Ashton Smith - Transfer (Texas A&M)

[theeagleman5]

Great find there, 84......yeah most of those ORU greats of the early 70s came from Chattanooga Riverside....except 7-0 David Vaughn.....i think he was from somewhere else in Tenn. but TheEagleman could be mistaken......Trickey had an incredible pipeline going and there was some flack after he supposedly "stole" Fuqua from Memphis State....they were really ticked and then we drew them in the first round of the 1971 NIT and kicked their butts by 20....lol.....funny thing we drew Memphis again in the 1973 NIT and beat them again on a buzzer basket by Arnold Dugger in MSG......one of the all time clutch shots in ORU Basketball history......

[Cletus]

20 hours ago, Otis 83 said:

Oh yea….those guys!

I remember one time in chapel OR telling the students that the Acre brothers came to the hospital in California to pray for him after he had his eye surgery when the retina fall off his eye. 

[tmh8286]

3 hours ago, jmg1984 said:

Here's a great article! It was an ORU gold mine! Roberts played there a few yrs later

https://www.chattanoogan.com/2022/3/14/445122/John-Shearer-Remembering-Great.aspx

OUTSTANDING find, 84!! I loved the pic of Fuqua and others with Trickey. Lots of stuff about ORU in there as well. 

[74Titan]

Fuqua, Jesse Traylor, and Larry Baker all came to ORU, at the same time (fall of 1969), from Chattanooga Riverside HS. Eddie Woods came in 1970. Anthony Roberts came in the fall of 1973. He was the 5th and, in my opinion, the best of the 5.

All but Anthony played together at ORU. Anthony and Eddie played together during the 73-74 season (Anthony's first/Eddie's last). By the way, David Vaughn and his Nashville Cameron HS teammate, Kenny Cooper, came to ORU in the fall of 1972. When I asked David if he was 7"0", he told me he was 6'10" (ORU had an obsession with seven-footers back then). 

[tmh8286]

12 minutes ago, 74Titan said:

Fuqua, Jesse Traylor, and Larry Baker all came to ORU, at the same time (fall of 1969), from Chattanooga Riverside HS. Eddie Woods came in 1970. Anthony Roberts came in the fall of 1973. He was the 5th and, in my opinion, the best of the 5.

All but Anthony played together at ORU. Anthony and Eddie played together during the 73-74 season (Anthony's first/Eddie's last). By the way, David Vaughn and his Nashville Cameron HS teammate, Kenny Cooper, came to ORU in the fall of 1972. When I asked David if he was 7"0", he told me he was 6'10" (ORU had an obsession with seven-footers back then). 

A few years back the Athletic Department invited a number of the early players to attend the Hall of Fame event that year. There were six or eight, sitting together at a table at the front of the room during the pregame meal. They were recognized by the person in charge of the program, and their names may have been given, although I don't remember if that was the case or not. What I do remember is that I didn't take my "board" that night because I wasn't expecting there to be anyone I wanted to sign it - turned out there was a table full of people whose signatures I would LOVE to have on there, but I missed out. Only one shot at that deal - will never happen again. I think at least one of that group has passed away since then.

I wonder if some of those guys might have been from the group mentioned in this article and by 74Titan. Maybe OT or some others may remember that night and who some of those players were.

[jmg1984]

5 hours ago, theeagleman5 said:

Great find there, 84......yeah most of those ORU greats of the early 70s came from Chattanooga Riverside....except 7-0 David Vaughn.....i think he was from somewhere else in Tenn. but TheEagleman could be mistaken......Trickey had an incredible pipeline going and there was some flack after he supposedly "stole" Fuqua from Memphis State....they were really ticked and then we drew them in the first round of the 1971 NIT and kicked their butts by 20....lol.....funny thing we drew Memphis again in the 1973 NIT and beat them again on a buzzer basket by Arnold Dugger in MSG......one of the all time clutch shots in ORU Basketball history......

Didn't Oral have a part in "stealing" Vaughn from Memphis St also?

[jmg1984]

5 hours ago, theeagleman5 said:

Great find there, 84......yeah most of those ORU greats of the early 70s came from Chattanooga Riverside....except 7-0 David Vaughn.....i think he was from somewhere else in Tenn. but TheEagleman could be mistaken......Trickey had an incredible pipeline going and there was some flack after he supposedly "stole" Fuqua from Memphis State....they were really ticked and then we drew them in the first round of the 1971 NIT and kicked their butts by 20....lol.....funny thing we drew Memphis again in the 1973 NIT and beat them again on a buzzer basket by Arnold Dugger in MSG......one of the all time clutch shots in ORU Basketball history......

Here's your answer Eagleman!https://vault.si.com/vault/1993/11/29/david-vaughn

[ORUalum11]

29 minutes ago, jmg1984 said:

Didn't Oral have a part in "stealing" Vaughn from Memphis St also?

The original NIL 

[ORUalum]

32 minutes ago, ORUalum11 said:

The original NIL 

 

Eric Dickerson had the Trans A&M when he showed up to SMU, David Vaughn had a Lincoln when he arrived at UNLV from ORU

Quote

(Tark):  

We got David Vaughn from Oral Roberts, who wound up not playing for us, but he came in with a big Lincoln.

I told him, “You keep the Lincoln, but you have to keep the Oklahoma license plates. I don’t want to see a Nevada license plate. I want everyone to know that car is not involved with us.”

 

[theeagleman5]

TheEagleman remembers David Vaughn driving the Lincoln....Anthony Roberts had a really nice car too....

[dbl78]

As I remember, Woosie drove a navy blue Olds Cutlass - that was a very nice car back in the day.

Also, for those who are interested in ORU basketball history, and may be relatively new to the Board, the Trickey family produced a documentary detailing the early days of ORU basketball.  Maybe someone who is more familiar with copyright law, and the ability upload and link to the production would be able to do that - it is very well done.

[tmh8286]

1 hour ago, dbl78 said:

As I remember, Woosie drove a navy blue Olds Cutlass - that was a very nice car back in the day.

Also, for those who are interested in ORU basketball history, and may be relatively new to the Board, the Trickey family produced a documentary detailing the early days of ORU basketball.  Maybe someone who is more familiar with copyright law, and the ability upload and link to the production would be able to do that - it is very well done.

I would love to see it!!  I think the early days of ORU basketball would make an interesting story for many of us. We talked a little bit about even getting some of that history down in writing, but I don't know of any of that happening. This video may be a good alternative.

[theeagleman5]

TheEagleman has seen it and thought there was a link was posted by Old Titan or Doc C on this board a couple years ago when it first came out....great video which covers the beginnings of the old ORU Run and Gun Days of the early 70s which some of us lived through.....called Praise the Lord and Pass the Ball??  something like that.....because in 1972 there was a Sports Illustrated article titled Praise the Lord and Pass the Ball to Fuqua.....TheEagleman remembers sitting in a chapel in late November 1972 as a young freshman and OR almost running out on stage at Mabee Center (chapel was held there back then)....our President was clutching in his hand a copy of the brand new SI issue hot off the presses with the NCAA College D-1 rankings and SI listed ORU as #4 in the nation in its' preseason rankings as I recall....I think it was #4...Pres. Roberts was beaming from ear to ear as he made the announcement to a standing ovation by the students......this would have been about a week or so prior to our December season opener at Mabee Center vs. Wisconsin......those were incredible times for the young ORU Titan basketball program......and an 18 yr old Eagleman was eating it up.... 

[Dave Connor]

I found this link from a 2019 post: https://www.facebook.com/Praise-the-Lord-and-Pass-the-Ball-556082041568485/

[theeagleman5]

And the SI issue referred to above was 11/27/72 and ORU was ranked #4 in only it's 2nd year of D-1 competition....think that would ever happen again?  Never.....amazing times in 1972 by Ken Trickey and the ORU Titans....Here it is........

#4...ORAL ROBERTS ...if they did not have one of the best shooters, one of the best sophomores, one of the best junior-college transfers and seven, eight or maybe 78 other guys who are among the best something or others, the Titans of Oral Roberts University would have a lot of the good things in life going for them. After all, the school's modernistic Prayer Tower sends out heavenly signals 24 hours a day. At Oral Roberts, whether the appeals arc going skyward or toward the referees, winning is an aroundthe-clock proposition.

The Titans lost but two of 26 games last season, their first as a major college, when they set an NCAA record for scoring and led the nation in rebounding. A 100-point game at ORU, in fact, is just about as ho-hum as someone throwing away his crutches after a session with the school's founder. President Oral Roberts, the dynamic minister who believes that a winning basketball team can help spread the faith.

Located on 500 gently rolling acres at the southeastern fringe of Tulsa. Okla.. ORU began sprouting its widely spaced blue, gold and white buildings of futuristic steel and glass in 1962. Now the young Davids are ready to venture forth to play the Goliaths of college basketball. Only this lime their leader is a T sophomore, David Vaughn. He was the object of a vigorous recruiting tug-of-war between Memphis Slate and Oral Roberts. The Tennessee school thought it had tugged for most of the rope when Vaughn met and fell in love with star Memphis Slate Guard Larry Finch's sister (whom Vaughn later married), but David's father is a minister and the president showed up in person one day and . . . well, mortal love lasts only for a lifetime.

Vaughn will give the Titans something they lacked last winter, size inside to go with some divine outside shooting by Guard Richard Fuqua. Fuqua's long-range jump shots averaged 35.9 points per game last year, just half a point away from leading the nation, and a chart of his shots showed that those taken farther from the basket fell in more often than those closer. Fuqua, who has an odd, loosejointed way about him in the court, was held under 25 points three times. On those nights the Titans won two games by a point and lost the other. Vaughn’s addition allows high-jumping Eddie Woods to move to forward, where he will be joined by junior-college recruil Greg McDougald. The other guard spot will he filled by Larry Baker, a 6' 4" senior who played on the same high school team as Fuqua. By no means docs the ability end there. On the bench there are plenty of reserves to spell the regulars when the pace becomes too fast.

The Titans play a more arduous schedule than before, but with their new and old talent, plus a little help from the Prayer Tower, winning the close ones should be no problem. “You know," mused Coach Ken Trickcy one day, lifting his eyes skyward, "it just seems that when it comes down to that last-second shot, the one you must make, the ball always goes in for us.”

[ORUSwagger]

2 hours ago, theeagleman5 said:

And the SI issue referred to above was 11/27/72 and ORU was ranked #4 in only it's 2nd year of D-1 competition....think that would ever happen again?  Never.....amazing times in 1972 by Ken Trickey and the ORU Titans....Here it is........

ORAL ROBERTS ...if they did not have one of the best shooters, one of the best sophomores, one of the best junior-college transfers and seven, eight or maybe 78 other guys who are among the best something or others, the Titans of Oral Roberts University would have a lot of the good things in life going for them. After all, the school's modernistic Prayer Tower sends out heavenly signals 24 hours a day. At Oral Roberts, whether the appeals arc going skyward or toward the referees, winning is an aroundthe-clock proposition.

The Titans lost but two of 26 games last season, their first as a major college, when they set an NCAA record for scoring and led the nation in rebounding. A 100-point game at ORU, in fact, is just about as ho-hum as someone throwing away his crutches after a session with the school's founder. President Oral Roberts, the dynamic minister who believes that a winning basketball team can help spread the faith.

Located on 500 gently rolling acres at the southeastern fringe of Tulsa. Okla.. ORU began sprouting its widely spaced blue, gold and white buildings of futuristic steel and glass in 1962. Now the young Davids are ready to venture forth to play the Goliaths of college basketball. Only this lime their leader is a T sophomore, David Vaughn. He was the object of a vigorous recruiting tug-of-war between Memphis Slate and Oral Roberts. The Tennessee school thought it had tugged for most of the rope when Vaughn met and fell in love with star Memphis Slate Guard Larry Finch's sister (whom Vaughn later married), but David's father is a minister and the president showed up in person one day and . . . well, mortal love lasts only for a lifetime.

Vaughn will give the Titans something they lacked last winter, size inside to go with some divine outside shooting by Guard Richard Fuqua. Fuqua's long-range jump shots averaged 35.9 points per game last year, just half a point away from leading the nation, and a chart of his shots showed that those taken farther from the basket fell in more often than those closer. Fuqua, who has an odd, loosejointed way about him in the court, was held under 25 points three times. On those nights the Titans won two games by a point and lost the other. Vaughn’s addition allows high-jumping Eddie Woods to move to forward, where he will be joined by junior-college recruil Greg McDougald. The other guard spot will he filled by Larry Baker, a 6' 4" senior who played on the same high school team as Fuqua. By no means docs the ability end there. On the bench there are plenty of reserves to spell the regulars when the pace becomes too fast.

The Titans play a more arduous schedule than before, but with their new and old talent, plus a little help from the Prayer Tower, winning the close ones should be no problem. “You know," mused Coach Ken Trickcy one day, lifting his eyes skyward, "it just seems that when it comes down to that last-second shot, the one you must make, the ball always goes in for us.”

My parents were kids in 1972…..

[Texasgrip]

8 hours ago, dbl78 said:

As I remember, Woosie drove a navy blue Olds Cutlass - that was a very nice car back in the day.

Also, for those who are interested in ORU basketball history, and may be relatively new to the Board, the Trickey family produced a documentary detailing the early days of ORU basketball.  Maybe someone who is more familiar with copyright law, and the ability upload and link to the production would be able to do that - it is very well done.

Link to Praise the Lord & Pass Me the Ball on Vimeo.

[ORob1]

Of course, I had already seen it but I couldn't resist clicking...Then I couldn't stop it and ended up watching the entire thing again!  Thanks for posting, Nate.

That's how the floor looked at Mabee whe I was a kid.  I'd love for them to bring it back, along with that royal blue uniform and flame.  If not for the 50th anniversary season, at least for a game to honor that 73-74 team.  

@ORob2 You gotta watch this when you get some time.  

Bring Back the Flame!  (Sorry, OT-Nice job, btw...)

Rob