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No doubt Nate Thurmond is the best big man every to play for the Falcons. But I started thinking how we really haven't had a dominating center since I started watching the Falcons as a kid in the mid-70's.

I see that Akron just recruited a top tier center (7'0") for next year. While we've had some very capable centers nobody has put us on their back and lead us to the NCAA Tournament.

Here are the best BG big men I have seen since 1975...

1. Len Metela (didn't play big but got the most from his ability)
2. Shane-Kline Ruminski
3. Lamar Jackson (transferred in from junior college but was so fun to watch play...had awsome power dunking ability)
4. Ron Hammye
5. Mike Miday (injured when pet piranha fish bit him...long time Toledo sportscaster Orvis Tavner made fun of him during game broadcast on channel 11)

*Colin Irish was the best rebounder I ever saw at BG but at 6'6" I can't call him a big man or a center.

Steve Watson was all of 6-9 but played more like a 3 than a post player.

I could be wrong but I believe the newscaster was "Oris Tabner".

BGFan wrote:I could be wrong but I believe the newscaster was "Oris Tabner".

You are correct.

However, I have it on good authority that the Piranha attack was a brilliant cover-up for Midday cutting his hand on a beer bottle!

Back on track though, my favorites over the years were Hammye, Bill Faine, John "Rosie" Flowers, Scott Spencer and from the "B!G" perspective, Colin Irish.

Rollo83 wrote:2. Shane-Kline Ruminski

Don't remember him but Shane Kline-Ruminski was pretty good.

These two played just a couple years before your stated date of 1975 but they were something that BG hasn't seen since.

6'10" Skip Howard
6'8" Cornelius Cash

I think when they played BG had some of the most talented teams they ever had but always fell just short. UT had great teams during that stretch as well as Miami, Central was very good, Ohio was good.

Too bad young BG fans didn't have the opportunity to see those matchups during that stretch and then they would have found out first hand what the term "House That Roars" really means.

AA used to be so loud you couldn't hear yourself think and when you left your ears were ringing.

I sure hope Coach Orr can bring that same element back to BG.

KeyWestParrot wrote:These two played just a couple years before your stated date of 1975 but they were something that BG hasn't seen since.

6'10" Skip Howard
6'8" Cornelius Cash

I think when they played BG had some of the most talented teams they ever had but always fell just short.

I sure hope Coach Orr can bring that same element back to BG.

Actually, the Howard/Cash duo played in the LAST BG appearance in the NCAA tournament... trying to remember exactly WHO they lost to , but it seems like I remember Fla. St. with Dave Cowens their big gun...either that or Marquette... pretty sure those 3 teams + 1 more played the 1st round at Kent St.

Howard was never the player BG thought he would be- Cash was good and the little troll, Jeff Montgomery, was the glue that held that bunch together. BG also had a 6'11"-7" guy who transferred from Maryland- He wasn't good but with Cash at 6'7", Howard, 6'10" and Mark? whoever at 6'!!" you guys were huge.

Those teams were good but OU was awfully good and so was UT. We got Jim Kindle in the trade with BG that landed you Steve Cooper (I loved that one) and Kindle was one tough cookie. He just refused to lose. There were a lot of good players in the MAC then and that BG class, which was rated in the Top Ten nationally by some services, never reached expectations.

That stretch with Cash and Howard produced some of the best UT-BG games you would ever want to see. Nichols teams defensively were unbelievable. I'm not sure what the record for the BG-UT games were over that span but the games were always sold out and loud.

Jim Kindle, I have forgotten that name. He didn't look like a ball player but he sure could play. I also think that Howard and Cash played HS ball together and also I think Haley was their coach in HS (not positive on that though). Montgomery was a cocky point guard who at times could make you cheer and other times make you swear.

There was also a guy for UT who I believe his name was Larsen, always seemed to rip the heart out of us BG fans.

I sure hope BG and UT can get their teams back to being dominate at the same time so a new generation of fans can feel the rivalry the way I felt it when I was a kid.

Also for Class of 61, the Cash and Howard teams never won the MAC or made it to the NCAA's. The last time BG was to the NCAA's was 1968, the only year Bill Fitch coached the Falcons. The Pat Haley teams best finish was 2nd when Howard and Cash were seniors.

As for UT I have to say that I always thought Centennial Hall sucked to watch basketball but from what I've seen with their renovation it sure looks like it will be a much better place to see a game. I hope BG does it right when they build the new 'House That Roars'. I will miss AA though when that day comes.

John "Rosie" Flowers........I never heard that nickname. Rosie Barnes?????

Rollo83 wrote:No doubt Nate Thurmond is the best big man every to play for the Falcons. But I started thinking how we really haven't had a dominating center since I started watching the Falcons as a kid in the mid-70's.

I see that Akron just recruited a top tier center (7'0") for next year. While we've had some very capable centers nobody has put us on their back and lead us to the NCAA Tournament.

Here are the best BG big men I have seen since 1975...

1. Len Metela (didn't play big but got the most from his ability)
2. Shane-Kline Ruminski
3. Lamar Jackson (transferred in from junior college but was so fun to watch play...had awsome power dunking ability)
4. Ron Hammye
5. Mike Miday (injured when pet piranha fish bit him...long time Toledo sportscaster Orvis Tavner made fun of him during game broadcast on channel 11)

*Colin Irish was the best rebounder I ever saw at BG but at 6'6" I can't call him a big man or a center.

Lamar Jackson had polio as a kid. One leg was about an inch shorter than the other. You sure couldn't tell that from the way he played.

KeyWestParrot wrote:Montgomery was a cocky point guard who at times could make you cheer and other times make you swear.

There was also a guy for UT who I believe his name was Larsen, always seemed to rip the heart out of us BG fans.


As for UT I have to say that I always thought Centennial Hall sucked to watch basketball but from what I've seen with their renovation it sure looks like it will be a much better place to see a game. I hope BG does it right when they build the new 'House That Roars'. I will miss AA though when that day comes.

Mike Larson. I remember a game at AA when Bob Conroy stole the ball from Montgomery with UT down i and seconds left (as I recall). He threw ahead to Larson who scored as time ran out. I had left my seat thinking it was over and my girlfriend was stuck behind Freddie Falcon. I yelled "A steal" or somesuch and she shoved Freddie into the cheap seats so she could see. We were literally under the basket as Larsen scored. He was a solid player but he did seem to rise to the occasion against BG.

Back then I think hoops was every bit as important a rivalry as football, maybe more so since one or the other of the football teams seemed to be down when the other was up while the hoops teams were both excellent. Kozelko used to beat up on BG pretty good too. Cartwright? MArk Cartwright? That just came to me- I think that was the 7' Maryland transfer's name.

I hated Montgomery with a passion because he was about 5' nothing, slow and shot the last two handed set shot in college basketball but he killed us every time out. He would have been a big time scorer with the 3 point line. People from that era tell me he killed a lot of pints around town as well.

Tom Hall was a pretty darn good center and a high jumper on the track team.

factman wrote:John "Rosie" Flowers........I never heard that nickname. Rosie Barnes?????

I guess you had to hang around the team as much as I did.

BTW - Rosie Barnes first name was Roosevelt so that is not what I would call a nickname