Cuseregular
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From someone who was there. I posted a post a little ways back about how somehow unbeknownst to me my college roomate and best friends dad was a scholarship hoops player back in the day and he's been nice enough to share some good stories and memories he has...
http://syracusefan.com/threads/something-to-add-to-my-su-collection.78079/#post-1091083
The latest is his experiences with none other than Jim Brown who was a multisport star as most know but most don't know he was a 4 sport letter winner at SU. My friends dad (who was a very good athlete himself including some pro time) says to this day he's the best athlete bar none he's ever seen.
As a freshman hoop player before the season started for them he and another freshmen were told they could go practice and shoot at Archbold gym. Well on the second saturday of that sept. of I think it was 1956 Brown and his roomate Vinny Cohen (an all east hoop player sr.) was at the gym since the football team had a bye that week after beating Maryland the previous sat.
The two challenged the two frosh to 3 two on two hoop games to 15. Well he said it was men against boys and Brown and Cohen took all three games. As a result he and Brown became aquainted after that and would at times each lunch together in the caferteria and were actually sitting together when Brown found out the Cleveland Browns had drafted him. Cool stuff.
He says though he excelled in all sports the one he was absolutely dominant in was lacrosse. One time after the hoops season they're playing full court 5 on 5 in Archbold and Brown remembers he has a lax game in a little bit. Brown runs down the stairs at Archbold to the locker room and gets changed for the lax game after a day of pick up 5 on 5 hoops. The gym clears out and goes to watch the game and watch him play where he scores 7 goals in dominating fashion.
My dads friend than had a chance to witness history (at the time). There was a rumor on campus that they wanted Brown to run the last track meet of the year and recruited him to participate for that last meet. If he came in first or in the top 3 of three events he'd letter. Even though he had his own baseball game he had the choice to witness this attempt history with Brown becoming the first 4 different sport letter winner ever there or he could go to his own baseball game.
Well he chose to watch the track meet and saw Brown place first in both the high jump and broad jump and become a 4 sport letter winner. My friends dad emphasized all throughout that in his experiences with him what a fantastic person Brown was, always nice always cordial contrary to the reports we've heard over the years. Still to this day according to him and that he once said OJ smiles and gets away with murder he doesn't and people think he's a bad guy. Quite 180 degrees to the contrary, this from someone who knows him directly.
These stories are pretty cool and fun to hear with more to come.
http://syracusefan.com/threads/something-to-add-to-my-su-collection.78079/#post-1091083
The latest is his experiences with none other than Jim Brown who was a multisport star as most know but most don't know he was a 4 sport letter winner at SU. My friends dad (who was a very good athlete himself including some pro time) says to this day he's the best athlete bar none he's ever seen.
As a freshman hoop player before the season started for them he and another freshmen were told they could go practice and shoot at Archbold gym. Well on the second saturday of that sept. of I think it was 1956 Brown and his roomate Vinny Cohen (an all east hoop player sr.) was at the gym since the football team had a bye that week after beating Maryland the previous sat.
The two challenged the two frosh to 3 two on two hoop games to 15. Well he said it was men against boys and Brown and Cohen took all three games. As a result he and Brown became aquainted after that and would at times each lunch together in the caferteria and were actually sitting together when Brown found out the Cleveland Browns had drafted him. Cool stuff.
He says though he excelled in all sports the one he was absolutely dominant in was lacrosse. One time after the hoops season they're playing full court 5 on 5 in Archbold and Brown remembers he has a lax game in a little bit. Brown runs down the stairs at Archbold to the locker room and gets changed for the lax game after a day of pick up 5 on 5 hoops. The gym clears out and goes to watch the game and watch him play where he scores 7 goals in dominating fashion.
My dads friend than had a chance to witness history (at the time). There was a rumor on campus that they wanted Brown to run the last track meet of the year and recruited him to participate for that last meet. If he came in first or in the top 3 of three events he'd letter. Even though he had his own baseball game he had the choice to witness this attempt history with Brown becoming the first 4 different sport letter winner ever there or he could go to his own baseball game.
Well he chose to watch the track meet and saw Brown place first in both the high jump and broad jump and become a 4 sport letter winner. My friends dad emphasized all throughout that in his experiences with him what a fantastic person Brown was, always nice always cordial contrary to the reports we've heard over the years. Still to this day according to him and that he once said OJ smiles and gets away with murder he doesn't and people think he's a bad guy. Quite 180 degrees to the contrary, this from someone who knows him directly.
These stories are pretty cool and fun to hear with more to come.
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