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Ellis And His Dog

About Jack Riggs: You either liked him or you didn't and he felt the same toward you. The man was as good as gold to me -- even cosigned three loans so that I could stay in school. The last two years I went in The Varsity, I didn't pay a dime; One day, he told me and Rick Wookey, "You two SOB's have spent so much money in here that you drink free from now on!"

Keep the Ellis stories coming. I have a couple of more...
 
Ellis qb’ed the Ashland Tomcats to three undefeated seasons and Ashland traveled to, I think, Chicago and he lead the Tomcats to a national championship in a basketball tournament for high school teams. And I think he was Rupp’s first AA.
 
Ellis qb’ed the Ashland Tomcats to three undefeated seasons and Ashland traveled to, I think, Chicago and he lead the Tomcats to a national championship in a basketball tournament for high school teams. And I think he was Rupp’s first AA.
2nd AA - 1st to letter in 4 sports in the same academic year....
 
About Jack Riggs: You either liked him or you didn't and he felt the same toward you. The man was as good as gold to me -- even cosigned three loans so that I could stay in school. The last two years I went in The Varsity, I didn't pay a dime; One day, he told me and Rick Wookey, "You two SOB's have spent so much money in here that you drink free from now on!"

Keep the Ellis stories coming. I have a couple of more...


Tim......Jack helped me too with some money he did not expect me to ever repay. He knew I was a poor college student fighting to stay in school without any financial help from my Mom. She did not have it to give me. Had it not been for Jack Riggs, me officiating intramural sporting games, working at a Huntington Clothing store to earn money for college & Kappa Alpha Order permitting me to live FREE in the Frat House my 2nd semester(Junior year---1968) I would have been forced to leave Marshall. This is why to this day---- I annually give money to KA National ...to the Big Green Foundation, to our School of JRN and to our Alumni Association. I do not forget those that helped me along the way.

Zilla22
 
Okay... now I am way too young to claim having been in the Field House in 68 for the Ellis Johnson stunt... but I told that story to a couple of my coaching buddies out here in SoCal and they called BS on me - so if anyone has a photo of it, please scan and post it. Thats beats the hell out of Bobby Knight throwing chairs... quite possibly the greatest Technical Foul ever earned by a coach in the history of the game.

I was there for Coach Huck's infamous press conference after a game at Rupp Arena in 1988 that was much closer than the 91-78 score (they shot 39 free throws). About lost it when Huck dropped the "If I was President of the United States I would want those three striped sons-of-bitches protecting me the way they did the home team tonight." Total "drop the mic" bomb there!

Here's a story from the H-D a few years ago that might help you to prove it to your friends.

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news...cle_82c7326c-aa5d-55b8-8668-6f4f41a2c53d.html
 
Better let the uk athletic dept know about this because they have credited EJ as Rupp’s first AA for decades. ;):)


  • CORRECTION - (August 8, 1990)

    The obituary of Ellis Johnson in yesterday's Herald-Leader contained incorrect information. Although Johnson was an All-American while playing for University of Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp, he was not Rupp's first All- American. Also, Johnson did not play on any of UK's five NCAA championship teams.
 
^^^ I guess they are crediting Aggie Sale as the first. He was coached but not recruited by Rupp so I understand what you and the paper mean. Actually EJ probably had more to do with Rupps hiring than anyone.
 
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There were players that played for Rupp that were all-Americans before Ellis Johnson and actually another player that was named all-American the same year. I’d always heard that he was the first too. He was a freshman and was on the committee that interviewed Rupp and others for the job at UK.
 
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Back to the dog. I talked to Danny Monday night and he wants a picture of Ellis and the dog too! He thinks it may have been the Kent state game.
 
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Back to the dog. I talked to Danny Monday night and he wants a picture of Ellis and the dog too! He thinks it may have been the Kent state game.

That would have been
Sat, Dec 16, 1967

Need to get access to the microfilm of old HD articles from that time period.....
 
This is like the dude out west who created a treasure map and threw out the bait that whoever figures out the riddle will find 2 mil$ in gold. Well,
I am getting out my survival gear & going into the WV state archival wilderness in search of Ellis/pooch/spectacles. If you don’t hear from me for a while, Go Herd!!
WS
 
The picture surfaced about the time the MFH was being celebrated and old pictures were everywhere before the final closing
 
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George M. Reger did his Master of Arts thesis on the subject of racial integration of Marshall basketball 1954-1969. Partial account follows:


(Jim) Davidson's only racial trouble came on the court. While the other African-Americans who preceded him at Marshall may have heard racial slurs from competitors, Davidson took action against his antagonist. The incident occurred during the 1966-1967 season in a game played at the Memorial Field House with Mid-American Conference leader and then undefeated University ofToledo as the opponent.

Davidson guarded Toledo's Willie Babione so successfully the incident began, "Early in the game I blocked one of his shots and he called me a 'black son of a bitch.' Which shocked me, you know. And when the game went on, I got in foul trouble and I ended up fouling out of that ball game."Babione’s words did not sit well with Davidson and as he sat
on the bench during the second half of the game his anger began to swell. Then with two minutes and twenty-eight seconds remaining in the game, Davidson's opportunity for retaliation occurred.
Marshall's Park Beam threw the basketball at Toledo's John Brisker, hitting him in the face. Bean turned around and ran down the court, leaving the Thundering Herd's Dan D'Antoni alone next to the Toledo bench. Davidson remembered what occurred next, "Their bench was there and they surrounded Dan. Well, we were sitting there, and we all fly that way. A little scuffle ensues. But the only person I could see on that team was Babione. So I hit him. I went straight for him and knocked him out. That was important. Dan D'Antoni also remembered the Toledo fight.
“He hit Babione. I swear it sounded like a shot gun went off. I was sitting there waiting for them to throw it in bounds and they surrounded me. The next thing I know somebody's got me in arm locks and then here comes the troops. Then all of a sudden this shot gun went off and Davidson hit Babione and everybody quit. That was it. Everybody turned around and said, 'What the hell was that?' When Davidson hit him, he cracked.” Davidson's revenge was the only time an African-American player from Marshall took extreme physical action against a white athlete.
 
George M. Reger did his Master of Arts thesis on the subject of racial integration of Marshall basketball 1954-1969. Partial account follows:


(Jim) Davidson's only racial trouble came on the court. While the other African-Americans who preceded him at Marshall may have heard racial slurs from competitors, Davidson took action against his antagonist. The incident occurred during the 1966-1967 season in a game played at the Memorial Field House with Mid-American Conference leader and then undefeated University ofToledo as the opponent.

Davidson guarded Toledo's Willie Babione so successfully the incident began, "Early in the game I blocked one of his shots and he called me a 'black son of a bitch.' Which shocked me, you know. And when the game went on, I got in foul trouble and I ended up fouling out of that ball game."Babione’s words did not sit well with Davidson and as he sat
on the bench during the second half of the game his anger began to swell. Then with two minutes and twenty-eight seconds remaining in the game, Davidson's opportunity for retaliation occurred.
Marshall's Park Beam threw the basketball at Toledo's John Brisker, hitting him in the face. Bean turned around and ran down the court, leaving the Thundering Herd's Dan D'Antoni alone next to the Toledo bench. Davidson remembered what occurred next, "Their bench was there and they surrounded Dan. Well, we were sitting there, and we all fly that way. A little scuffle ensues. But the only person I could see on that team was Babione. So I hit him. I went straight for him and knocked him out. That was important. Dan D'Antoni also remembered the Toledo fight.
“He hit Babione. I swear it sounded like a shot gun went off. I was sitting there waiting for them to throw it in bounds and they surrounded me. The next thing I know somebody's got me in arm locks and then here comes the troops. Then all of a sudden this shot gun went off and Davidson hit Babione and everybody quit. That was it. Everybody turned around and said, 'What the hell was that?' When Davidson hit him, he cracked.” Davidson's revenge was the only time an African-American player from Marshall took extreme physical action against a white athlete.



Thanks W-S HERDFAN...this is exactly how it went down. I witnessed it.


Dan & I still laugh about that day that Davidson Rocked Toledo's World and The Thriller in Huntington. I kid Dan that "you were a lover & not a fighter"...and the brown stain on his shorts when he was surrounded by the Rockets players with one putting him in a lock-hold. But Mighty JIM came to his rescue & knocked out Babione...with one punch. The place was rocking for sure.

HerdZilla22
 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s9gtqbn2bqw4h5w/Ellis and the pooch.pdf?dl=0

OK - struck out on the photo. Did obtain a copy of the Herald Advertiser story from that game w/ description of “the incident. This game actually took place during February of the 1965-66 season. Danny does not show up in the box score, although I am sure he was on the bench? Ernie S. describes “held up the dogs ears” the day after the game. John Rorrer in the Monday afternoon edition accurately states “put a pair of glasses on its nose”. Funny how the writers describe the game - very flourishy and technical. Lots of strategy on offensive strategy.....sounds a LOT like what
 
I was a student sitting on front row next to the team. It was a magical moment indeed when Ellis put the glasses on the dog and pointed to the referee.Marshall beat Toledo that day 93-89. A great memory of a great team and great coach.I have no doubt this game was played Feb.10, 1968.

Hey mlbull - Looks like your way/back machine stopped 2 years short of game day!
 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s9gtqbn2bqw4h5w/Ellis and the pooch.pdf?dl=0

OK - struck out on the photo. Did obtain a copy of the Herald Advertiser story from that game w/ description of “the incident. This game actually took place during February of the 1965-66 season. Danny does not show up in the box score, although I am sure he was on the bench? Ernie S. describes “held up the dogs ears” the day after the game. John Rorrer in the Monday afternoon edition accurately states “put a pair of glasses on its nose”. Funny how the writers describe the game - very flourishy and technical. Lots of strategy on offensive strategy.....sounds a LOT like what

Good find. As I said earlier the dog and fight stories were separate.
DD was a freshman the year of the dog and was not a varsity player. Orville Stepp from Inez Ky was the point guard that year. Orville was in the terrific class that included Stone, Redd etc. Danny started varsity as a sophomore and Orville’s minute were drastically reduced. DD was the missing piece that really set that team up for success in 67 and 68.
 
OK - Tim H. I have an additional Monday after game day article, but still no pic! EJ stated he just couln’t pass up the opportunity to show up the refs and illustrate his anger at their no-calls on our pick & roll plays. He said no regrets or 2nd thoughts about it. Somebody has to have that pic! Go Herd! Moon-walking into the NCAA’s!!
 
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Cool. Also, assuming Wilt the Stilt was also a ‘Sixer at that time, they had a neat way of fitting the tall guy with the huge frame into a 3/4 inch space: Ch’b’l’n


The 76er’s franchise started as the Syracuse Nationals. When the Phila Warriors moved to SF in the early 60’s the Nationals relocated to Philly. Greer played several years in Syracuse and then in Philadelphia where the great team of 66-67 was assembled.
Wilt, Hal, Chet “the jet” Walker, Billy Cunningham, and Luke Jackson, with Wali Jones, Matt Goukas, and Bill Melchionni off the bench. Their battles with the Celtics were epic.
 
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Look in the NBA box scores and you’ll see Hurrin’ Hal Greer when he was playing for the Sixers


And....Jerry West
with the Lakers.....and Oscar Robertson with the Royals. This HD article was written a few years [1966] after I became a fan of the CELTICS [Bill Russell, John Havlicek, K.C. Jones, Bailey Howell, Sam Jones, Don Nelson, Satch Sanders] in grade school and my Mt Hope grade school buddies wanted to kill me because I did not support the Lakers when they played Boston.

HerdZilla22
 
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