What great stories!!! This shared but personal history is amazing to see.
How many years have you been watching Purdue basketball and favorite team
- Thread starter Bleedinggoldandblack
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Hey Longboat, I was at the first game at Mackey too. Still have the ticket. Then went to the Rose Bowl and got a piece of the goal post. Went to the final four and got to sit on a folding chair on the hardwood floor thanks to Red Mackey. Could have pulled Acindor's shorts down when he was passing the ball in from the sideline. Live in East Sarasota now.
I am an IU fan, who also keeps my podcast as unbiased as possible... But I've been watching my whole life. Earliest memories are IUs 2002 tourney run(I was 8). But even as an IU fan, it's a love/hate relationship with Purdue teams obviously. I like watching good basketball period. Even if I hate the team playing it, like a Purdue or Kentucky. But I liked the Moore, Johnson, Hummel teams. I like the team this year. I liked Ivey. I liked Carsen Edwards.
Almost feel sorry for you. Almost. If your earliest memories of iu were 02.....since then, 2 decades+, save a couple years, @ least you had CMP & Purdue to watch when you needed a good basketball fix. LOL.
Started watching when I moved to Indiana in 1983-84 season. 1987-88 was my favorite team, hearing the word “Silverdome” still causes Boilerephrine to shoot thru my veins.
Then 2 years later we got shipped to LSU, to play LSU.
I don't watch a ton of Purdue but I do watch a lot of CBB. So it's been Purdue and others. Outside the Zeller years, Yogis senior season and Gordon's freshman year... It's not been great. Last season wasn't awful. It was at least fun watching TJD. But also grew up with a dad that had me watching old Indiana games he had recorded. 1976 title, 1981 title, 87 title, MJs/Shaqs last games(both against IU), plenty of games from Cheaneys time, 87 game against UNLV and others. So I've been able to see IU at its greatest just after the fact. But 2002, even at 8, is an unmatched feeling. Maybe one y'all will get finally get to experience this year.
I watched most of those. Was at iu as a part time student to keep college cost down since it was a half hour from home....prior to transfer to Purdue for BS & MS. Anyway, one of those years, 81 got to see that team. iu was good back then, enjoyable to watch and fun for Purdue to upset as Keady beat Knight more than vice versa.
But good to see you got to watch Purdue since 02 where much of that time they were better than iu.
Purdue is 21-17 since the 01-02 season. So it's been close really. Crazy to think even after Purdue won 9 straight. And oddly enough, Mike Davis had a winning record against Keady(wild right?). Not sure the record since then when both teams are ranked though... Indiana might be in favor there. But it's been a closer series than Duke-UNC or UK-UofL since then I believe as well. But obviously Duke-UNC gets the nod because both are more consistently elite than IU or PU.
Wow! Well, we've certainly walked a lot of the same paths. When I tell people today that we were lucky enough to have both the BB and FB teams in the top 5 during our time there, I often get that blank stare, with them thinking an old guy, confused again.
Did you get to see Zach when he was here at IMG? And didn't even make the starting 5?
I remember Walter Jordan teams Drake Morris from Ec I go way back Rick mount only liked IU twice Purdue always
In the early 60s I was a Butler fan and watched Mount as a soph at Hinkle. Somewhere between the mid 60s and late 60s I became a Purdue fan. My dad who made the freshman team at IU before dropping out of school never pushed IU at all (was no more an IU fan than Purdue fan even though he had personal friends that were IU grads) ...just wanted me to go to college and not marry that high school girlfriend.
I do recall being a bit younger and being at an orthodontist office and reading a sports Illustrated on USC showing some cheerleaders and thinking THAT was where I wanted to go. Somewhere in the late 60s I became a fan. Each team has been a bit different and I absolutely liked all of them although some were harder to like than others. The more successful teams are liked by more people. Getting back to campus quite often over the years and watching it grow has been good. It is sooooo much different than in the early 70s. Picking a favorite is hard, but naturally some years stand out due to their success. I can only say that this team is as much a favorite as any...
I too have either seen in TV, in person or listened on the radio every game with the most possible misses of 4 or 5 in the last 50 years. I don't recall missing any, but figured I had to sometime and so I listed 4 or 5
My Grandfather, father, myself and my son all went to Purdue , 4 generations 😁, my mom went there too.
A lot of people have no idea some of the places Purdue got "picked" to play at and who years ago that no doubt had a bearing on Purdue's NCAA success.
Rick coached high school BBall years ago in the 80s??? Can't remember where exactly...even drawing a blank in how his teams played.
edited below-
Laying bed and for whatever reason my mind quickly shifted to Rick Sexon and think he may have coached Maconaquah for a couple of years
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Yeah, this a great shout. Even though Rapheal Davis never won a tournament game, he's the pivot point where the program started heading back up toward where it is now.
As far as I remember, Rick was an assistant for his dad at Butler. He coached Thad Matta! Rick coached girls basketball after that. Maybe at Lafayette CC? He was quite a character around town. Have lots of mutual friends that have lots of stories!
Yeah I recall that. He never coached at CC I'm pretty sure, because I remember seeing a resume. Found it...guess I don't have dementia
An Indiana High School Basketball Legacy: The Sexson Family, Three Generations and Counting
An Indiana High School Basketball Legacy: The Sexson Family, Three Generations and Counting
www.ccsjathletics.com
". After coaching with his father, Rick went on to coach at Maconaquah High School and Eastside High School. Unfortunately, Rick passed away in 2018 at the age of 64. Mark is retired and lives in the Indianapolis area."
Yea, I tell everybody who will listen that I was at Purdue for the true glory years. First time to the Rose Bowl, beat ND 3 out of 4 years and first time to make it to basketball finals. Got to see fantastic players like Bob Griese, Leroy Keyes, Mike Phipps, Dave Schellhase, Rick Mount, Billy Keller and Herm Gilliam.
Kept following Zach at IMG but they never seemed to play him, so I did not make it to a game. i wonder what ever became of the center for IMG who kept Zach on the bench. Seemed like the IMG coach missed out on developing a great potential. Fortunately Painter could see the potential. Did make it to see Isaac Haas and company play in Orlando holiday tournament
I remember watching the opening of Mackey Arena on December 1, 1967 on TV against UCLA in a 71-69 loss when UCLA hit a half court shot to win. I loved Rick Mount.
My other favorite player was Glenn Robinson. When I was at South Bend in my first job at the National Weather Service…I had the opportunity to watch Big Dog his senior season at Gary Roosevelt play at South Bend Adams. I walked away from that game thinking he’s a very special player and we have a good one.
My other favorite player was Glenn Robinson. When I was at South Bend in my first job at the National Weather Service…I had the opportunity to watch Big Dog his senior season at Gary Roosevelt play at South Bend Adams. I walked away from that game thinking he’s a very special player and we have a good one.
The IMG center was Mark Williams who played 2 years for Duke before entering the NBA draft.
I had a backrest against the wall for that first game at Mackey ... my head hurt for days after that last shot!!
WOW!!!! I followed the team from the 1st game at Mackey to Madison to watch McGuire throw his plaid coat into the stands, Mount hit the corner fader (his signature shot), then Louisville ... but not close to the floor. ... You are the MAN!
Grew up across street from Ross Ade and Mackey. First hoops game I saw was in Lambert; Boilers with Schellhase & Ebershoff vs. U-M with Cazzie Russell, Bill Buntin, etc. Rickety bleachers, place smelled like buttered popcorn.
Played HS ball for Bill Berberian; with young Jimmy Schaus, George Faerber & wife Pam babysat for my brothers & me. They had a baby daughter, Ginger, and pet lab, Drake, not yet housebroken. Boy, could that dog pee.
Can't pick a favorite team. Loved them all!
No big deal, but the story is a little incomplete. I texted a mutual friend who hung out with Rick in Lafayette. Rick coached the girls at CC . There’s an interesting side story that I won’t get into. The last time I saw Rick was at our 45th high school reunion. Sadly, he was suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s. Jeff Washburn was there, too. In very poor health. They both passed away within a year or two of the reunion. They even went to the same elementary school. Rick was a character!Yeah I recall that. He never coached at CC I'm pretty sure, because I remember seeing a resume. Found it...guess I don't have dementia
snip...snipAn Indiana High School Basketball Legacy: The Sexson Family, Three Generations and Counting
An Indiana High School Basketball Legacy: The Sexson Family, Three Generations and Counting
". After coaching with his father, Rick went on to coach at Maconaquah High School and Eastside High School. Unfortunately, Rick passed away in 2018 at the age of 64. Mark is retired and lives in the Indianapolis area."
I grew up in Ohio as an OSU fan. Picked Purdue for academics, started attending in 1990 and was a Purdue fan the minute I accepted my offer.
SO 34 years a fan, and favorite era was G-Rob. Issue for me is I was in college those years, so nothing replaces that excitement. I live in AZ now and watch every game and follow, but the passion of youth and being a student will never replace the early to mid 90's.
That said, ofcourse i love this team, who can not if you are a Purdue fan?
My daughter and son-in-law were cheerleaders during the G-Rob years. They stayed in-touch for a while, but not recently. They have been in Mesa for 25 years.
IMG always has high level talent. Couple of yrs before Zach got there, the coach, who's name I've forgotten, was the former head coach at Carmel. Lots of BB and FB Purdue connections with IMG
I only knew the boys and would not know any coaching he did with the girls. Guess we both recalled separate but additional info on his coaching.
I was at that Marquette game also. Had seats high up. Thing that sticks in my mind is how steep the seating in that arena was.
I will tell one funny story. Rick played baseball for Spider Fields at Jeff. He got picked off second base TWICE in one game. From then on, until he passed away, Rick was known by all as “Busher”, for bush league.🤣I only knew the boys and would not know any coaching he did with the girls. Guess we both recalled separate but additional info on his coaching.
Did not watch a great deal of college bb until high school in Connersville (1961-65). Dad was a rabid Reds fan who did not care too much for other sports. Looking at colleges in my junior year got me more interested in their football and basketball teams. Luckily, several HS friends were going to Purdue which saved me from following my Methodist upbringing and going to DePauw. That, and the fact that my gf was also going to Purdue, helped me choose. Once there, did not miss many games as a student. One memorable game I did miss was the Mackey opening game against UCLA. My future wife-to-be was visiting (not the gf of 1965) from the iu School of Nursing and we spent quality time at a friend's apartment. She and I did go the the 120-76 squeaker in 1969. As an aside, she never was a fan of Knight. Obviously, the Final Four team is my favorite. This year's Final Four team will be my second favorite.
56 years here. Too many favorite teams to name them all.I got a stress fracture in my foot walking to class on the un-shoveled ice fields of side walks (do they still not clear the sidewalks?) and would get taped in the mornings in the training room. Got to be there with JBC several times and always remember that. He didn't talk much but was a nice guy.
I do have a favorite JBC story though. My wife (ex now, unfortunately) was in the student health center waiting room I think during the 76-77 school year. She looked up from the book she was reading and caught JBC staring at her from across the room. She said he quickly averted his eyes and started examining the floor.
Grew up in Toledo Ohio, OSU and Michigan , but then there was this guy Bob Griese...
Pretty much on the same timeline. 79-80 and have been addicted since.
Earliest memory I have is watching the Kansas State game in 1988. I was at the Texas game in the Hoosier Dome in 1990 so I got my in person pain out of the way early.
gleap1969 - I attended Connersville High School same years as you. I remember there was a road trip to Purdue to watch the Boilers take on Minnesota. It was in the old Lambert Field House so that was probably 1962 or 1963. The freshman in NCAA didn't play their first years at their schools. So they played an intersquad game prior to the varsity game. Purdue had Chuck Bavis as a freshman center that year and played in the freshman game. We were late arriving and didn't get to see the Freshman game. I think Billy Keller, Herm Gilliam and Ralph Taylor were also freshmen that season. They were probably better than the varsity.
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