At the Hang-Up

Ted Owens

Description

This is the inspirational story of Ted Owens-still the coach with the most wins in the history of Allen Fieldhouse-from growing up as a boy on a cotton farm in Southwestern Oklahoma during the Great Depression to coaching at the highest levels of the college basketball world. "At the end of each day on the farm, we would gure the total weight of the cotton we had pulled. We called it the "hang-up," says Owens. One day, in a competition to see who could pull the most cotton, Owens was leading his father, who then gave him the greatest life lesson: "It's not what you have now that is important, it's what you have at the hang-up." He always reminded Ted that regardless of your station in life, whether encountering diculties or enjoying success, you should never lose sight of your ultimate goals. At the age of 5, Owens made his rst basketball goal, lifting the basketball from between his legs in an underhand scooping motion. It was at that moment that basketball became his rst love, a feeling he still embraces today. He went on to play at the University of Oklahoma for Naismith Hall of Fame Coach Bruce Drake, and he witnessed the rise of national championship programs led by football coach Bud Wilkinson, wrestling coach Port Robertson and baseball coach Jack Baer. This book is a story of the survival of a family built upon love, sacrice, and the importance of family strength. The book also shares the ups and downs of building a coaching career and the tale of coaching basketball at the University of Kansas for 19 seasons. Owens' teams won 206 games in Allen Fieldhouse, a number that still leads Roy Williams (201), Bill Self and Larry Brown. He coached some of the era's greatest players while leading the Jayhawks against Hall of Fame coaches Adolph Rupp, Joe Lapchick, Henry Iba, Dean Smith, Eddie Sutton, Bob Knight and John Wooden. The book oers little-known-and even unknown-insights into the personalities of these basketball giants. Playing now in the fourth quarter of his life, Owens shares what he has learned, passing on his lessons for life and wonderful, never-before-told stories of his time as the Kansas Jayhawks head basketball coach, as high-pressure a job as there is in American sports, one that only eight men have ever held.

Sujets

• Baloncesto
• Basketball
• Basket-ball

Informations

• Publié par: Ascend Books
• Date de parution: 15 septembre 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780988996458
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

“Coach Owens certainly has been a great supporting piece for me. We talk a lot, not specific X’s and O’s, more general philosophy. He knows the game and, even more than that, he knows people. He reads people well, and it amazes me how much he appreciates practice, how much he appreciates the simple things.”
— Bill Self, University of Kansas basketball coach
“He gave me an opportunity to coach at one of the programs (KU). Coach Owens always handled himself with class. Whether we won or lost, he was just a classy, upstanding gentleman. And he did it at a hard place to coach, but a great place to coach. I will always be indebted to him, and Coach Owens knows that.”
— John Calipari, voluntary assistant, University of Kansas, 1982-83; University of Kentucky head coach
“I am beyond blessed to have a father who loves me endlessly. It’s amazing that a little boy from Hollis could grow up to have such an impact on so many lives.”
— Taylor Owens O’Connell, daughter
“The most important thing to my dad today is his meaningful relationships with his players. Every July 16 when 7 a.m. hits, Tommie Smith calls to wish him happy birthday. Shortly afterward, David Magley will call, or Bud Stallworth, or Roger Morningstar or Al Lopes. They call every year, never missing his birthday, because he loved them and believed in them. He continues to do so, and anytime they achieve something he always calls me and updates me on their success off the court.”
— Teddy Owens, son, administrative coordinator of men’s basketball, University of Nebraska
“Of all the lives that Coach Owens has touched over the years, I have to believe that I am the most fortunate. He taught me how to compete. He rewarded me and encouraged me when I earned it. He showed me how to be a champion with grace. All of this is well beyond the call of duty for any coach, and for that I sincerely love him.”
— David Magley, University of Kansas, forward, 1978-82
“The bottom line is I would run through a brick wall for Coach Owens.”
— Riney Lochmann, University of Kansas, forward, 1963-66
“Coach Owens was always open to sit and talk with individuals about how to be a better player and a better team. He wasn’t concerned about players approaching him to talk about the team. To me, he was a great coach—always sincere, honest and open with all of us. I absolutely adored the man and my time at KU.”
— JoJo White, University of Kansas, guard, 1966-69
“What I first noticed was that Coach cared about his players beyond just playing sports. He was more like a parent, wanting his players to be more than successful basketball players. He emphasized that we had to be well-rounded on the court and even better people off the court.”
— Bud Stallworth, University of Kansas, guard, 1969-72
“Coach Owens is a man of integrity, he is a sincere, honest person who treats everyone with a great deal of respect—which is something that I’ve carried with me throughout my life on and off the basketball floor. Coach Owens has had a great impact on me as a person and a coach. To this day, every time Coach Owens is around it seems that a memory is made.”
— Scott Brooks, Fresno Flames, guard, 1988; and Oklahoma City Thunder head coach
“Frankly, most of us were not too impressed at first with this new coach, Ted Owens. He wasn’t much older than we were and was also from a small farming community in southwest Oklahoma. What were his credentials? Could he coach? Would we like him? Would we win games? What we didn’t know then was that he would take this bunch of green kids and build a basketball team that, in our second year, would gain national recognition, win 28 straight games, set the record for the best season in the school’s history and enable most of us to earn follow-up scholarships to four-year universities.”
— Gerald Hertzler, Cameron College, forward, 1956-58
“When we won, you bet he’d be wearing the same suit, blazer or jacket for the next game. Well, we won often, and yes, those suits repetitively appeared as he paced back and forth along the sideline like a caged lion.”
— Nancy Owens Wilde, daughter
“My wife and I talk about Coach Owens all the time. I remember how tough he was on me, but as I look back, it was a wonderful and memorable experience. He respected me enough and cared enough, over the years, to stay in touch.”
— Walter Wesley, University of Kansas, center, 1963-66
“Coach Owens is more than a coach. He has been a part of my life since 1967. Our relationship has grown strong over time. I look back now and understand so much more about what went on at KU than I did when I was going through it. He has been there through 42 years of my marriage. He has watched my kids grow up and I have watched his kids grow up. This type of thing does not happen very often. We have a very special friendship that continues to grow as we both get older.”
— Dave Robisch, University of Kansas, forward, 1968-71

Copyright © 2013 by Ted Owens
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing from the publisher.
All names, logos and symbols that appear in this book are trademarks of their individual organizations and institutions and have been reproduced with permission. This notice is for the protection of trademark rights only, and in no way represents the approval or disapproval of the text of this book by those organizations or institutions.
Requests for permission should be addressed Ascend Books, LLC, Attn: Rights and Permissions Department, 12710 Pflumm Rd., Suite 200, Olathe, KS 66062.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN- 978-0-9889964-4-1
ISBN: e-book 978-0-9889964-5-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publications Data Available Upon Request
Publisher: Bob Snodgrass
Publishing Coordinator: Beth Brown
Editor: Cindy Ratcliff
Dust Jacket and Book Design: Rob Peters
Sales and Marketing: Lenny Cohen and Dylan Tucker
All photos courtesy of Ted Owens unless otherwise indicated.
Every reasonable attempt has been made to determine the ownership of copyright. Please notify the publisher of any erroneous credits or omissions, and corrections will be made to subsequent editions/future printings. The goal of the entire staff of Ascend Books is to publish quality works. With that in mind, we are proud to offer this book to our readers. Please note, however, that the story, the experiences and the words are those of the author alone.
Printed in the United States of America
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Table of Contents
Foreword         By Bill Self, University of Kansas
Acknowledgements
Preface
Life Lesson: Leadership
Introduction
Life Lesson: Purpose
Chapter 1         The Luxuries of Life
Life Lesson: Faith
Chapter 2         A Love for Sports
Life Lesson: Actions
Chapter 3         Joe Bailey Metcalf
Life Lesson: Play to Win
Chapter 4         Oklahoma-Bound
Life Lesson: Sound Mind & Body
Chapter 5         Coaching, Korea and Houston
Life Lesson: Rules
Chapter 6         Cameron College
Life Lesson: Players
Chapter 7         A Miraculous Season
Life Lesson: Roles
Chapter 8         Maintaining Momentum
Life Lesson: Standards
Chapter 9         Learning the Kansas Tradition
Life Lesson: Purpose
Chapter 10         Rebuilding the Tradition
Life Lesson: Criticism
Chapter 11         1966: A Historic Year
Life Lesson: Doing Your Best
Chapter 12         Back-to-Back Titles
Life Lesson: Competition
Chapter 13         Campus Unrest and the Race to 1,000 Wins
Life Lesson: Judgement
Chapter 14         Houston in March
Life Lesson: Influencing others
Chapter 15         Persevering
Life Lesson: Character
Chapter 16         Ups and Downs in the ’70s
Life Lesson: Obligations
Chapter 17         The End of a Christmas Tradition
Life Lesson: Patience
Chapter 18         New Orleans and the Sweet Sixteen
Life Lesson: Teaching
Chapter 19         The Final Kansas Years
Life Lesson: Time
Chapter 20         New Beginnings
Life Lesson: Learning
Chapter 21         Back in the U.S.A.
Life Lesson: Responding
Chapter 22         The Trip Home
Life Lesson: Service
Conclusion
Life Lesson: Preparation
Resources Appendix A Ted Owens’ Coaching Records and Highlights Appendix B Professional Careers of Ted Owens’ All-American Jayhawks Appendix C Ted Owens’ Coaching Tree Appendix D NBA Players Coached by Ted Owens Appendix E Ted Owens’ Favorite Expressions Appendix F Ted Owens’ Milestones
“It is not what you have now that matters, but what you have at the hang-up.”
— Homer Owens, father
“At the end of the day in our cotton fields of southwest Oklahoma, my dad would challenge me and my two brothers to see who could pull the most cotton. As we finished the rows, we would hang our sacks on the scale at the wagon. We called it the ‘hang-up.’ We often thought we had beaten Dad, but he always had us beat at the hang-up. His message has stayed with me my whole life, in business, in sports and in life. Whether we are encountering difficulties or experiencing success, we should never lose sight of our ultimate goals and purposes.”
— Ted Owens

When a cotton farmer would weigh a bag of cotton at the wagon at the end of the day, it was called “the hang-up.”
Dedication
I dedicate this memoir to Homer and Annie Owens, the best parents a son could ever have; to my brothers, Quentin and Fred, my first real-life heroes; to my wife, Michelle, who has been at my side through some great times and some tough times; to my precious children, Nancy, Kelly, Teddy and Taylor, and their spouses, Charlie, Ashley and Nick; to Arthur and Layton, the best grandsons ever; to all my coaches and mentors, including but not limited to, Joe Bailey Metcalf, Bruce Drake