Anyone know when those were made? It had to be late 80s/early 90s. And is that the old Hickory Park (like original, not second building) in the background?
I am kind of surprised I don't remember seeing those before.
Your Best Johnny Orr Stories here.
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Anyone know when those were made? It had to be late 80s/early 90s. And is that the old Hickory Park (like original, not second building) in the background?
I am kind of surprised I don't remember seeing those before.
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I remember one of the first Big 8 games I attended as a student in '86. Student tickets were reserved and rotated around so 1 out of every 4 games you had great seats. We were behind the ISU bench (i think we were playing Oklahoma), and Johnny didn't like one of Ron Zetchers foul calls. He yelled at Zetcher "Get over here you son of a %itch". Figured he'd be T'd up right away but Zetcher came over and took the an ***** chewin'.
I was watching that one last night. I can't believe I had never seen it or at least heard about it before. Had me rolling. "God bless and have yourselves a hellllluva spring and summer." What a stud.
Click here for a great shot of the memorial from Hoiberg's perspective:
http://amestrib.com/sites/amestrib.com/files/field/media/web1_gamer.jpg
http://amestrib.com/sites/amestrib.com/files/field/media/web1_gamer.jpg
This photo is on the cover of today's Ames Tribune (front page, not sports section). It is worth framing!
P.S. Sorry I can't figure out how to post the photo, just the link.
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Cyclonepride
Thought Police
I'm a current ISU student, but I was lucky enough to have a great interaction with Johnny Orr.
It was before the Alumni game against Nebraska some odd years ago (5 or 6 I think). We got to Hilton early to get in line for autographs, and were walking in the south doors when I noticed Johnny Orr was behind me! I held the door for him, and he said "Hey, thanks coach! " He noticed I had an ISU basketball, and offered to sign it for me, which I was thrilled about. My dad, who went to ISU from 80-84 and had been to many Big 8 tournaments , said: "Hey Johnny, who was that official who... " and Johnny cut him off and yelled: WOODY MAYFIELD (Which was the official who screwed us over against OU in the Big8 tournament, if I'm not mistaken). I'll never forget my dad die laughing at how fast he rattled off his name.
RIP Johnny.
It was before the Alumni game against Nebraska some odd years ago (5 or 6 I think). We got to Hilton early to get in line for autographs, and were walking in the south doors when I noticed Johnny Orr was behind me! I held the door for him, and he said "Hey, thanks coach! " He noticed I had an ISU basketball, and offered to sign it for me, which I was thrilled about. My dad, who went to ISU from 80-84 and had been to many Big 8 tournaments , said: "Hey Johnny, who was that official who... " and Johnny cut him off and yelled: WOODY MAYFIELD (Which was the official who screwed us over against OU in the Big8 tournament, if I'm not mistaken). I'll never forget my dad die laughing at how fast he rattled off his name.
RIP Johnny.
I was at ISU from 1986 - 1991. I lived at the Towers and worked food service for 3 of those years. Part of food service at Wallace/Wilson hall was training table where the FB and MBB players ate. Walden and Criner, the FB coaches at the time didn't have a lot of time for us training table grunts so we knew better then to talk much with them.... Johnny, on the other hand, went out of his way to talk to anyone he came in contact with and if you were lucky to be behind the glass serving food as he came through the line, you would have swore you were a family friend of his and a lot of his staff at the time. He swore a lot, but you could understand every word he said. I can specifically remember Lafester Rhodes coming through the line and about the only words you understood him saying were swear words. Them were great times.
I had season BB tickets every year I was at ISU and it was amazing the frenzy Johnny would get the fans in every game when he would come out of the tunnel doing his fist pumps. He had a way of working the crowd. Everyone loved him.
I was also out on Welch in the first riots when he came out with the bullhorns and pleaded with us to go home and almost all of us did just that. I was also near the guy who shimmied up the light pole that was in a post above and that guy was nuts. The light pole was right next to the big fire that had couch's, railroad ties and whatever else people could find. The light was directly above the fire and the guy shimmied up the pole, had the beer and then shifted out so he was near the light right above the fire, then shimmied back and came down. Can't imagine what would have happened to him had he fallen.
And the stories about Sam Mack and Levin White robbing that Burger King was also hilarious. The two idiots went to rob the restaraunt without any mask or anything to conceal their identity. They went into the restaraunt in Ames that had pictures all throughout the place of past sport teams at ISU. And directly above where they robbed the place was pictures of the current FB and MBB roster. Sam Mack claimed Levin White made him do it and he was so scared he ****** his pants in the parking lot before they went in.
Johhnie was a great ambassador for a whole lot more than ISU, and I am glad I got to talk to him back in my college days and a few of the Cyclone outings. He will be missed. Here's to hoping he be around to magnify Hilton Magic to an even higher power.
I had season BB tickets every year I was at ISU and it was amazing the frenzy Johnny would get the fans in every game when he would come out of the tunnel doing his fist pumps. He had a way of working the crowd. Everyone loved him.
I was also out on Welch in the first riots when he came out with the bullhorns and pleaded with us to go home and almost all of us did just that. I was also near the guy who shimmied up the light pole that was in a post above and that guy was nuts. The light pole was right next to the big fire that had couch's, railroad ties and whatever else people could find. The light was directly above the fire and the guy shimmied up the pole, had the beer and then shifted out so he was near the light right above the fire, then shimmied back and came down. Can't imagine what would have happened to him had he fallen.
And the stories about Sam Mack and Levin White robbing that Burger King was also hilarious. The two idiots went to rob the restaraunt without any mask or anything to conceal their identity. They went into the restaraunt in Ames that had pictures all throughout the place of past sport teams at ISU. And directly above where they robbed the place was pictures of the current FB and MBB roster. Sam Mack claimed Levin White made him do it and he was so scared he ****** his pants in the parking lot before they went in.
Johhnie was a great ambassador for a whole lot more than ISU, and I am glad I got to talk to him back in my college days and a few of the Cyclone outings. He will be missed. Here's to hoping he be around to magnify Hilton Magic to an even higher power.
Late in the game Sam Mack drove the lane and either made the shot or was fouled during it. It would have put us ahead and he was called for traveling by Woody. I can remember watching the play as if it were yesterday. We got kicked in the nuts back then just as bad as we do now.
I was the House and Concessions Manager for the Iowa State Center, which included Hilton at the time, during Johnny's first 3 years as coach. With that position, I saw him, and interacted with him pretty frequently whenever I was in Hilton.
One day before the 2nd or 3rd season, WOI-TV was doing a piece for the "Johnny Orr Show". The reporter was going to interview me about some new concessions items and some changes in the seating situation that year. I don't remember the details.
Anyway, we were doing the interview and filming in what used to be the broadcast press box above the 2 center parquet sections on the south side. The cameraman wanted to use the floor and seating area as a backdrop. Shortly after we started, Johnny came walking in from the west end of the inner concourse. He got close to where we were and said "So what the hell is going on here now?". The reporter explained to him what we were doing, and that it was going to be a feature on his show at some point. Johnny thought that was all good, then told the reporter to be sure and ask me why our prices were so "damned high", laughing of course. I don't think we had an item over $1.00 back then.
Johnny stood there for a while, but I could not keep a straight face with the interview with him there. We had to stop a couple of times, and Johnny sensed what was going on and said his goodbyes and started to continue to walk to his office in the east end. A few feet away, he turned and yelled... "Ask him when he is going to start selling some beer and liquor in here. We need that".....more of his laugh. Then he started walking again, and in a few more steps he turned and yelled "Get that beer in here coach"....and more laughing.
That was just him. He would talk to you as though he had known and worked with you for years. Never put himself above anybody.
One day before the 2nd or 3rd season, WOI-TV was doing a piece for the "Johnny Orr Show". The reporter was going to interview me about some new concessions items and some changes in the seating situation that year. I don't remember the details.
Anyway, we were doing the interview and filming in what used to be the broadcast press box above the 2 center parquet sections on the south side. The cameraman wanted to use the floor and seating area as a backdrop. Shortly after we started, Johnny came walking in from the west end of the inner concourse. He got close to where we were and said "So what the hell is going on here now?". The reporter explained to him what we were doing, and that it was going to be a feature on his show at some point. Johnny thought that was all good, then told the reporter to be sure and ask me why our prices were so "damned high", laughing of course. I don't think we had an item over $1.00 back then.
Johnny stood there for a while, but I could not keep a straight face with the interview with him there. We had to stop a couple of times, and Johnny sensed what was going on and said his goodbyes and started to continue to walk to his office in the east end. A few feet away, he turned and yelled... "Ask him when he is going to start selling some beer and liquor in here. We need that".....more of his laugh. Then he started walking again, and in a few more steps he turned and yelled "Get that beer in here coach"....and more laughing.
That was just him. He would talk to you as though he had known and worked with you for years. Never put himself above anybody.
I don't know if these have been shared yet, but I thought these two articles on Johnny from a Michigan perspective were interesting.
Johnny Orr (1926-2013), who built his legacy at Michigan and cemented it at Iowa State, was more than a coach | MLive.com
TheWolverine.com - Remembering former Michigan coach Johnny Orr
And one from his days at UMass...
Johnny Orr, UMass basketball coach in 1960s, dies at 86 | masslive.com
Johnny Orr (1926-2013), who built his legacy at Michigan and cemented it at Iowa State, was more than a coach | MLive.com
TheWolverine.com - Remembering former Michigan coach Johnny Orr
And one from his days at UMass...
Johnny Orr, UMass basketball coach in 1960s, dies at 86 | masslive.com
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