Got some e-mail responses (yes, they were positive!) this week to a couple of recent stories I wrote. First, the UB football history story sparked some memories in a couple of former players who were a part of that chapter (1969-74) in Purple Knights history.
Second, was a memory of watching Floyd Little take his first steps toward AFL stardom.
Chris, As a member of the 72,73,74 UB football squad I found your article to be satisfying. You nailed it. I think it was over when L. (Leland) Miles became president of the school. He was at Alfred U. the year before when we beat them on the last play of the game, a Hail Mary from Sanders to Bove for about 60 yds. Alfred had no scholarships and Miles thought since they were as good as UB, UB didn’t really need
them either. The team still gets together every couple of years for golf outings or a weekend in the Poconos. Most everyone is pretty successful. Once again, really enjoyed the article.
Sincerely,
Tom Pfeiffer
Chris, Thanks, great story, it needed to be told. Loved the pictures of those old uniforms, they were unique. Talked to (Dave) Campo, he had just received it.
Regards, Tony (Wise)
(Campo was a defensive coach at UB in 1974 and later coached the Dallas Cowboys. He was just hired as the defensive coordinator at Kansas. Wise – UB’s offensive line coach in 1974 — was a former OL coach with the Chicago Bears and retired as Pitt’s OL coach after the 2010 season.)
Chris,
I received a copy of your article about the UB football team of the early 70′s. I was a member of that team. I think you really captured the the aura around the team. I was a linebacker on that team and to this day I still think we hold a record that will never be beat by any team at any level of football. We had a 13-play goal line stand against Springfield College in 1973. I still have the article which was printed in the school paper the “Scribe”. It was just one of those special events during those magical years.
Thanks for bringing back some great memories of a bunch of great guys.
Keith L. Molchan
First Vice President/ Community Bank
Anaheim, California
Chris,
Thanks for the article on Floyd Little. It brings back a memory of the greatest high school football game I ever saw. Not sure what year it was, 1959 maybe, and I think the final score was (#1 ranked) Hillhouse 44, Danbury 42. Under the lights at the old Osborn Street stadium in Danbury, You could see his greatness even then.
Vic Francis
And now, some random thoughts:
Great job by the Providence athletic department offering the first 2,000 fans to the Marquette game on January 21 an “Ed Cooley” bobblehead doll.
All I can say is … I want one … I Want One … I WANT ONE!!!!
Did you see the doll? (Here’s a photo).
Man, the head looks just like Ed’s head … but the body? Since when did coach get so “cut.” I mean, look, the bobble dude is just ripped. I’ve heard of airbrushing and photoshop but this is ridiculious.
Another cool thing was … did you see the picture of Shabazz Napier wearing the T-shirt to support Tennessee’s women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, who’s fighting the early stages of dementia? It read: “I Bleed Blue & White But I Wear Purple to Back Pat”
All the Huskies men’s players wore the T-Shirt prior to their game on Saturday in Knoxville against the Vols.
Purple is the signature color of Alzheimer’s charities.
On the UConn athletics website, it said that those T-Shirts were available for purchase but when I checked (cost: $19.95) the link said they were “out of stock.”
Hopefully that means that UConn fans everywhere bought out the supply to help fight dementia and Alzheimer’s
A portion of the proceeds from the shirts will be donated to programs supporting people with dementia and Alzheimer’s in Tennessee.
Here was the description for the T-Shirts on the UConn website:
Since 1974, Coach Pat Summitt has led the Lady Vols basketball team to national prominence in the SEC. Proving her sound determination and total dedication, Pat announced in August 2011 that she will continue to coach the Lady Vols as she always has despite a diagnosis of early onset dementia. It’s time for you to step up as a UConn fan to show your support for a fellow conference icon with this custom “We Back Pat” T-Shirt featuring your team’s colors and logo over, “I Wear Purple To Back Pat” lettering on the front and the official Pat Summit Foundation logo printed on the back with bold purple accents to symbolize Alzheimer’s Awareness. Even though you may “Bleed Blue & White,” you can show that the Huskies care for their associate athletes and coaches no matter what. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this product will go directly to the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund to provide education about, support of and research for those battling Alzheimer’s disease – now and in the future. The SEC and its member institutions will support the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund’s efforts to increase Alzheimer’s awareness during “We Back Pat” week, January 15-22. For further information about the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund, or to donate directly to the Fund, please visit www.patsummitt.org.
