Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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96 MARCH 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED WHERE HAVE YOU GONE? His Ring of Honor entrance celebrates his overall impact BY LOU SOMOGYI T he induction of Bob Whitmore into Notre Dame's basketball Ring of Honor on Jan. 12 was about far more than on-court prowess. Whitmore's 47 career double-dou- bles do rank third in school annals, and he achieved that feat in points and rebounds in 56 percent of his contests. Where Whit- more's impact was more pro- found came as a pioneer of sorts. First, when he enrolled in 1965, the Fighting Irish still played in the outdated Old Fieldhouse, where lur- ing marquee opponents had become more difficult, as had recruiting. In the eight seasons from 1959-66, Notre Dame finished under .500 five times, reaching its na- dir under second-year coach John Dee in 1966 with a 5-21 mark. Signing the 6-7 Whitmore was a surprise in itself after a marvelous prep career at DeMatha High School near Washington, D.C. In what many basketball histori- ans consider the most famous high school basketball game ever, Whit- more's Stags upset No. 1 recruit Lew Alcindor 's (later Kareem Abdul- Jabbar) heretofore invincible Powers Memorial School (71-game winning streak) in New York. Fellow future Notre Dame team- mate and Washington, D.C., native Collis Jones recalled how Whitmore's performances resulted in a typical newspaper headline of "Whit-More Can You Do?" Dee's friend and Washington, D.C., connection Frannie Collins had intro- duced the Irish head coach to Whit- more, and the signing of him became a breakthrough moment of establish- ing the D.C. pipeline that would turn Notre Dame into one of the nation's top 10 programs from 1968-81. In the mid-1960s, the Civil Rights movement in the United States was at its peak, with Notre Dame presi- dent Rev. Theodore Hesburgh C.S.C. receiving the presidential Medal of Freedom for his work in that arena. Alas, for young black males, the all- male, private Catholic school was not deemed a Shangri-la. The 1966 foot- ball national champs had only one African-American player: All-Amer- ican Alan Page. Whitmore's presence and marvelous success as a student and athlete prompted a feeling back in D.C. of it's not only okay to go to Notre Dame, but extremely beneficial for growth beyond the hardwood. By the end of Whitmore's freshman year, construction of the Athletic & Convocation Center (known as the ACC, and now Joyce Center) was in the works. By the end of his junior year in 1968, the football team had admitted a school-record five Afri- can-American football players — in- cluding future All-Americans Thom Gatewood (the program's first black captain) and Clarence Ellis. A year earlier, the Dee-Collins connection had landed the premier recruiting class in the country with three African-American players from D.C. in Austin Carr (Mackin High), Collis Jones (St. John's Prep) and Sid Catlett (DeMatha). By Whitmore's senior year in 1968- 69, the sparkling new ACC began its inaugural season — with Whitmore jumping center against UCLA's Al- cindor in a top-five matchup in the dedication game. Carr and Co. were eligible as sophomores, and True magazine ranked Notre Dame as its preseason No. 1, unfathomable just two years earlier. The Irish made the 25-team NCAA Tournament, and set the table for routine top-10 placement for more than a decade. Whitmore had served as a guid- ing light in a tumultuous era while maintaining composure and dignity. "He is one of the classiest players we have ever had here," said current head coach Mike Brey, a fellow DeMatha graduate, of the ambassador role Whitmore has had for his alma mater. Drafted by both the NBA and ABA, Whitmore never de- fined himself by basketball. In 1973-74, en route to receiving his law degree as well at Notre Dame, he served as a gradu- ate assistant under third-year head coach Digger Phelps, particularly as a mentor for All-American John Shumate and star freshman Adrian Dantley — also from DeMatha. The D.C. pipeline continued with other luminaries such as Don "Duck" Williams, a star for the 1978 Final Four edition as a senior, Tracy Jackson, Tom Sluby and spilled over even into the 1990s with Monty Williams. In 2015, DeMatha product Jerian Grant was an All-American linchpin for Notre Dame's first trip to the Elite Eight in 36 years. Today, the rebuilding Irish lineup includes more D.C. influence with sophomore D.J. Harvey (DeMatha again) and freshman Prentiss Hubb. Associate head coach Rod Balanis played at DeMatha, while video coor- dinator and former Irish team captain Eric Atkins (2010-14) likewise hailed from the D.C. area. Ailing with pancreatic cancer and other health setbacks, Whitmore did not speak at his ceremony, but his ac- tions always told volumes. Whit-more can you ask? ✦ Whitmore's 1966-69 career helped pro- pel Notre Dame into a new basketball era in which it prospered. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN Bob Whitmore: The Pioneer