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VOLUME 26, ISSUE 4 19 limits his closest associates to people whom he trusts and respects, always had King front and center on that list. But the road to West Lafayette from Lebanon did take its share of twists and turns in the year or so preceding the January return. Behind the scenes, Rich had maintained contact with Painter, and the two talked from time to time leading up the event. Rick Mount was aware that Pur- due was going to honor him with a bobblehead night, and he even suggested to Boilermaker officials that it be for the Iowa game, a team he destroyed on a fre- quent basis during his college days. But the strategy used by friends and associates to keep Mount in the mix was simple. "We never wanted to push too hard for him to return one day to Purdue," said lifelong friend Jim Limp, part of the Stookey's gang and 20 years Mount's senior who had tried in vain to convince Mount to at- tend Purdue's inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame induc- tion 22 years ago. "Rick is very much a loner, to himself almost to a fault. I learned that at the Hall of Fame event. You can't force him to do anything, but the efforts of Rich to (grandson) Jordan to (former Lebanon girls basketball coach) Tracey Hammel to Matt Painter, it somehow got done." But it almost didn't. "I remember him agreeing to do it, but then in ear- ly December having second thoughts," said Jordan Mount, a senior in high school who works out three times a week doing shooting drills with his grandpa. "I remember being at his house at about 6 o'clock and he is on the phone. When he was finished, he came back to his chair, and he says, 'I just got off the phone with Matt Painter and he is sending me 13 tickets.' "I don't think I had a lot to do with him coming, but I think Coach Painter's phone call did." As it became clearer that Mount was serious about attending, the number of tickets jumped to 18 before it was all said and done. Like Jordan, Painter down- played his role but very much understands why Mount is the way he is. "I didn't talk to him a lot, just a couple of times," Painter said. "I have dealt with guys before who are Amazing Numbers 30-3 Purdue's record in Mackey Arena in games in which Rick Mount appeared from 1967-70 75 Points Mount would have scored had there been a three-point arc in his 61-point game as a senior vs. Iowa 27 Years it had been since Mount made a public appearance in Mackey Arena prior to Jan. 2, 2016