Howdy Mates...
Today's Topic = Sun Devil Mt Rushmore
This past Thursday the Daily Star asked their Tucson audience who at AU should be on their Mt Rushmore of sports...
So, I'm bringing up the same subject for all of us to figure out who we would put on that Sun Devil mountaintop...
The Star broke it down by decades starting in the 1920s and ending in the 2010s...
In the 1980s the Cats Mt Rushmore included Lute Olsen (coach), Sean Elliot (basketball player) Cedric Dempsey (AD) and Terry Francona (baseball player)...
The Cats 1990s Mt Rushmore included Mike Candrea (softball coach), Annika Sorenstam (golfer), Lute Olson and Dick Tomey (coach)
Would we have just one that included coaches, players and administrators or one for each category..??
Also, would you break it down by decades, like the Star, so that you had one for each decade or not..??
Additionally, what would be the criteria for coaches, players and administrators..??
For instance, would a coach had to have won a national championship to qualify or would a really good overall record do it..??
How much weight would you give to conference championships or post season playoffs that were made..??
How long does a coach have to have been at ASU to be considered..??
Would it be three, five, ten or more years..??
I would immediately nominate Frank Kush, who won numerous WAC championships and put ASU on the national football map, and his 1975 undefeated team was designated national champions by the Sporting News after they defeated Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl...
In baseball, Bobby Winkles won three national championships and Jim Brock won two...
In golf, LInda Vollstedt won six national championships during her over 20 year coaching career at ASU...
Bobby Douglas won a national championship in wrestling during his distinguished long term career at the school....
But what about basketball coaches like Ned Wulk and Charli Turner-Thorne who never won a national championship but coached the Devils at an elite level, and Charli is still doing that at ASU, where her teams make the national tournament almost every season...
You could throw in Pat Murphy who coached at ASU for a long time and had an outstanding career baseball record at the school, although it did not include a national championship...
John Cooper and Bruce Snyder took the Devils to their only Rose Bowls...
I'm also pretty sure that we've had some track coaches that have won national championships...
If you start including players, in all sports, it would make quite the list with all kinds of football, baseball and basketball stars and golfers on it, etc...
Would president Crow deserve some consideration as an administrator who has done well by sports..??
I can't think of any ADs who would make the list but former AD Fred Miller was voted into the AD HOF, I think...
However, he will always be remembered as the man who fired Frank Kush...
Would the task be too overwhelming to even attempt..??
I'll leave that up to all of you...
Stay well my friends...
G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!
Today's Topic = Sun Devil Mt Rushmore
This past Thursday the Daily Star asked their Tucson audience who at AU should be on their Mt Rushmore of sports...
So, I'm bringing up the same subject for all of us to figure out who we would put on that Sun Devil mountaintop...
The Star broke it down by decades starting in the 1920s and ending in the 2010s...
In the 1980s the Cats Mt Rushmore included Lute Olsen (coach), Sean Elliot (basketball player) Cedric Dempsey (AD) and Terry Francona (baseball player)...
The Cats 1990s Mt Rushmore included Mike Candrea (softball coach), Annika Sorenstam (golfer), Lute Olson and Dick Tomey (coach)
Would we have just one that included coaches, players and administrators or one for each category..??
Also, would you break it down by decades, like the Star, so that you had one for each decade or not..??
Additionally, what would be the criteria for coaches, players and administrators..??
For instance, would a coach had to have won a national championship to qualify or would a really good overall record do it..??
How much weight would you give to conference championships or post season playoffs that were made..??
How long does a coach have to have been at ASU to be considered..??
Would it be three, five, ten or more years..??
I would immediately nominate Frank Kush, who won numerous WAC championships and put ASU on the national football map, and his 1975 undefeated team was designated national champions by the Sporting News after they defeated Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl...
In baseball, Bobby Winkles won three national championships and Jim Brock won two...
In golf, LInda Vollstedt won six national championships during her over 20 year coaching career at ASU...
Bobby Douglas won a national championship in wrestling during his distinguished long term career at the school....
But what about basketball coaches like Ned Wulk and Charli Turner-Thorne who never won a national championship but coached the Devils at an elite level, and Charli is still doing that at ASU, where her teams make the national tournament almost every season...
You could throw in Pat Murphy who coached at ASU for a long time and had an outstanding career baseball record at the school, although it did not include a national championship...
John Cooper and Bruce Snyder took the Devils to their only Rose Bowls...
I'm also pretty sure that we've had some track coaches that have won national championships...
If you start including players, in all sports, it would make quite the list with all kinds of football, baseball and basketball stars and golfers on it, etc...
Would president Crow deserve some consideration as an administrator who has done well by sports..??
I can't think of any ADs who would make the list but former AD Fred Miller was voted into the AD HOF, I think...
However, he will always be remembered as the man who fired Frank Kush...
Would the task be too overwhelming to even attempt..??
I'll leave that up to all of you...
Stay well my friends...
G'day Mates and Go Devils!!!
