VOLUME 26, ISSUE 4 9
HAPPILY SELF SERVING
A
t the risk of gushing, I couldn't have been more
pleased to see Rick Mount finally return to Purdue.
And I will admit the photo to the right might not be
the apex of journalistic integrity, but it was very special for
me. Very different.
If you were a Purdue fan growing up in the era that I
did, you would feel the same. The best birthday gift I ever
received was a ticket to the Dedication Game on Dec. 2,
1967. It was Mount's debut against the almighty defending
national champion UCLA Bruins with John Wooden and
Lew Alcindor to boot. In a family of five children, we only
had four tickets and two were reserved for mom and dad. I
am not sure how it happened that I got one of the coveted
remaining as I had three older siblings who wanted to go
just as bad as I did. I was all of age 8, but it was my lucky
day. And in sporting terms, that is where my fascination
with Mount began. And he rarely, if ever, disappointed on
the court. In that game, he scored 28 points with a broken
right foot and nearly led Purdue to a great upset. In the
next three years he broke record after record, but also,
with a cast of talented teammates like Billy Keller, Herm
Gilliam and George Faerber, the Boilermakers were on the
doorstep of a national title. Winning, a capacity crowd in a
brand-new building and an Indiana boy like Mount making
shots from the parking lot, that's how a whole generation
of Purdue fans got hooked.
And five decades later, so many
still are. That is why the reaction to
Mount's return to Mackey Arena was so
passionate and emotional. But the best
thing about it for me was that a whole
generation of younger fans, including
my two college-aged children, got a taste of what the frenzy
was all about.
When I was fortunate enough to join Gold and Black
Illustrated 20 years ago, I had always dreamed of having
Mount on the cover of our magazine. There was no better
time than the 50-year anniversary of his Sports Illustrated
cover to make it happen. Before Mount agreed to come
back to Mackey, he graciously agreed to do a cover story
with us. But it was made all the better when he decided to
come back and let the fans adore him.
One of the best parts of my job over my two decades
here has been connecting with former athletes, many of
whom were heroes for me in my youth. It is great to take
a peek into the lives they have led and why the Purdue
experience was important to them.
And with Mount's appearance in Mackey, our follow-up
story and photo shoot, hopefully you will understand the
experience from Mount the hometown hero, in addition to
Mount the Boilermaker. Thanks for the indulgence, Rick. I
consider myself fortunate.
From Publisher Alan Karpick
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