Doug Collins

[NU Houston]

Named to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Congrats to Doug and the Collins family.

https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/doug-collins-named-to-naismith-basketball-hall-of-fame-class-of-2024

 

[NUCat320]

I had totally forgotten the 1972 Olympics story. Seems ripe for the documentary treatment.

Congrats to Doug and family. Redbirds legend.

 

[4IUSox2]

And a Benton (IL) HS Ranger, down in southern Illinois. SI cover boy in ‘72 or ‘73 while at ISU. Heady stuff to be sure. Played with legends like Dr J, George McGinnis and Bobby Jones for the Sixers.

 

[elgatoloco_rivals308553]

On my personal Mount Rushmore. I grew up in Normal when he was playing and the years after, when he ran a summer camp—actually there every day, all day to teach kids, not show up once and give a speech—and hung out at Illinois State to play pickup games. The Summer Olympics fiasco has been covered in documentaries before (I guess some believe it was handled correctly, but I'll never believe that), and the silver medals remain in a vault to this day because Collins and others refuse to accept them. He gave up his starting spot in the NBA All Star Game to John Havlicek.

Always had Jordan's respect as a coach and got the Bulls from Point A to Point B—it was an awful franchise when he joined. After the Bulls won their first championship, Reinsdorf gave Collins a watch commemorating the championship.

 

[Bwm57]

Since it was from Reinsdorf, it was probably a Casio.