Bevo
The Bevo Francis Classic is this weekend at the University of Rio Grande. If you're a basketball historian and/or a basketball junkie, you probably know the story of the great Bevo Francis.
Rather than recount the whole, detailed story (Bevo Francis has been the subject of a documentary, multiple national media videos, books, etc.), I'll simply post a couple of links, and let you know why this story means so much to me, personally.
In short, Bevo Francis was a sky young boy who was 6'9" and was one of the great shooters and scorers in the history of college basketball. Bevo, by most accounts, can be credited with saving a school (Rio Grande) from bankruptcy, as he became the most famous basketball player in the world and drew huge, sold out crowds around the country.....and generated enough money and publicity for the tiny school in Rio Grande, Ohio, that they were able to avoid bankruptcy, pay the professors and keep the school alive.
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It was the mid-1980's, and I was a sophomore in high school in Northeast Ohio. One of the most influential persons in my life was my 5th & 6th grade basketball coach, Mr. Finn. Later, I asked him to be my sponsor for Confirmation. As I got into high school, he took me on my first college recruiting visit. We went with our senior star, Gary Boyes. I was along for the ride, but hopefully would be in a position in a couple of years to have the opportunity to play college basketball.
And so we went to visit Rio Grande. I don't remember a whole lot, but I remember sitting with Coach John Lawhorn, the Head Coach at Rio at the time. We sat at the original Bob Evans restaurant (Bob Evans was started in Rio Grande). .....and it was on that visit that I first learned about Bevo Francis. It was like a fairy tale. The story was so amazing that it seemed like it must have been made up. But it wasn't. It was real. Bevo really scored 116 points in a game. And 113 in another. The team really went 39-0. He really did average 50 a game as a freshman. Rio really did sell out Madison Square Garden and the Boston Garden in his sophomore year. They really did beat Wake Forest, the defending ACC Champs. The really did beat Miami. And Arizona State. And on and on.....
I was mezmorized. And I still am.
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Fast forward about 25 years, roughly, from my first visit to Rio Grande as a sophomore in high school. The "Redmen" nickname has been changed to the "Redstorm", and Rio has now been hosting the Bevo Francis Classic for years. Somehow - or for some reason - Rio Grande Athletic Director Jeff Lanham asks me to come to Rio Grande to speak at the opening banquet. Bevo Francis is there. Coach Newt Oliver is there. I'm sitting at the head table, next to Bevo Francis! It's like Christmas morning all over, and I'm like a little kid, just in a body that's now a bit older.
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I had the opportunity to spend a bit of time with him that day, and we video taped a bit of our conversation afterwards. You see, when I arrived in the NAIA National Office, I found out that Bevo Francis was not in the NAIA Hall of Fame. Typically, I was told, nominations should some from the NAIA membership. BUT Bevo Francis was not in the NAIA Hall of Fame! How could this be?! So I called Jeff Lanham, and we got the ball rolling.....and got Bevo Francis into the NAIA Hall of Fame.
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Funny how life works sometimes.....one day I'm that kid tagging along with the star high school player on a recruiting visit, learning about one of the greatest stories in the history of college basketball....and years later I'm invited back to that same school as a guest speaker, sitting next to the legend himself.
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Here's a link to the Bevo Page on Rio Grande's website: http://www.rioredstorm.com/schedule/13/12.php
Here are a few other links pertaining to the great Bevo Francis:
http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Francis_Bevo.html
http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2012-03-11/savior-basketball
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIfee_6y20E