Catching up with Bob Verga (aka Doug Hinds and the Rubber Chicken)

[Verga3]

It's good to catch up with one of the "best ever." I wonder how many points he would have scored if he'd had FOUR years and a 3-POINT LINE? Great guy, accomplished tennis player/coach.......Wonder if he still drives Corvettes?

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080112/SPORTS0120/801120404/1302/SPORTS0120

[watzone]

nice find!

[Indoor66]

Fun article. Looked close at Bob and he has changed little. All he needs is the ball behind the head....

[killerleft]

My childhood hero! Never could quite get the hang of that stylish jumpshot, though.

[Kimist]

Great article - and I agree the picture is a classic!

Verga would probably have made/kept all kinds of Duke scoring records with the three-point shot and freshman eligibility in effect.

And he did have one weird looking, but effective, jump shot!

k

[doctorhook]

Wonder if he is still a pool hustler? Doc

[Rogue]

It's good to catch up with one of the "best ever." I wonder how many points he would have scored if he'd had FOUR years and a 3-POINT LINE? Great guy, accomplished tennis player/coach.......Wonder if he still drives Corvettes?

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080112/SPORTS0120/801120404/1302/SPORTS0120


After the Jeff Mullins Art Heyman's graduated, Bob Verga was THE MAN.. a team that had Mike Lewis, and Jack Marin, it was Verga who was a little boys hero,, There was a great story on him in '66 in Sports Illustrated. "The lonely hours of a star "

[lawdevil]

Verga was definitely one of the greats of Duke Bball history (and not a bad pool player). Based upon his stats, it appears his jersey should be in the rafters at Cameron. Anyone know why it isn't? If he had been healthy during the final four, there probably would be one more NCAA Championship banner for 1966 - and Texas Western would not have had the chance to make history.

[topps coach]

My favorite player of all time. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get any videoes on him.

[du72ku65]

I continue to say that Bob Verga is the most overlooked star that Duke has had. As a kid he was my favorite Duke player. You can only speculate as to what his scoring avg. would have been with a 3 point line but the year he averaged 26.1 I would think you would have to be talking in the neighborhood of over 30 points per game.

[Verga3]

After the Jeff Mullins Art Heyman's graduated, Bob Verga was THE MAN.. a team that had Mike Lewis, and Jack Marin, it was Verga who was a little boys hero,, There was a great story on him in '66 in Sports Illustrated. "The lonely hours of a star "


Great memory, Rogue!

And thanks to the new SI Vault, here it is.....Bob Verga, the arm wrestling KA, studying Latin and Russian literature while frugging at Jelly Roll's. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1077978/index.htm

I love it.

[Jim3k]

Darn, that link to the Asbury Park paper has died.

[ricks68]

Note Jeri Reuter in the front of the line of cheerleaders behind Verga. Boy, those were the days..................

ricks

[dkbaseball]

After the Jeff Mullins Art Heyman's graduated, Bob Verga was THE MAN.. a team that had Mike Lewis, and Jack Marin, it was Verga who was a little boys hero,, There was a great story on him in '66 in Sports Illustrated. "The lonely hours of a star "

If it's the same story I'm recalling it ran in the SI college hoops preview in late '65, and he appeared anything but lonely. Pictures of him strolling around a beautiful campus with a beautiful blonde girlfriend (home town honey, I believe) was what sealed the deal with me and Duke. Never thought about going to another school after that.

[topps coach]

Sport magazine did an article in his senior year. Still looking for any videoes of him. Will pay whatever it takes

[devilirium]

I had read somewhere that his frequent forays to some nite club in Durham didn't win him over with Bubas.

Also, Eddie Cameron was of the mind that only Dick Groat's jersey should've been retired. That's why so many jersey retirements started so late.

[gotham devil]

If it's the same story I'm recalling it ran in the SI college hoops preview in late '65, and he appeared anything but lonely. Pictures of him strolling around a beautiful campus with a beautiful blonde girlfriend (home town honey, I believe) was what sealed the deal with me and Duke. Never thought about going to another school after that.

They mention in that article that he was dating Andrea Boles, a hometown girl who became a model in NY. It's got to be the same girl.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I had read somewhere that his frequent forays to some nite club in Durham didn't win him over with Bubas.

Also, Eddie Cameron was of the mind that only Dick Groat's jersey should've been retired. That's why so many jersey retirements started so late.

The night club you're referring to was the Stallion Club.

[Olympic Fan]

The night club you're referring to was the Stallion Club.

The Stallion Club way out on Cornwallis Road is the real-life equivilent to the Dexter Lake nightclub in Animal House. It was basically a black nightclub at a time when integration was barely getting started in Durham.

Verga, quite naturally, stood out when he visited. Maybe because of his celebrity status or maybe just because of his personality, he never had any problems.

I do remember stories about his clashes with Bubas over his late nights, but interesting that he dodged the biggest party-problem of his era. One of the frats held a New Year's Eve party during the 1966-67 season that ran deep into the early hours of Jan. 1. When Bubas found out, he suspended all the players involved -- four starters: Mike Lewis, Bob Reidy, Ron Wendelin, Tim Kolodziej, plus several top subs. Verga was not at the party -- whispers at the time were that he was at the Stallion Club instead -- and he was not suspended.

On Jan. 3, Duke played Penn State in Cameron with a lineup that included Verga, sophomore Steve Vandenberg (later a starter, but a guy who averaged 3.7 points that year), C.B. Claiborne (1.6 ppg.) and Fred Lind (he scored 11 points all season! He would find fame at the end of the next season). I can't recall who the fifth starter was, but it was also a scrub. There were only seven players dressed out and one of those was a kid (Francis) who had played freshman ball the year before, but never played in another varsity game.

Well, Duke won the game 89-84 as Verga scored 38 points.

I agree that Verga is the biggest injustice when it comes to retired jersies. His numbers and his honors won are almost exactly the same as Jeff Mullins. To Verga's advantage, he was consensus first-team All-American in 1967. Mullins was never better than concensus second-team. Mullins did win the 1964 ACC player of the year award, an honor Verga never won -- although he should have won it in 1966 (it went to teammate Steve Vacendak instead after Vacendak, a second-team All-ACC pick, had a great ACC tourney).

I know we're kind of running out of jersey numbers to retire ... but Verga was No. 11, which is already retired for Bobby Hurley. If the Yankees can retire No. 8 in honor of Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, can't Duke make No. 11 for Hurley and Verga?

[Stray Gator]

The night club you're referring to was the Stallion Club.

Affectionately known by those of us who frequented the club--which was unquestionably the best place in the area for listening to soul music and learning the latest dances--as "The Stable"...

[Indoor66]

I do remember stories about his clashes with Bubas over his late nights, but interesting that he dodged the biggest party-problem of his era. One of the frats held a New Year's Eve party during the 1966-67 season that ran deep into the early hours of Jan. 1. When Bubas found out, he suspended all the players involved -- four starters: Mike Lewis, Bob Reidy, Ron Wendelin, Tim Kolodziej, plus several top subs. Verga was not at the party -- whispers at the time were that he was at the Stallion Club instead -- and he was not suspended.

On Jan. 3, Duke played Penn State in Cameron with a lineup that included Verga, sophomore Steve Vandenberg (later a starter, but a guy who averaged 3.7 points that year), C.B. Claiborne (1.6 ppg.) and Fred Lind (he scored 11 points all season! He would find fame at the end of the next season). I can't recall who the fifth starter was, but it was also a scrub. There were only seven players dressed out and one of those was a kid (Francis) who had played freshman ball the year before, but never played in another varsity game.

Well, Duke won the game 89-84 as Verga scored 38 points.

The Penn State players were in tears by the end of that game - being beaten by the Duke "scrubs."

I seem to remember that footballer Bob Matheson suited up for that game. Of course he ended up most famous as #53 for Miami and namesake for the 53 defense of the Miami Dolphins during their heyday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_VIII

[roywhite]

Olympic Fan, Stray, and Indoor 66....

Great stories!

That was just a few years before my time, but I can't recall mention of the Stallion Club. Mayola's and the University Grill were the watering holes of choice for some of the players, and friends, when I was in school.

Did the Stallion Club have live music? Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts? I seem to recall one of their album covers as being shot on the Duke campus.

[Stray Gator]

The Penn State players were in tears by the end of that game - being beaten by the Duke "scrubs."

I seem to remember that footballer Bob Matheson suited up for that game. Of course he ended up most famous as #53 for Miami and namesake for the 53 defense of the Miami Dolphins during their heyday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Bowl_VIII

I don't think Bobo ever actually suited up. Word going around the student section during the game was that Bubas had asked him to sit behind the bench and be ready to suit up if it appeared there was a danger of any players fouling out. But that didn't happen, and I never saw any confirmation that the story was true. Two things I can confirm:

First, Matheson was a really good hoopster. As a freshman, I used to spend time shooting around in the Indoor Stadium lots of afternoons before varsity practice started (at which point we gym rats had to move over to Card or to the outdoor courts). I got to watch a lot of pickup games in which current and former players would be joined by Matheson and a couple of other Phi Delt/KA types--I even was invited to join them to play "point" (meaning "just pass us the ball and stay out of the way") a couple of times when they were short-handed. (Though I wisely tried to avoid venturing inside the top of the key, on one occasion I was defending against a dribble drive and accidentally collided with Matheson; yes, it left a mark.) While I suspect he would have fouled out pretty quickly in a regulation game, Matheson would certainly have been able to hold his own on the court as well as most scholarship subs. Sad that his life was cut short, because he was a vivacious character and a genuinely good guy.

Second, as I've posted here before, the funniest sight I ever saw in the Indoor Stadium was when our team took the floor that night for pregame warmups, because the layup lines on each side were only 2 or 3 players long. :D

[Stray Gator]

Olympic Fan, Stray, and Indoor 66....

Great stories!

That was just a few years before my time, but I can't recall mention of the Stallion Club. Mayola's and the University Grill were the watering holes of choice for some of the players, and friends, when I was in school.

Did the Stallion Club have live music? Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts? I seem to recall one of their album covers as being shot on the Duke campus.

When I was a regular there, I seem to recall that the Stallion Club had live bands on occasional weekends, maybe once or twice a month. But the performers were strictly soul music artists, not the Hot Nuts or the Tams or Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs, which were more popular with frats and white college students. For example, I remember seeing Joe Tex at the Stable when "Skinny Legs" was still a hit. :D

[Olympic Fan]

I don't think Bobo ever actually suited up. Word going around the student section during the game was that Bubas had asked him to sit behind the bench and be ready to suit up if it appeared there was a danger of any players fouling out. But that didn't happen, and I never saw any confirmation that the story was true. :D

I can't offer any firm comfirmation, but that's exactly the story I was told -- that Bubas asked Matheson to sit behind the bench and be ready to suit up at halftime if his team was in foul trouble.

Still, it sounds unlikely ... for one thing, he would have had to be listed in the official scoreboard at the start of the game to be eligible to play. And why the histrionics -- if Bubas thought he might need Matheson, why not suit him up before the game -- even if he were only an emergency reserve?

As for the Stallion Club, Stray, are you sure about the bands at the Stallion Club? You're probably right about Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts (very clearly the model for Otis Day and the Knights) and definitely right about the Tams, but I'm pretty sure that I saw Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs at the Stallion Club in the late '60s. I agree that my memory is that they always had live music on Friday and Saturday night and occasionally at other times.

[roywhite]

As for the Stallion Club, Stray, are you sure about the bands at the Stallion Club? You're probably right about Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts (very clearly the model for Otis Day and the Knights) and definitely right about the Tams, but I'm pretty sure that I saw Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs at the Stallion Club in the late '60s. I agree that my memory is that they always had live music on Friday and Saturday night and occasionally at other times.

Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs---classic beach music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Z_hskvz1M

[Stray Gator]

I can't offer any firm comfirmation, but that's exactly the story I was told -- that Bubas asked Matheson to sit behind the bench and be ready to suit up at halftime if his team was in foul trouble.

Still, it sounds unlikely ... for one thing, he would have had to be listed in the official scoreboard at the start of the game to be eligible to play. And why the histrionics -- if Bubas thought he might need Matheson, why not suit him up before the game -- even if he were only an emergency reserve?

As for the Stallion Club, Stray, are you sure about the bands at the Stallion Club? You're probably right about Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts (very clearly the model for Otis Day and the Knights) and definitely right about the Tams, but I'm pretty sure that I saw Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs at the Stallion Club in the late '60s. I agree that my memory is that they always had live music on Friday and Saturday night and occasionally at other times.

Yeah, I was always somewhat skeptical about the "sit back here and be ready to suit up at halftime" story for the simple reason that I suspected the rules would preclude coaches from randomly yanking students out of the stands to compete in an intercollegiate game without the student ever having appeared on the team roster, or having their academic eligibility verified (though Matheson was, of course, already qualified as a scholarship football player, and it's possible that Bubas had cleared it earlier that day with the ACC office--which in those days, as you know, was a smaller and more informal operation in Greensboro).

As for the Stallion Club, I can't say for sure that Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs didn't play there sometime during that period. I did see them play at a small club just off W. Chapel Hill St., a few blocks from East Campus, in September of '66. I remember that distinctly because it was orientation week of my freshman year. I cold-called a freshman "Hanes Honey" (nursing student for you youngsters) from California whose photo in the face book was attractive for a date. We went to dinner at Mayola's and then walked over to the club from there. Not surprisingly, she had never heard of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. But the drinking age was 18 then, and after having downed a few beers she was singing the words to "Stay" and "May I" and dancing the shag almost like someone who had grown up on Beach Music.

Post-script: Unfortunately, after the upperclass guys with cars showed up on Monday for the start of classes, she and virtually all of the other freshmen women were completely preoccupied with "better offers." In those days at Duke, there were 2 males (all housed on West Campus) for every female (all housed on East Campus). And only upperclass students could have cars. And without a car, the dating destination options were extremely limited. Practically non-existent, in fact. Which is why freshman guys from that era can all tell great stories about Friday night group pilgrimages to legendary places like Bat's and the Crit. :D

[roywhite]

Post-script: Unfortunately, after the upperclass guys with cars showed up on Monday for the start of classes, she and virtually all of the other freshmen women were completely preoccupied with "better offers." In those days at Duke, there were 2 males (all housed on West Campus) for every female (all housed on East Campus). And only upperclass students could have cars. And without a car, the dating destination options were extremely limited. Practically non-existent, in fact. Which is why freshman guys from that era can all tell great stories about Friday night group pilgrimages to legendary places like Bat's and the Crit. :D

Oh, no, the Crit!! :)

The only thing I'll say is that I understood the reference. :D

One more from Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwuocMHyuHc

[Indoor66]

I can't offer any firm comfirmation, but that's exactly the story I was told -- that Bubas asked Matheson to sit behind the bench and be ready to suit up at halftime if his team was in foul trouble.

Still, it sounds unlikely ... for one thing, he would have had to be listed in the official scoreboard at the start of the game to be eligible to play. And why the histrionics -- if Bubas thought he might need Matheson, why not suit him up before the game -- even if he were only an emergency reserve?

As for the Stallion Club, Stray, are you sure about the bands at the Stallion Club? You're probably right about Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts (very clearly the model for Otis Day and the Knights) and definitely right about the Tams, but I'm pretty sure that I saw Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs at the Stallion Club in the late '60s. I agree that my memory is that they always had live music on Friday and Saturday night and occasionally at other times.

I believe you are correct. I used to go to the Stallion Club in the 60's and definitely saw Maurice Williams. It was a safe place to go if you remained low key. Also, you could expect your date to be asked to dance by strangers.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Yeah, I was always somewhat skeptical about the "sit back here and be ready to suit up at halftime" story for the simple reason that I suspected the rules would preclude coaches from randomly yanking students out of the stands to compete in an intercollegiate game without the student ever having appeared on the team roster, or having their academic eligibility verified (though Matheson was, of course, already qualified as a scholarship football player, and it's possible that Bubas had cleared it earlier that day with the ACC office--which in those days, as you know, was a smaller and more informal operation in Greensboro).

As for the Stallion Club, I can't say for sure that Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs didn't play there sometime during that period. I did see them play at a small club just off W. Chapel Hill St., a few blocks from East Campus, in September of '66. I remember that distinctly because it was orientation week of my freshman year. I cold-called a freshman "Hanes Honey" (nursing student for you youngsters) from California whose photo in the face book was attractive for a date. We went to dinner at Mayola's and then walked over to the club from there. Not surprisingly, she had never heard of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. But the drinking age was 18 then, and after having downed a few beers she was singing the words to "Stay" and "May I" and dancing the shag almost like someone who had grown up on Beach Music.

Post-script: Unfortunately, after the upperclass guys with cars showed up on Monday for the start of classes, she and virtually all of the other freshmen women were completely preoccupied with "better offers." In those days at Duke, there were 2 males (all housed on West Campus) for every female (all housed on East Campus). And only upperclass students could have cars. And without a car, the dating destination options were extremely limited. Practically non-existent, in fact. Which is why freshman guys from that era can all tell great stories about Friday night group pilgrimages to legendary places like Bat's and the Crit. :D

Would you be referring to La Petite Birdland? I've always thought that the black and tan club in "Animal House" was rather like Birdland, not the Stallion Club. You had to know somebody to get in. I know this because I went there several times with a date from one of the fraternities who could get in.

You've made the odds sound better than might have been the case! I thought there were four guys on West for every gal on East. Based on your story being set in September 1966, I was a senior.

As for where you might have heard Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts play off campus, in the fall of 1966 they did play at the old Holiday Inn on Chapel Hill St. which had a facility which sometimes booked live bands. The same facility was used for pledge formals as well.

[Stray Gator]

Would you be referring to La Petite Birdland? I've always thought that the black and tan club in "Animal House" was rather like Birdland, not the Stallion Club. You had to know somebody to get in. I know this because I went there several times with a date from one of the fraternities who could get in.

You've made the odds sound better than might have been the case! I thought there were four guys on West for every gal on East. Based on your story being set in September 1966, I was a senior.

As for where you might have heard Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts play off campus, in the fall of 1966 they did play at the old Holiday Inn on Chapel Hill St. which had a facility which sometimes booked live bands. The same facility was used for pledge formals as well.

Ironically, I'm not sure if I ever saw the Hot Nuts perform in Durham. I did see them several times at fraternity parties in Chapel Hill, and at The Beach Club between O.D. and Myrtle Beach. Now there's a rich storehouse of memories--The Beach Club during the summers of the mid-60s. In addition to such "house regulars" as the Tams, and Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, and Gene Barbour and the Cavaliers, I can recall seeing The Four Tops, and Mary Wells, and the Drifters, and a slew of other Motown and Atlantic artists perform there. Good times...especially if you liked to pour down PBRs or bourbon and Coke, and wore Bass Weejuns with no socks. ;)

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Ironically, I'm not sure if I ever saw the Hot Nuts perform in Durham. I did see them several times at fraternity parties in Chapel Hill, and at The Beach Club between O.D. and Myrtle Beach. Now there's a rich storehouse of memories--The Beach Club during the summers of the mid-60s. In addition to such "house regulars" as the Tams, and Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, and Gene Barbour and the Cavaliers, I can recall seeing The Four Tops, and Mary Wells, and the Drifters, and a slew of other Motown and Atlantic artists perform there. Good times...especially if you liked to pour down PBRs or bourbon and Coke, and wore Bass Weejuns with no socks. ;)

Did you miss ZBT's annual Chinese Open over semester break? Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts were the live entertainment for many years during that era.

It also seems to me that Ike and Tina Turner performed at the Stallion Club sometime during the sixties.

[Verga3]

All these memories bring a smile.....Love the Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs links.

Getting back to Bob's "on-the-court" moves, the only photo remembrance of that pure "cockedbehindtheheadslingshotswish" jumper I can find is wonderfully located in Jim Sumner's, "Tales from the Duke Hardwood" (page 66on this Google link). http://books.google.com/books?id=PmlkVxHLR-gC&pg=PA64&dq=%22bob+verga%22+%22tales+from+the+duke+blue+dev ils+hardwood%22&sig=Jw1B_msz1x3QG5UL8HTq_i-uLPM#PPA66,M1

I totally agree that Bob Verga's #11 should be retired (Bobby Hurley will be honored, I promise you). Can you imagine those two #11's in the backcourt together on an all-time Duke team, with Hurley slicing and dishing and Verga firing at will? With the scoring numbers Verga stacked up in only three years (and in only two-point increments), imagine if he had a 3-point line. Verga launched his bombs from the parking lot without conscience....or said another way, JJ had Verga range.

RETIRE BOB VERGA'S #11.

[Indoor66]

All these memories bring a smile.....Love the Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs links.

Getting back to Bob's "on-the-court" moves, the only photo remembrance of that pure "cockedbehindtheheadslingshotswish" jumper I can find is wonderfully located in Jim Sumner's, "Tales from the Duke Hardwood" (page 66on this Google link). http://books.google.com/books?id=PmlkVxHLR-gC&pg=PA64&dq=%22bob+verga%22+%22tales+from+the+duke+blue+dev ils+hardwood%22&sig=Jw1B_msz1x3QG5UL8HTq_i-uLPM#PPA66,M1

I totally agree that Bob Verga's #11 should be retired (Bobby Hurley will be honored, I promise you). Can you imagine those two #11's in the backcourt together on an all-time Duke team, with Hurley slicing and dishing and Verga firing at will? With the scoring numbers Verga stacked up in only three years (and in only two-point increments), imagine if he had a 3-point line. Verga launched his bombs from the parking lot without conscience....or said another way, JJ had Verga range.

RETIRE BOB VERGA'S #11.

I can still hear and see, in my mind's eyes and ears, the lights down and Art Chandler's melodeous tones saying: "and, at Guard, standing 6', from Sea Girt, New Jersey, Number 11, Bob Verga" and Bob running out bathed by the carbon arc spotlights used then. i get chills.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I can still hear and see, in my mind's eyes and ears, the lights down and Art Chandler's melodeous tones saying: "and, at Guard, standing 6', from Sea Girt, New Jersey, Number 11, Bob Verga" and Bob running out bathed by the carbon arc spotlights used then. i get chills.
Those spot lighted introductions set the tone for the games which followed. You knew it was going to be special. Perhaps the haze from the cigarette smoke added to the atmosphere! I can remember when there was so much haze that it was difficult to tell that there was an upstairs in Indoor Stadium!

[Indoor66]

Those spot lighted introductions set the tone for the games which followed. You knew it was going to be special. Perhaps the haze from the cigarette smoke added to the atmosphere! I can remember when there was so much haze that it was difficult to tell that there was an upstairs in Indoor Stadium!

Yes, and I made my contribution to that smoke in those days. :( Smoking ended after Margaret Rose Sanford had a hole burned in her sweater one night (not for health reasons)! Also, the sound baffles on the ceiling, the baskets mounted from a floor support. Also the scoreboard with the teams listed on glass inserts with lights behind them and no listing of players on the scoreboard. Remember the ropes used to keep fans from crossing in front of the visiting team and to control the crowd to allow the teams on and off the court. Ushers at all upstairs entrances to help with seating and the half-time dancing!

[Verga3]

Darn, that link to the Asbury Park paper has died.

Here's a post of the article (unfortunately, without the photo). http://www.apbr.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1131&sid=8a2a163728c571c227ab3ad1d626c5c0

[Verga3]

Yes, and I made my contribution to that smoke in those days. :( Smoking ended after Margaret Rose Sanford had a hole burned in her sweater one night (not for health reasons)! Also, the sound baffles on the ceiling, the baskets mounted from a floor support. Also the scoreboard with the teams listed on glass inserts with lights behind them and no listing of players on the scoreboard. Remember the ropes used to keep fans from crossing in front of the visiting team and to control the crowd to allow the teams on and off the court. Ushers at all upstairs entrances to help with seating and the half-time dancing!


Don't leave us hanging on the halftime dancing.....

[Indoor66]

Don't leave us hanging on the halftime dancing.....

David Rose's "The Stripper" was a big song in those days. If you never heard it, check it out. The Duke Cheerleaders did a dance routine to "The Stripper" and very few left the Indoor Stadium at half-time untill it was finished. It was very erotic for the day! I wish I had a film of it. (I would bet one exists because every game was shot with 16mm film. It was shot from the basket hanging in the corner of Sec 6 - opposite the Duke bench. I would guess that, one time or another, a little film rolled at half time, but that is a guess on my part.)

[Verga3]

David Rose's "The Stripper" was a big song in those days. If you never heard it, check it out. The Duke Cheerleaders did a dance routine to "The Stripper" and very few left the Indoor Stadium at half-time untill it was finished. It was very erotic for the day! I wish I had a film of it. (I would bet one exists because every game was shot with 16mm film. It was shot from the basket hanging in the corner of Sec 6 - opposite the Duke bench. I would guess that, one time or another, a little film rolled at half time, but that is a guess on my part.)


Ok, I remember now......Find that film, merge it with Crazy Towel Guy waving to "Devil With A Blue Dress" and put it in a time capsule.

[topps coach]

I think that BOBBY was a better shooter than JJ

[ricks68]

The fifth starter for the Penn St game was Stuart McKaig

Only 6 guys dressed out for the game, not seven. The sixth guy was Bob Francis. (Now, that's a great Duke BBall trivia question.)

A great (typical) picture of V's absolutely beautiful jumper is on page 126 of the 1967 Chanticleer.

Also, as a bonus, there's another great picture of the Blue Devil and Jeri Reuter obviously dancing to "Devil with a Blue Dress..." on page 133.

I also disagree that Otis Day and the Knights were patterned after the Hot Nuts, as Otis Day did not sing any filthy, dirty songs in Animal House, but only the classics, like "Shout". (I wonder if the Hot Nuts even knew any clean songs to sing, as I never heard any when I went to see them.)

In addition, it was explained a few years ago when the Hall of Fame was opened and Verga was installed in the Hall of Honor, that once you were in that, there would be no promotion to having your Jersey retired.

Lastly, a simple question to bring up the most inspirational song of all during an evening in the Indoor Stadium: What was that song? (And if no one comes up with it, you can tell them, Janet.)

ricks

[devildeac]

The fifth starter for the Penn St game was Stuart McKaig

Only 6 guys dressed out for the game, not seven. The sixth guy was Bob Francis. (Now, that's a great Duke BBall trivia question.)

A great (typical) picture of V's absolutely beautiful jumper is on page 126 of the 1967 Chanticleer.

Also, as a bonus, there's another great picture of the Blue Devil and Jeri Reuter obviously dancing to "Devil with a Blue Dress..." on page 133.

I also disagree that Otis Day and the Knights were patterned after the Hot Nuts, as Otis Day did not sing any filthy, dirty songs in Animal House, but only the classics, like "Shout". (I wonder if the Hot Nuts even knew any clean songs to sing, as I never heard any when I went to see them.)

In addition, it was explained a few years ago when the Hall of Fame was opened and Verga was installed in the Hall of Honor, that once you were in that, there would be no promotion to having your Jersey retired.

Lastly, a simple question to bring up the most inspirational song of all during an evening in the Indoor Stadium: What was that song? (And if no one comes up with it, you can tell them, Janet.)

ricks

Let's see-most inspirational-CIS-mid/late 60's-Janet-probably still around today(?)-recent father/daughter dance at OZZIE's daughter's wedding-

Devil with a Blue Dress???

[Jim3k]

Here's a post of the article (unfortunately, without the photo). http://www.apbr.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1131&sid=8a2a163728c571c227ab3ad1d626c5c0

Thanks for making the effort to find the archived version.

When I was reading it, though, it seemed familiar and then I realized I had read it back in January. That's probably why the newspaper took it down.

It was still good to read it again.

[ricks68]

Janet is Devil in the Blue Dress, and she definitely knows the song, don't you Janet?

It really is obvious to all of us that were there during those wonderful years, but for some reason just doesn't get mentioned enough in deference to "Devil with the Blue Dress", even though it was played more often. I wish they would play it now during games.

(And, remember the striped sport coats, straw hats, white shirts and bowties?)

Hint: clap,clap clap,clap,clap clap,clap,clap,clap 2 words!

ricks

[Jim3k]

Ok, I remember now......Find that film, merge it with Crazy Towel Guy waving to "Devil With A Blue Dress" and put it in a time capsule.

Although Verga was a freshman in 1964, Crazy Towel guy was a senior. He was at all the games -- even freshmen -- so there might be a pic of him in the crowd -- ogling Jeri Reuter as we all did.

[Jim3k]

The fifth starter for the Penn St game was Stuart McKaig

Thanks for that; Stu deserved to play for all the hard work he put in.


I also disagree that Otis Day and the Knights were patterned after the Hot Nuts, as Otis Day did not sing any filthy, dirty songs in Animal House, but only the classics, like "Shout". (I wonder if the Hot Nuts even knew any clean songs to sing, as I never heard any when I went to see them.)

Apparently you never knew them as Doug Clark and the All-Stars. They played on campus regularly in the early sixties. Same guys -- clean lyrics.

[ricks68]

So that explains it. I didn't see them until my freshman year, 1964-5. Did they give up all the clean stuff when they changed their name?

ricks

[Jim3k]

So that explains it. I didn't see them until my freshman year, 1964-5. Did they give up all the clean stuff when they changed their name?

ricks

No, no. They were both. It depended on the venue and what the client wanted.

However, after I left in '64, I don't know what Doug did. Maybe he gave up the All-Stars schtick altogether in favor of the HNs. But I doubt it. There was definitely a market for clean rhythm and blues. My understanding was that he just gave the client what they asked for. If it was dirty, it was HN; if it was clean, it was DCAS.

[ricks68]

Thanks for the explanation. I guess that might actually help verify the deduction that they were not the group patterned after in Animal House, however, as those guys would definitely have chosen the Hot Nuts version for their toga party. Otherwise, it would have been out of character for that frat. ;)

ricks

[ricks68]

So, what was the name of the song?

Answer, anyone, in the later hours of the morning, as I am going to bed.

ricks

[Stray Gator]

So, what was the name of the song?

Answer, anyone, in the later hours of the morning, as I am going to bed.

ricks

"Let's Go!" ? :confused:

[Olympic Fan]

.

As for the Stallion Club, I can't say for sure that Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs didn't play there sometime during that period. I did see them play at a small club just off W. Chapel Hill St., a few blocks from East Campus, in September of '66. I remember that distinctly because it was orientation week of my freshman year. I cold-called a freshman "Hanes Honey" (nursing student for you youngsters) from California whose photo in the face book was attractive for a date. We went to dinner at Mayola's and then walked over to the club from there. Not surprisingly, she had never heard of Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. But the drinking age was 18 then, and after having downed a few beers she was singing the words to "Stay" and "May I" and dancing the shag almost like someone who had grown up on Beach Music.

Post-script: Unfortunately, after the upperclass guys with cars showed up on Monday for the start of classes, she and virtually all of the other freshmen women were completely preoccupied with "better offers." In those days at Duke, there were 2 males (all housed on West Campus) for every female (all housed on East Campus). And only upperclass students could have cars. And without a car, the dating destination options were extremely limited. Practically non-existent, in fact. Which is why freshman guys from that era can all tell great stories about Friday night group pilgrimages to legendary places like Bat's and the Crit. :D

God, all this sounds familiar .... I too can remember going through the student guide and picking out pretty coeds to cold-call.

I didn't have much luck in that area and spent a few Friday's downing beer at the Bat with equally lonely freshmen. Where I did score was on one of the Friday's when they bused in girls from the Virginia all-girl colleges for parties and dates.

Anybody else recall standing in a mob at the circle and rushing the buses as the coeds got off? I got very lucky one Friday with a girl from Randolph-Macon. We dated for a year -- on the weekends (I think about once a month, but could be off) that they bused the girls in. I didn't have to join the mob stampede after that first Friday (although I did have to pay for her Friday/Saturday nights in a hotel).

One of those weekends was float-building -- Stray, you must remember that party! The frat council would rent a tobacco warehouse and import some great music (I could swear the Four Tops played there one year) and set up kegs (from Jim's Party Store on Hillsbrough Road) and we'd all get royally plastered and have a great time.

As for Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts, they definitely had clean and filthy songs and performances. Reportedly, they'd play nude for the right money (although I never saw that or even knew it to be true), but they also performed as a straight-up R&B/Beach group.

Clark had one real hit record -- "If you want to be happy for the rest of your life/Never make a pretty woman your wife/So from my personal point of view/Get an ugly girl to marry you" -- had both clean and dirty lyrics.

Their theme song "Nuts, hot nuts, you get 'em from the peanut man ..." also had clean and dirty versions.

As for Maurice Williams, he was one of several performers to have a hit with the song "Stay". I'm not sure whether his was the original or not, but for my money, his was the best verson I've ever heard.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

God, all this sounds familiar .... I too can remember going through the student guide and picking out pretty coeds to cold-call.

I didn't have much luck in that area and spent a few Friday's downing beer at the Bat with equally lonely freshmen. Where I did score was on one of the Friday's when they bused in girls from the Virginia all-girl colleges for parties and dates.

Anybody else recall standing in a mob at the circle and rushing the buses as the coeds got off? I got very lucky one Friday with a girl from Randolph-Macon. We dated for a year -- on the weekends (I think about once a month, but could be off) that they bused the girls in. I didn't have to join the mob stampede after that first Friday (although I did have to pay for her Friday/Saturday nights in a hotel).

One of those weekends was float-building -- Stray, you must remember that party! The frat council would rent a tobacco warehouse and import some great music (I could swear the Four Tops played there one year) and set up kegs (from Jim's Party Store on Hillsbrough Road) and we'd all get royally plastered and have a great time.


Martha and the Vandellas played for float building one year as did Ike and Tiny Turner. Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs were a definitely a favorite to play for float building.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Although Verga was a freshman in 1964, Crazy Towel guy was a senior. He was at all the games -- even freshmen -- so there might be a pic of him in the crowd -- ogling Jeri Reuter as we all did.

The real personality in the student section in the late 60s was Doug Hines, son of an Episcopal bishop. Doug brought a rubber chicken which he used to taunt the visiting team and sometimes the officials. His "in your face" involvement in the game would have to be considered the earliest individual example of what many of the Cameron Crazies do today.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Janet is Devil in the Blue Dress, and she definitely knows the song, don't you Janet?

It really is obvious to all of us that were there during those wonderful years, but for some reason just doesn't get mentioned enough in deference to "Devil with the Blue Dress", even though it was played more often. I wish they would play it now during games.

(And, remember the striped sport coats, straw hats, white shirts and bowties?)

Hint: clap,clap clap,clap,clap clap,clap,clap,clap 2 words!

ricks

You've got me humming the melody, ricks, but the name of the song eludes me at the moment. Blame it on allergy meds!!!!!

[Stray Gator]

God, all this sounds familiar .... I too can remember going through the student guide and picking out pretty coeds to cold-call.

I didn't have much luck in that area and spent a few Friday's downing beer at the Bat with equally lonely freshmen. Where I did score was on one of the Friday's when they bused in girls from the Virginia all-girl colleges for parties and dates.

Anybody else recall standing in a mob at the circle and rushing the buses as the coeds got off? I got very lucky one Friday with a girl from Randolph-Macon. We dated for a year -- on the weekends (I think about once a month, but could be off) that they bused the girls in. I didn't have to join the mob stampede after that first Friday (although I did have to pay for her Friday/Saturday nights in a hotel).

One of those weekends was float-building -- Stray, you must remember that party! The frat council would rent a tobacco warehouse and import some great music (I could swear the Four Tops played there one year) and set up kegs (from Jim's Party Store on Hillsbrough Road) and we'd all get royally plastered and have a great time.

As for Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts, they definitely had clean and filthy songs and performances. Reportedly, they'd play nude for the right money (although I never saw that or even knew it to be true), but they also performed as a straight-up R&B/Beach group.

Clark had one real hit record -- "If you want to be happy for the rest of your life/Never make a pretty woman your wife/So from my personal point of view/Get an ugly girl to marry you" -- had both clean and dirty lyrics.

Their theme song "Nuts, hot nuts, you get 'em from the peanut man ..." also had clean and dirty versions.

As for Maurice Williams, he was one of several performers to have a hit with the song "Stay". I'm not sure whether his was the original or not, but for my money, his was the best verson I've ever heard.

"Stay" was, in fact, written and originally recorded by Maurice Williams.

Float-building at the warehouse was, at least from a campus-wide perspective (i.e., not sponsored by a particular fraternity or living group), the biggest party of the year. Like the "Order of the Chair" ceremony, it would have made a great scene for "Animal House," since it brought together Greeks and Independents, East Campus and West, northerners and southerners, in a context where traditional boundaries between groups were dissolved by copious amounts of alcoholic beverages. After a couple of hours in that warehouse, everybody fell into one of two camps--those dwindling few who were still working on the floats, and those who were just enjoying the party. I certainly do remember being there; I just don't remember how I got back to campus.

I also remember the freshman "mixers" with busloads of young ladies being brought in from the girls' schools in Virginia. At the ones I recall, though, the visitors would file off the bus and we'd start with a "meet and greet keg social hour" in the dorm commons room, where the freshman guys in our dorm would try to pair up with one of the visiting girls. I'm sure this whole scenario must sound pretty bizarre to recent alums, but conditions were materially different then.

The roles of women and their relationships with men were just beginning to evolve away from traditional patterns; and while Duke women tended to be more independent and career-oriented than the norm, I think the vast majority of female college students, even at Duke, still envisioned themselves getting married and considered finding a suitable mate something of a priority. The male/female ratio at Duke was at best 2:1. To make matters worse, the ratio of women to upperclass frat guys with cars was probably closer to 1:1. By the middle of football season, many of the women on campus were already "pinned"; and most of the others were either dating upperclass guys, or staying true to their home town boyfriends, or too serious about their studies to have time for socializing.

As a result, there were a large number of Duke freshman guys who had little or no opportunity to interact with members of the opposite sex; and neither the Administration nor the townies approved of Duke students picking up local high school honeys at the drive-in across from East Campus. So Duke arranged to bus in girls from the women's colleges for these "mixers." The girls were interested in meeting Duke guys, and I'm guessing the administrators at their schools viewed these events as a beneficial "outlet," too. The risks of misadventure were small, because none of the freshman guys had cars, so the closest thing to privacy a couple could find would be in his dorm room; but Duke had this rule--which seems hilarious now--that if a male student had a female visitor in his dorm room, the door had to be open and both occupants had to have at least one foot on the floor at all times. :rolleyes: (Of course, the rules for women students, all of whom resided in dorms on East Campus, seem even more ridiculous in retrospect--strict curfews, no men allowed above the first floor "parlors," restrictions on "open displays of affection," etc.)

Say...we've wandered a bit off-topic, haven't we?

[Stray Gator]

You've got me humming the melody, ricks, but the name of the song eludes me at the moment. Blame it on allergy meds!!!!!

I believe ricks68 is referring to the song entitled "Let's Go!" by The Routers, which became widely popular as a pep band/cheerleader number during the early-to-mid 60s, and was probably the most frequently used cheer I can recall at Duke games in the Indoor Stadium when I was an undergrad.

[Indoor66]

Who went to see Linda Ronstadt at the Indoor Stadium. I can remember the radio ad: So ride your Stone Pony and hear Linda Ronstadt ....

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

"Stay" was, in fact, written and originally recorded by Maurice Williams.

Float-building at the warehouse was, at least from a campus-wide perspective (i.e., not sponsored by a particular fraternity or living group), the biggest party of the year. Like the "Order of the Chair" ceremony, it would have made a great scene for "Animal House," since it brought together Greeks and Independents, East Campus and West, northerners and southerners, in a context where traditional boundaries between groups were dissolved by copious amounts of alcoholic beverages. After a couple of hours in that warehouse, everybody fell into one of two camps--those dwindling few who were still working on the floats, and those who were just enjoying the party. I certainly do remember being there; I just don't remember how I got back to campus.

I also remember the freshman "mixers" with busloads of young ladies being brought in from the girls' schools in Virginia. At the ones I recall, though, the visitors would file off the bus and we'd start with a "meet and greet keg social hour" in the dorm commons room, where the freshman guys in our dorm would try to pair up with one of the visiting girls. I'm sure this whole scenario must sound pretty bizarre to recent alums, but conditions were materially different then.

The roles of women and their relationships with men were just beginning to evolve away from traditional patterns; and while Duke women tended to be more independent and career-oriented than the norm, I think the vast majority of female college students, even at Duke, still envisioned themselves getting married and considered finding a suitable mate something of a priority. The male/female ratio at Duke was at best 2:1. To make matters worse, the ratio of women to upperclass frat guys with cars was probably closer to 1:1. By the middle of football season, many of the women on campus were already "pinned"; and most of the others were either dating upperclass guys, or staying true to their home town boyfriends, or too serious about their studies to have time for socializing.

As a result, there were a large number of Duke freshman guys who had little or no opportunity to interact with members of the opposite sex; and neither the Administration nor the townies approved of Duke students picking up local high school honeys at the drive-in across from East Campus. So Duke arranged to bus in girls from the women's colleges for these "mixers." The girls were interested in meeting Duke guys, and I'm guessing the administrators at their schools viewed these events as a beneficial "outlet," too. The risks of misadventure were small, because none of the freshman guys had cars, so the closest thing to privacy a couple could find would be in his dorm room; but Duke had this rule--which seems hilarious now--that if a male student had a female visitor in his dorm room, the door had to be open and both occupants had to have at least one foot on the floor at all times. :rolleyes: (Of course, the rules for women students, all of whom resided in dorms on East Campus, seem even more ridiculous in retrospect--strict curfews, no men allowed above the first floor "parlors," restrictions on "open displays of affection," etc.)

Say...we've wandered a bit off-topic, haven't we?
Having been one of those gals who lived on East then, I must point out that it's important to look at the Woman's College rules in context of the times. ... ... The rules on East were actually LIBERAL for the times when compared to other schools which had women students. For many years Duke was on the cutting edge of women's higher education thanks to Alice Baldwin who was brought in to help create the school and who was Dean of the Woman's College for a number of years.

Your mention of the expectation of the women students to study hard and head for careers made me recall one of the Freshman Assemblies in the fall. As my freshman year began, Dean Margaret Ball had just arrived from Wellesley. She stood up on the stage of Baldwin auditorium and told us that we were expected to go to graduate school and to become leaders of society at various levels. (Her reference to leaders of society was in the sense of civic responsibility, not socializing.) This lofty expectation was reiterated from time to time during the course of the school year. By the time my sister arrived five years later, Dean Ball was teaching the women the words to the alma mater and the fight songs prior to the first home football game..... in addition to making the high expectations clear!

[ricks68]

Where were all of you when I brought this stuff up a year or two ago and nobody chimed in? It was worth the wait, however, to reminisce along with all of you about the stories that we all lived back then. Didn't Linda Ronstadt also play one time in the Duke Gardens during that time also? I kinda remember that. It might have been during the "be-in" we had in late '67 or early '68.

Two of the women's colleges I remember getting bussed down were also Skerrit (was that it?) and Averett. (Probably misspelled, also) I dated one of those women (they were called "girls" back then) and did have her come in by bus because I was not able to have a car.

The Order of the Chair was my favorite event because the award was based on such outrageous and TRUE stories. I can think of two women that did not come back to school the next year because of what was told about them that year on the Chapel steps for all to hear.

How about the parade through downtown Durham that had all the dirty floats for Joe College in the spring of '65? The Durham morning Herald had a picture of the float titled "Joe can't get his rocket up" in it. I saved it for many years. I also remember the float being constructed in the warehouse titled "Joe splits the moon for Uranus." The Orlons played in the warehouse and the play was "Out of this World", hence the outer space theme for the weekend. I also remember a lot of women walking around scratching their rear ends due to the poison ivy that happened to have been growing in the rain created trench that they used along the roof line outside the warehouse because there was only a little two toilet bathroom in one of the corners of the warehouse. Everyone was so drunk that people of both sexes would be going in the same bathroom at the same time to share just one toilet because the line was so long. The rest just went outside.

What happened to those days? I think Vietnam just plain changed everything. Nothing has been the same since.

ricks

Oh, by the way, the song was "Let's go!" I think we may not have been the only school playing it, hence "Devil in the Blue Dress" being chosen as "the" song representative of Duke. "Let's go" was a lot more fun to clap along with and enjoy, I think, however.

[ricks68]

I forgot to include that the rule for two people of opposite sexes being in a dorm room at the same time was the width of the binding of a book. It didn't actually mention the word "binding", so we all felt that a matchbook would suffice. The Administration didn't think the same way, however. I wrote a very short lived column for the Chronicle called "Ann Slanders" at that time that dealt with the issue.

Yeah, and I also remember Doug Hinds and that rubber chicken. I saw a picture with him and the chicken, I think, not too long ago. It might have been from a poster on the board that had pictures of the Duke-Alabama game with C B Claiborne in it. I asked him to send the pictures to me, as I thought I might be able to find myself in the stands. He sent me a lot of pictures, and I found a lot of my friends, but not me.

We all need to talk about this stuff more to all those "new" (less than 40+ years ago) Duke bball fans that think that there was not fantastic Duke bball pre Coach K. :D

ricks

[K24U]

The Stallion Club way out on Cornwallis Road is the real-life equivilent to the Dexter Lake nightclub in Animal House. It was basically a black nightclub at a time when integration was barely getting started in Durham.

Verga, quite naturally, stood out when he visited. Maybe because of his celebrity status or maybe just because of his personality, he never had any problems.

I do remember stories about his clashes with Bubas over his late nights, but interesting that he dodged the biggest party-problem of his era. One of the frats held a New Year's Eve party during the 1966-67 season that ran deep into the early hours of Jan. 1. When Bubas found out, he suspended all the players involved -- four starters: Mike Lewis, Bob Reidy, Ron Wendelin, Tim Kolodziej, plus several top subs. Verga was not at the party -- whispers at the time were that he was at the Stallion Club instead -- and he was not suspended.

On Jan. 3, Duke played Penn State in Cameron with a lineup that included Verga, sophomore Steve Vandenberg (later a starter, but a guy who averaged 3.7 points that year), C.B. Claiborne (1.6 ppg.) and Fred Lind (he scored 11 points all season! He would find fame at the end of the next season). I can't recall who the fifth starter was, but it was also a scrub. There were only seven players dressed out and one of those was a kid (Francis) who had played freshman ball the year before, but never played in another varsity game.

Well, Duke won the game 89-84 as Verga scored 38 points.

I agree that Verga is the biggest injustice when it comes to retired jersies. His numbers and his honors won are almost exactly the same as Jeff Mullins. To Verga's advantage, he was consensus first-team All-American in 1967. Mullins was never better than concensus second-team. Mullins did win the 1964 ACC player of the year award, an honor Verga never won -- although he should have won it in 1966 (it went to teammate Steve Vacendak instead after Vacendak, a second-team All-ACC pick, had a great ACC tourney).

I know we're kind of running out of jersey numbers to retire ... but Verga was No. 11, which is already retired for Bobby Hurley. If the Yankees can retire No. 8 in honor of Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, can't Duke make No. 11 for Hurley and Verga?

The game you were talking about was played in 1967. In 1967 you didn’t see basketball on TV like you do today. But I do remember reading about the game on several different occasions. One of those occasions was an interview done with Verga after quite a few years had passed. Verga stated at the time that that game was something he will never forget and was the best event in his life beside for family matters.

The seven players that dressed for that game were:

Stuart McKraig
Bob Verga
C.B. Clairborne
Fred Lind
Steve Vandenberg
Bob Francis

[Verga3]

The Stallion Club way out on Cornwallis Road is the real-life equivilent to the Dexter Lake nightclub in Animal House. It was basically a black nightclub at a time when integration was barely getting started in Durham.

Verga, quite naturally, stood out when he visited. Maybe because of his celebrity status or maybe just because of his personality, he never had any problems.

I do remember stories about his clashes with Bubas over his late nights, but interesting that he dodged the biggest party-problem of his era. One of the frats held a New Year's Eve party during the 1966-67 season that ran deep into the early hours of Jan. 1. When Bubas found out, he suspended all the players involved -- four starters: Mike Lewis, Bob Reidy, Ron Wendelin, Tim Kolodziej, plus several top subs. Verga was not at the party -- whispers at the time were that he was at the Stallion Club instead -- and he was not suspended.

On Jan. 3, Duke played Penn State in Cameron with a lineup that included Verga, sophomore Steve Vandenberg (later a starter, but a guy who averaged 3.7 points that year), C.B. Claiborne (1.6 ppg.) and Fred Lind (he scored 11 points all season! He would find fame at the end of the next season). I can't recall who the fifth starter was, but it was also a scrub. There were only seven players dressed out and one of those was a kid (Francis) who had played freshman ball the year before, but never played in another varsity game.

Well, Duke won the game 89-84 as Verga scored 38 points.

I agree that Verga is the biggest injustice when it comes to retired jersies. His numbers and his honors won are almost exactly the same as Jeff Mullins. To Verga's advantage, he was consensus first-team All-American in 1967. Mullins was never better than concensus second-team. Mullins did win the 1964 ACC player of the year award, an honor Verga never won -- although he should have won it in 1966 (it went to teammate Steve Vacendak instead after Vacendak, a second-team All-ACC pick, had a great ACC tourney).

I know we're kind of running out of jersey numbers to retire ... but Verga was No. 11, which is already retired for Bobby Hurley. If the Yankees can retire No. 8 in honor of Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, can't Duke make No. 11 for Hurley and Verga?


Here's the box score from that amazing Penn State game. http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/games/boxscore.php?gameid=19670103

[devildeac]

I forgot to include that the rule for two people of opposite sexes being in a dorm room at the same time was the width of the binding of a book. It didn't actually mention the word "binding", so we all felt that a matchbook would suffice. The Administration didn't think the same way, however. I wrote a very short lived column for the Chronicle called "Ann Slanders" at that time that dealt with the issue.

Yeah, and I also remember Doug Hinds and that rubber chicken. I saw a picture with him and the chicken, I think, not too long ago. It might have been from a poster on the board that had pictures of the Duke-Alabama game with C B Claiborne in it. I asked him to send the pictures to me, as I thought I might be able to find myself in the stands. He sent me a lot of pictures, and I found a lot of my friends, but not me.

We all need to talk about this stuff more to all those "new" (less than 40+ years ago) Duke bball fans that think that there was not fantastic Duke bball pre Coach K. :D

ricks

GREAT stuff, ricks. You have been a stranger for a while. Good to see you back. Coming to CIS for a game this season? If so, PM me or OZZIE and let us know.

[summerwind03]

Just wanted to say thanks for such an interesting thread! I've learned (and laughed) a lot reading it.

I've known Doug Hinds for many years (just saw him in CA last month) and would love to see a photo of him back in the day with the rubber chicken! He's still quite the demonstrative fan, so I can only imagine how he was then!

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Where were all of you when I brought this stuff up a year or two ago and nobody chimed in? It was worth the wait, however, to reminisce along with all of you about the stories that we all lived back then. Didn't Linda Ronstadt also play one time in the Duke Gardens during that time also? I kinda remember that. It might have been during the "be-in" we had in late '67 or early '68.
.......
What happened to those days? I think Vietnam just plain changed everything. Nothing has been the same since.

ricks

Oh, by the way, the song was "Let's go!" I think we may not have been the only school playing it, hence "Devil in the Blue Dress" being chosen as "the" song representative of Duke. "Let's go" was a lot more fun to clap along with and enjoy, I think, however.

There may be another reason "Devil with the Blue Dress On" became associated with Duke rather than "Let's Go!" Vic Bubas asked the cheerleaders to add some choreography to their routines. He'd seen some of this sort of thing on the west coast, but it was a new idea in the ACC and along the east coast. "Devil with the Blue Dress On" was the song which has lasted the longest with minimal changes to the routine. Duke's cheerleaders were on the cutting edge of this major change in cheerleading routines. I think the one who's credited with creating the choreography is Emily "Love" Meeker.

The times during which we went to college were marked by changes of many sorts. Shared experiences during times of great upheaval can certainly create a strong bond among those who were there. When I think back to those days, I think of many good times and many good friends.

The rise of Duke's basketball program actually began before the hiring of Vic Bubas. Hal Bradley brought the program along in terms of several years of national rankings and the first NCAA bid. He left in 1959 to go to Texas. Eddie Cameron was willing to take a chance on a young assistant coach from NC State..... and you know the rest of the story!

There is one thing I'll never forget about our arrival at Duke. One of the professors referred to our class as being like swine. He was quoted in the Chronicle saying that what Duke had to offer was like casting "pearls before swine." We've long forgotten his name and proven his assessment to be folly!

[ricks68]

GREAT stuff, ricks. You have been a stranger for a while. Good to see you back. Coming to CIS for a game this season? If so, PM me or OZZIE and let us know.


I was at CIS for the BC game and the Maryland game this past year. I saw you guys at your usual spot on the second floor by the bathroom, but only had time to talk to one of you. I think I recognized Stray there and a few others. I was busy getting autographs of Dick Groat, Lefty, Carrawell, Henderson Sr., and some of the players for my hat. I don't have much room on it, now.

I have gone to games for 3 years in a row now, after a 38 year hiatus. I plan to return every year if there is any way I can. After I move to Asheville (I hope) in a few years, I'll be able to come more often. It's a "fir" place to travel from Texas.

I may have that picture of Doug Hines and the chicken saved somewhere if it is the one I am thinking about. You know, there may be a picture buried somewhere of him in one of the Chanticleers, also. If I find it I will find out how to post it.

Oh, and major reasons I don't post often are:

I don't type fast enough, and they are mostly too long, and then by the time I get those up a number of people have already posted what I was going to comment on, anyway, so I just give up on it.

I also make it a rule not to post during the day from work, as I believe that once I started doing that, I would probably begin to morph into Jason Evans II. Scary thought!

So that leaves my posting time very, very late at night EST, when most of you have called it a day and many threads tend to die out. That's why I have been around since DBR had less than a million documented hits, but don't post much.

And that's the rest of the story.:p

ricks

[wumhenry]

The Beach Boys also played for the Joe College floatbuilding.

After graduating, Doug Hinds reprised his routine for many years in Baltimore Bullets (now dba Washington Wizards) home games, where his old Kappa-Sig frat brother, Jack Marin, was playing.

[roywhite]

The Beach Boys also played for the Joe College floatbuilding.

After graduating, Doug Hinds reprised his routine for many years in Baltimore Bullets (now dba Washington Wizards) home games, where his old Kappa-Sig frat brother, Jack Marin, was playing.

Didn't know Doug by name when I was a student (early 1970's), but he was probably the guy our group referred to as "blue shirt". He would leap from his seat in the bleachers on to the sideline with arms spread and palms upturned, like "How could you possibly make that call, ref?"...

[wumhenry]

Didn't know Doug by name when I was a student (early 1970's), but he was probably the guy our group referred to as "blue shirt". He would leap from his seat in the bleachers on to the sideline with arms spread and palms upturned, like "How could you possibly make that call, ref?"...
That would've been after he graduated, but it sure sounds like him.

[budwom]

Indeed, Doug Hinds drove down from DC to attend games back then. Subsequently I think he moved to San Francisco. His palms up gesture was truly his trademark.

Other thoughts on this fine thread:
1) Linda Ronstadt played in the Duke Gardens while her horny St. Bernard humped small children and knocked them to the ground...while horny Duke lads leered at the fetching Ms. Ronstadt
2) The Wallace Wade announcer (who generally butchered any and all pronouncements) referred to the upcoming concert of Marth and the Vanda-la-las.
3) I can't believe no one has mentioned Miss Cheerleader USA, Robin Anderson, who added more than a certain something to proceedings in CIS.

[Olympic Fan]

The rise of Duke's basketball program actually began before the hiring of Vic Bubas. Hal Bradley brought the program along in terms of several years of national rankings and the first NCAA bid. He left in 1959 to go to Texas. Eddie Cameron was willing to take a chance on a young assistant coach from NC State..... and you know the rest of the story!


Actually, I think you give Bradley too much credit. He was merely a caretaker for a program that really began its rise under Eddie Cameron.

Cameron took over the Duke in 1929 soon after it joined the Southern Conference. His first two Duke teams reached the tourney finals (losing both years) with Duke's first great player, Bill Werber.

Cameron's teams were always strong in the 30s, finally winning its first conference title in 1938. Cameron, who was also an assistant football coach under Wallace Wade, used his clout to get Duke Indoor Stadium built -- giving Duke the finest facility in the South (an honor it would hold for a decade). He won another Southern Conference championship in 1941.

He could have won more, but with Wade going to war, Cameron took over the football program (coaching Duke to the 1945 Cotton Bowl). Cameron turned over the basketball program to Gerry Gerard, who had been a three-sport athlete at Illinois -- he was the backup to Red Grange on the football field.

Gerald won conference titles in 1942 (with the team Cameron had recruited) and in 1944 and 1946.

At that point Everett Case arrived at NC State and suddenly everything changed. Duke was still good, but State was better. State beat Duke in the finals of the 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1952 SC Tournament finals.

By the end of that streak, Gerald was dead. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1949. Cameron brought in a pro coach to work under Gerard for a year, but Red Auerbach only stayed at Duke six months in the spring/summer/fall of 1949 then left to become head coach at the Boston Celtics. Auerbach later said he couldn't sit around and watch Gerard die.

Gerard coached the 1949-50 team with a young guard named Dick Groat. He stepped down after the season. Cameron hired Harold "Hal" Bradley, a successful small college coach at Hartwick College, to replace Gerald.

Bradley was fairly successful -- winning 20 and 24 games with Groat in the lineup. in 1955, his team with Ronnie Mayer, Junior Morgan and Joe Belmont, lost to State in the finals of the ACC Tournament. Since State was on probation, Duke earned its first trip to the NCAA Tourmament. Bradley's Devils fell way behind in their first game (against Villanova), staged a furious rally, but lost by one.

Bradley maintained the program at about the same level it had been under Cameron and Gerard -- Bradley won 20 games four times in his nine seasons at Duke. He finished first in the SC/ACC regular season twice, but never won a conference title. His biggest moment may have been in December of 1953, when he led Duke to its only Dixie Classic title (and the Dixie Classic was a BIG deal in those days). He also beat West Virginia when they were No. 1 -- Duke's first ever win over a No. 1 ranked team.

Still, looking back, I'd say Cameron built the Duke program to a certain level -- he made it a strong regional power. Gerard and Bradley maintained it at that level, but neither took it beyond what Cameron accomplished.

Bubas took it to the next level. He made Duke a national power for the first time. He inherited a 13-12 team from Bradley and in his first year, he won an ACC title, reached the NCAA Elite Eight and recruited the best prep prospect in the country. Bubas not only won conference titles (four in 10 years), he was the first Duke coach to win in the NCAA -- he led Duke to its first three Final Fours. Eight of his 10 Duke teams were ranked -- seven in the top 10.

I don't mean to dis Coach Bradley, but I think it's overstating things to suggest that he was instrumental in "the rise of the Duke basketball program."

[wumhenry]

Does anyone here have any idea why Bubas resigned?

[-jk]

Does anyone here have any idea why Bubas resigned?

The story I always heard was that he had accomplished what he wanted, and moved on for new challenges.

-jk

[roywhite]

The story I always heard was that he had accomplished what he wanted, and moved on for new challenges.

-jk

I never heard anything other than that. Vic's daughter Sandy was a freshman at Duke during Vic's last year, and daughter Vickie started at Duke two years later. Bubas was in the Duke administration for 6 or 7 years, and then went on to be commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference for a number of years. Never did go back into coaching.

[Verga3]

Actually, I think you give Bradley too much credit. He was merely a caretaker for a program that really began its rise under Eddie Cameron.

Cameron took over the Duke in 1929 soon after it joined the Southern Conference. His first two Duke teams reached the tourney finals (losing both years) with Duke's first great player, Bill Werber.

Cameron's teams were always strong in the 30s, finally winning its first conference title in 1938. Cameron, who was also an assistant football coach under Wallace Wade, used his clout to get Duke Indoor Stadium built -- giving Duke the finest facility in the South (an honor it would hold for a decade). He won another Southern Conference championship in 1941.

He could have won more, but with Wade going to war, Cameron took over the football program (coaching Duke to the 1945 Cotton Bowl). Cameron turned over the basketball program to Gerry Gerard, who had been a three-sport athlete at Illinois -- he was the backup to Red Grange on the football field.

Gerald won conference titles in 1942 (with the team Cameron had recruited) and in 1944 and 1946.

At that point Everett Case arrived at NC State and suddenly everything changed. Duke was still good, but State was better. State beat Duke in the finals of the 1948, 1950, 1951 and 1952 SC Tournament finals.

By the end of that streak, Gerald was dead. He was diagnosed with cancer in 1949. Cameron brought in a pro coach to work under Gerard for a year, but Red Auerbach only stayed at Duke six months in the spring/summer/fall of 1949 then left to become head coach at the Boston Celtics. Auerbach later said he couldn't sit around and watch Gerard die.

Gerard coached the 1949-50 team with a young guard named Dick Groat. He stepped down after the season. Cameron hired Harold "Hal" Bradley, a successful small college coach at Hartwick College, to replace Gerald.

Bradley was fairly successful -- winning 20 and 24 games with Groat in the lineup. in 1955, his team with Ronnie Mayer, Junior Morgan and Joe Belmont, lost to State in the finals of the ACC Tournament. Since State was on probation, Duke earned its first trip to the NCAA Tourmament. Bradley's Devils fell way behind in their first game (against Villanova), staged a furious rally, but lost by one.

Bradley maintained the program at about the same level it had been under Cameron and Gerard -- Bradley won 20 games four times in his nine seasons at Duke. He finished first in the SC/ACC regular season twice, but never won a conference title. His biggest moment may have been in December of 1953, when he led Duke to its only Dixie Classic title (and the Dixie Classic was a BIG deal in those days). He also beat West Virginia when they were No. 1 -- Duke's first ever win over a No. 1 ranked team.

Still, looking back, I'd say Cameron built the Duke program to a certain level -- he made it a strong regional power. Gerard and Bradley maintained it at that level, but neither took it beyond what Cameron accomplished.

Bubas took it to the next level. He made Duke a national power for the first time. He inherited a 13-12 team from Bradley and in his first year, he won an ACC title, reached the NCAA Elite Eight and recruited the best prep prospect in the country. Bubas not only won conference titles (four in 10 years), he was the first Duke coach to win in the NCAA -- he led Duke to its first three Final Fours. Eight of his 10 Duke teams were ranked -- seven in the top 10.

I don't mean to dis Coach Bradley, but I think it's overstating things to suggest that he was instrumental in "the rise of the Duke basketball program."


Great stuff here. Thanks for the historical summary and perspective. We are so fortunate to have the rich history we do. I did not know (or forgot) that Red Auerbach had a cup of coffee in Durham. Thanks, Olympic Fan.

This thread has been a nice ride....

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

If it's the same story I'm recalling it ran in the SI college hoops preview in late '65, and he appeared anything but lonely. Pictures of him strolling around a beautiful campus with a beautiful blonde girlfriend (home town honey, I believe) was what sealed the deal with me and Duke. Never thought about going to another school after that.
By senior year Bob was dating a girl whose family lived in Durham after the dad was transferred from Lexington, KY by IBM. Bob and Jean had been introduced by the Dayes, big Duke fans who were neighbors. Jean was a nursing student at Kentucky. (You may ask, how do I know this? Jean was my next door neighbor in Durham for almost 20 years.) As for his being a KA, I don't remember ever seeing him at one of the parties junior or senior year..... and I was one of the few who were sober!

[Atldukie79]

Love this thread!
I was a 10 year old kid living in Durham whose first real sports hero was Bob Verga in 1967. I used to listen to Add Penfield announce the games on radio and read the box scores in the morning. It was considered too expensive in my household to buy tickets to the games although they were generally available at the "Indoor Stadium" right before the event.

My Mom surprised me one day by telling me that she wanted to take me to a game that night. I was thrilled. Unfortunately, my hero did not play. His backup, Tony Barone started in his place.(Duke won) I believe that Verga was suspended for one game. (no doubt partying).
Does anyone else remember this? A 10 year old does not always remember things well. Could have been '66 or '67.

Regarding the music, I can assure you we were still playing the "Let's Go" tune through '79 (When I was a student in the band). We also played the Stripper.
Anyone know when these were striken from the play list?

[Indoor66]

Regarding the music, I can assure you we were still playing the "Let's Go" tune through '79 (When I was a student in the band). We also played the Stripper.
Anyone know when these were striken from the play list?

I seriously doubt that Jim Henry struck them! :D

[DU82]

I seriously doubt that Jim Henry struck them! :D

Let's Go! was used through 1985, the year "Coach" Henry retired from leading the marching/pep band. His replacement, whose name will not be mentioned (she lasted two years), replaced it with Can't Turn You Loose, which survives to this day as the song played as Dr. Chandler says "Here Comes Duke!"

[buddy]

which brings back great memories. I remember the bridge painting that said "Welcome Back Swine" in September, 1963 as I started my freshman year. Float building with the Orlons and whomever. Just a little trivia--I believe Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs version of "Stay" is the shortest #1 in history (1 minute, 58 seconds). And the ratio of men to women was about 5:2. One more story--men used to be able to entertain women in their rooms--with the one foot on the floor and width of a book rule in effect--until the weekend that the Trustees redefined the charter. Previously, the campus was "officially" dry--right. But the trustees decided to read the charter literally, so that alcohol was prohibited on the "grounds" of Duke University. Coincidentally, and virtually simultaneously, the Dean of Women refused to sanction any party in the rooms on West Campus. (And without official sanction, women could not "sign out" for the party.) And one more point--I thought seven players suited out for the Penn State game, but the box score only lists six, and I can't determine who the benchwarmer might have been.

Thanks for the memories!

[DevilDan]

Bob Verga was a great Blue Devil shooter. The 1966 team of Verga, Vacendak, Marin, Reidy, and Lewis was one of the great national powers that did not win the NCAA Championship. Verga went down with the flu, the evening before the National Semifinals in College Park. With the other four playing their guts out, Verga was almost a liability on the floor, but tried to gut it out. Lewis missed a short bank shot to tie the game, then Kentucky scored the final points to win by four.

The significance of it all?

The Kentucky team was coached by Adolph Rupp, and the starters were Louie Dampier, Tommy Kron, Larry Conley, Thad Jarecz (sp?), and a guy named Pat Riley. The night after they edged our Devils, they took it on the chin from Texas Western, and the game was changed forever.

[Verga3]

Bob Verga was a great Blue Devil shooter. The 1966 team of Verga, Vacendak, Marin, Reidy, and Lewis was one of the great national powers that did not win the NCAA Championship. Verga went down with the flu, the evening before the National Semifinals in College Park. With the other four playing their guts out, Verga was almost a liability on the floor, but tried to gut it out. Lewis missed a short bank shot to tie the game, then Kentucky scored the final points to win by four.

The significance of it all?

The Kentucky team was coached by Adolph Rupp, and the starters were Louie Dampier, Tommy Kron, Larry Conley, Thad Jarecz (sp?), and a guy named Pat Riley. The night after they edged our Devils, they took it on the chin from Texas Western, and the game was changed forever.


SI's Curry Kirkpatrick (UNC grad) penned an entertaining Duke - Kentucky big game rivalry article in 2001 that included that same historic 1966 Duke - Kentucky semifinal....


"Indeed, in that '66 NCAA semifinal tussle at College Park, Md. between the No. 1 and No.2 ranked teams, the outcome turned on which significant player -- Larry Conley of Kentucky (yeah, that Larry Conley, the TV broadcaster) or Bob Verga of Duke -- could recover more completely from similarly severe cases of the flu. Verga, the Devils' leading scorer all season, had lost five pounds the week of the championship; Conley, the 'Cats' exquisite playmaker, was running a 102 degree fever and breathing over a vaporizer the night before the game.

Came the penultimate evening, however, Verga could manage only two baskets while Conley could grab a defensive rebound, race the length of the court and score to give Kentucky a seven-point lead with a minute left. The Wildcats -- despite somebody named Pat Riley having fouled out -- clinched their victory."


Here's a link to the entire article....memories. http://espn.go.com/magazine/curry_20011217.html

[wumhenry]

There's a long, fact-rich critique of the movie version of Texas Western MBB's triumphant '66 title run posted elsewhere in DBR, from reading which I learned that there's well-justified suspicion in some quarters that Conley wasn't really sick and that Rupp told the press that he was merely in order to take away any psychological edge or sympathy factor that Duke might have otherwise have derived from Verga's illness.

[Verga3]

If it's the same story I'm recalling it ran in the SI college hoops preview in late '65, and he appeared anything but lonely. Pictures of him strolling around a beautiful campus with a beautiful blonde girlfriend (home town honey, I believe) was what sealed the deal with me and Duke. Never thought about going to another school after that.

Here's the SI Vault link. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1077978/index.htm

Click on "View This Issue" to load the actual pages 74-81. Fabulous photos bring back the memories.....Includes one of the best photos ever of that classic jump shot, and others that will certainly bring a smile.

[DevilDan]

Thanks for the link back to 1965 ... I have fond memories of Verga and that team -- they had it all, but couldn't get past Kentucky in the national semifinal at College Park (Verga was very sick with the flu, and virtually a non-factor). The teams came in 1 & 2 in the country, and it was said that this was the "real" championship game.

Problem was, there was this little team in the other semifinal named TEXAS WESTERN. The front cover of SI in the issue that followed the weekend was, "GO GO WITH BOBBY JOE". What a great story, and one that changed the game forever.

GO DUKE !

[roywhite]

Here's the SI Vault link. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1077978/index.htm

Click on "View This Issue" to load the actual pages 74-81. Fabulous photos bring back the memories.....Includes one of the best photos ever of that classic jump shot, and others that will certainly bring a smile.

Thanks Verga3; enjoyed paging through the magazine. I've been reading Sports Illustrated almost as long as it's been around. The photo feature of Bob Verga was terrific.

By the way, SI had plenty of advertising back in the day, including an amazing number of liquor ads.

[Verga3]

Thanks Verga3; enjoyed paging through the magazine. I've been reading Sports Illustrated almost as long as it's been around. The photo feature of Bob Verga was terrific.

By the way, SI had plenty of advertising back in the day, including an amazing number of liquor ads.

You're right.....The ads alone are required reading for any self-respecting 50-something (or 60's culture history buff). GTO's, Chevelles, transistor radios, hi-fi's, color tv's, Norelco shavers, Sprite (and whiskey?), Eastern Airlines, and much more.

[ricks68]

I was there for the game in the Indoor Stadium and kept the SI Issue for many years. I may still have it, but it certainly is very worn out. That was the same year we later lost to the #1 team, Michigan, with Cazzie Russell and Oliver Darden (I think), 100 to 93 in overtime. We were ranked #2 going in, also. There was no camping back then, but the line stretched back across the street and into the back quad. I was somewhere near the front, but ended up being crushed into the corner next to the door on the far left during the mob scene to get in. I was actually pretty scared that I would end up being hurt after using all my strength to fight my way out of the corner and into the flow that literally carried me off my feet and into the stadium. Ended up getting pretty good seats, as always, however.:D

Ricks

[Verga3]

I forgot to include that the rule for two people of opposite sexes being in a dorm room at the same time was the width of the binding of a book. It didn't actually mention the word "binding", so we all felt that a matchbook would suffice. The Administration didn't think the same way, however. I wrote a very short lived column for the Chronicle called "Ann Slanders" at that time that dealt with the issue.

Yeah, and I also remember Doug Hinds and that rubber chicken. I saw a picture with him and the chicken, I think, not too long ago. It might have been from a poster on the board that had pictures of the Duke-Alabama game with C B Claiborne in it. I asked him to send the pictures to me, as I thought I might be able to find myself in the stands. He sent me a lot of pictures, and I found a lot of my friends, but not me.

We all need to talk about this stuff more to all those "new" (less than 40+ years ago) Duke bball fans that think that there was not fantastic Duke bball pre Coach K. :D

ricks

Doug Hinds, RIP.

Doug was one of the greatest Duke supporters of all time. He connected so many decades of Duke basketball. As a tribute to Doug, who can expound on the rubber chicken and its origin...or any other anecdotes or remembrances you would share with us?

[verga]

i remember Verga getting 52 (i believe that's correct) in a freshman game against Va. Tech. I also remember seeing Billy Stewart at the Stallion Club back then. People today just don't understand what it was like in those days. To go down on Hwy 55 at that location was akin to taking your life in your hands. I also remember the"Null & Void on the corner of Chapel Hill ST. & University Drive. It was downstairs on the University Drive side and had live bands every weekend. i also remember the Duke Ellington Orchestra being on campus for some "Joe College" function. finally i remember Duke with Verga going up to Ann Arbor and beating Michigan (with Cassie Russell) in a game they had no business of winning.

[Jim3k]

i remember Verga getting 52 (i believe that's correct) in a freshman game against Va. Tech. I also remember seeing Billy Stewart at the Stallion Club back then. People today just don't understand what it was like in those days. To go down on Hwy 55 at that location was akin to taking your life in your hands. I also remember the"Null & Void on the corner of Chapel Hill ST. & University Drive. It was downstairs on the University Drive side and had live bands every weekend. i also remember the Duke Ellington Orchestra being on campus for some "Joe College" function. finally i remember Duke with Verga going up to Ann Arbor and beating Michigan (with Cassie Russell) in a game they had no business of winning.

I'm with you on the Null & Void -- which had several incarnations, including claiming the name Rathskellar for a while. It was also a venue for a folk-music coffee house.

But for nightclubs in the darker part of town (not necessarily by race, but also because Durham didn't light the streets very well in the predominantly black neighborhoods), I remember Petite Birdland on South Alston (your Hwy 55) not far from the NCCU campus. Petite Birdland had a terrific jazz flute player who called himself Jazzbo (no, he wasn't one of the many more famous Jazzbo's). I'm also with you on the Stallion Club. A date and I were escorted out of there one night for our own safety. BYOB at both places. You paid for set-ups.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I'm with you on the Null & Void -- which had several incarnations, including claiming the name Rathskellar for a while. It was also a venue for a folk-music coffee house.

But for nightclubs in the darker part of town (not necessarily by race, but also because Durham didn't light the streets very well in the predominantly black neighborhoods), I remember Petite Birdland on South Alston (your Hwy 55) not far from the NCCU campus. Petite Birdland had a terrific jazz flute player who called himself Jazzbo (no, he wasn't one of the many more famous Jazzbo's). I'm also with you on the Stallion Club. A date and I were escorted out of there one night for our own safety. BYOB at both places. You paid for set-ups.
Gaining entrance to La Petite Birdland was not open to everyone either. The guy at the door had to know someone in the party requesting admission. It was what was known as a "black and tan" club. The music was great.

[sagegrouse]

But for nightclubs in the darker part of town (not necessarily by race, but also because Durham didn't light the streets very well in the predominantly black neighborhoods), I remember Petite Birdland on South Alston (your Hwy 55) not far from the NCCU campus. Petite Birdland had a terrific jazz flute player who called himself Jazzbo (no, he wasn't one of the many more famous Jazzbo's). I'm also with you on the Stallion Club. A date and I were escorted out of there one night for our own safety. BYOB at both places. You paid for set-ups.

BYOB? Well, not exactly. I remember going to an after-hours roadhouse just out of town. We were with the performers after a show. We all wanted drinks, so a paper bag magically appeared with a bottle of whisky and an affixed sales slip from a local ABC store. Ah, table service for BYOB!

sagegrouse

[Jim3k]

BYOB? Well, not exactly. I remember going to an after-hours roadhouse just out of town. We were with the performers after a show. We all wanted drinks, so a paper bag magically appeared with a bottle of whisky and an affixed sales slip from a local ABC store. Ah, table service for BYOB!

sagegrouse

I'm betting the set-ups were a bit more expensive that night. :p

[tkolojay]

I was part of that era and played on the teams that Verga was on. I also attended many an evening at the Stallion Club where such greats as Otis Redding and Ike and Tina Turner played. To add to that Jan 3rd game, Bob Matheson, captain of the football team, and a decent basketball player in his own right, suited up along side Verga and crew. Verga was an unusual character. He was a great basketball player and could have averaged over 35 a game if the three point line were in effect in those days. He also was a loner. He and Bobo Riedy were the only two recruits of the class of '67. Bob had different tastes than the rest of us. He drove a Jaguar while the rest of us could only dream. If Verga were not sick during the '66 Final Four, there would never have been a movie made of 5 black players beating an all white team (Kentucky). That movie is "Glory Road". We lost by 3 to Kentucky because Verga had the flu and had to be dragged out of a hospital to suit up. He deserves to be hanging from the rafters.

[roywhite]

I was part of that era and played on the teams that Verga was on. I also attended many an evening at the Stallion Club where such greats as Otis Redding and Ike and Tina Turner played. To add to that Jan 3rd game, Bob Matheson, captain of the football team, and a decent basketball player in his own right, suited up along side Verga and crew. Verga was an unusual character. He was a great basketball player and could have averaged over 35 a game if the three point line were in effect in those days. He also was a loner. He and Bobo Riedy were the only two recruits of the class of '67. Bob had different tastes than the rest of us. He drove a Jaguar while the rest of us could only dream. If Verga were not sick during the '66 Final Four, there would never have been a movie made of 5 black players beating an all white team (Kentucky). That movie is "Glory Road". We lost by 3 to Kentucky because Verga had the flu and had to be dragged out of a hospital to suit up. He deserves to be hanging from the rafters.

Thanks for coming by. It's great to have an ex-player visit.

[Jim3k]

I was part of that era and played on the teams that Verga was on. I also attended many an evening at the Stallion Club where such greats as Otis Redding and Ike and Tina Turner played. To add to that Jan 3rd game, Bob Matheson, captain of the football team, and a decent basketball player in his own right, suited up along side Verga and crew. Verga was an unusual character. He was a great basketball player and could have averaged over 35 a game if the three point line were in effect in those days. He also was a loner. He and Bobo Riedy were the only two recruits of the class of '67. Bob had different tastes than the rest of us. He drove a Jaguar while the rest of us could only dream. If Verga were not sick during the '66 Final Four, there would never have been a movie made of 5 black players beating an all white team (Kentucky). That movie is "Glory Road". We lost by 3 to Kentucky because Verga had the flu and had to be dragged out of a hospital to suit up. He deserves to be hanging from the rafters.


I don't think I'm violating any rules here regarding a poster's real name. This poster is undoubtedly Tim Kolodziej (check the phonetics). Tim was a freshman in 1965 and therefore could not play varsity. But he was in on it all. He was a 6-5 forward whose best years came a little later -- 1967-68. Thanks for coming by, Tim.

[Stray Gator]

I was part of that era and played on the teams that Verga was on. I also attended many an evening at the Stallion Club where such greats as Otis Redding and Ike and Tina Turner played. To add to that Jan 3rd game, Bob Matheson, captain of the football team, and a decent basketball player in his own right, suited up along side Verga and crew. Verga was an unusual character. He was a great basketball player and could have averaged over 35 a game if the three point line were in effect in those days. He also was a loner. He and Bobo Riedy were the only two recruits of the class of '67. Bob had different tastes than the rest of us. He drove a Jaguar while the rest of us could only dream. If Verga were not sick during the '66 Final Four, there would never have been a movie made of 5 black players beating an all white team (Kentucky). That movie is "Glory Road". We lost by 3 to Kentucky because Verga had the flu and had to be dragged out of a hospital to suit up. He deserves to be hanging from the rafters.

That you, Tim? I was around during that period, too, spending many afternoons shooting hoops in Card or the Indoor Stadium (even, on a few occasions, participating in the pickup games...though never daring to venture inside the foul line when Matheson and Mike Lewis were body-tossing people out of the paint) and many evenings at the Stallion Club. But I'll add a couple of clarifying notes: First, I don't believe Matheson ever actually suited up for that post-New Year's game against Penn State, when most of the starters (other than Verga, who was as usual otherwise preoccupied) had been caught partying and suspended by Coach Bubas; my recollection is that Matheson was asked by Coach Bubas to be available just in case anyone got into foul trouble or got injured, but he remained seated behind the bench in street clothes throughout the game. (I tell people that the most amusing part of that game was seeing only half the team come out for pregame lay-up drills--with just three or four players lined up on each side. I was reminded of that scene when I first saw the movie Hoosiers.) Second, the Stallion Club was known to regulars as "The Stable"; and as many nights as we spent out there (usually as the only white people in the place), we were never made to feel unwelcome. We never saw a police officer there, but only once did we see any trouble--a scuffle at a nearby table. The patrons, black and white alike, were all there for the same purpose--to enjoy the music and dancing and drinking.

As for the '66 Final Four, I was despondent at the time about losing to Kentucky; but in retrospect, it may have been a blessing in disguise, because I would not have wanted Duke to be the team that lost to Texas Western.

[Indoor66]

That you, Tim? I was around during that period, too, spending many afternoons shooting hoops in Card or the Indoor Stadium (even, on a few occasions, participating in the pickup games...though never daring to venture inside the foul line when Matheson and Mike Lewis were body-tossing people out of the paint) and many evenings at the Stallion Club. But I'll add a couple of clarifying notes: First, I don't believe Matheson ever actually suited up for that post-New Year's game against Penn State, when most of the starters (other than Verga, who was as usual otherwise preoccupied) had been caught partying and suspended by Coach Bubas; my recollection is that Matheson was asked by Coach Bubas to be available just in case anyone got into foul trouble or got injured, but he remained seated behind the bench in street clothes throughout the game. (I tell people that the most amusing part of that game was seeing only half the team come out for pregame lay-up drills--with just three or four players lined up on each side. I was reminded of that scene when I first saw the movie Hoosiers.) Second, the Stallion Club was known to regulars as "The Stable"; and as many nights as we spent out there (usually as the only white people in the place), we were never made to feel unwelcome. We never saw a police officer there, but only once did we see any trouble--a scuffle at a nearby table. The patrons, black and white alike, were all there for the same purpose--to enjoy the music and dancing and drinking.

As for the '66 Final Four, I was despondent at the time about losing to Kentucky; but in retrospect, it may have been a blessing in disguise, because I would not have wanted Duke to be the team that lost to Texas Western.

I was around the area then as well and I do not believe that Duke, healthy, would have lost to either Kentucky or Texas Western. We had a much bigger team that KY and had enough speed to play with TW.

[tkolojay]

Thanks for having me. If I can add anything of value or my insites to that particular era, I would be more than happy to do so. This is quite the site. I am usually not into this, but after I was told about Doug Hinds death being posted on DBR, I needed to find out all about it. And as I told JK, his Mom was one of the nicest individuals I have ever met. We had more fun at JK's house. Of course, in those days, he was a curly haired babe running around in his dirty diaper. I forgot the maid's name, but she had a heck of a time keeping that lad clean.

[tkolojay]

That's me. That is am amazing memory on your part Stray Gator. Bob was a fraternity brother and I thought for sure he was suited up. Thanks for jogging my memory. You are right about those pickup games. Lewis was a beast and Matheson was SCARY. But, I will always remember the wrestling matches back at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity where Carl Pfeiffer and one other "small" wrestler brought big Boon Matheson down with a thud with one of their patented wrestling moves. And if you remember before Boone, there was Mike Curtis, who was also brought to his knees by our wrestlers.

As far as the Stallion Club, some of my memories were going into the men's room and having the brothers playing the pea shell game - trying to guess under what shell the pea was. I never fell for it. And then dancing with the young black woman was a new and exciting experience for a kid like me. I did see a knife fight one time out in the parking lot.

[-jk]

Thanks for having me. If I can add anything of value or my insites to that particular era, I would be more than happy to do so. This is quite the site. I am usually not into this, but after I was told about Doug Hinds death being posted on DBR, I needed to find out all about it. And as I told JK, his Mom was one of the nicest individuals I have ever met. We had more fun at JK's house. Of course, in those days, he was a curly haired babe running around in his dirty diaper. I forgot the maid's name, but she had a heck of a time keeping that lad clean.

Ouch! My sordid past coming back to haunt me.

Her name was Rose. She had a devil of a time chasing four boys around, much less keeping them clean.

-jk

[Stray Gator]

That's me. That is am amazing memory on your part Stray Gator. Bob was a fraternity brother and I thought for sure he was suited up. Thanks for jogging my memory. You are right about those pickup games. Lewis was a beast and Matheson was SCARY. But, I will always remember the wrestling matches back at the Phi Delta Theta fraternity where Carl Pfeiffer and one other "small" wrestler brought big Boon Matheson down with a thud with one of their patented wrestling moves. And if you remember before Boone, there was Mike Curtis, who was also brought to his knees by our wrestlers.

As far as the Stallion Club, some of my memories were going into the men's room and having the brothers playing the pea shell game - trying to guess under what shell the pea was. I never fell for it. And then dancing with the young black woman was a new and exciting experience for a kid like me. I did see a knife fight one time out in the parking lot.

Check back periodically, Tim, as you'll occasionally find a few of us old-timers digging deep to dust off lingering--albeit not entirely reliable--memories of such matters as Joe College Weekend, The Order of the Chair, Nurmi vs. the Quad Dogs, the Triple-Overtime, PBRs and comic books at Bat's, pigging out at A.B.'s, float-building boozefests, "nature-watching" at the Crit, etc. Most of us are pretty amazed that we've survived this long, much less that we're still capable of conjuring up such distant, murky memories. Please feel free to share any recollections that you're comfortable disclosing in public, including personal experiences for which the statute of limitations has expired.

Incidentally, here's one for you: Do you remember a home game, I think it was against a non-conference opponent, in which Mike Lewis became so angry that the opposing center was getting away with elbowing and shoving underneath that at one point he grabbed a defensive rebound, dribbled (more like pounded) the ball the entire length of the floor, went straight down the lane like a runaway train, and thunder-dunked the ball--drawing a technical foul, because dunking was still banned?

[Indoor66]

Check back periodically, Tim, as you'll occasionally find a few of us old-timers digging deep to dust off lingering--albeit not entirely reliable--memories of such matters as Joe College Weekend, The Order of the Chair, Nurmi vs. the Quad Dogs, the Triple-Overtime, PBRs and comic books at Bat's, pigging out at A.B.'s, float-building boozefests, "nature-watching" at the Crit, etc. Most of us are pretty amazed that we've survived this long, much less that we're still capable of conjuring up such distant, murky memories. Please feel free to share any recollections that you're comfortable disclosing in public, including personal experiences for which the statute of limitations has expired.

Maybe add to that list those late night trips to the Midway Drive-Inn, the Blue Light and the West Durham Ice House and who could forget the Dodi Di?

[Jim3k]

Maybe add to that list those late night trips to the Midway Drive-Inn, the Blue Light and the West Durham Ice House and who could forget the Dodi Di?

Next thing you will remind us of is the Putt-Putt on 15-501. (Where are those emoticons when you need them?) ;)

[Indoor66]

Next thing you will remind us of is the Putt-Putt on 15-501. (Where are those emoticons when you need them?) ;)

Yeah, and to think that it is now a Toys-R-Us and Mike Rubish is dead!

[jdj4duke]

Check back periodically, Tim, as you'll occasionally find a few of us old-timers digging deep to dust off lingering--albeit not entirely reliable--memories of such matters as Joe College Weekend, The Order of the Chair, Nurmi vs. the Quad Dogs, the Triple-Overtime, PBRs and comic books at Bat's, pigging out at A.B.'s, float-building boozefests, "nature-watching" at the Crit, etc.

You are singing my song now. And using the incredible resources of the DBR, I would like to ask if any of you attended Joe College in 1972 and if you recall any of the line up. The library has tons of material on various Joe College and Major Attractions events, but has nothing from the spring of 1972. I was there, and have an on-going "discussion" with some other alums about who played. I think that was the year the Poco, New Riders, Mark-Almond band and others were there. I am curious about the others.

I know not a basketball question, so send me a PM if you have some scoop.

In retrospect- only the Ivy Room had worse food than Bats, but loved that meatball sandwich. And Nurmi looked a hundred years old for 10 years.

[tkolojay]

I remember many times Big Mike Lewis getting riled up by some opposing center. I also remember the time Verga and CB Clairborned squared off during a gym rat game before the season. One of my more colorful memories was me being initiated into the Order of the Chair in front of the Chapel. The garbage truck and toilet seat were big hits with the students. I especially enjoyed the party afterward.
I also remembered when my frat brothers found out I got engaged and proceeded to haul me down to the Gardens, strip me naked, throw me into the pond, and then leave with all my clothes. Of course, that was nothing new as we used to strip down in the summer coming back from parties at JK's house and walk back from the parking lot in front of Cameron.
Those were the greatest four years of my life. Summer school was fun. I took one whole year of German in six weeks. Never learned a thing but got two B's. Helped the GPA.

[duke79]

Thanks, everyone, for giving us DBR viewers a picture of what Duke was like in the 60's. Interesting reading, for sure.

[Indoor66]

Back in the 60's I was in grad school and would serve as a chaparone at frat parties. Yes, they were required! I was paid $10 + a fifth of my favorite brand - and had all I wished to drink provided. It was tough duty but someone had to do it. I went to several great parties - on and off campus.

[sagegrouse]

Back in the 60's I was in grad school and would serve as a chaparone at frat parties. Yes, they were required! I was paid $10 + a fifth of my favorite brand - and had all I wished to drink provided. It was tough duty but someone had to do it. I went to several great parties - on and off campus.

Did you have any trouble with your conscience in signing the form that stated that no alcohol was consumed at the party? :rolleyes: :o

We used Barbara Bushman and her husband, and I can't remember if he was a grad or professional student or not. She was an assistant/secretary in the Dean of Men's office (Bob Cox the first) and, of course, years later became the doyenne of student housing. My daughter back in the 90s wanted me to use my relationship to help get her out of Giles and onto West Campus her sophomore year. Lot of good that would do!

sagegrouse

[tomhinds]

All...it's been great reading all the memories of Doug. I actually lived for short stints with Doug (twice) after I moved to California, but I never learned too much from him about his Duke life. I've learned a lot about him since he had the stroke, and then more after he passed away.

In case anyone missed it, we ran an obituary a little over a week ago in the News & Observer (and a shorter one in the SF Chronicle). The link expires after a month, so I'm also posting the text.

Tom Hinds

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsobserver/obituary.aspx?n=douglas-p-hinds&pid=144968114

Loyal Duke University alumnus and fan Douglas Paul Hinds, Trinity ’65 passed away on July 15 in Davis, California. Hinds served a distinguished career in public service as an attorney, primarily for the General Services Administration and the Navy.
Born in New York City, Hinds grew up in Fort Collins, CO and Pittsburgh, PA. As a teen, Hinds earned a prestigious scholarship to Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh. At Duke, he pledged Kappa Sigma, lettered in soccer and made the dean’s list.
A 1968 graduate of University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Hinds distinguished himself early on by becoming the youngest appointed Chief Litigation Council to the GSA, and earned many awards and commendations through the years. Hinds served in leadership positions in legislative counsel and civil litigation, and worked in Washington, D.C. until relocating to California in 1979, where he opened and oversaw the only branch litigation office for the Navy. He was also a veteran of the Coast Guard Reserve.
Referred to as “Superfan” by the Duke student newspaper in his undergraduate years, Hinds was an original Cameron Crazy who stayed loyal to the basketball program even through difficult times. He was renowned for his passionate displays of support, and attended many games even after moving to California. After retiring, he lived part-time in Durham. He also loved the San Francisco Giants, and held season tickets.
Hinds was also known for his loyalty to friends and family, who miss him.
He is predeceased by his father, “Mac” Burnice McKinley Hinds, and his mother, Iris E. Hinds.
His ashes will be buried with theirs in a private service in Fort Collins.
A memorial service will be held in Durham during basketball season.
Gifts can be made in Hinds’ memory to the Iron Dukes.

Link: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/newsobserver/obituary.aspx?n=douglas-p-hinds&pid=144968114#ixzz0zZVu3Wps

[ricks68]

I remember many times Big Mike Lewis getting riled up by some opposing center. I also remember the time Verga and CB Clairborned squared off during a gym rat game before the season. One of my more colorful memories was me being initiated into the Order of the Chair in front of the Chapel. The garbage truck and toilet seat were big hits with the students. I especially enjoyed the party afterward.
I also remembered when my frat brothers found out I got engaged and proceeded to haul me down to the Gardens, strip me naked, throw me into the pond, and then leave with all my clothes. Of course, that was nothing new as we used to strip down in the summer coming back from parties at JK's house and walk back from the parking lot in front of Cameron.
Those were the greatest four years of my life. Summer school was fun. I took one whole year of German in six weeks. Never learned a thing but got two B's. Helped the GPA.

I just "refound" this thread and saw what Tim wrote. I was going to add a lot of stuff previous to this, but everyone before just about said it all, with my memories coinciding almost 100%. I think, however, that James Brown was in the tobacco warehouse for Joe College during float building in '65, wasn't he? I thought he was, but because those of us that "participated" in the weekend have quite a bit of trouble remembering exactly what actually went on due to the "mass quantities of beer" consumed (and our age now), I may very well be wrong. I definitely recollect Doug's chicken at the games, however.

I have to confirm Tim's recollection of a Summer School of German, also, because we were in the same class. And another thank you for inviting me to "play" (I pretty much could have just sat down on second base while Mike Lewis rocketed pitch after unhittable pitch to our catcher, Steve Vacendak) with you and the rest of the basketball team guys on your summer intramural softball team. Hope you have a chance to visit with Janet again when she tailgates for the football games this year. I plan on finally catching some games when I find my new home in Asheville in the next few years, and then can join ya'll.:)

ricks

[tkolojay]

How is everyone doing these days? It has been a couple of months so I thought I would check in. Waiting for the football season to progress to its sad ending before bball gets rolling again. So far, I will be down to Cameron for the Michigan State game as both teams should be ranked in the top ten.
Ricks, did you get better grades than me in those summer German classes? If you did, I should have sat next to you.
I hope we can begin the chats again as the memories were great.
I almost forgot. I was in California on business (San Francisco area) and I finally looked up Gene Bromstead. Gene was at Duke for one year before flunking out. He was a tough nosed basketball player who went on to play at Marquette for a year or two before he flunked out of there too. He owns a bar in Oakland (Barclays) and is celebrating his 19th year with Barclays. Gene has changed from being a rough tough kid to a lover of Opera. He has lost weight and looks really good. If any of you have any recollection of Gene, please share your memories. He could drink a lot of beer.

[Verga3]

Thought it appropriate to resurrect this post. Thanks to all us old (venerable) people that can still remember (or still make up) the great anecdotes. It started with Bob Verga (the SI Vault link is still live) and morphed. It will make you smile, and it might be required historical reading for all recent and current Cameron Crazies. It would be great to hear from some of you regarding your ancestral impressions.

Duke basketball in the 60's was incredible. We salute those players and coaches for placing Duke in the national college basketball spotlight. And we will always owe Doug an unpayable debt of gratitude for all the passion and bite that he brought (poor officials, lucky us).

[Verga3]

I can't stop smiling as I reread some of these classic posts. Current students will have their own special memories. I hope they are half as fun to recall as these years later. What started as a Bob Verga update, morphed into one of the best threads ever chronicling Duke and Duke basketball's "beginnings." This is our heritage. Enjoy.

[throatybeard]

I agree that Verga is the biggest injustice when it comes to retired jersies. His numbers and his honors won are almost exactly the same as Jeff Mullins. To Verga's advantage, he was consensus first-team All-American in 1967. Mullins was never better than concensus second-team. Mullins did win the 1964 ACC player of the year award, an honor Verga never won -- although he should have won it in 1966 (it went to teammate Steve Vacendak instead after Vacendak, a second-team All-ACC pick, had a great ACC tourney).

I know we're kind of running out of jersey numbers to retire ... but Verga was No. 11, which is already retired for Bobby Hurley. If the Yankees can retire No. 8 in honor of Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, can't Duke make No. 11 for Hurley and Verga?

I hear that. I've made the same argument for Alarie, which isn't maybe as strong.

[Verga3]

The fifth starter for the Penn St game was Stuart McKaig

Only 6 guys dressed out for the game, not seven. The sixth guy was Bob Francis. (Now, that's a great Duke BBall trivia question.)

A great (typical) picture of V's absolutely beautiful jumper is on page 126 of the 1967 Chanticleer.

Also, as a bonus, there's another great picture of the Blue Devil and Jeri Reuter obviously dancing to "Devil with a Blue Dress..." on page 133.

I also disagree that Otis Day and the Knights were patterned after the Hot Nuts, as Otis Day did not sing any filthy, dirty songs in Animal House, but only the classics, like "Shout". (I wonder if the Hot Nuts even knew any clean songs to sing, as I never heard any when I went to see them.)

In addition, it was explained a few years ago when the Hall of Fame was opened and Verga was installed in the Hall of Honor, that once you were in that, there would be no promotion to having your Jersey retired.

Lastly, a simple question to bring up the most inspirational song of all during an evening in the Indoor Stadium: What was that song? (And if no one comes up with it, you can tell them, Janet.)

ricks

I hope that Verga's induction into the Hall of Honor doesn't preclude his number being retired one day. Two #11's in the rafters will be fine. According to a couple of Bob's teammates, he hasn't stayed as connected through the years to Duke and to them as you might expect. Still the loner. What an amazing talent.

[killerleft]

Is that the Stallion Club, aka The Stable, on the front page today? Or is Pepsi a new sponsor for DBR?

Just a guess since I was too young to get in there.

[killerleft]

Is that the Stallion Club, aka The Stable, on the front page today? Or is Pepsi a new sponsor for DBR?

Just a guess since I was too young to get in there.

To answer my own question, apparently not. Here is a picture of storefront and interior circa 1970:

http://www.opendurham.org/buildings/stallion-club?full

[Jarhead]

I hope that Verga's induction into the Hall of Honor doesn't preclude his number being retired one day. Two #11's in the rafters will be fine. According to a couple of Bob's teammates, he hasn't stayed as connected through the years to Duke and to them as you might expect. Still the loner. What an amazing talent.

If we are to consider others from the Bubas era we'd have to consider the standard that was in play at that time. Dick Groat was a phenomenal player, and the first Duke basketball ever to have his number retired. That was in 1952. His number retirement had set the standard so high that no one even considered players that followed until Mike Gminski came along. His number was retired in 1980. It took 28 years for that to happen. There is no doubt in my mind about the G Man deserving the honor. Then Johny Dawkins and Danny Ferry came along in '86 and '89 and, likewise, earned the honor. But what about those 28 years in which a few players missed out on the honor? The powers that be took care of that by granting the honor to Art Heyman in 1990, but they still missed some deserving players. Bob Verga was one of them, as was Jeff Mullins who was honored in 1994. Why Verga was missed, I can only surmise, was that the standards for the honor were not so clear. In the meantime, 5 such honors were granted, and we all remember them, all very deserving. Laettner, Hurley, Hill, Battier, and Jason Williams went to the rafters, going up from 1992 through 2001. Redick and Shelden made it up there in 2007.

Somewhere in that span of time the standards were somehow changed, but not by much. My thinking is that only Alarie has been missed, but less than two or three may have benefited from a lower standard following those first 28 years. I don't want to debate them, but I will say the Verga deserved the honor as well as Mullins did, although I like Mullins as well as the two most recent honorees. Maybe I've started a debate after all.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

If we are to consider others from the Bubas era we'd have to consider the standard that was in play at that time. Dick Groat was a phenomenal player, and the first Duke basketball ever to have his number retired. That was in 1952. His number retirement had set the standard so high that no one even considered players that followed until Mike Gminski came along. His number was retired in 1980. It took 28 years for that to happen. There is no doubt in my mind about the G Man deserving the honor. Then Johny Dawkins and Danny Ferry came along in '86 and '89 and, likewise, earned the honor. But what about those 28 years in which a few players missed out on the honor? The powers that be took care of that by granting the honor to Art Heyman in 1990, but they still missed some deserving players. Bob Verga was one of them, as was Jeff Mullins who was honored in 1994. Why Verga was missed, I can only surmise, was that the standards for the honor were not so clear. In the meantime, 5 such honors were granted, and we all remember them, all very deserving. Laettner, Hurley, Hill, Battier, and Jason Williams went to the rafters, going up from 1992 through 2001. Redick and Shelden made it up there in 2007.

Somewhere in that span of time the standards were somehow changed, but not by much. My thinking is that only Alarie has been missed, but less than two or three may have benefited from a lower standard following those first 28 years. I don't want to debate them, but I will say the Verga deserved the honor as well as Mullins did, although I like Mullins as well as the two most recent honorees. Maybe I've started a debate after all.

I thought it was Eddie Cameron who said no more after Groat. Changes in athletic administration made for many other changes including whether to retire other jerseys. It was also my understanding that there was longtime opposition from some to retiring Artie's jersey because they did not approve of what they perceived to be his free spirited life style. He was superb steal from Carolina and started the modern era of Duke basketball, but he didn't toe that invisible line for deportment.

[ricks68]

I can't stop smiling as I reread some of these classic posts. Current students will have their own special memories. I hope they are half as fun to recall as these years later. What started as a Bob Verga update, morphed into one of the best threads ever chronicling Duke and Duke basketball's "beginnings." This is our heritage. Enjoy.

Thanks for bringing this thread back around again. I just reread it, also. And thanks for all the great posts from others on the board that really brought back some great memories. I can still hear the "two Verga, two!" chant we did every time he went up for his jumper from the outside.:)

ricks

[Verga3]

If we are to consider others from the Bubas era we'd have to consider the standard that was in play at that time. Dick Groat was a phenomenal player, and the first Duke basketball ever to have his number retired. That was in 1952. His number retirement had set the standard so high that no one even considered players that followed until Mike Gminski came along. His number was retired in 1980. It took 28 years for that to happen. There is no doubt in my mind about the G Man deserving the honor. Then Johny Dawkins and Danny Ferry came along in '86 and '89 and, likewise, earned the honor. But what about those 28 years in which a few players missed out on the honor? The powers that be took care of that by granting the honor to Art Heyman in 1990, but they still missed some deserving players. Bob Verga was one of them, as was Jeff Mullins who was honored in 1994. Why Verga was missed, I can only surmise, was that the standards for the honor were not so clear. In the meantime, 5 such honors were granted, and we all remember them, all very deserving. Laettner, Hurley, Hill, Battier, and Jason Williams went to the rafters, going up from 1992 through 2001. Redick and Shelden made it up there in 2007.

Somewhere in that span of time the standards were somehow changed, but not by much. My thinking is that only Alarie has been missed, but less than two or three may have benefited from a lower standard following those first 28 years. I don't want to debate them, but I will say the Verga deserved the honor as well as Mullins did, although I like Mullins as well as the two most recent honorees. Maybe I've started a debate after all.

Jeff Mullins' #44 was such a worthy addition to the rafters. Great player...great person. The Lexington, KY native chose Duke. Nuff said. Many don't understand why Bob Verga's #11 is not hanging as well. Maybe a part of the answer lies in the echo of Eddie Cameron. I love and respect the tradition and integrity of this university and this athletic department. I hope that Kevin White and Coach K will have another conversation about Bob Verga before it is too late.

[sagegrouse]

I thought it was Eddie Cameron who said no more after Groat. Changes in athletic administration made for many other changes including whether to retire other jerseys. It was also my understanding that there was longtime opposition from some to retiring Artie's jersey because they did not approve of what they perceived to be his free spirited life style. He was superb steal from Carolina and started the modern era of Duke basketball, but he didn't toe that invisible line for deportment.

I understand that Eddie Cameron's position on Groat vs. potential successors was the exceptional case of an All-American in TWO sports (Jim Brown, anyone?), and the other nominees (Heyman and Mullins) fell short of that standard. Looking back over the years, I wonder if there wasn't more to it than that -- Artie wasn't everybody's cup of tea, and I bet he had the Athletic Department on pins and needles more than once.

The only Dukie that met the Groat standard was Dave Sime, who set six world records in three weeks, and he didn't have a number to retire. :p From that same era, Sonny Jurgenson, in the NFL HOF, was a running QB in college.

sagegrouse
'The good news is that Dave Sime's grandson Max MacCaffrey is a football recruit. Oh yeah, and he's Billy's nephew'
"And lest I forget, when I say I am from the Class of Mullins, he was elected our senior class president -- every other claimant is an impostor"