UMass Mount Rushmore

CrooksisRhyming · Post by **CrooksisRhyming** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 9:54 pm

So I'm sure most of you have seen the ESPN Mount Rushmore thing for each state... and I know the Rocky Mountain News had one for Colorado athletes. What about UMass? Who would be the four faces on the Mount Rushmore of UMass Athletics?

It was difficult to not make it ALL basketball: Jack, Dr. J, Calipari, Camby. I'm still trying to piece together a top 4. A lot of you guys have much more historical UMass knowledge than myself - what do you fellas think?

Shipp? Pock? Mauldin? Trigger? Dick Garber? Villone? Scurry?

Also, Mike, not sure if this is a bad place for this...

Post by **MikeUMA** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:07 pm

As good a place as any I suppose.

Who's the face of our kick-ass women's rowing team?? 12 straight A-10 crowns (snapped last year by URI).

CrooksisRhyming · Post by **CrooksisRhyming** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:20 pm

Jim Deitz has been the program's coach since it was a program... he would have my vote.

AGldFinch6 · Post by **AGldFinch6** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:35 pm

Danielle Henderson

harbo · Post by **harbo** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 11:23 pm

Julius Erving, John Calipari, Elaine Sortino, Brianna Scurry

Dr. J clearly is the most famous athlete. I can't imagine how much he would have been hyped in today's environment. Post UMass, he was merely one of the select few who have transformed his sport. Camby was great and took us to great heights, but misses out on this list.

Calipari gets in just over Jack. He brought us to the elite stature, kept the program clean, stayed a few years longer than I expected, and remains grateful to UMass to this day. I wouldn't argue with anyone who nominates Leaman for his body of work over several decades. Nothing but pure class. But this is one occassion where I will not take him for granite.

Sortino has created a program which dominates regionally, is respectable nationally, and every so often (usually depending on the pitcher), very competitive with the elite. All this in a recruiting environment which can probably be called absurdly difficult. Yet she is able to attract talent, even from the left coast.

Brianna Scurry was a dominant keeper who took us to the Final Four (College Cup?), then took the USA to the World Cup and Olympics Gold. Plus she was apparently a world-class streaker. She was one of the main players in the brief hype that was women's soccer.

Our most recognizable pros are probably Greg Landry, Mike Flanagan and Jeff Riordan. Camby and Skinner were/are good NBA-types. Wasn't Milt Morin a UMass guy? Steve Schubert and Marcel Shipp hung around the NFL for a while.

cox'n · Post by **cox'n** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:07 am

MikeUMA wrote:Who's the face of our kick-ass women's rowing team?? 12 straight A-10 crowns (snapped last year by URI).

You'd have to go with Coach Dietz. After all, in a rowing shell everyone is doing the same thing at the same time. If you can pick someone out it's usually because they're doing something wrong. Of course, you could always choose a stroke or coxswain (pronounced "cox'n") as the stroke sets the rhythm for the crew and the coxswain implements strategy, steers the shell, and motivates the crew.

However, if you insist on picking one athlete, I would suggest Wendy Wilbur. She started rowing at UMass when women's crew was still a club sport and was a member of the team when it was elevated to varsity status. In fact, there was a small dispute about her eligibility because the NCAA awarded her (and others who transitioned from club to varsity programs) "extra" years. I don't remember all the details, but some other coaches were pretty ticked off about it, especially because Wendy pulled sub 7 minutes for a 2K ergometer test.

http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/w-rowin ... ndy00.html

SignMan · Post by **SignMan** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:37 am

Coach Russ Yarworth...

UMass Alum
UMass coach extraordinaire
outstanding person
Quintessential UMass
UMass forever

Uminuteman · Post by **Uminuteman** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:36 am

Jeff Reardon

Old-School · Post by **Old-School** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:07 am

lou roe!!!
he is what a college athlete should be.

Dewey · Post by **Dewey** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:22 am

I've been considering doing something like this on my blog. But since you beat me to it, I'll nominate Mark Millon

Kosty · Post by **Kosty** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:39 am

Dewey, I would agree with the sport, but would go With LoCasio. He was the best goaltender in the world in the 90's and one of the best goalies that the sport has ever seen.....indoor or out.

MullinsManiac · Post by **MullinsManiac** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:40 am

I know it's the easy way out, but let's do several ...

COACHES: Leaman, Garber, Sortino, Yarworth.

MEN"S HOOPS: Erving, Skinner, Roe, Camby

MEN'S OTHER SPORTS: Landry, Shipp, LoCascio (lax), hockey player TBA (Pock?)

WOMEN'S SPORTS: Henderson, Scurry, Megan Donnelly (field hockey), Sue Peters (hoops).

LS71 · Post by **LS71** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:41 am

I hate these lists. There's no way to limit the list to 4. There are simply too many people worthy of inclusion.

umass1234 · Post by **umass1234** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:54 am

LS we only have to choose from UMass athletes, don't you think it was hard for them to pick STATE wide athletes?

Chris20 · Post by **Chris20** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:59 am

LS, what fun is it if there are 4 clear cut choices? Where's the debate/discussion? What's fun is seeing others opinions. I like this stuff because I learn about some of the players I never saw from some of the graybeards.