Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME ORLANDO WOOLRIDGE: 1959-2012 ball history, Orlando Woolridge, died from a chronic heart condition May 31 at age 52 while under hospice care in his parents' home in Mansfield, La. When you think of the greatest four-year era in Notre Dame football for a student body, everyone knows it's 1946-49. The Irish never lost a game (36-0-2) and won three national titles. If there were one such halcyon four-year era in basketball for Notre Dame in the "modern era" — defined as opting to at- tend NCAA Tournament action in 1952- 53 — it would be Woolridge's time from 1977-81. There were three McDonald's All-Amer- One of the originals and classics in Notre Dame basket- the first and only time in their history, Woolridge was part of the deepest bench in school history. The second unit included him, center Bill Laimbeer and guard Bill Hanzlik — all of whom played in the NBA for at least 10 years — plus Jackson, who also played several seasons in the league. Woolridge became a starter his sopho- icans in the 1977 recruiting class — sharp- shooting wing players Kelly Tripucka and Tracy Jackson, plus 6-11 big man Gilbert Salinas. From New York was Stan "Silk" Wil- cox at point guard. And then there was the "sleeper" in the group, the 6-9 During his four seasons at Notre Dame, Woolridge tallied 1,160 career points (10.6 per game) and the Irish posted a 92-26 record. NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS PHOTO COURTESY Woolridge from Mansfield. A cousin of former NBA star Wil- lis Reed, Woolridge was the first "Skywalker" in school an- nals with his phenomenal leaping ability and athletic skills. He was nicknamed "Tree," but with his rail-thin physique when he enrolled, he joked that he was "more like a shrub." During his four seasons, Notre Dame was 92-26 (.780 winning percentage) and never fell lower than No. 14 in the Associated Press poll. Seldom was it ever outside the top 10. Woolridge averaged 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds as a freshman, 11.0 points and 4.8 rebounds as a sophomore, 12.2 points and 6.9 rebounds as a junior and 14.4 points and 6.0 rebounds as a senior. A gregarious sort, his upbeat presence in a room or on more year at which time the Irish never fell lower than the top three during the regular season. That year, Notre Dame was one game from a repeat trip to the Final Four before falling to Magic Johnson's Michigan State Spartans in the Elite Eight. Four times during his years the Irish seldom are interested in Notre Dame these days while majoring in "eligibility" on their path to the NBA. Woolridge was the No. 6 pick in the 1981 NBA Draft (six spots ahead of Tripucka), and the only Irish alumnus who was taken higher in the last 31 years was LaPhonso Ellis at No. 5 in 1992. Woolridge, Ellis and Ryan Humphrey (2000-02) are the rare breed who come to Notre Dame maybe once per decade (Humphrey is the most recent Irish player drafted by the NBA), and Carleton Scott (2008-11) also was of that Skywalker ilk. The 13-year NBA career of Woolridge was bittersweet. the hardwood was always conspicuous. During his fresh- man year when the Irish advanced to the Final Four for would vanquish a No. 1 team during the regular season, with Woolridge's signature moment coming as a senior on a 16-foot buzzer-beating jumper that defeated top- ranked Virginia, with center Ralph Samp- son, on Feb. 22, 1981. Players with the skills sets of Woolridge Four times he averaged more than 20 points in a season, with a 25.1 average at Denver in 1990-91 the apex, yet in his last six seasons he was with five different teams. He played with Michael Jordan in Chicago; Magic John- continued on next page AUGUST 2012 27