I know I was not one of them............but I love reading the personal accounts and stories that Rick Mount's return has generated with those of you who witnessed first hand. My dad used to say the same things about the Rocket. Good stuff.....
I remember seeing it on TV,and that guy that hit the winning shot for UCLA was scoreless until he hit the winning bucket.
I had the concrete wall to support my back. Loved the game and the opportunity we had to make history in the first game played in Mackey.
I also watched Rick Mount for 3 years. He could shoot the jump shot from the corner going fullblast out of bounds, with a defender hanging on him. The ball would go over the the back of the bank board and right through the hoop.
I lucked out with a ticket in Section 5 for Mackey opener and well remember the shot. It was Bill Sweek from about 25 feet with 2 seconds left. The crowd was simply roaring until the ball hit the net when it went nearly silent. People pretty much just stood up and left silently. It was a phenomenal game.
You are so right. I was a young junior high kid from Rushville who had an older brother at Purdue. Mount was my idol. He would bring me Purdue t shirts home on break. One time he ran into Mount at a bookstore and Rick signed his name on an index card that he brought me. All I can say is I'm now 59 and I am still waiting. He is legend.
You don't experience a game like that without it burning into your mind. It was that special. First game in Mackey, Wooden back at PU, the best team in the country playing your team who could well be the 2nd best team in the country ... and your team playing as well or better than them the whole game. Tie game with seconds left. The chance to beat #1 and Wooden, and Alcindor, and UCLA. Hard to repeat that combination ... It's hard for those who didn't live in the UCLA/Wooden era to understand or feel what it was like to compete with them.
