One thing about basketball team photos is that every one looksbasically the same. Tall guys stand in the back in uniforms, stiffly.Coaches stand on the ends. Short guys and water boys in front, maybeon the floor.
And then there was the team photo of the 1977 Marquette Warriors,the national champs.
All 11 players, and no coaches, no water boys. They're in tuxedos,standing around or lounging in some antique white convertible. Itlooks like an old prom photo, with clothes so out-of-date--ruffledshirts and wide bow ties--that you would regret those clothes today.
Still, somehow, even today, these guys look cool. That team willnever go out of style.
And it certainly will never have regrets.
That car is a 1934 Parker," said Bo Ellis, a star on that team. Iremember. I've got my gray slacks, gray vest, gray tie, black tux. Itwas all just another spinoff of coach [Al] McGuire's insanity."
It's time to remember and honor that insanity, and that team'smark, as Marquette is back in the Final Four for the first time sincethat year. The Golden Eagles, as they are called now, will playKansas on Saturday.
Do you know what was the defining moment of that 1977 team? Itcame in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Marquette was losingby three at halftime against Cincinnati, and forward Bernard Toonewas a little angry with McGuire.
Coach would holler at you, and you were welcome to holler back,"Ellis said. So Coach says something to Bernard during the game, andBernard yells back. At halftime, Coach is still ticked. I'm sittingin front of my locker with my towel over my face, and all of a suddenI hear them arguing again.
I look up and Coach is standing over Bernard, saying, If you eversay anything like that again I'll kills you.' He says it just likethat, kills. Then Coach slaps Bernard in the face, and Bernard getsup and they tussle a little until someone takes Bernard out of theroom. And Coach just sat there saying, I'll kill him. I'll kill him.'That was just another one of those Al McGuire moments."
Today, that is called abuse. In 1977, under McGuire, it was toughlove. McGuire was tough, and his players loved him. It was the team'spersonality, accepted all the way around. Toone came back hot in thesecond half, and the team was sparked. Marquette won by 15 andstarted its roll toward the title.
Few teams live through history. It's hard to remember a lot ofthese national champions; after a while they all blend together. Theold UCLA teams stood out for the dominance. We don't forget ChrisWebber's meltdown, calling a timeout the Fab Five didn't have andhanding the title to North Carolina. We don't forget Jimmy Valvanorunning crazy around the court after North Carolina State beat PhiSlamma Jamma.
And we don't forget Al McGuire's Marquette.
But what made that team stand out? What is its mark on history?
Fun.
In a sport lacking individuality at the time, it just looked likethis team and this coach were having lots of fun.
Each of the players was different, and it appeared to be anunkempt, ragamuffin group," said Joe Moran, McGuire's biographer whowrote You Can Call Me Al. Some of them had long hair, and theiruniform shirts were hanging out over the shorts. Those were theuniforms that Bo Ellis designed [with McGuire's permission].
They just seemed to be different from everybody else. Dean Smith'sguys dressed in suits and ties for breakfast. Al's guys came down injeans and T-shirts. Al would wear those wild jackets, and othercoaches would be in sans-a-belt slacks."
Actually, Moran said, in the championship season McGuire hadstopped wearing the checked jackets, as he cut a deal with a localmen's store to provide him with clothes.
Yeah, we did have fun," Butch Lee, who lives in San Juan, PuertoRico, said Tuesday from his home. That was one of the bestexperiences I've ever had. I played with the Lakers in 1980 and wewon the championship, but that was nothing [compared with] Marquette.In the pros, you have your own family, your own fan club. In college,your teammates are like your brothers."
That family was Lee, Ellis and Toone, and Jerome Whitehead, BillNeary, Jim Boylan, Ulice Payne, Jim Dudley.
The Warriors started the season ranked No. 2. But after a 4-0start, McGuire announced he would retire at the end of the season topursue a business career.
He took us to a restaurant for lunch, and that's something henever did," said Ellis, a Chicagoan who still lives in town. So weknew something was wrong. Coach starts talking about how he wasfeeling, his career, his health. So he said I've come to theconclusion that at the end of this season ...'
Then he started catching himself, and he grabbed for air. Hecouldn't say it. He broke down and didn't want us to see him, so hejust left."
Marquette lost its next two games before starting to win again.The season was still fun, but something was missing.
Still, Lee said McGuire was working his magic.
Sometimes, he'd be walking to practice and instead of making aright turn to the gym, he'd make a left," he said. I remember himcoming into practice, walking around the court and then walking rightback out. That's how he used to shake things up, take the pressureoff."
Late in the season, the Warriors lost three straight home games.And going into the final game, at Michigan, they still weren'tconfident about getting into the NCAA tournament.
They ended up being the second-to-last team chosen. In thetournament, they kept squeaking by, and the pressure was building.After beating Kansas State by one point, McGuire accused the NCAA oftelling officials to give him technical fouls. They won the semifinalgame at the buzzer. And they beat North Carolina 67-59 in the titlegame, with McGuire, the tough guy, crying in the end.
The odd thing here is that sports coaches are notorious thieves.The San Francisco 49ers won a few Super Bowls, and now everyone isrunning the West Coast offense. Michael Jordan shaved his head, andeveryone followed.
But no one stole from McGuire. Not his charisma. Not his fun.
Maybe his picture can never be copied.
E-mail:gcouch@suntimes .com
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