An overdue tribute to UNLV's all time leading scorer, Eddie Owens.
Haven't heard much about him in years. I hope he is doing well.
Haven't heard much about him in years. I hope he is doing well.
Retiring Jersey #11 on Wednesday
- Thread starter Kruger's brother Fred
- Start date
Long overdue but better late than never I guess. Jerry approached different people at UNLV on a couple of occasions over the years before he passed to try and get this done, but it always ended up being tabled for one reason or another.
So many great memories of Eddie. Thank goodness his wonderful mother convinced him to stick around following the 75-76 season. Eddie’s dad passed when he was younger and his mom was a single mother raising three kids at the time.
Eddie wanted to turn pro following his junior season to help his mother financially, but his mother convinced him to return for his senior season. Thank goodness he did, as his departure coupled with Jackie Robinson’s injury and there wouldn’t have been a Final Four team in 77.
One of my favorite memories was the consolation game against UNC-Charlotte. Everyone was so down follow the UNC loss, Jerry always hated the consolation games in the NCAA tournament. After taking an early lead the Rebels trailed at halftime by a couple of points. Eddie put the team on his back in the second half and led the Rebels to victory finishing with around 34-35 points in the game. No way was he going out a loser.
Never will forget how emotional he was in the locker room at the Omni following the game. He was in tears knowing it was his final game, and likewise upset as he really believe the Rebels should have been playing Marquette for the championship.
So many great memories of Eddie. Thank goodness his wonderful mother convinced him to stick around following the 75-76 season. Eddie’s dad passed when he was younger and his mom was a single mother raising three kids at the time.
Eddie wanted to turn pro following his junior season to help his mother financially, but his mother convinced him to return for his senior season. Thank goodness he did, as his departure coupled with Jackie Robinson’s injury and there wouldn’t have been a Final Four team in 77.
One of my favorite memories was the consolation game against UNC-Charlotte. Everyone was so down follow the UNC loss, Jerry always hated the consolation games in the NCAA tournament. After taking an early lead the Rebels trailed at halftime by a couple of points. Eddie put the team on his back in the second half and led the Rebels to victory finishing with around 34-35 points in the game. No way was he going out a loser.
Never will forget how emotional he was in the locker room at the Omni following the game. He was in tears knowing it was his final game, and likewise upset as he really believe the Rebels should have been playing Marquette for the championship.
Thanks or the memories. I arrived in Vegas in '75. It was that 76-77 team that first caught my eye. How could it not? 100-point results ,game-after-game. Doing it in an era of no 3-point line (could you imagine "Sudden Sam' Smith from beyond the arc?) and no shot-clock.
Speaking of a shot clock, that's my recollection of the UNC game. The Rebels led for most of the game. Moffett got hurt and Dean Smith's team managed to eke out a one-point lead. Phil Ford led them into the "four-corners" offense. Which is no offense at all. Just a continual weave with no thought of taking a shot. It was a cowardly way to try to win a game against a superior opponent. Sadly, it worked as the Rebels fell by a single point. They were the best team in the nation in '77, but Al McGuire got his going-away trophy.
Why it's taken nearly 40 years to honor "Easy Eddie" Owens is baffling. Leading scorer on that prolific team. And why isn't #10 hanging from the rafters? Robert Smith remains the greatest point guard in UNLV history.
Obviously we honor the National Championship team, as we should, but it was Owens, Smith (all three of them) Gondo and the rest of the "Hardway Eight" that put the Rebels on the map. They were pioneers...
Speaking of a shot clock, that's my recollection of the UNC game. The Rebels led for most of the game. Moffett got hurt and Dean Smith's team managed to eke out a one-point lead. Phil Ford led them into the "four-corners" offense. Which is no offense at all. Just a continual weave with no thought of taking a shot. It was a cowardly way to try to win a game against a superior opponent. Sadly, it worked as the Rebels fell by a single point. They were the best team in the nation in '77, but Al McGuire got his going-away trophy.
Why it's taken nearly 40 years to honor "Easy Eddie" Owens is baffling. Leading scorer on that prolific team. And why isn't #10 hanging from the rafters? Robert Smith remains the greatest point guard in UNLV history.
Obviously we honor the National Championship team, as we should, but it was Owens, Smith (all three of them) Gondo and the rest of the "Hardway Eight" that put the Rebels on the map. They were pioneers...
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