Final Game @ the Hall

i learned that you weren’t suppose to talk during the national anthem at freedom hall. i started talking halfway through and got a nice smack in the back of the head from my mom and had no idea why. we played Florida St that day and our seats were at the very very top.

I remember ushering games at freedom hall to raise money for my high school baseball team…denny crum and i sharing an elevator. Getting to meet players after the game, sitting on my uncles shoulders and shaking felton spencers hands at eye level.

Great memories. Love the Hall!!

I used to work for Joe Herp ushering service, which had the ushering concession at Freedom Hall. It didn’t pay worth a damn, but I got to see a LOT of events for free. Concerts, fights, State Fair stuff… and Final Fours. I remember watching UCLA there with Kareem (then known as Lew Alcindor). I thought he was lazy and vain – he was always the last one back on defense, and after one really nice offensive play, he stopped at midcourt and raised his fists, elbows bent, in sort of a strong-man pose. This guy, I thought, is not enough of a team player to ever really amount to much. Boy , was I mistaken about him!

UofL memories there just go on and on. I had season tickets for about six years in the faculty & staff section. There was a woman who sat behind me who just hated Jerry Eaves. She was on his case all the time. When anyone else went to the free throw line she’d yell “Sink it, Roger!” or “Sink it, Tony!” When it was Eaves she’d yell “Sink it, Eaves!” He was the only player she would never call by his first name.

The awful Memphis State game when we gave up what seems in memory like the firs 32 points (I think it was actually somewhere in the teens) and wound up losing (by something less than the lead we had spotted them, but still a loss) to go to something like 3-5, which again in memory seems like it was 1-7. The bitter disappointment of that start was eventually overshadowed by a good season – I think it wound up being one of Dennny’s Final Fours.

The pre-shot clock era game against an overmatched Cincinnati team, in which their coach decided to slow the game down by going into a zone and just waiting for us to shoot jumpers. Denny had the guards stand out at mid-court and dribble for something like 6 or 8 minutes, in order to force Cincy out of their zone. When they finally came out at us, it was wham, bang, three or four quick layups.

Howard Schnellenberger being introduced as our new football coach at halftime of a basketball game. A Peter Max-like caricature of The Pipe being shown on the jumbotron (such as it was in those days). The crowd went absolutely bonkers. That was the start of Louisville amounting to anything in football.

Finding my car in the parking lot after games was always a challenge due to my ADD habit of not taking note of just where I had parked. After one game, I had to wait until the parking lot was nearly empty – only to find that I had left my lights on and my battery was dead. A kindly old guy helped me out with a jump, and afterward, as I thanked him and said goodnight, he introduced himself – Woodrow Strickler. He was the university’s president at the time!

John Tong’s voice. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Freedom Hall for the thrill and excitement of college basketball!” … “aaaaat the line… Gordon… and he will have… two.” … “Goal by Thompson, the assist to Wagner.” Years later, when I had announcing duties at some horse shows, I always tried to emulate Tong’s rhythm and pacing. The modern, NBA-style announcers are OK, I guess, but nobody will ever measure up to The Voice in my estimation.

I mean no one beats John Tong. During the old era when the styles were much more subdue he still stood out. He was the best ever in my opinion. Amazing. I really miss that and when watching old UofL clips from the Hall I try to listen for his call. He also did a great job with the Sweet 16 as I recall. Clay County/Richie Farmer versus Ballard/Allan Houston. I was there for that one too. Not a Card memory, but maybe my fave Hall memory. Also went to bass fishing championship back in the 80s where the fishemen come with their boats to weigh the fish. The Hall was packed for it. I’m not kidding. Saw the Grateful Dead there in ’94 or so too. Not a Dead fan, but it was a funny scene.

was in the NCAA sweet sixteen, not Freedom Hall. And it wasn’t a spanking. Cards were ahead very late in the game.

The Fred-Horton-swinging-the- chair incident stands out.

I literally thought the our fans were going to come out of their seats when he started swinging that chair —at anyone who got near him!

My greatest memories in the Hall:

Seeing the block of granite that is Wes Unseld drop 45 to set the record, when he was turned loose for just one game

Seeing the Final 4 1975 Cards get down by 20 to an untalented St. Louis team, see Denny bench his entire starting five of Bridgeman, etc. for the first few minutes after halftime—and then see them roar back and win by more than 20

Seeing Griff do a 360 in a real game…just seeing Griff

Seeing the Ky Colonels win the 1975 ABA championship…god, the Colonels were among the best 3 teams in all of pro b-ball from 1971-75…I saw Artis Gilmore and Dr. J

The Tennessee game miracle… I had never seen the place rock that loud or for that long at such a peak decibel level. The beginning of the Pitino era…

The greatest single season of thrills in the Hall: Last year. The unbeaten steak of games from Sosa’s dagger into UK until we beat #1 Pitt was the greatest single run of great games and greatest that I have ever seen in the Hall.

And finally…The superfans: Sedat. The Boogey Man aka Scott Spicer. The Cheerleader aka Rob Hickerson . andThe Referee shirt Guy aka Stuart Grossman…

God, It’s been a hell of a run.

John Tong – the best announcer of college basketball. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried when he retired. It was the end of an era.

Sean Moth – the second best announcer of college basketball… only because I was introduced to John Tong first.

Denny Crum’s last game at The Hall. Yes, I cried then too. It was the end of Cardinal Basketball as I knew it. The red blazer, the gum, the rolled up program.

The Tennessee game. That was insane. From that point on, we should have known better than to bet against Reece Gaines.

Marques Estill fouling out. I don’t remember what year it was in the Pitino era, but we beat UK. The best memory from that game was the entire crowd singing “Hit the Road, Jack.” at the top of their voices to him. To be honest with you, I don’t remember anything else from that game, but that.

The Dagger. “Oh my God, he’s gonna shoot it. What is Sosa doing?” – me to my Mom.

Otis George setting a pick against Cincinnati, still in C*USA days. All I remember about this was that it was on the Bird, mid court, Otis set the pick and the Cincy player flattened himself by running into Otis. The crowd went nuts.

Francisco Garcia lighting #1 Florida up shortly after his brother died.

Larry O’Bannon crying while being introduced Senior Night and then torching Charlotte. “La-ree! La-ree!”

UofL vs Notre Dame… pick any one of the three in the last 5-6 years. All have gone to OT and all have been incredible.

I agree with frankpos, the Superfans. They totally rock and make The Hall, The Hall.

I have to mention the two bad memories I have: Luke Whitehead’s fall and Ellis Myles’s injury. You would have thought that Luke should have been paralyzed based on the way he fell. And Ellis’s screams of pain are something you would have thought Tom Crean would have taken seriously. (Maybe that’s why I still have trouble rooting for him, even at IU.)

And finally, my “Winter Family” – the top row of Section 330. After getting to know everyone, we truly have a blast at the games – win or lose. (Wow, that just sounded like I wrote in someone’s yearbook…) It’ll be sad to break that up if we all can’t get seats together downtown.

Agreed, it has been one hell of a run. Here’s to continuing it over into the new arena! Go Cards!!!