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Kentucky State Thorobreds - 50 Years Later As we turn this calendar to 2020, it will mark 50 years since the dominant run of three consecutive National Championships for the Kentucky State Thorobreds. The Thorobreds won the NAIA Title in 1970, 1971 and 1972. They were led by Travis Grant (who was a scoring machine during all three title runs) and Elmore Smith (who was a late-blooming big man that was a dominant force during the 1970 and 1971 title runs, before turning pro). Below are a few photos of Travis Grant and Elmore Smith, the legends of Kentucky State basketball. When Travis walked off the court at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City after the 1972 National Championship, he was the all-time leading scorer in the history of college basketball with 4,045 points that had led KSU to three-straight National Championships. 50 years later, Grant still holds NAIA Tournament records for scoring in a game, tournament and career. Elmore Smith became an elite shot-blocker, rebounder and defender in the NBA. After 50 years, the Kentucky State teammates still get together on an annual basis, as the bond formed through basketball has remained for a lifetime.
My Kentucky State Experience
I drove from Kansas City to Frankfort, Kentucky, to visit Kentucky State University on Saturday night.....and then drove back today.
Several weeks ago, Kentucky State Vice President, Rick Smith, called. He told me that Kentucky State was going to honor two of their legends, Travis Grant and Elmore Smith, for their induction into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame. He asked me to attend the celebration......and so I got in the car and went.....and I’m sure glad I went.
It was a special night, as I got to spend time with Travis and Elmore. I’ve known each of them for quite a while now, and they are such genuinely good people. I mean, these were two of the greatest/most accomplished players in college basketball history, yet they are just so down-to-earth, nice people.
Additionally, I enjoyed spending time with Rick Smith, Lacy Rice, Randy Williams and Kentucky State President Chris Brown. I probably spent the most time with SIAC Commissioner, Greg Moore. I hadn’t met Greg before, but I was highly impressed. He’s a basketball junkie, and he’s highly knowledgeable. He’s immensely proud of the SIAC, and the tremendous progress that they’ve made during his nine years as Commissioner. With the way that we were rolling with our basketball talk, I think that we could still be talking.....
A big kudos to Kentucky State University for the wonderful halftime celebration for Travis and Elmore.....and for a job well done for the whole weekend. They had a media session, an autograph/photo session, and a social event after the game. Additionally, Elmore and Travis spoke to the men’s and women’s basketball teams during their visit back to Frankfort. They did a really nice job with the halftime presentation, and included some classy gifts for each of them. Well done, KSU!
After the game (and, by the way, it was a fantastic atmosphere!), I went to a suite at the hotel, and had the opportunity to spend time with the members of the 1970, 1971 and 1972 NAIA National Championship teams. What a wonderful group of guys that all came back for the celebration at their Alma Mater. As a note, this whole group of guys is very close. They lift each other up, and speak very highly of each other. After all these years, their bond is incredibly strong. Truly, they love each other, and it’s a joy to be around these guys.
Two notes in this regard: One of the players told me stories about some of his health challenges. Without using a name or telling about his specific health issues, he ended up in a nursing home for about a month. During that time, he told me that he heard from at least one member of the team every single day. Every day! The other note is this: This group of guys, from the teams that won three consecutive NAIA National Championships, still gets together every year for a reunion. Each and every year!
I thank the Rick Smith for the invitation, and I thank all of the members of the 1970-72 NAIA National Championship teams from Kentucky State for making me feel like I belonged......truly, a special group of men, and for some reason, they’ve always been very good to me.
As I drove back to Kansas City today, I thought about how fortunate I am.....
I was just sent this photo, and it brings back a wonderful memory. Here I am, shaking hands with Elmore Smith, with Travis Grant and Coach Don Meyer on stage.
I’m just smiling, looking at this photo.......growing up as a basketball junkie.....and years later, here I am with two of the greatest college basketball players of all time, and one of the best, most impactful college coaches of all time.....and here I am, on stage with them. What a thrill!
Gay short - After the Sky Turned Black
[embed]https://vimeo.com/47632234[/embed]
A photojournalist, recently blinded in a terrorist attack overseas, picks up a young man from a bar and takes him home. Throughout the course of the night, the secrets of his past are revealed...
Starring Nicholas Wilder, Travis Grant, and Ara Woland. Written and directed by Ellis Watamanuk. "Rightfully delivered in an unhurried pace and well shot and scored throughout, this is a moving work on the risks that journalists of both text and photo mediums take, in documenting the brutal ravages of man's inhumanity to mankind; a poignant narrative that will no doubt resonate with many. All of which makes for a short film that whilst gay to the core, speaks volumes on how being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, can forever change your life and that of those around you. And for a debut piece, that's a telling message, indeed." -- Dave Hall, Gay Celluloid Please contact [email protected] with any questions.
Rise and Fire
I just read the chapter on The Machine (i.e. Travis Grant) in Shawn Fury’s book, Rise and Fire. (Sean sent it to me to send to Travis). Fury notes in the book that Grant’s combination of scoring (he became the all-time leading scorer in college basketball history with 4,045 points) and winning (three straight National Championships at Kentucky State) may still be unmatched in college basketball history.
I read other pieces of the book as well, including the last chapter. GREAT finish to the book....
In short, I think that basketball junkies and purists will absolutely love this book! It’s well-written, and brings up many wonderful stories about the origins of the jump shot, and great stories about some of the greatest shooters that ever lived.
Enjoy Rise and Fire!
Travis Grant
Do you know about Travis Grant? Were you there when he scored 60 points against Minot State in the NAIA Tournament in 1972? Were you there when he scored 75 in one game? Were you there when he lit up George Gervin and his Eastern Michigan teammates for 69 points? Do you know that Travis still holds NAIA Tournament records for points in a game, tournament and career? Do you know that he still holds the tournament records for field goals in a game, tournament and career? Do you know that he shot an incredible 62% for his career from the field? Do you know that, when he walked off the court for his final collegiate game in 1972 that he had led his teams to three-straight National Championships and was the leading scorer in the history of college basketball with 4,045 career points?
That same Travis Grant is now retired, living with his wife, Sharon, in an Atlanta suburb. He worked for 29 years in education after his playing career was done.
.............
Travis called a couple of weeks ago, letting me know that he was going to be in town, and wanting to see if I wanted to get together.....and so, two days ago, on Friday afternoon, I picked him up at his hotel in Kansas City, and we went to grab a bite to eat.
The topic ranged from race relations to his Church, to my Church, to his wife, children and grandchildren, and even to his time playing with Wilt Chamberlain, the Lakers, the San Diego Conquistadors and the Pacers. We talked about the challenges of public schools to the annual reunions of the Kentucky State dynasty of his era.
You see, although Travis Grant is one of the all-time great shooters and scorers in the history of college basketball, he’s a genuinely down-to-earth, nice guy. Although he’s in the NAIA Hall of Fame, the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the Alabama Hall of Fame, and more, you wouldn’t know it by talking to him.......just one of the good guys......well, one of the good guys that happened to win three straight National Championships, score 4,045 points, win the Lapchick Award for the finest collegiate basketball player in the land (the first small college player to do so) and get drafted in the NBA’s first round by the Los Angeles Lakers.....
It was good to spend time with my friend, Travis Grant.
Travis Grant Inducted Into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame
Yesterday was a proud day: The Legendary Travis Grant was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
I met Travis Grant several years ago, as I was serving as the Director of the NAIA's National Championship, and doing a bit of research on the wonderful history of the tournament. Obviously, Travis' name kept popping up. The more I learned about his accomplishments, the more amazed I was.....
We're now more than 40 years since he played a game at Kentucky State University, and he still holds the NAIA Tournament records for points in a game, tournament and career. He also holds the tournament records for the most field goals in a game, tournament and career.
.....and the Thorobreds won. And won A LOT! They were NAIA National Champions in 1970.....and 1971......and 1972. (No team has three-peated in the next 42 years of the tournament). When Travis walked off the court at historic Municipal Auditorium after that 1972 National Championship game, he had scored more points than any player in the history of college basketball. At any level. Ever. 4,045 points! Yes, that is correct: 4,045 points! (Any there was no three-point line, and Grant is considered to be among the greatest pure shooters of all time).
......and so, as I read and learned about Travis Grant - and then talked with many people that had seen him play - I was very surprised to learn that he had not been inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. In short, I got on the phone, and we got that handled.....in 2011, Travis Grant was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame. It was a proud moment, and clearly a moment that was well-deserved.
Through this process, a friendship was formed, and I am really proud to call Travis Grant a friend. During my last visit to Georgia, I certainly enjoyed getting together for lunch with Travis and his bride, Sharon. During that lunch, he mentioned that he had not been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (he grew up in Alabama), which was hard to believe. To fast forward, I was sitting in the upper deck at this year's NAIA Tournament when Travis called to tell me that he had gotten the call, and he was going to be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
I am really happy for my friend, Travis Grant.
......I've written about Travis's statistics and accomplishments here, but I had written a piece a while ago that provides a little more about the person. Here's a link: http://www.playnaia.org/blog/2011/01/naia-hall-of-famer-travis-grant-incredible-story/
Below are links to a story that announces Travis' recent induction, and then a piece about the induction itself.
http://ashof.org/index.php?src=news&srctype=detail&category=Headlines&refno=249
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/05/greatness_personified_in_newes.html