Tony Miller’s tenure at UF came just after Neal Walk had left in 1969 and the center from Indiana filled those massive shoes admirably.
Tony Miller (1970-73) – Guard
Tony Miller is a mostly unknown name among the greats of Florida men’s basketball. Hailing from a much different era along with the fact that he never played pro ball has rendered him a distant memory in the psyche of the Gator Nation. That said, he was not exactly chopped liver, either.
Miller’s tenure at Florida came just after legendary Neal Walk had left Gainesville in 1969 and the guard from Indiana filled those massive shoes admirably, leading the Gators in scoring all three years he played.
The 6-foot-one Miller also led the SEC with an average of 26.7 points per game during the 1971–72 season, a year that included his program-record 54 points in a single game that came against Chicago State at Florida Gym. Miller also holds the current best mark for points in a road match, scoring 39 against Auburn that same season — mind you, all coming in an era before the shot clock and the three-point line.
Miller achieved many accolades as a Gator, including a first-team All-SEC selection, serving as senior team captain, earning Academic All-American honors and receiving an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship. He is also a member of the Florida Athletic Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Legends of SEC Basketball in 1999.
Despite some promising prospects at the professional level, Miller decided to forgo the NBA Draft in 1973 to attend medical school at the University of Illinois-Chicago, taking a keen interest in orthopedic medicine due to a broken hand he suffered just before he set his scoring record the year prior. He returned to Indiana to practice as a foot surgeon outside of Indianapolis, where he still works full-time to this day.
Watch the full Glenn Robinson III interview about his ARI Foundation’s efforts with hometown organizations to fight racial injustice and police brutality.
The foundation of Philadelphia 76ers wing Glenn Robinson III will partner with three different organizations based in his hometown of Gary, Ind. to fight against racial justice and police brutality.
Robinson’s ARI Foundation, named after his daughter, announced it will launch fundraising campaigns with Sojourner Truth House, My Brother’s Keeper and Geminus. Robinson spoke to USA TODAY Sports Media Group NBA Wire editor Bryan Kalbrosky:
“What else could I do, besides just saying Black Lives Matter? As we hear a lot of talk, sometimes people just aren’t educated enough to know exactly what’s going on … So, OK, these are ways that you can donate, or these are ways that you can and help and fight the cause, and really put the actions on your words.”
Donations to the ARI Foundation can be made at the organization’s website.
The full interview with the Philadelphia wing can be streamed below:
Another sign of normalcy returning to South Bend will come Tuesday when the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame reopens.
Another sign of normalcy returning to South Bend will come Tuesday when the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame reopens to both the university community and the general public. The course, which hosted the 2019 U.S. Senior Open, has been closed since in-person classes were suspended because of the COVID-19 outbreak in mid-March. This action was taken despite golf courses being allowed to remain open in Indiana during the shutdown.
As with golf courses in other areas, steps will be taken to promote cleanliness and social distancing. Groups will tee off every 12 minutes instead of the usual 10 so they can be spaced out more. Clubs and pull carts cannot be rented, and ball washers and bunker rakes will be removed. Golf carts will be sanitized after each usage, flagsticks must stay in place, and cup inserts will allow holed balls to descend only 1 inch.
Additional protocols for the parking lot, starter’s cottage, driving range and other areas are listed when you click on the linked story. It may not be completely what regulars are used to, but it’s better than no golf at all. Stay safe, and have fun.
This lifts a prohibition that has been in place since March that led to the cancellation of the several conference basketball tournaments, the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament and every other scheduled competition for the NCAA’s spring calendar.
What’s interesting about this is that not only will it vary state-to-state, but things will also vary in different parts of the same state.
First off, Notre Dame will be allowed to open up for athletes in those three sports to perform on-campus workouts. Just an hours drive to the west though, things aren’t expected to be open in Illinois as the “Land of Lincoln” remains under much stronger regulations than their neighbors to the east.
Virginia for example has different regulations in place for counties surrounding Washington, DC while the rest of the state is given a different set of rules for the time being.
What it all means is that what NCAA President Mark Emmert shared a few weeks back in that a uniformed start to college football isn’t likely as some teams will get a start June 1 while plenty of others will not.
There is a long road to go but if you’re hoping for college football to be played mostly as scheduled this fall, this is a huge step in the right direction.
Will football be played by all 14 member schools of the Big Ten in 2020? Northwestern’s president certainly thinks so.
Much has been made about what conferences will do in 2020 if some member schools aren’t able to have a football team ready for the season. as Thursday saw the ACC Commissioner admit they would proceed without those unable to go.
Friday, the president at a Big Ten member school and chair of the Big Ten’s council of presidents/chancellors, spoke to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg about his expectations for Big Ten football in 2020.
#Northwestern president Morton Schapiro, who chairs the Big Ten's council of presidents/chancellors, told me today, "I don’t see that we’re going to have a Big Ten [football] season with 12 of the 14 schools playing. I’d be surprised if we play and it’s not all 14 of us."
To clarify, Schapiro expects all 14 schools to be able to play this fall, unless state policies prohibit campuses from opening. https://t.co/EhzbRI7ztX
Schapiro also noted that the Big Ten presidents and chancellors have their annual meeting on June 7 and that he expects that to be a key date for the fall sports season.
“We are going to work out a lot of things” Schapiro told Rittenberg.
It seems like quite a stance to take with the Big Ten having both Northwestern and Rutgers as members, as Chicago and New York City both remain hot-beds for COVID-19.
Notre Dame is scheduled to play just one Big Ten school in 2020 as they travel to Green Bay to take on Wisconsin on October 3.
How Eugene German went from small-town Gary, Indiana, to the all-time leading scorer in the history of Northern Illinois basketball.
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A sneaker squeaks from the opposite end of a dimly-lit Convocation Center.
Eugene ‘Geno’ German and a teammate lap the court over and over, with nothing but darkness and the rhythmic screeching of leather on the hardwood to keep them company. These nighttime suicides are a simple pleasure. Sprint, squeak, repeat. Easy.
Of all the memories German built over his career at Northern Illinois, this one is his most cherished. Not inking himself in the history books as NIU’s all-time leading scorer and first to cross 2,000 points, but summertime empty-gym workouts by his own volition.
After all, players don’t go from one collegiate offer to scoring 2,000 points by accident. Countless nights of solitary improvement led to German’s history-altering layup against Miami Ohio and his pursuit of an NBA contract.
“The gym is like his little sanctuary,” his mother, Eugenia German, said.
The most important woman in his life, Eugenia danced with her son after his record-setting performance. Her and 50 other family members, as NIU head coach Mark Montgomery recalls, dotted the stands on that February night.
Yet this night was “bittersweet” for Geno, as no amount of family could have compensated for the absence of one. His father, who laid in his hospital bed, unresponsive – the man who shaped Geno into the person and player he is today.
*****
In Gary, Indiana, nothing comes easy. The North Indiana town once dubbed “The Magic City” is now a ghost town rife with crime.
From as far back as he can remember, family shielded Geno. The Germans were inseparable, walking around the town, staying in and going to waterparks together. Eugenia stressed education and Geno’s father, David Sr., instilled integrity in his kids.
“We were always close, it was always just us,” Geno said. “We didn’t have a lot of friends, everything we did we did together.”
David Sr., a former high-school basketball player, installed a basketball court in his backyard. One day, he led his kids – David Sr., Princess and four-year-old Geno – to the blacktop for the first time.
Not only would calling basketball Geno’s love, at first sight, be cliche, but it would also be a grave understatement. Instantly, basketball became an obsession.
“They’d [Geno’s brother, David Jr., and Princess] just come in the house and say, ‘Okay, we had enough,'” Eugenia said. “Geno, he’d still be out there.”
Geno’s refusal to exit the court forced his parents to invest in an outdoor light for the backyard because they knew darkness wouldn’t deter him from putting up shots.
Before he was 10, Geno drew attention to the basketball court. Raining triples at a young age drew the attention of one AAU coach at a church camp tournament. Geno traveled across the state and country playing basketball.
From an early age, Eugenia knew her son was special.
“He was traveling like, ‘Who is this kid?’ and from that point on, he just wouldn’t stop.”
David Sr. spent hours training Geno in their backyard court.
“He showed very tough love, telling what you need to do more and what you need to get better at,” Geno said.
With unbreakable focus, elementary-school Geno wrote letters and drew pictures of his NBA future and spurned recess play for the courts.
Even his school friends observed Geno’s infatuation for basketball, opting to throw him a surprise birthday party. They’d tell him there’s a basketball game in Chicago but stop at a friend’s house first. He’d never see it coming.
Geno prepared to lace up in the Windy City while his friends poured time and money into this surprise. They couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.
In revealing the truth, Geno was distraught. His mother promised a basketball game; a chance to prove himself on the court, a chance to improve. Yet, nothing but a lousy surprise birthday party stood in front of him.
“He’s like, ‘Mama, we not gonna go to the game in Chicago?'” Eugenia said, imitating her son’s voice.
Despite the inherent dangers of his hometown, nothing would separate Geno from basketball. He and his older brother snuck out of the house while Eugenia worked in search of pick-up games. The streets of Gary fortified Geno, on and off of the court.
“Down here you have to be able to hold your own, even if you’re just playing basketball, and that translates when I got to the court,” Geno said.
Eugenia worked to keep her kids busy and off the streets of Gary. She knew the dangers of the city.
“Crime, a lot of stuff just happens down here, a lot of negative things happen out here,” Geno said.
Geno lived life with a positive vigor, though, unbothered by the negativity of his environment. Eugenia called him a “jokester,” always looking to make others laugh. Not even the confines of a classroom could quiet Geno, who would often interrupt lessons breaking into song and dance.
Though frequent visits to the principal’s office caused Eugenia some stress, she cultivated an unbreakable bond with her son during his childhood. And when Eugenia reminded Geno of his dream of playing college basketball, his antics ceased quickly.
“She’s the GOAT, man. My mom is the GOAT,” Geno said.
Geno continued to showcase his scoring gene in high school, turning heads at 21st Century Charter. Yet, nothing Geno accomplished garnered him the attention his play warranted. Not leading the state in scoring two years in a row, not leading his school to their first-ever regional championship, not scoring 51 points against national powerhouse La Lumiere.
“People in Gary, Indiana, we don’t get a lot of respect,” Geno said.
Geno watched as high school players scoring less than him received offers from college programs. Only one school showed interest in Geno: Northern Illinois. And if it wasn’t for former Michigan State assistant Mark Montgomery’s connection to Gary native Branden Dawson, Geno would have had no offers.
Located in Dekalb, Illinois, Northern Illinois was only an hour and a half from Gary, keeping Geno close to home. Close to his mom. Close to his dad. For him, that meant everything.
*****
Geno’s phone buzzed. It buzzed again. And again. Preparing for the first game of his senior season, he missed three calls from his sister while playing basketball.
Geno stepped off of the court, picked up his phone and dialed his sister back.
His father had gone into cardiac arrest and was unresponsive, his sister revealed.
David Sr. trimmed his beard and cut his hair before Geno’s first game on Nov. 7, 2019. He had to look sharp: He was known for being the loudest, most supportive dad in the region, after all. David Sr. never missed one of his son’s games.
David Sr. wouldn’t blow the eardrums off of surrounding fans cheering his son’s name anymore. He wouldn’t watch the culmination of his son’s college career. He wouldn’t witness his son pass T.J. Lux as the all-time leading scorer in Northern Illinois basketball history.
Geno lost the support of the man who made leaving home to play college basketball in Dekalb, Illinois, just an hour and a half drive from home, so difficult.
“It was so tough, I was with them my whole life,” Geno said. “I wanted to come home my first week.”
He called his mom every single day to talk about basketball, life or whatever crossed his mind. Geno made frequent visits home in spite of his mother’s wishes to keep him off of the highway.
Once an outgoing class clown, Geno was quiet and soft-spoken as a college freshman. He struggled to adapt to the rigors of college basketball.
It wasn’t until Geno found, as Eugenia put it, his sanctuary, in the always-open gym doors at Dekalb. Past his reserved nature, Geno found his place where it always was, on the basketball court.
“Literally every single day he would come in at night or he would come in the morning and work out,” Montgomery said.
It was those late-night workouts, those summer nights running suicides with his teammate, Lacey James, that evolved Geno’s game and helped him find his home away from home.
“We were running suicides, trying to get better to separate ourselves because we felt nobody else was doing that, Geno said. “That’s definitely a moment for me I’m going to always remember.”
And Geno separated himself, progressing his game from a playground bucket-getter to an all-around point guard. Emulating Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker helped Geno become the scorer he is, a six-foot guard who knifes to the hole more than any player his size in the last decade.
“I don’t think he thinks he can be stopped,” Montgomery said.
Geno can’t explain how he penetrates so effortlessly or how he out jumps big men for rebounds: It just comes naturally.
When he was 12, Geno’s dad strapped weight-vests to him and his brother, battling on the court in full-court 1-on-1 games. They’d barrel into each other until they couldn’t anymore. That seems like a solid explanation.
Quickly, Geno established himself as one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball, averaging over 20 points a game for three straight seasons. When defenses loaded up to stop him, the passing came naturally.
“People got the memo,” Geno said about his scoring.
As Geno grew as a basketball player, the Huskies did as a program. Improving every season Geno played, they finished the 2018-19 season 17-17, the program’s second time hitting the .500 mark in the last 13 seasons.
And in the MAC tournament, standing in the way of the Huskies’ first semi-final appearance since 2003 was the Toledo Rockets, the two seed in the tournament.
Montgomery calls that four-point victory a turning point for the program, Geno’s 27 points vaulting the Huskies into the next season with great momentum.
“I think that was a defining moment where he’s the leading scorer,” Montgomery said. “He did everything he had to do to get the win and he found a way to will us through that game.”
Montgomery was right, as 2019-20 was the Huskies’ best season in four years, their second time notching 18 wins since 1997, all on the back of Geno.
Yet, Geno faced the toughest challenge yet this season, playing with his father’s hospitalization on his heart.
“He never used it as an excuse,” Montgomery said. “I think that he just used it more as motivation and it takes a special kid to do that.”
It’s almost like scoring 2,000 points this season was foretold, not in small part because Geno himself predicted the feat a year prior, despite his mom’s disbelief.
“He talked about this moment last year, ‘I’m going to be the all-time leading scorer at NIU, I’m going to make it happen,'” Eugenia said.
Geno college basketball career is done, and now, his next obstacle looms: the NBA.
On his path to the next level, people will doubt Geno. Too small. Not strong enough. Not a good enough defender. No worries. Geno is used to this and frankly, he doesn’t care. All he cares about is winning basketball games and doing what it takes to win championships.
“He would cry [after games] because he wants to win so bad,” Eugenia said. “He looks at himself like, ‘What could I have done better?'”
After one loss, David Sr. sat down with a dismayed Geno to talk. His son had given everything to basketball. For once, he hoped he could give at least a fraction of that to himself.
“Let this day go by, okay,” he’d tell Geno. “Tomorrow’s a new day.”
*****
For Geno, not much has changed.
The coronavirus shutdown has complicated the routines for many across the country, especially the few preparing to play in their first NBA games next season. Gyms closed. No pre-draft workouts. No combine.
Geno grinds like all is normal. Wake up, dribble, work out, watch the film, repeat. Easy.
Growing up, Geno never had access to weights at home or a gym to hoop at his pleasure. Nowadays, Geno trains with resistance bands and knocks out countless pushups and situps. It’s the way he’s always done it.
“He doesn’t know how to rest,” Eugenia said. “He says ‘Mom, if I rest, that means the next guy is getting better than me, so I can’t really rest right now.'”
Through his training, Geno will see his shoulders grow, the same ones on which tattoos of the Chinese symbols for family and loyalty sit.
Geno treasures family time and the quarantine has allowed more than ever.
“That’s what I’m really passionate about, just to make them happy,” Geno said. “Because if they’re happy, then I’m happy.”
It’s just like old times: the five Germans would always work out together, take drives together, have fun together. Five.
Blessed to see another Christmas with my La Familia positive vibes only. 🎄🎁‼️ pic.twitter.com/0Bz2ppcoIc
Something is missing, though. On April 12, Easter Sunday, David German Sr. passed away following his cardiac arrest the prior November.
Now, the four Germans work out together, take drives together and have fun together. Four Germans. Four.
Eugenia tries her best to keep spirits high in her household. She knows how hard her son has taken his father’s death. After all, their family needs to stick together. That’s how they’ll get through this. Together.
Geno plays basketball for his family. For his mother. One day, he wants to move his family out of Gary. The first step, Eugenia always said, is education. Geno will graduate with his Bachelor’s degree in General Studies, making Eugenia more proud than any on-court accomplishment could.
An NBA contract will help Geno fulfill his ultimate dream. Not making an NBA team, not winning an NBA championship, but raising a family and granting his own better life.
“I’m kind of disappointed I couldn’t do it fast enough for my dad,” Geno said. “They deserve to see a lot more in life, better things.”
Former Notre Dame star defensive end and 2020 NFL Draft prospect Khalid Kareem gives a look into just how long he’s been dreaming of making it to the NFL. In third grade in 2006, he wrote a book for school in which he said being Super Bowl 60 MVP was his dream. Now, he sees that dream as being within reach.
Former Notre Dame star defensive end and 2020 NFL Draft prospect Khalid Kareem gives a look into just how long he’s been dreaming of making it to the NFL. In third grade in 2006, he wrote a book for school in which he said being Super Bowl 60 MVP was his dream. Now, he sees that dream as being within reach.
Former Notre Dame defensive end and 2020 NFL Draft prospect Khalid Kareem explains what happened to his shoulder during his final season with the Fighting Irish and how his recovery is going. He’s been dreaming of the NFL since he was a young boy, as he shares the details of here, and soon his dreams will become a reality.
Former Notre Dame defensive end and 2020 NFL Draft prospect Khalid Kareem explains what happened to his shoulder during his final season with the Fighting Irish and how his recovery is going. He’s been dreaming of the NFL since he was a young boy, as he shares the details of here, and soon his dreams will become a reality.
After finishing the 2019 season First-Team All-MAC, Ball State offensive lineman Danny Pinter shares how he’s getting ready for the NFL Draft and what the NFL Scouting Combine was like. He also offers up his favorite fishing stories, why his versatility should help him in the NFL and more.
After finishing the 2019 season First-Team All-MAC, Ball State offensive lineman Danny Pinter shares how he’s getting ready for the NFL Draft and what the NFL Scouting Combine was like. He also offers up his favorite fishing stories, why his versatility should help him in the NFL and more.
With the history of the Big Ten, there are loads and loads of Hall of Famers and all-time great NFL draft picks to choose from. So who are the best of all-time?
This isn’t a list of the top pro players to come from the Big Ten schools – these are the best draft picks.
That means that guys who had great careers for someone other than the teams that drafted them get knocked down a peg, or aren’t on the list at all.
The goal for any draft pick is to get a player who performs at a high level for a long period of time, so longevity matters over one short burst of greatness.
CFN in 60: Why You Don’t Take A QB Early
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CFN 2020 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings
from the college perspective … QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG & C DE | DT | LB | CB | Safeties
BIG TEN EAST
Indiana Greatest NFL Draft Picks
DE Pete Pihos
1945, 5th round, 41st pick overall, Philadelphia
Silver: DE Earl Faison, 1961, 1st round, 7th pick overall, San Diego Bronze: C Bob DeMarco, 1960, 14th round, 157th pick overall, St. Louis
Pete Pihos is the lone Hall of Famer, playing nine years for Philadelphia and turning out to be way ahead of his time. He caught 373 passes over his career, finishing with spots on four straight All-Pro teams and with seven Pro Bowls.
Earl Faison only played five years for San Diego, but he made his era count going to the Pro Bowl each season and earning All-Pro honors four times.
Center Bob DeMarco had a 15-year career, doing most of his big things with St. Louis, going to three Pro Bowls and getting on two All-Pro teams in his nine years.
Maryland Greatest NFL Draft Picks
DT Randy White
1975, 1st round, 2nd pick overall, Dallas
Dallas tried to make Randy White an outside linebacker. That didn’t really work, so he was moved to defensive tackle and he became one of the greatest linemen of all-time, being named to seven All-Pro teams, winning a Super Bowl, and getting into the Hall of Fame.
Stan Jones was a Hall of Famer for the Bears, going to seven Pro Bowls and getting on three All-Pro teams in his 12 years. Boomer Esiason became an MVP in 1988 and took Cincinnati to the Super Bowl. After famously having to wait too long and dropping in the draft, he went on to throw for over 27,000 yards with 187 touchdowns for the Bengals.
Michigan Greatest NFL Draft Picks
QB Tom Brady
2000, 6th round, 199th pick overall, New England
Silver: OL Dan Dierdorf, 1971, 2nd round, 43rd pick overall, St. Louis Bronze: CB Charles Woodson, 1998, 1st round, 4th pick overall, Oakland
Good luck ever coming up with a better draft pick than New England taking Tom Brady in the sixth round in 2000. He turned out okay with a whopping 14 Pro Bowl honors, three All-Pro teams, and six Super Bowls.
Dan Dierdorf is in Canton after a brilliant 13-year career with the Cardinals, earning All-Pro honors three times as a tackle.
Charles Woodson was terrific for Oakland in both his stints to start and end his career, but he was at his best late with Green Bay. He still makes the cut after starting out with four Pro Bowls and a 1999 All-Pro season for the Raiders.
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Michigan State Greatest NFL Draft Picks
CB Herb Adderley
1961, 1st round, 12th pick overall, Green Bay
Silver: OG Joe DeLamielleure, 1st round, 26th pick overall, Buffalo Bronze: OG Ed Budde, 1st round, 8th pick overall, Kansas City
Herb Adderley turned into the playmaking Hall of Fame defensive back the Green Bay secondary worked around in his nine years. He was named to four All-Pro teams as the premier corner of the 1960s.
Joe DeLamielleure played seven years for Buffalo before going to Cleveland, but the three-time All-Pro’s work for the Bills were enough to earn a Hall of Fame bust, helping to pave the way for O.J. Simpson.
WR Derrick Mason probably belongs on the list, but Ed Budde spent 14 years as a rock for the Kansas City offense, going to seven Pro Bowls and making two All-Pro teams.
Ohio State Greatest NFL Draft Picks
OT Jim Parker
1957, 1st round, 8th pick overall, Baltimore
Silver: OT Orlando Pace, 1997, 1st round, 1st pick overall, St. Louis Bronze: LB Randy Gradishar, 1974, 1st round, 14th pick overall, Denver
Jim Parker was an all-timer of an All-Pro blocker, getting named to the team eight times at various spots for Baltimore. He was the anchor of some of the NFL’s greatest teams, and he helped keep Johnny Unitas upright.
Orlando Pace took a little while to warm up, and then he became a Hall of Fame blocker and one of the stars of the Greatest Show On Turf. He was a three-time All-Pro and went to seven Pro Bowls.
Randy Gradishar is on the short list of the greatest players to not be in the Hall of Fame despite going to seven Pro Bowls and being named to two All-Pro teams.
Penn State Greatest NFL Draft Picks
LB Jack Ham
1971, 2nd round, 34th pick overall, Pittsburgh
A standout even on a Pittsburgh defense full of all-timers, Jack Ham was a seven-time All-Pro on the way to a Hall of Fame career. Very consistent and very good for a very long time, he played 12 years for the Steelers at the highest of levels.
Franco Harris was the missing piece of the Pittsburgh Super Bowl puzzle, adding the rushing punch with close to 12,000 yards with 91 touchdowns in his Hall of Fame career. He started out going to nine straight Pro Bowls and was named a 1977 All-Pro.
Lenny Moore played 12 years for Baltimore earning five All-Pro honors in his Hall of Fame career.
Rutgers has a horrible, horrible history of NFL draft prospects, so go ahead and put Deron Cherry in this even though he wasn’t drafted. Kansas City did just fine, getting a six-time Pro Bowl talent and three-time All-Pro with 50 picks in his 11-year career.
Ray Rice – up until it all went off the rails – was a terrific pro for six years, running for over 1,000 yards four times and going to three Pro Bowls.
Devin McCourty was only named to two Pro Bowls, but he became a huge part of the New England defense for over a decade.
