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Post by possum on Apr 25, 2019 20:54:42 GMT -5
Sad to hear the great Hondo passed away today at 79. He'd been battling Parkinson's disease for the last 5 years, spent a lot of time in Florida with Cooz in his later years.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Apr 25, 2019 21:56:10 GMT -5
So saddened to hear this--what a great basketball player. I believe he was also drafted by the NFL. I believe he grew up in the same neighborhood (or maybe just the same area) with the Niekro brothers
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Post by HCFC45 on Apr 25, 2019 23:05:02 GMT -5
God Bless Hondo and may he RIP!
Will never forget Johnny Most screaming: "Hondo stole the ball"!
8 World Championships for him without a loss!
Those were the days!!!
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Post by rgs318 on Apr 26, 2019 6:24:16 GMT -5
...but not if you were a fan of the Knicks. A great athlete and a good man...may his soul rest in peace.
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Post by alum on Apr 26, 2019 6:41:01 GMT -5
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Post by Tom on Apr 26, 2019 7:47:36 GMT -5
I remember him showing up at Hart and sitting in front of me. He was wearing a ring.
In a case of rare bad judgement, he rooted for the wrong team.
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I believe, he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. He was considered the best baseball player on his high school team. That might not seem like a big deal, but HoF Phil Niekro was on that same team. As was younger brother Joe.
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The Celtics all time leading scorer was in great shape and could have played longer, but those late 70's Celtics teams were pretty awful. He has publicly stated if he knew Bird was coming he would have stayed on
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Post by hc87 on Apr 26, 2019 9:54:53 GMT -5
I remember him showing up at Hart and sitting in front of me. He was wearing a ring. In a case of rare bad judgement, he rooted for the wrong team. ----------------------------------------------------------- I believe, he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. He was considered the best baseball player on his high school team. That might not seem like a big deal, but HoF Phil Niekro was on that same team. As was younger brother Joe. ------------------------------------------------------------- The Celtics all time leading scorer was in great shape and could have played longer, but those late 70's Celtics teams were pretty awful. He has publicly stated if he knew Bird was coming he would have stayed on Was that the OSU game at the Hart? Hondo was a longtime neighbor of a friend from HC in Weston...from all accounts, just a tremendous guy.
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Post by Non Alum Dave on Apr 26, 2019 11:07:28 GMT -5
Very sad; had no idea he had Parkinson's.
When thinking of him, guys like Togo and Mike Vicens come to mind - in that, like Hondo, they always looked so fit for their ages they could jump into a game and play. Geez, I figured a guy like him would live to 100. RIP.
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Post by Non Alum Dave on Apr 26, 2019 11:13:03 GMT -5
And I know his nickname was Hondo, but I seem to remember Johnny Most call him "John John", or "Jarrin John"; it was always hard to tell through the Winston/Marlboro influenced gravel. Anyone else remember that?
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Post by possum on Apr 26, 2019 11:54:13 GMT -5
Yes Johnny Most first nickname for Havlicek was Jarring John the bouncing Buckeye from Ohio State
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Post by Tom on Apr 26, 2019 11:57:08 GMT -5
I remember him showing up at Hart and sitting in front of me. He was wearing a ring. In a case of rare bad judgement, he rooted for the wrong team. ----------------------------------------------------------- I believe, he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. He was considered the best baseball player on his high school team. That might not seem like a big deal, but HoF Phil Niekro was on that same team. As was younger brother Joe. ------------------------------------------------------------- The Celtics all time leading scorer was in great shape and could have played longer, but those late 70's Celtics teams were pretty awful. He has publicly stated if he knew Bird was coming he would have stayed on Was that the OSU game at the Hart? Yes
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Post by Tom on Apr 26, 2019 11:57:58 GMT -5
Very sad; had no idea he had Parkinson's. When thinking of him, guys like Togo and Mike Vicens come to mind - in that, like Hondo, they always looked so fit for their ages they could jump into a game and play. Geez, I figured a guy like him would live to 100. RIP. Probably been 8 years or so since I've seen him. He looked great that day
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Post by rickii on Apr 26, 2019 12:59:02 GMT -5
And I know his nickname was Hondo, but I seem to remember Johnny Most call him "John John", or "Jarrin John"; it was always hard to tell through the Winston/Marlboro influenced gravel. Anyone else remember that? John John, Sam, Russ, Tommy Gun, KC....Johnny Most did it his way.
AIR, the Hondo moniker was derived from the John Wayne western.
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Post by hchoops on Apr 26, 2019 13:45:40 GMT -5
#
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Post by joutsHC77 on Apr 26, 2019 14:15:55 GMT -5
I met Hondo at the Chicago airport, in the concourse, when I was flying back to the Cross after Christmas one year. I went up to him and said, “Hi Hondo, can I have your autograph?” He complied with a smile. I remember he was very tall to me and wiry with long arms RIP.
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Post by Tom on Apr 26, 2019 15:35:18 GMT -5
Local legend has it that his last game was slightly delayed because the ovation when he was announced as a starter went too long. About seven minutes of non-stop ovation
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Post by hchoops on Apr 26, 2019 16:28:21 GMT -5
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Post by hchoops on Apr 27, 2019 7:13:39 GMT -5
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Apr 27, 2019 7:32:33 GMT -5
A note from a friend in the Boston area:
"The mayor of Boston (Marty Walsh) had City Hall lit up in green last night to honor Hondo, which was a nice touch."
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Post by possum on Apr 27, 2019 15:43:06 GMT -5
Nice article in T&G about Cousy's thoughts on Havlicek and about their close relationship over the years.
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Post by hchoops on Apr 27, 2019 16:25:00 GMT -5
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Post by hchoops on Apr 28, 2019 7:56:32 GMT -5
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Post by timholycross on Apr 29, 2019 13:18:59 GMT -5
One thing I remember about Hondo's last game was that Ernie DiGregorio was on the Celts at the time and kept setting him up with unbelievable passes.
Had to look it up, but it turns out that was Ernie's last NBA game too.
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