Favorite Johnny Orr story

[Cyrocks]

Forgive me if this has been brought up before, but what is your favorite Johnny Orr story? Here is mine. I don't know if this really happen, but a friend of mine says he was there and swears it did.

It happened at a Cyclone outing during the summer when Jim Criner was first hired. When it is his turn to give a speech, Criner stands up and says, "I'm telling you right now, we are going to beat Oklahoma. We are going to beat Nebraska and we are going to beat Iowa." -- the typical rah-rah speech.

Johnny went up after Criner and said, "Folks, we just hired the dumbest football coach in America."

I still crack up every time I read or hear that story.

Again, I don't know if it is true, but I can definitely hear Johnny saying something like that.

 

[Cycofan1]

Story Time!!! Yay

 

[DaddyMac]

Something along the lines of.

"there were 4 D1 players in the state this year.

We got two. One didn't qualify, the other went to iowa - which is about the same thing"

 

[83Clone]

When I met him in person at an INS outing a couple years ago "F this F that, I tell you what coach, F this F that" Floyd was an "F'ing @$$ hole", I left him all those Plaaaaaayers and drove him around Ames and told him what a great place it was and he said "I don't give a S, I'm only going to be here a couple years"

My hand to God

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

Got to hear Murph and Andy re-air of the Johnny interview. Mine favorite part was him calling out Gene Smith.

 

[pujolsman]

Telling Vitale off on National TV

 

[WalkingCY]

At work, we had a function and John Walters was telling stories about Johnny. He was talking about some huge victory we had against OU and yelling at his guards on some key player. The guards wern't understanding him and he just screamed, "Guard him up there by that angry Chicken!" (Referring to the Walking Cy logo on the court at that time.)

I just thought it was cool. He called Cy an Angry Chicken.

 

[BigSkyCy2]

Growing up, I went to ISU Football and Basketball games since I was four. We sat in the first row of the parquet in section 20 or 22, don't remember, but it was just behind the bench.

We had Johnny's wife and kids two rows behind us. It was great. She new the name of every ref and would stand and yell at them the whole game, calling them out by name. It was hilarious.

 

[CycloneErik]

Growing up, I went to ISU Football and Basketball games since I was four. We sat in the first row of the parquet in section 20 or 22, don't remember, but it was just behind the bench.

We had Johnny's wife and kids two rows behind us. It was great. She new the name of every ref and would stand and yell at them the whole game, calling them out by name. It was hilarious.

This explains our Survivor discussion:wink:

 

[MeanDean]

After the double overtime win against Iowa about 1985 or so? I had bought tickets for myself and two brothers as Christmas presents. It was COLD and in January at Hilton. After the win (in which I think BOTH Barry Stevens and HB's dad had fouled out) I was so on a high the next day I actually bought a card at the store reading something like, Thanks (outsided) and "You made my day" on the inside. I crossed out "day" and wrote in "year" and said how nice it was to be living over here in Eastern Iowa the last couple of days. I was never so shocked when about 4 days later a little hand written card came back with a note saying, "Give 'em hell!" and signed "Coach"

 

[CycloneErik]

After the double overtime win against Iowa about 1985 or so? I had bought tickets for myself and two brothers as Christmas presents. It was COLD and in January at Hilton. After the win (in which I think BOTH Barry Stevens and HB's dad had fouled out) I was so on a high the next day I actually bought a card at the store reading something like, Thanks (outsided) and "You made my day" on the inside. I crossed out "day" and wrote in "year" and said how nice it was to be living over here in Eastern Iowa the last couple of days. I was never so shocked when about 4 days later a little hand written card came back with a note saying, "Give 'em hell!" and signed "Coach"

I think you've got the topping story. That's good stuff!!:yes::yes:

 

[bigcyfan82]

A guy asked Orr who the smartest player he ever coached was. he said, "without a doubt, it's Fred Hoiberg."

Then he was asked who the dumbest player he ever coached was. He said, "It's Laren Meyer, you know most guys who are hit by a train are lucky enough to die. But not laren Meyer."

 

[arganbright2]

Johnny used to own a condo on Lake Panorama many years ago and was out walking golfing with his wife. My parents had lived right off of hole nine and we usually spent time looking for golf balls in the pond. Well anyway, Johnny pulled up there to us and asked if we were Iowa State or Iowa fans. My brother told him he was an Iowa fan so Johnny hopped out of his cart, grabbed his nine iron, and told me he was "gonna set this boy straight." He signed a golf ball for each of us and gave us his golf towel. Then duffed his next shot into the pond and dropped the f-bomb 4 or 5 times

 

[cycopath25]

I met him several times when I used to work at Des Moines Golf and Country Club. Always very nice, polite, and generous. All you had to say was GO STATE and he would light up.

 

[flynnhicks03]

I believe I read this on a message board somewhere. After particularly poorly officiated game, the sideline announcer asked Johnny what he thought of the officiating. He said something along the lines of "Well, I'm not allowed to comment on that, but wife was at the game today, and she said it was the worst officiating she's ever seen."

 

[tec71]

winter break '89-90. snow storm. ISU vs. Indiana. sitting 2nd row behind the scorers table. Game is out of hand. we are getting killed at half time. Johnny and Bobby Knight spend the entire second half berating one of the officials "Pee Wee" who was a bit out of shape. They just kept trying to one up each other with the insults towards his parentage etc. hilarious.

 

[SuperCy]

I wish I could remember the quote. It had something to do with breaking a player's leg. Anybody remember it?

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

At work, we had a function and John Walters was telling stories about Johnny. He was talking about some huge victory we had against OU and yelling at his guards on some key player. The guards wern't understanding him and he just screamed, "Guard him up there by that angry Chicken!" (Referring to the Walking Cy logo on the court at that time.)

I just thought it was cool. He called Cy an Angry Chicken.

+1 one of the best posts I might have seen on CF.

 

[Gnomeborg]

winter break '89-90. snow storm. ISU vs. Indiana. sitting 2nd row behind the scorers table. Game is out of hand. we are getting killed at half time. Johnny and Bobby Knight spend the entire second half berating one of the officials "Pee Wee" who was a bit out of shape. They just kept trying to one up each other with the insults towards his parentage etc. hilarious.

I was there before that game, and sat at the scorer's table before it when Orr and Knight came to talk to each other. I learned to swear that day.

 

[ISUKyro]

Having the chance to hear many of his stories at the Cyclone Barber on main street.
What amazed me the most was I think I only met him maybe 10 times total and it was always with a crowd of people - but he knew me by name. That always blew me away.