Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/799191
60 APRIL 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI I n 2010, Notre Dame began its "Ring of Honor" at the Purcell Pavilion to recognize its basket- ball luminaries, male and female, who are no longer playing the game. This January, 1984-88 guard David Rivers and 1993-97 wing Beth Mor- gan Cunningham, No. 2 on the wom- en's scoring chart and who helped lead the program's first march to the Final Four in 1997, became the ninth and 10th players — plus one coach — to see their banner unfurled in the rafters. The presentations started with Luke Harangody and Ruth Riley in 2010, followed by Austin Carr (2011), Adrian Dantley (2012), Skylar Dig- gins (2013), Richard "Digger" Phelps (2014), Tom Hawkins (2015) and Troy Murphy (2016). After their retirement — if not be- fore — current head coaches Mike Brey (since 2000) and Muffet Mc- Graw (since 1987) will someday be in the Ring as well. In fact, McGraw already has a separate banner as a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, and this year she is one of 14 final- ists for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The Honors Committee will vote, with the results to be announced before the men's NCAA championship game April 3. Originally, the Notre Dame Ring of Honor appeared limited to those who had played since 1968, or when the then Athletic & Convocation Cen- ter (now Joyce Center) opened. That became dispelled when Hawkins, who played from 1956-59 in the Fieldhouse was rightfully included. With that in mind, here are some of the most conspicuous absences from at least four decades ago who in the future should be given heavy support for inclusion because of their contri- butions not only to Notre Dame bas- ketball lore but to the school overall: 1. EDWARD "MOOSE" KRAUSE (1930-34) Not having Moose in Notre Dame's Ring of Honor is like omitting Babe Ruth from the Baseball Hall of Fame. Krause is the alpha in the pro- gram's history and was the second college basketball player ever to be selected as a three-time consensus All-American — with Purdue's John Wooden the first. A game changer who helped revo- lutionize the sport, he dominated so thoroughly in the post thar the three- second rule in the lane was enacted during his junior season. Krause was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. Oh yeah, he also was Notre Dame's basketball coach before turning his full attention to his duties as the athletics director from 1949-81, and his fund-raising efforts enabled the school in 1968 to open the Joyce ACC. The honor would be posthumous (he died in 1992), and Krause does have a statue just outside the Joyce Center. Yet "Mr. Notre Dame" still is more than worthy of also having his banner in the Ring of Honor. 2. GEORGE "THE DOCTOR" KEOGAN (1923-43) Krause's head coach was hired by Knute Rockne to coach basketball at Notre Dame — after Keogan's foot- ball team at Valparaiso gave Rockne a scare in 1920 with a 3-0 halftime lead before losing. A superb teacher and innovator, including promoting the use of the pivot play, Keogan had his methods reportedly studied by 1934-43 South Bend Central High School coach John Wooden, who later would win 10 national titles at UCLA. A winner of 77 percent of his games at Notre Dame (327-96-1), Ke- ogan coached 1927 and 1936 Notre Dame teams that were awarded Helms Foundation national titles, RING MASTERS Notre Dame basketball icons for the Ring of Honor are not in short supply Moose Krause was the second college basketball player ever to be selected as a three-time consensus All-American. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS