick Suttle (team-high scorer in conference play) and 6-foot-4 Tommie Smith, who all gave instant spark when they rotated into play.

 

“The Comeback Kids” first routed Murray State, 103–71, during which Cook (Big 8 Freshman of the Year) had a magical freshman debut with 21 points (10–10 FG); then the team won a huge home battle with No. 10 Kentucky, 71–63.

 

“That was critical to our confidence,” Greenlee says. “We’re thinking, ‘We can play with anybody.’” 

 

After next losing at No. 3 Indiana, Greenlee says, “We played pretty well (going forward).” However, after losing to Colorado, 73–71, on December 26, 1973 — KU’s second straight loss — Kivisto told John Hendel in his 1991 book: Kansas Jayhawks: History-making Basketball,  that doubt crept in and he called a team meeting.

 

“We decided we’re going to go with some kids … who worked hard … (and) have a little bit of fun,” Kivisto said at the time.  

 

KU won 14 of the next 16 games, including a pivotal 72–71 win at Iowa on January 2, 1974. Kansas (0–7 in road games the previous season) finally won a close road game and against a Big Ten foe.

 

“This game made our season,” Kivisto said. He was an All-Big 8 and Academic All-American that year.

 

The close wins and tremendous team chemistry continued with five players averaging in double figures for the first time in school history. Knight was the team-high scorer at 12.4 points per game. Kivisto, a prep All-American, was the consummate leader who sacrificed scoring to help everyone.

 

“Tom was our most valuable player,” Greenlee says, “… and never happier when giving an assist.”

 

Playing on a “team without a star,” Greenlee remembers that “nobody cared who scored. We played like brothers. We were really a tight group, watched out, and cared about each other. We hung out off the court, my comrades in arms. You worked, practiced, traveled with, that’s a lifetime experience.”

 

Greenlee has warm memories of living with teammates at Jayhawker Towers, attending KU football games, and visiting the homes of Owens and assistants Sam Miranda and Duncan Reid. The coaches viewed the team as “family.”

 

The Big Eight Title

On March 6 at Allen Fieldhouse in what the Wichita Eagle termed “The Game of the Year,” KU beat K-State, 60–55, clinching the Big Eight title. Students stormed the court, the KU team cut down the nets, and the players were carried off the court. 

“We’ve won a lot of championships, but this means more than any we’ve ever had,” Owens said in the jubilant locker room.

 

“We went up on the Hill afterwards,” Greenlee says, where 7,000 fans celebrated at midnight. “Nobody wanted to sleep. It felt as if you almost won the national championship because you had to win the conference to get into the NCAA Tournament.”

 

The best was just beginning.

 

After KU beat Creighton, 55–54, in Tulsa during the Jayhawks’ opening game (they received a bye in the first round), the Kansas team went up against the high-scoring Oral Roberts squad for the Midwest Regional title on ORU’s home court, the Mabee Center, which remains “The Game” in Tulsa.

 

ORU led 81–74 with 3:19 left. The Jayhawks scored the last seven points to tie the game in regulation and went on to win 93–90 in overtime.

 

“We had a season when we’d come back a lot,” Greenlee says. “I’ll never forget the timeouts. I’d look at Kivisto. He’d look at me, we’d look at Roger, and Rick and Norm. We figured we’d do what we had to do to get back in it.”

 

The Jayhawks were overjoyed afterwards. Owens called the victory against a great team on its homecourt the “gutsiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

 

“You’ve climbed the next mountain,” Greenlee says now. “The first mountain was winning the conference. (Now) you’re standing at the peak of the mountain and ... moving on to the Final Four.”

 

In the 1991 Hendel book, Kivisto said, “It was as talented Final Four group, with the exception of our team, as there ever was in a Final Four.” The rosters of the Final Four teams included numerous future first-rouned NBA picks as as well as future Hall of Famers Bill Walton and David Thompson. The Final Four wasn’t near the huge media event it is today, so there was just a small sign at the Holiday Inn at Greensboro, North Carolina, where the Jayhawks were staying, that read: “Welcome, Kansas Jayhawks.” 

 

On March 23, No. 6 KU played No. 3 Marquette in the undercard game in Greensboro, while No. 1 N.C. State took on No. 2 UCLA in what was billed the “Dream Game.”

 

“We were thrilled to be there,” Greenlee says. Newspaper headlines used “Mystery Team” to describe Kansas.

 

After KU led 24-23 at halftime, Marquette coach Al McGuire directed his players to a full-court press on Kivisto and Kansas lost 64-51. In the 1991 book, Owens said, ‘We did not have a lot of other ballhandlers except Tom Kivisto, so what they did was full-court pressed and trapped him. It was good strategy on their part. They trapped him and took the ball out out of his hands and put the press of ball handling on other people…”

 

 The Jayhawks fell against UCLA in the consolation game, 78–61, after leading by eight points at halftime.

 

Even with both losses, the KU players felt immense pride though. Owens said later, “This team probably gave as many thrills and excitement in the great history of Kansas basketbalI. It was this kind of unity, spirit, and togetherness which made us such a great team.”

 

The Brotherhood

Greenlee says the team’s brotherhood remains strong.

 

“Definitely for life,” he says. “That’s not something that changes.”

 

The squad regularly comes back for reunions and is planning a 50-year reunion in Lawrence this season. Greenlee talks to his close friend Morningstar every week and speaks to to other teammates on a regular basis. He also keeps in touch with Owens. He says his former roommate Tommie Smith still calls him “roomie,” and the team has a group text.

 

“You slide right back into the relationships (at reunions),” Greenlee says. “There’s that feeling of joy, warmth, the hugs. You’re right back where you were in 1974.”

 

Greenlee can’t hold back his emotions when expressing what that miracle comeback season 50 years ago meant to him and his lifetime “brothers.”

 

“It was one of the greatest moments of my life,” he says. “I believe we had as good a group of guys that ever wore Kansas on their chests. I’m proud to have been part of that group.”

 

1973–74 Basketball

Overall Big 8                 Home    Away     Neutral Post-Season        NCAA Tournament

23-7      13-1, First          12-1      7-3        4-3        2-2                    2-2, Final Four

 

Note: This KU team had its 50-year reunion on Jan. 5, 2024 weekend. The 1973-74 Final Four Jayhawks were honored at halftime on James Naismith Court, when No. 2 KU played TCU at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 6. Hunter Dickinson scored with 3.4 seconds remaining, lifting the ‘Hawks over TCU 83-81. It was a great day to honor those (and my) beloved Jayhawks of 50 years ago! Thank you Coach Owens and all my heroes from that 1974 team. You made my childhood so might brighter and you are in my heart forever! Not only were you the consummate TEAM, you are great people. That's what counts in the end.

Blast from the past: Former Chiefs MVP Glenn Parker lends a helping hand to Special Olympics

I had the great opportunity to cover the Kansas City Chiefs in the late 1990s for Kansas City Sports Magazine. I can still close my eyes and flash back to yesteryear watching my Chiefs heroes like wide receiver Otis Taylor (I had a poster of him on my bedroom wall growing up) and dynamic running back Joe Delaney, who died a hero after drowning trying to rescue three children. Delaney, who did not know how to swim, died as he always lived his short life (age 24) — trying to help others and make a profound difference.

So it was a great thrill to cover my childhood team and write human interest stories on some great players and people like offensive lineman Glenn Parker and hard-hitting defensive back Chris Dishman. I also loved featuring some kind cheerleaders Michelle Reiter and Kimberly Roberts. I was very humbled when Michelle and Kim both called and thanked me for my stories on them when the articles were published. Michelle and I reconnected on Facebook many years ago, and it was so great to hear from her. I was so humbled and overwhelmed by her endorsement on LinkedIn and also when she called me an "inspiration." She is such a kind soul. Michelle, Kim, everyone who has ever been a cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs, and all the countless players who've donned the uniform, and, of course, the inspiring Hunt family — they are all great ambassadors for the franchise and helped make the Chiefs who they are today — not only Super Bowl winners, but with their humanitarian outreach into the community.

This story on one such humanitarian, Glenn Parker, was very moving to me. I had an hour sit-down interview with Glenn at Saturn of Kansas City in October 1999, talking to him about his volunteer work with Special Olympics, his early days playing football and being named Chiefs MVP for the 1998 season, while watching him genuinely interact with one Special Olympian and others in the dealership. I came away with our interview with great admiration for Glenn and what a wonderful and outstanding human being he is.

Here is that feature on Glenn Parker in Kansas City Sports Magazine. As I do with every story, I put my heart and soul into this one.

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By David Garfield

Glenn Parker watched with amazement and wonder last spring volunteering at the Special Olympics track and field competition at Blue Valley Northwest High School. He’ll never forget seeing the first Special Olympian storming through the finish line in the mile run, and then looking in the distance at the last athlete struggling two and a half laps behind.

“Yet, all those other kids waited and clapped and cheered him on,” Parker said. “That was very nice. The coaches were running with him and telling him to ‘finish, finish.’ He did it. It was neat.”

Parker isn’t used to people cheering for someone coming in last place. After all, the Kansas City Chiefs’ left tackle is in the high-pressured, money-making business of pro football, where “last” guys and teams don't finish first.

“When you play football for a living, you lose focus and sight of the fact that sports is supposed to be fun and supposed to be about the event and all the things that it can teach you about yourself and dealing with other people,” Parker said. “It’s all about money and winning now, and that’s not what it was originally for. All Special Olympians still see it as what it is. Again, it’s not about 80,000 people and millions of dollars. It’s about 20 people clapping, cheering, and having fun.”

Parker was hooked that memorable day handing out medals to all the competitors. He was even awarded himself with a lot of priceless hugs from some very “affectionate people.”

“That got me started and they asked me to be a spokesperson,” Parker said. “And here I am.”

Parker is here just past 4 p.m. this recent overcast Saturday afternoon at Saturn of Kansas City signing autographs and raising money for a cause quite dear to him. Through December 10, Parker is teaming with Special Olympics Missouri, law enforcement agencies, and Wolfe Automotive Group as the honorary chairman of a state-wide fund-raising campaign called “Win with Glenn.” Parker will be making personal appearances at all 10 participating Wolfe Automotive dealers and Saturn retailers in Kansas City.

The campaign is a raffle where four lucky winners will win tickets to the Chiefs-Pittsburgh Steelers home game on December 18. One of these four finalists will win one of five new cars from a Kansas City area Wolfe Automotive dealer or Saturn retailer. All proceeds from these $2 raffle tickets will benefit local Special Olympic athletes.

One Special Olympic athlete named Richard is in the dealership today watching his hero welcoming customers and telling them about the purpose of his appearance. Richard, a junior at Center High School, smiles contently along with the director of marketing and communications for Special Olympics Missouri, Diannah White, a local police officer, and a few dealership employees.

Sitting behind a nearby table casually dressed in a Nike hat, shorts, and a navy blue short-sleeved shirt, Parker certainly doesn’t look as imposing as he would staring menacingly into the eyes of a defensive lineman during game days. This 6-5, 313-pound giant, with his signature goatee, has actually been called a “teddy bear” by some people for his compassionate and gentle nature of the field.

Asked if his involvement with Special Olympics has changed his perspective on life and made him a better person, Parker answers candidly:

“It’s opened my eyes to a new segment of our population that you know is there, but until you deal with it, you kind of see it and say, ‘OK, I can do something. I can help.’ I’m not doing much. I’m lending my name and coming down and signing some autographs. But it’s going to help ...I would think if anything, it’s allowed me to be friends with some of these Olympians and people involved in this organization. It’s neat that I get to meet these people.”

Suddenly, an elderly woman walks into the store proudly holding a Chiefs shirt and football, which are decorated with countless autographs from current and former Kansas City players. “I got Marcus Allen,” she says. The woman now hands the shirt to Parker, who looks closely to find an open place to pen his name.

“There’s a spot on here someplace,” Parker says. “Here we are.”

With that matter of business at hand, Parker points out the raffle tickets to the woman. “I’ll do it, but I won’t win,” she says. The two continue talking and joking. The woman says she’s been a longtime Chiefs fan, but has never been to Arrowhead Stadium.

“We’ll have to get you down there, don’t we,” Parker says. “Yeah,” she responds cheerfully. The woman now puts her $2 on the table, picks up a raffle ticket, and says goodbye. “Thank you very much,” Parker says. “Thanks for coming out.”

As the woman leaves, Parker continues elaborating on his love for Special Olympics.

“It gives everyone of these Special Olympians a chance to compete at whatever sport they choose, and do it free without ever having to pay a dime,” Parker said. “That’s something I liked. I grew up playing every sport for free. There are fields everywhere in Southern California. These Olympians can get that chance.”

Parker grew up in sunny Huntington Beach, Calif., as the youngest of six siblings. He describes his childhood this way:  “Great loving family, a paradise to live in where I was. I’m thankful every day for what I had.”

While he really didn’t do any volunteer work in his youth, he now feels a unique responsibility and privilege as a professional athlete to serve others. Parker, who was active in charity work during his years with the Buffalo Bills (1990-1996), said he could act no other way. But was he aware of volunteerism growing up?

“As a kid, I was out playing at the beach and having fun,” Parker said. “I didn’t think about that stuff at all. But then you get older, you start to think about it.”

Parker spent a majority of his childhood living the good and carefree life — surfing at the beach, playing volleyball, basketball, and football. Surprisingly, he didn’t play organized sports or high school football. Well, he did play football briefly his freshman year in high school.

“I hated it,” he says, grinning  “I had a 300-pound 5-foot-5 coach screaming at me and telling me I was out of shape,” Parker said. “I said, ‘You know, I don’t need this,’ so I left. It just wasn’t fun. To me, sports was always fun growing up. When I got there, it was about killing, win, kill, and win.”

So Parker quit the team and went back to the beach. A few years later, he decided to give football another chance at Golden West Junior College in hometown Huntington Beach. The free-spirit beach boy had now matured and was able to handle life better.

“I realized I was able to look at it and say, ‘I want to get a scholarship. If I’m going to get a scholarship, I’m going to have to listen to these guys and I have to be coachable and do what they want, which was not a problem anyway. But I have to take the good with the bad. If they screamed at me, they screamed at me.’”

Fortunately, Parker had some great coaches who genuinely cared about him as a person and taught him about the “game of football and a lot about life in between. It took off and I did well. I got lucky.”

Parker earned a scholarship to the University of Arizona and played two years for the Wildcats (1988-1989) at offensive tackle. He was named All-Pac 10 as a senior in 1989.  His crowning achievement, however, was meeting his future wife, Casey O’Shaughnessy. Casey, a native of Buffalo, NY., had received a synchronized swimming scholarship to Arizona.

Parker, who actually dated Casey’s best friend in college, became very good friends himself with this athletic swimmer.  When Casey graduated from Arizona and moved back to Buffalo, Parker wondered if he’d ever see her again.

And then destiny reunited the two friends when Parker was drafted by the Bills in 1990. Their friendship blossomed into a romance, and they eventually married. Parker, who was brought up with good moral values in a very tight-knit family, had now taken another pivotal step in his life.

“I got the greatest wife in the world,” he said. “That further defines you because you’re never the same person after marriage as you were before. You change and you give and take, and you kind of mold. If I wasn’t a good person before, she’s made me a much better person.”

The couple now have two daughters — Madeleine, 4, and Emily, 2. Parker said the family does “everything that normal parents do,” such as go to the playground, picnics, movies, and shopping. Despite his grueling schedule as a professional athlete, this gourmet chef insists that the family have regular dinners together at home.

“We like our girls to be around the table with us and talking about the day,” Parker said.

As Parker talks thoughtfully about his family and greets new customers who walk into the dealership, the subject soon turns back to football. Asked his most memorable moment in his career, Parker, who played in four Super Bowls with the Bills, doesn’t hesitate.

“Getting elected MVP by my teammates last year,” he said. “That’s by far ... When your teammates decide you’re the guy, that’s quite an honor.”

Parker, who started games at left guard, left tackle and right tackle in 1998, became the first offensive lineman in franchise history to earn MVP. He recalls the emotional day last season when coach Marty Schottenheimer took him aside in the locker room and told him about the award just before their final home game against the Dallas Cowboys. Parker was so intent on playing that he didn’t get caught up in the moment. However, that all changed after the game when he was alone with his wife and dad.

Enjoying himself with a beer in the parking lot, Parker told them about being named MVP by his teammates.

“My wife broke down right there,” he said.

And then later when the couple got home, this giant teddy bear broke down and cried himself.

“Whenever you’re able just to relax and let it go, that’s when the emotional sweep comes over you,” Parker said.

With the 1999 campaign now in gear, Parker is hoping the Chiefs fortunes can change dramatically from last year’s 7-9 record.  He said the players have greater team unity and cohesiveness under new coach Gunther Cunningham.

“He wants us to see ourselves as a 47-man team rather than an offensive line, a defensive group, things like that,” Parker said. “He brings everybody in. Nobody’s down here or up here. We’re all in the middle.”

Parker lives for game days where he and his teammates have the “chance to put what you’ve learned all week into practice. Games are fun, especially when you win.  In this business, losing is no fun at all.”

He knows, though, that having fun on Sundays is a whole different world from the pure spontaneity and innocence he felt playing volleyball on the beach as a child or the warm hugs the Special Olympians share during a festive day of competition. While he would love to see professional sports return to this level, Parker realizes it is wishful dreaming.

“It will never go back,” he said. “It can’t, not with the money involved. It’s more of a business now than ever and it’s not turning around anytime soon, if at all.”

As the clock nears 5 p.m, Parker gets up from his chair and has some fun visiting with White and others.  Richard watches closely nearby while holding tightly to his autographed hat. He said he got two Chiefs cheerleaders signatures earlier that day at Price Chopper — “Cheers to you! Raquel” and  “Go KC! Jennifer,” who even drew a special heart by her name.

Is Richard going to get Parker’s autograph today?

“I’m a big fan of his,” Richard says, as he walks over to his hero and asks him for his signature. Parker, who notices the cheerleaders autographs, flashes a broad smile and says, “That’s better than mine any day.” He modestly autographs the hat and soon bids goodbye to Richard and everyone in the dealership. The people all wish him good luck in the home opener tomorrow against the Denver Broncos.

“See you next weekend,” Parker says. "Thanks for doing it,” White responds. “My pleasure. Take care of yourself,” Parker adds while leaving.

Richard’s mom, Mary, who arrived at Saturn of Kansas City about 4:45, can’t help but smile seeing Parker’s genuine enthusiasm toward Special Olympics and how much his presence here today means to her son.

“He’s a great guy,” she said. “I hope he comes out to the events because I think it’s already touched his heart to see them compete and be a part of it.  It’s really warmed me that he’s jumped on board.”

Dick Harp is my Hero

.                                                         KU Libraries Digital Collection
This article of mine was published in the Fall 2020 KANSAS! Magazine. I wanted to pay tribute to former KU basketball standout, assistant coach, and head coach Dick Harp as being a true pioneer and revolutionary. I fervently believe Dick has NEVER gotten the credit he justly has deserved as being a brilliant technician with "no superiors," said his assistant JerryWaugh (1956-60), and his pressure defense, which led Kansas to the 1952 NCAA title and revolutionized college basketball.

And ABOVE ALL, when Dick became head coach at KU in 1956, he began revolutionizing the college game with the recruitment of the black athlete. I learned about this in 1988 when I wrote my honors thesis my senior year at KU on Racial Participation and Integration in University of Kansas Men's Basketball: 1952-1975. By recruiting the best players, including the Black athletes before just about anyone else in the country, Dick was making a huge statement about racial equality and equal opportunity for equal ability. For that, Dick Harp is my forever hero!

 Bill Lienhard, who played under head coach Phog Allen and assistant coach Harp, with his senior year in '52 culminating in the national title and Olympic gold medal — and the late beloved father of my kind and sweet childhood friend and South Junior High tennis teammate, Amy, said of Dick after he passed in 2000:

"Dick was one of the most underrated coaches the college game has ever seen."

Bill, indeed Dick was! And he should never be forgotten for the contributions he made to not only his beloved alma mater, but to humanity and all of college basketball.

Dean Smith may have summed up Harp's character, integrity and who he was as a human being better than anyone, when he once called his former assistant coach at Kansas "one of the finest citizens this country has ever produced."

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When Kansas basketball lost two straight games in 1952 and trying to find its identity, head coach Phog Allen called his brilliant assistant Dick Harp into his office and told him to change the defense. Harp's response was to institute a innovative pressure defense, propelling KU to 13 straight victories, culminating in the national championship (28-3 record) and revolutionizing college basketball.

Soon, Harp's defense was being adopted on other courts. San Francisco coach Phil Woolpert visited Lawrence in the summer of 1953 to study Harp's defense and then applied it in winning two NCAA titles with Bill Russell in 1955 and '56. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden used Harp's defense and won a record 10 NCAA titles, including seven straight (1967-73). Wooden once said the "arrival of the Kansas pressure defense was one of the turning points in college basketball."

Harp, who did practically all the coaching in Allen's latter years and saw what the game was becoming, had already established a legacy as a true innovator and basketball genius before being tapped to replace Allen as head coach from 1956-64.

"Dick was one of the most underrated coaches the coaches the college game has ever seen," Bill Lienhard, a member of the 1952 Jayhawks, said in 2000 after Harp died.

Dean Smith, the late North Carolina Hall of Fame coach, once stated Harp "had the brightest basketball mind of everyone I've ever known." Smith, who also played on Harp's '52 team, wrote about that experience in his 1999 autobiography, A Coach's Life. "That team employed a great innovation: a pressure man-to-man defense that absolutely smothered opponents by overplaying. ...The idea was to cut off the passing lanes and make it hard to complete even the simplest pass. ...This was unheard of at the time, really the first instance of man pressure as we know it. And, Smith added, "The Kansas defense had a lasting influence on the game."

Now, more than 68 years later, virtually all college basketball teams play some version of Harp's defense.

Harp was also a great innovator in recruiting African American players in the early 1960s, when the majority of black athletes weren't given an equal opportunity. His former assistant coach, Jerry Waugh, respected how Harp's integration began with recruitment.

"How adamant Dick was when he took over (for Allen that) the black athlete would not be denied," Waugh says.

In 1962, only 45 percent of the country's collegiate teams had black players on their roster, and the average number of Blacks on integrated squads was just 2.2 Harp's 1959-60 team had four and his revolutionary 1960-61 team had seven, with four starters (a decision that defied unwritten codes to never play more than three Black athletes at any one time). This was five years before Texas Western made history with its all-Black starters beating all-white Kentucky for the 1966 NCAA championship.

An idealist, Harp was far ahead of his time. By comparison, the SEC didn't integrate until Perry Wallace became the first hoops player at Vanderbilt in 1968.

 Harp, a very religious man, also always brought equality to the pews by bringing his black players into white church services. "(He) integrated more churches in the United States than the Pope," Butch Ellison, a member of the 1959-60 and 1960-61 teams, said in 2007.

Kansas has many champions and legends. But Dick Harp should never be forgotten because of his revolutionary defense and unwavering commitment to racial equality.

— David Garfield

Tribute to my Forever Hero Dad and Allen Fieldhouse of Dreams

This story/essay appeared in Unmistakably Lawrence 2022. It is likely the most important story I've ever written in my life. The assignment was to pick my favorite place in Lawrence. I immediately thought of Allen Fieldhouse, where my magical dreams were born in 1973, when I began attending games with beloved Dad, who had purchased two season tickets shortly upon arriving to Lawrence in 1969, where he uprooted our family from New Rochelle, New York., home of the Dick Van Dyke show, Normal Rockwell, and Iona College. Since I was almost 3 years old when we moved to Lawrence, I have no memories of New Rochelle, just what I've seen of our huge 12-room house on film/DVD with bushels of leaves to be raked. 

My father, Goodwin "Goody," was recruited by Dean Arthur  "Artie" Katz of the KU School of Social Welfare to become professor at KU. Not to brag on my dad but he made it big in New York as a progressive social worker, who also taught classes at such unviversities as Hunter College. Dad rubbed shoulders with Pete Seeger (he used to see him perform, who Dad was friendly with, and performed twice for my Dad for a fundraiser at his non-profit agency) and Eleanor Roosevelt (she was my Dad's guest of honor at one fundraising event; my beautiful Mom told me once  she was in "awe" once she met Eleanor, a hero for all generations). Arthur promised my Dad  if he moved to Lawrence, he could teach full time at KU, earn tenure, and receive his Ph.D. All these promises turned true with Dad's dedication, relentless work ethic, and tremendous perseverence.. I don't know of any person who could earn their doctorate of any kind while teaching full time and raising a family. But my Dad did it. As consumed as he was with work, he was always there for our family. In the last one or two years of life, we were talking on the phone. He said as much work he had to do, he always made sure we went on a vacation each year. And I cherished those vacations to such places as Florida, California and Toronto. He also said, most fundamentally, at his very core, he always saw himself above all as a "family man." And, indeed, my beloved and forever hero Dad was just that!

My dad liked to say that Artie's big pitch to my dad was: "Everything is just 10 minutes away" in Lawrence. When you grew up in Toronto, when my mom was born and raised in Brooklyn, and my parents lived in an apartment on Bennett Avenue in Upper Manhattan before moving to New Rochelle, 10 minutes was a good and smart selling point by Arthur. He and his beautiful wife Ellie became quick and best of friends with my parents. My Mom worked as a field instructor at KU from 1970 to 2003, and my dad was a professor of social welfare from 1969-2003. They truly impacted thousands of lives through their teaching and mentorship, promoting social justice and progressive causes all their lives. As the current KU Dean of Social Welfare Michelle Mohr Carney emailed to me after Mom passed in January, 2023 my parents "were legends who were instrumental to the evolution of the school." While this, of course, is 100 percent true, I sincerely appreciate Michelle's kindness.

My parents are sadly gone, but their spirit and soul live eternally, and they are now reunited forever. I'm still devastated they have passed, with dad dying on March 11, 2021. While I picked Allen Fielhdouse for my tribute for this special story in 2022, it was honestly much more a tribute to my forever hero Dad, who raised me on KU hoops and we bonded over Kansas basketball for a lifetime. I will forever be grateful for him taking me to games, all those talks we had about different players, and who we thought could make the NBA, etc. Our relationship grew SO MUCH stronger attending games in Allen Fieldhouse for 21 years, and just truly a lifetime over bonding with the Jayhawks. Thank you Dad. Rest in Peace. And Rest in Peace, too, Mom. I love you both FOREVER. Thanks for all you did for me, and continue to do for me. I'm getting teary-eyed writing this.

Also, I would like to thank my wonderful and extremely kind  and gracious editor Nathan Pettingill for this assignment. I am very  grateful Nathan. It was such a personal story involving my Dad and also Allen Fieldhouse, and I loved the pic Nathan put in the story of both me and Dad.

 ...

 

After my father moved our family from New York to Lawrence, he purchased two season tickets to University of Kansas basketball games at Allen Fieldhouse. From 1973, I began joining him as a bright-eyed 7-year-old in a ritual that shaped my life and relationship with my father.

 

Going to the games, we’d always park our car on Emerald Drive, just off 19^th Street Terrace and then pass along the sidewalks of famed Naismith Drive. If we were late, I’d race across the field of untouched snow, battling the freezing winter and gasping for breath as I reached the entrance gates and entered the warm confines of Allen Fieldhouse.

 

Section 2, row 4, seat 3 is where I sat next to dad for 21 years. Once the game started, I could forget about any problems at school and live out my childhood dreams in my own secular house of worship.

 

I fell in love with tradition-rich Allen Fieldhouse. The chant of “Rock Chalk Jayhawk, KU” gave me chills and still echoes in my mind. And my heart was captured that first year when the 1973-74 made a run for the NCAA Final Four and I placed my new heroes, Rick Suttle, Norm Cook, Danny Knight, Dale Greenlee and Roger Morningstar on a pedestal.

 

My dad and I bonded over these games. We’d talk about whether Jayhawks like Donnie Von Moore and Herb Nobles could make the NBA and discuss our favorite players, including All-American Darnell Valentine. After Valentine graduated in 1981, Tony Guy and David Magley became my last childhood heroes, and my dad and I loved watching them play with passion and grace.

 

My all-time favorite moment happened on Dec. 12, 1981, when Kansas played powerhouse Kentucky. After Guy swished a 20-foot jumper from the top of the key in overtime, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I immediately turned and hugged my dad and didn’t want to let go. Though KU lost, I still cherish that hug with dad 40 years later and how Guy and the Jayhawks brought us closer together,

 

After graduating from high school in 1984, I attended KU and sat in the student section. One game during the 1985-86 season, I became so hyped that I yelled to my high school classmate Danny Manning, “C’mon Danny, take us to the Promised Land..” Manning heeded my call and led Kansas to the Final Four.

 

I moved back to my childhood seat after graduating from KU in 1988. Suddenly, I was at home again next to my dear dad, where I watched the next ten years of games before covering Kansas basketball as a journalist in 1998.

 

Through my life, Allen Fieldhouse has offered so much excitement and provided so many memories. While my amazing father, passed peacefully in his sleep on March 11 2021, I pray he died feeling the warm embrace we shared when Guy made that sweet shot against Kentucky.

            

You never forget your first love or that one special place that made you feel so alive. Allen Fieldhouse was where my childhood dreams were born 48 years with my father. The magical memories live on.

Sidebar:

 

Since Allen Fieldhouse opened on March 1, 1955, the University of Kansas men’s basketball has won 12 Final Four berths and two national titles, in 1988 and 2008. It is no exaggeration to say that KU owes its success, in large part, to this basketball cathedral and arguably the best home-court advantage in sports.

 

The building, which replaced 3,800-seat Hoch Auditorium and cost $2.5 million, is named after Forrest C. “Phog” Allen — “The Father of Basketballl Coaching” — who coached at KU for 39 years before retiring in 1956.

 

The fieldhouse—called the “monarch of the midlands” at the time—was the second-largest college basketball venue in the country behind Minnesota’s Williams Arena.

 

Mark D. Hersey wrote on the KU History website about the dedicatioin game against K-State in 1955 with an overflow crowd of 17,228, still a school record. “Shortly after the athletes had vacated the floor (at halftime), the lights in the building dimmed and a voice boomed across the darkness: “Tonight we are gathered to participate in the dedication of a building … this great new fieldhouse at the University of Kansas.”

 

KU won, 77-67, and afterward, Allen said, “Nothing’s ever touched me to the core like this. I only hope I’m a little bit worthy of it all.”

 

Former KU teammates and Max Falkenstien Blast Darnell Valentine

Darnell Valentine culminated his magical and tremendous career in 1981 as KU’s No. 2 all-time leading scorer (1,821 points) behind Clyde Lovellette, the school’s all-time assist leader with 609, while also ranking first in steals with 336 and free throws made (541).

Forty years later, his steals and free throws made still rank No. 1, while he is No. 7 in scoring and No. 6 in assists.

Valentine, a second-team AP All-American his senior year in 1981, averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 assists, 2.8 steals and 3.6 rebounds in 33.1 minutes per game over 118 contests during his career, while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 71.8 percent at the free throw line.

He is the only player in Big Eight history to be named first-team All-League four years, while also selected as a three-time Academic All-American. He achieved a 3.3 GPA in pre-law.

 

Valentine received the ultimate honor when his No. 14 jersey was retired for eternity in the hallowed Allen Fieldhouse rafters on Dec. 1, 2005 at halftime of the KU-Georgia Tech game.

 

“This is large, this is an incredible opportunity for me just to come back,” Valentine said before the game. “This is like the crowning moment for me. I don’t know how involved, or what my presence will be from this point forward, other than another time for them to recognize me. This is the crowning of my adult life right now.”

 

Asked about it taking 24 years since he left KU for his jersey to be retired, Valentine gave an eloquent reply.

 “I was just looking at the media guide. There was a gentleman in 1927 whose jersey was retired in 2002. I forget this name,” Valentine said. “That was a great era. ... Jo Jo, he left here in ‘69. His jersey wasn’t retired until 2001. It seems like 24 years is a nice place. I can certainly appreciate it and I can relish that it is happening now and come back and be excited about it and fully appreciate what it means.”

 D.V. definitely has a special place in his former KU coach Ted Owens’ heart. He couldn’t have been more elated to see his jersey retired.

 “Darnell Valentine is one of the greatest players we’ve ever had here,” Owens told the Jayhawk Radio Network on Jan. 1, 2005. 

“It’s a wonderful day. To see him honored is a blessing for all of us.”

 

Despite all of Valentine’s accomplishments, he also had critics. Former teammates Donnie Von Moore and Tony Guy blasted Valentine during interviews with me many years ago. 

"Darnell Valentine, he was supposed to be the Academic All-American and all that crap, but (he got) a general studies degree,” Von Moore told me in 2000. “They don’t talk about that. I’m not saying there’s nothing wrong with a general studies degree if you know what you’re doing with it, if there’s an interest in it or something that you really want to do. But it can be used for something negative, too, to get you a lot of easy, bullcrap classes that don’t amount to a hill of beans. You get your degree and you go out there...(They find out) you took basketweaving one through eight for 20 hours. I kind of blew the whistle on that. Mike Fisher (KU academic counselor), he kind of took the fall for all that. That was a big story. It kind of led to Ted Owens being fired. He was pissed off at me for a long time. Ted didn’t speak to me for about 10 years because it kind of blew the lid off the thing.”

Von Moore was just getting started in firing criticism at Valentine, whom he played with for one year in 1977-78 when Donnie was a senior and D.V. a freshman sensation. KU won the Big Eight championship, but Final Four dreams were crashed when Kansas lost to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. I cried after the loss having dinner with my parents. This was one of my all-time favorite KU teams and I got chills every night in Allen Fieldhouse watching KU play next to my dad each game with our season tickets knowing I was watching the No. 5 ranked team in the land.

Darnell, Donnie, Paul Mokeski, Clint Johnson, John "The Franchise" Douglas, Wilmore Fowler...These were my childhood heroes and I loved them dearly, much more than words can show.

 

Von Moore was angry at Valentine and Owens. He said Valentine was a very selfish player.

 

“Darnell got something he didn’t deserve. He was one of the reasons we lost the UCLA game,” Von Moore said. “He tried to have a personal one-one-one contest with Hamilton (Roy, star UCLA point guard). Darnell had two or three charges trying to take the man. Ted let him do it. It changed whole momentum and led them back in. (He got in) foul trouble (and fouled out when UCLA then took control of the game). (It was) stupid, so pissed off. We could have went somewhere with all the players we had.  

“They put the game in (Valentine’s) hands,” Donnie added. “Other than Darnell bringing the ball up the court, no shot. Had no jumper, no real overall game. He was just Darnell Valentine who had the ball all the time.”

 

Von Moore was so upset that he didn’t return with the team to Lawrence. Instead, he went with teammate Clint Johnson to California to stay with Johnson’s brother for two weeks before coming back to Lawrence.

 

Valentine and KU assistant Lafayette Norwood also hurt chemistry on the squad. Norwood, Valentine’s high school coach at Wichita Heights who came to KU as a package deal with D.V., was always inseparable with Valentine at KU, apart from the other players and coaches. Max Falkenstien, the legendary KU announcer, wrote about this in his 1996 book, Max and the Jayhawks:

 

“In fact, it was a strange coach-player relationship. They were always together. In airports, hotels, they were generally in tandem, separated from the rest of the team. I always questioned whether this was a good situation for team unity, but we never talked much about it.”

 

Norwood even had a picture of Valentine in his office. Owens got angry, and told Norwood to take it down, and said if he’s going to have a picture, make it be a team picture.

 

Even the great players, leaders, and tremendous people have their faults and imperfections. Valentine certainly did. He had a big ego and didn’t seem to care about his teammates. Tony Guy, a starter for four years from 1978-82 whom played with Valentine for three seasons, said teaming with Valentine was very troubling.

 “I think that Darnell Valentine was a great basketball player, there’s no doubt about it. But Darnell did not have a lot of confidence in the guys he was playing with,” Guy told Mark Stallard in his 2005 book, Tales from the Jayhawks Hardwood.

 

“It was almost as if we had to prove to Darnell that we were worthy to be his teammates. I always found that interesting, in that you’re talking about a guy who was a great athlete, but he was just an okay basketball player. I thought he was a great athlete, you couldn’t help admire him as an athlete. But as a basketball player, he was just an average shooter. If you look at the overall statistics, it’s not like he lit the place up. He didn’t pass the ball a whole lot, to be totally honest. I was a shooting guard, and trying to get the ball of out of his hands was like pulling teeth. 

 “It was interesting, because it was almost like we had to prove that we could play.”

 

This is painful to write, because I truly idolized Valentine growing up and he meant so much to me and I followed his NBA career so religiously and had pictures of him all over my wall as true inspiration. I put him on a pedestal; to me, he could do no wrong. I always thought his work ethic and defense were peerless, and he could penetrate the lane with the best.

Darnell Valentine was always my all-time favorite Jayhawk before Tony Guy replaced him in my heart as my No. 1 KU player ever.

Guy told me in 1999 that Valentine was a very egotistical player who was only concerned about furthering his career, instead of winning.

 

Guy gave an example of Ricky Ross, Valentine’s teammate in 1979-80 who was well-known to be extremely selfish with a big ego. One game, Guy told told me, Ross had a big scoring night but KU lost. Everyone was despondent in the locker room except Ross. Ricky couldn’t understand why his teammates were down after his high-scoring game.

 

“That’s how Darnell was,” Guy said.

 

However, Guy greatly admired Valentine’s defense and work ethic.

 

“I wouldn’t say we were friends,” he said. “I had a great deal of respect for that guy. The guy was an incredible athlete, his work ethic was phenomenal.” But?

 

“Darnell could have made it possible for two or three other guys to have gone to the NBA,” Guy said. “That’s how good Darnell was. That’s what Magic (Johnson) did (for Michigan State). Jay Vincent (he played nine years in the NBA) and Gregory Kelser (No. 4 overall pick in 1979 by Dick Vitale's-coached Detroit Pistons who played five years in the NBA) weren’t great basketball players. But every time time you saw them, they were dunking it. That was Magic. They were just average basketball players. Magic was about winning championships. How do you measure a great player? You measure a great player by his ability to make those around him better than they actually are. It’s about winning. Team sports is about winning

 “... Darnell was a phenomenal player,” Guy continued. “Trust me, I had to play with him every day and against. The guy was incredible. There was not a guy that I played against that I had to worry about another team’s point guard. Other than one--Larry Drew (Missouri star). One of the best players that we played against. He could shoot, but more important, he used his skills to help his team win. He could have shot more than he actually shot.”

 

Despite these critical comments about Valentine, Guy admitted that “Darnell was a lot of fun to play with. We had a lot of laughs. Had a great time with him. But we had a lot of disappointments, too.”

Former KU assistant Bob Hill, who coached Valentine all four years, was also critical of this All-American. Hill spoke to my Coaching Basketball class at KU in 1985, when I asked him who was the best player ever coached.

 

Without hesitation, Hill replied:

“Darnell Valentine.”

 

Hill, though, quickly added that Valentine wasn’t the most coachable player. He said that Valentine would break down plays at the end of the game and KU would lose. Hill added that everyone blamed Owens when it was Valentine’s fault.

 

While Valentine told the local media that he was elated that Jan. 1, 2005 day when his jersey was retired, he had a different opinion when talking to a Portland newspaper, his longtime hometown. Valentine fell in love with the Portland community and area since entering the NBA as a first-draft pick of the Blazers in 1981. 

 

“I am excited, no question,”  Valentine said. “But they retired the numbers of so many of their recent players — Raef LaFrentz, Nick Collison, Jacque Vaughn — within a year or two after they left Kansas. I think the timing for me is a little bit off, to say the least.”

 Falkenstien came close to summing it up best about Valentine’s huge ego and how it hurt the Jayhawks in his book:

 

“Darnell was a fabulous player for KU, but I felt that often he tried to do too much at the expense of the team.”

 

A longtime journalist and sports editor in Kansas once told me that Valentine had no friends on the team. However, I saw Valentine playing tennis with teammate David Magley at KU one time. Magley has also repeatedly talked very warmly of Valentine, his longtime friend who he first met on his recruiting trip to Lawrence.

As has Drew, who battled against Valentine in college and then the NBA, while also teammates with Valentine with the Los Angeles Clippers.

“He was a warrior,” Drew told me once of Valentine.

 But in the end, Guy said Valentine extremely hurt KU too often during his career. 

 

“He was very selfish and it cost us dearly,” Guy said. “He wanted to get his. When I played, Darnell was basically allowed to do whatever he wanted and whenever he wanted to do it. And it cost us. We weren’t nearly the teams we could have been under Darnell. A tremendous basketball player, but he used all of his skills to enhance his own career. That’s all he was about.”

 

 

Danny Manning had impressive NBA career and persevered through three ACL surgeries

Danny Manning, who won a bronze medal with the U.S. Olympic team in the summer of 1988, was expected to make an indelible mark in the NBA after being selected No. 1 in the 1988 June NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Immediately after winning the lottery the previous month, L.A. general manager Elgin Baylor proclaimed on national television that Manning was the Clippers’ franchise player, a team searching for greatness and salvation after missing the playoffs for 12 years.

"This is the happiest moment I've had since I've been associated with basketball,” the Hall of Famer Baylor told the Los Angeles Times. “It's a great moment for the L.A. Clippers. My prayers worked. I had everyone praying every day and night. This is terrific."

Manning started from day one for head coach Mike Schuler and averaged 16.7 points and 6.6 rebounds before he tore his ACL after just 26 games.

“The doctors told us that he would never play again and that his career was over,” Manning’s wife, Julie, told Jazz HomeCourt Magazine in 2001.

But Manning defied the odds knowing that his former KU teammate Archie Marshall underwent the same surgery and returned to action. The former KU All-American was a solid player the next two seasons, averaging 16.3 points in 1989-90 and 15.9 points in 1990-91. Still, he was not 100 percent and battled tendinitis in his knee.

Manning’s career underwent a dramatic transformation during the 1991-92 season when he regained his health and his former KU coach Larry Brown replaced Schuler as Clippers’ head coach. With Brown directing the offense Manning’s way, he averaged a career-high 19.3 points per game. He also averaged career bests in rebounds (6.9 rpg), steals (1.65 spg), blocks (1.49 bpg) and field goal percentage (.542, No. 8 in NBA) while finally leading the Clippers to the playoffs.

Manning’s best was yet to come.

The following year in 1992-93, Manning was the talk of the NBA, becoming the first Clipper since Marques Johnson (1986) to play in the All-Star game. He led L.A. in scoring (22.8 ppg) and set a club record for total points with 1,800 as the Clippers advanced to the playoffs again before being ousted in the first round for the second-straight year.

“(Manning’s) the closest thing in this league to Magic Johnson,” New York Knicks coach Pat Riley said.

But Manning and Brown had their problems. It was difficult for Manning to play for the same demanding coach twice in his life, and he insisted on a trade after one game when Brown harped on him for not crashing the boards.

Brown left the Clippers after the season to become the Indiana Pacers head coach, while Manning continued to shine in Los Angeles. He was selected as an All-Star again in 1994 and averaged 23.7 points in 42 games.

However, the Clippers feared they’d lose Manning to free agency next season so shipped the franchise’s all-time leading scorer to Atlanta in February of 1994 for future Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins. Manning led the Hawks to the best record in the Eastern Conference and paced the team with 20.0 points per game in Atlanta’s first-round playoff loss to Brown’s Pacers.

He then landed in Phoenix the next season in hopes of winning an NBA championship, while selflessly taking a paycut to achieve that dream

As the team’s No. 2 option behind Charles Barkley, Manning was more comfortable in that role and excelled in the Suns’ freewheeling attack. He helped lead Phoenix to the best record in the NBA (36-10) before disaster struck again when Manning tore his right ACL in practice on Feb. 6, 1995. Phoenix was eventually eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.

Danny Schayes, a member of that Suns’ team, believes Phoenix would have won the championship with Manning in the lineup.

“I think so,” Schayes told me. “We were a dominant team that year. But those were the breaks of the game. He had a terrific year for us. It’s certainly a shame that it (injury) happened.”

“He was just a key part of our team,” Schayes added. “He was one of those guys that played every position well. He made everything happen from wherever he was on the court.”

Schayes commented that Manning fit in great with Phoenix's free-flowing offense.

“He was certainly athletic, (but) he was not a guy who relied on his athletic ability to get the job done,” Schayes said. “He was always the guy who thought the game and why he was so good for us is because we played a freelance style, which allowed guys like me and him and Danny Ainge, guys who knew how to play, to really excel together. And those of us who had that same kind of individual style, we could kind of read each other’s thoughts. It was very cool.”

Ten months later, Manning became the first player in NBA history to return to action after blowing out ACL’s in both knees. However, he was never the same and labeled a role player for the first time in his career.

Still, he earned the NBA Sixth Man Award with the Suns in 1998 after averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds. But Manning suffered heartache when he blew out his knee again near the end of the season. He could have easily retired, but returned to play four and a half more seasons with Phoenix, Milwaukee, Dallas and Detroit.

“He wasn’t ready to quit,” Julie Manning told HomeCourt Magazine. “He was just determined to do it. Besides, basketball is in his blood, he has to do it.”

Without fanfare, his agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports released a statement announcing Manning’s official retirement from the NBA on Sept. 12, 2003.

"It has been a pleasure and a honor to represent Danny Manning,” Bartelstein said. “He exemplifies everything you look for in a professional athlete.”

Manning answered questions that day on nba.com about his playing career. He wrote that his top professional highlight “was winning the Sixth Man Award or being named an All-Star. But probably most of all, it was being able to play for so long after three knee surgeries. ... I was blessed with great doctors, medical staff and trainers. It's just a lot of repetition. You want to get your muscles to fire up like they are supposed to. You need a little stubbornness to get through it all.”

And then Manning gave his farewell:

“Thanks to all my friends for having kind words for me. To my wife and two children for their support. And to the fans, the few Danny Manning fans out there (laughs), I really appreciate all your support.”

Manning retired after 15 years and 883 regular-season games with career averages of 14.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.1 percent from the field. No, certainly not Hall of Fame numbers, but Manning left an indelible mark as one of the greatest competitors in sports history, one of the few athletes to come back from three reconstructive knee surgeries. 

“I give him tons of credit, ” Schayes said. “He still had a great career for undergoing three major knee (surgeries). There aren’t many guys that can say that.”

Ted Juneau, Manning's coach at Lawrence High School and one of his best friends, agrees.

“You blow your knee out three times. I don’t think any of us can really imagine what that’s like,” Juneau told me in 1998. “It speaks a lot about courage and a lot about pride and the work it takes and his ability to do that. That’s probably the one thing that amazes me about him.

“No one understands how hard he worked to be as good as he was,” Juneau added. “People don’t understand the amount of work that he put into being a very good player, and the pride he took in doing that. He has pride in everything he does, and I think he’s always going to be successful because he’s very, very competitive. He doesn’t want to lose. He’s always willing to work very hard to achieve his goals.”

Manning’s career will perhaps be remembered most for his all-around game and versatility. So says Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, Manning’s teammate with Phoenix.

“If you go back and think about his game,” Barkley said, “the biggest advantage he had, he was so versatile. I don’t even know what position (he had). He was one of those guys who didn’t have a position. That’s pretty remarkable to be in that situation. Was he a power forward? Was he a small forward? He was just a very unique player.”

Hall of Famer and TV analyst Bill Walton called Manning “one of the most graceful players of his era.”

He was a “graceful” and “unique player” who never felt comfortable as the go-to scorer. Juneau said it just wasn’t in Manning’s makeup to dominate games consistently with his scoring.

“I think when it’s crunch time, no one wants to win more than he,” Juneau said. “He’ll do what it takes, but he’s not going to ever be someone that demands the attention.”

Lafayette Norwood, the former KU assistant coach under Ted Owens, agrees.

“Danny didn’t take over as a senior in high school here (Lawrence High in 1983-84),” Norwood said. “In fact, with the talent he had, he could have shot even additional shots he didn’t take. But he rather played (team) ball. It takes a special person to play like that. Kids today, you got some kids, coach says shoot the ball, they’ll just shoot it anytime without in regard of his teammates.”  

...

On Nov. 23, 2008 at Sprint Center, Manning was the center of attention and headline act at his College Basketball Hall of Fame induction. Some of his former Jayhawk teammates were here, including Jeff Gueldner, Mike Maddox and Chris Piper.

“We were taking bets on whether he’d show up tonight,” Gueldner cracked about the private Manning. “We thought he might do this thing via teleconference.”

Seriously, Gueldner said:

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Danny is a class act from a players’ standpoint, from a fans’ standpoint.”

Ed Manning, Danny’s dad and assistant coach at Kansas during the Brown era, was overwhelmed with emotion.

“It’s just great,” Ed said with a huge smile. “I’m thrilled to death. I’m happy for him. It’s just a great honor for him to be up there with these super guys. I’m almost lost for words.”

Ask anybody in the basketball “know” about Manning’s pro career, and they usually say the same statement: he likely would have been an NBA Hall of Famer if not for the injuries.

“Knee injuries prevented him from probably being a 10-time type All-Star,”KU coach Bill Self said. “He scored (over 12,000) points as a pro and was never healthy. He would (have gone) down as one of the best.

“But to me, collegiately, he does go down as one of the best. We think of Bird, Jordan or Magic and the greatest players of what they accomplished in the pros, but when you break down what they accomplished in college, Danny’s career is up there with all those guys.”

Former NBA player Brad Lohaus thought Manning would be a Hall of Famer, if not for the injuries.

“(That) kind of really curtailed what he could have done,”  Lohaus said. “We had the same agent so I’ve known Danny for a lot of years, one of the great college basketball players ever and he would have been one of the all-time pros but the knees just don’t hold up.

“He had a great NBA career. Compared to his college career, it kind of takes a back seat. But he’s very special. He was really quick. He’s so big, you don’t realize how quick he was. That’s why he was so good. He could handle the ball at 6-10, shoot the ball, smart player. He had it all.”

Former Suns’ teammate A.C. Green said Manning was a joy to play with and the consummate teammate.

“Some guys over the years, you just really enjoy being around,” Green told me in 1999. “He’s kind of one of those off the court guys that you can hang out with because he’s real down to earth, a real person. So I’ve always enjoyed being around Danny, and I really enjoyed playing with him on a daily basis because he’s a battler. He’s got a license to battle and likes to go to work and win games. I have nothing but really admiration for Danny.”

Even today and in recent years, Manning’s name comes up among NBA coaches and fans.

“Manning was a phenomenal player, until his knees took over,” a Suns’ fan posted on azcentral.com in 2009. “It's a shame to think about how great he could've been.”

Manning, though, doesn’t dwell on the past or all the “what-ifs?” He’s at peace with himself.

“I guess at times they’re nice to hear,” Manning said about Brown predicting he’d once become one of the all-time greats.

“But the bottom line is things happen for a reason. I’m very happy with my career. Everybody has obstacles, everybody has journeys that have different turns. I enjoyed my journey. It’s just time for another phase in my life, which is coaching and moving forward.”

Brown always said during Manning’s KU career that he was the “best player I ever been associated with.” 

“He’s what college athletics is all about,” Brown once told the Lawrence Journal-World. “He deserves every single thing he’s gotten.”

Including induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

“It’s a pretty special thing,” Brown said two months before Manning was enshrined. “If you look at our team (in 1988), you realize how special a player he was because he carried a lot of us. He had a great career with a lot of adversity in the pros.”

“He had a great IQ,” Brown added. “He grew up with his dad, who was a pretty bright basketball player and the ultimate team guy. He taught Danny early on how to respect the game and how to play the right way. For a guy his size, in a lot of ways he played like a guard. 

“Everybody used to compare him to Magic, which is probably the highest compliment you can have. I think when they were doing that, they were talking about the fact how he made players better, just by doing the little things.”

Brown smiled.

“I can’t imagine a college player ever being better than him or accomplishing more than he did,” Brown said. “He’s as good a college player as I ever saw.”