Nolan's 1st Year - Larry Lewis

[Bill Lowery_1]

This is a great article by Larry Lewis. Young fans might not understand or appreciate what Nolan did for Tulsa basketball. He put us on the map and on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Nolan and his team's brought an excitement to the city and to the Tulsa fans, that IMO, has not been seen since.

I worked with OSU, OU, Wichita St, Kansas St fans, that went with me to to see us beat the defending national champs, Louisville. I remember them getting so excited watching the "forty minutes of hell" and especially Paul Pressey.

After that game, they were hooked on Tulsa basketball. We attended most home games the 1st and 2nd seasons, driving from Ponca City after work, or maybe getting a little head start when our bosses weren't looking.

Having gone through the lean Jim King years, watching Nolan bring Tulsa basketball to national prominance, was such a fun and exciting time.

I doubt we'll see that kind of excitement again, with the parade in downtown Tulsa and the hundreds of people waiting at the airport to welcome the team after the NIT championship.

Larry Lewis captured the excitement around the program in his article. Great job, Larry.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsext...cle_509cdb1c-12b6-548a-b21a-5ed6b98ca92d.html

 

[Weatherdemon]

Great read!

 

[Larry Lewis_]

Thanks Bill and Weatherdemon. It's hard to describe to anyone who doesn't remember the NIT Championship team in 1981 just how big of a deal it was to the whole city. A big reason is that the NIT was still a big deal back then. Also, that brand of basketball was so much more exciting than anything we see today.

 

[Li'l Eric Coley]

Victory parades are always awesome. I went to that one and the Roughnecks 83 parade. Still have some pics from that one.

It's a shame there will probably never be another. Not enough people care anymore