I love the threads that weave these two programs together. I also love that you covered both in your time in sports journalism. Your experience informs this story...and all of us.
And of course, Coach Bluder played at UNI and is member of the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame.
"Hilton Magic" may have stared a decade sooner had Maury John not died of cancer 2 1/2 seasons into his tenure at Iowa State. He definitely had the Cyclone program going in the right direction.
Those same old-school Drake fans you reference probably also remember that Johnny Orr's first win at ISU was over Drake in overtime at Hilton, when Lewis Lloyd and Ernie Banks were playing for the Bulldogs. I remember Drake's Ron Angell, who I'd covered when he played against the Waterloo high schools for Mason City, took a pass beyond the arc and I shouted "No! Don't let him shoot!" He drilled it and sent the game into overtime. Johnny got a congratulatory call from Bobby Knight after the win.
Actually, Lisa is one of 3 Drake coaches who went to UNI. So did the first coach, Carole Baumgarten, and current coach Allison Pohlman. That's pretty nuts, too. I wanted to add that to my story but there wasn't a good place to weave in that little tidbit.
It's nuts! I'm sure there are more, too. I can think of a couple I didn't include because of space and they didn't quite fit in under the categories I mention.
Great article! And one more connection; George Kittle's wife Claire played for Iowa WBB too! (This is maybe a bit indirect, but I had to mention.)
A cool bit of trivia! Thanks for mentioning.
I love the threads that weave these two programs together. I also love that you covered both in your time in sports journalism. Your experience informs this story...and all of us.
How interesting and fun! I really appreciated the Evert-Navratilova analogy.
And of course, Coach Bluder played at UNI and is member of the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame.
"Hilton Magic" may have stared a decade sooner had Maury John not died of cancer 2 1/2 seasons into his tenure at Iowa State. He definitely had the Cyclone program going in the right direction.
Those same old-school Drake fans you reference probably also remember that Johnny Orr's first win at ISU was over Drake in overtime at Hilton, when Lewis Lloyd and Ernie Banks were playing for the Bulldogs. I remember Drake's Ron Angell, who I'd covered when he played against the Waterloo high schools for Mason City, took a pass beyond the arc and I shouted "No! Don't let him shoot!" He drilled it and sent the game into overtime. Johnny got a congratulatory call from Bobby Knight after the win.
Actually, Lisa is one of 3 Drake coaches who went to UNI. So did the first coach, Carole Baumgarten, and current coach Allison Pohlman. That's pretty nuts, too. I wanted to add that to my story but there wasn't a good place to weave in that little tidbit.
yeah and throw in UNI alum Darian DeVries who used to be on the men's side and there's quite the connection.
Thank you, Jane! This is such a fun story to read!
What a fun read. I didn’t know there were THIS many Iowa-Drake connections!
It's nuts! I'm sure there are more, too. I can think of a couple I didn't include because of space and they didn't quite fit in under the categories I mention.