GBI Express

Gold and Black Express, Vol 25, EX 19

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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 19 • 11 In reality, the Soul Patrol pla- toon lasted just seven games, and the Boilermakers won five of those games. But by the eighth contest, Schaus realized that for- wards Walls and Jordan needed to start. Senior Jerry Nichols wasn't recovering well from a horrific knee injury suffered nine months earlier at Madison Square Gar- den in the NIT quarterfinals and 6-10 sophomore Tom Scheffler seemed to flourish coming off the bench. Plus, the Boilermakers liked to run, and playing Schef- fler and 6-11 senior John Garrett at the same time seemed to slow the team down a bit. "We liked to get it and go," Parker said. "We were confident guys who knew how to score." Jordan and Walls started three games before Parker joined them in the starting five after junior Mike Steele was out due to illness. The trio start- ed nearly every game together for the next three-plus seasons. In their first Big Ten game and just their second colle- giate start, Walls and Jordan combined for 52 points and 31 re- bounds in a win over Michigan State. "People don't know how good Wayne Walls was," Jordan said about his teammate, who now lives in his hometown of Jeffersonville, Ind. "I played on the In- diana All-Star team with Wayne and with Larry Bird, and Wayne was the best player. He was the quiet guy that every- one forgets about, but there were few better rebounders and shot blockers in the Big Ten in those days." White, who struggled with academics early in his career and with injuries in his later days, was ineligible for the second semester. "Mike White was one of the smartest guys on the team," Sat- terfield said. "I am not surprised he spent some time in his pro- fessional career as a librarian. He was a brute on the court and a soft-hearted guy off of it." Jordan, Walls and Parker had distinguished careers as Boiler- makers. They finished in third place in the league race each of heir first three seasons and nev- er finished worse than 11-7 at a time when the Big Ten had super- stars like Kent Benson, Scott May, Rickey Green, Mychal Thomp- son, Magic Johnson and Kevin McHale. They became just the sec- ond Boilermaker squad to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament in their junior season, losing a heartbreaker to North Carolina in a game played on Tobacco Road on North Carolina State. The Soul Patrol have re- mained friends to this day, speak- ing to each other often during the course of the year. Parker said the experience taught him something that has impacted him the rest of his life. "For me, the biggest life les- son I learned was yes, analyze it a little bit, but then just go ahead and do it," Parker said. "It is simple as that." For Satterfield, the sentiment is about a lifelong experience filled with great memories. "We really considered our- selves as brothers and that was what was really special about Purdue basketball at that time," Satterfield said. "We were broth- ers." j THE SOUL PATROL AT A GLANCE Name Pos Hometown Dick Satterfield G Hagerstown, Ind. Walk-on who earned an important role in junior and senior seasons Michael White C Peoria, Ill. Overcame injuries and academic issues to appear in 49 games Wayne Walls F Jeffersonville, Ind. Ranked 46th all-time in career scoring Walter Jordan F Fort Wayne, Ind. One of six Boilers to have 1,500 career points and 750 rebounds Eugene Parker G Fort Wayne, Ind. One of seven players in school history with 1,000 career points and 400 assists Coach Fred Schaus loved the up-tempo style the Soul Patrol brought to the court. Introducing ... An updated GoldandBlack.com mobile App For the Android and iPhone at Google Play and the App Store

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