Bruin Great Andy Hill's Reflections on UCLA Legend Walt Hazzard
by MexiBruin on Dec 11, 2011 7:04 PM PST
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PrintOne of the great satisfactions I have derived from the time I have spent here on Bruins Nation is the friends I have made outside of the back and forth of online comments. I am proud to say I have met a fair number of you 'in real life.' Class of '66 jumps immediately to mind because we have tailgated together a handful of times. I met BritishBruin through '66. I met UCLALUV on campus when she signed the original SFatPauley petition to return students to sideline seating at Pauley . I met UCLAFAN11 in Knoxville when I took a Volunteer up on his offer and flew out for the game on very short notice and without a flight back even booked.
During the original SFatPauley campaign I had the good fortune of receiving an email from one of Coach Wooden's players, thanking me for our efforts. I wrote back, to confirm he was who I thought he was, and to ask if I could go public with his name. He agreed, and we have since traded the occasional email.
Yesterday, Andy Hill attended Walt Hazzard's Memorial and I am deeply honored to share with everyone his experience; after the jump.
via www.latimes.com
Yesterday I had the privilege to attend a memorial service for the great Walt Hazzard. A packed house at the Wilshire Ebell Theater came to honor the life and legend of perhaps the second most "significant" Bruin in the history of this storied program...right behind Coach John Wooden. Walt Hazzard was the man who brought just that little bit of
extra flash, that inner city grit, that allowed him to put that first national championship team on his back and take them to a 30-0 season.
For those of us lucky to have first hand memories of that magical year, it was a time before UCLA was considered a real national power. But the combination of speed and teamwork on display was breathtaking. Walt Hazzard was the spark that lit the flame of Bruin basketball.
Kenny Washington, Mike Warren, Keith Erickson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all spoke movingly and eloquently. Keith read a touching letter from Gail Goodrich...the other half of perhaps the greatest backcourt in Bruin history. To see and hear these Bruin Hall of Famers step to the microphone and speak with poise and confidence was just a reminder of
that extra ingredient that we came to expect from our star athletes...they were scholar athletes...men who made us all proud of the letters on the uniform; U.C.L.A.
A couple of Bruins who played for Coach Hazzard, Brad Wright and Gerald Madkins, gave us all a sense of how special it was to be a part of Walt's family.
The turnout of former Bruins was remarkable. I didn't go to take notes or write a story, so I'm sure I didn't see dozens of other players. But I did see Bill Walton, Kiki Vandeweghe, Lucius Allen, Gary Cunningham, Eddie Sheldrake, Jim Harrick and Sidney Wicks. Luminaries were everywhere. Phil Jackson was in the front row. Jerry West gave a speech. President Obama sent a wonderful letter, and there were representatives from seemingly every elected official in Southern California. I was lucky enough to sit next to Hall of Famer Bill Sharman,. There were even performances by Les McCann and Billy Childs to honor Walt's love of music. I almost left out Walt's best friend from Overbrook and fellow NBA star Wali Jones.
But if you could say there was a true star of the day, it was the extended Hazzard Family. Four impressive and articulate sons, two beautiful sisters, countless cousins and grandkids...all part of the Hazzard Family. His marriage to Jaleesa was the sort of bond we do not see much in our world any more...like John and Nellie...this was a "team" in the best sense of the word. Though emotions were always near the surface as the Hazzard's and the entire Bruin family mourns the loss of my very first sports hero (Walt was my student teacher at Emerson Junior High School...and I was in awe)...it was in fact a celebration of a life that was about teaching and giving, loving and being loved in return.
Hope this gives you just a small idea of what it was like. No doubt I've left out half the highlights. But amidst all the whining and complaining that often dominates the conversation in these dark days of Bruin football and basketball...let's take a moment to bask in the light that Walt Hazzard lit for us all. So many of our greatest
memories in life started when an old school coach from Indiana brought a flashy, inner city guard out to Westwood and these two men lit the flame of what became the greatest dynasty in the history of sports. We were all lucky to have those memories...and to be reminded of why it will always be special to be a U.C.L.A. Bruin.
Walt Hazzard...a great man...and a great Bruin. There was no one like him. He will be missed.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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Andy Hill for AD!
Anybody who writes so well, recognizes the greatness of Walt Hazzard, and spells U.C.L.A. with periods is obviously qualified. Gbruin, you’re next in line.
Thank you, Mexi, for sharing this. And, thank you, Andy Hill, for being such a great ambassador for U.C.L.A. (see, you’ve got me doing it).
What an impressive list of luminaries who attended. I choked up, reading Andy’s account. How cool that Walt was Andy’s student teacher in Junior High. How great that Walt’s family were poised, articulate, radiated class, and made you proud, just like Walt.
We miss you, Walt. Go Bruins.
Andy Hill Has Been My First Choice for AD for Quite a While
He is a thoughtful, successful businessman. He would never remember me but I once pitched a show to him — we talked Bruin stuff and he was passionate and knowledgeable of our history and culture.
I have no idea whether he’d ever want the job, but the job wants him.
sjh
I wouldn't mind Hill, but he would not be my first choice.
I would prefer a football guy, frankly, but even the standardized “football guy” would not be my first choice.
We need to go outside the box, I think. Right now, I am thinking of a guy who understands UCLA, and who does not have to take a back seat to anyone when it comes to an abiding love for our school. Unless we get someone who has already been an athletic director, the person who gets the job will have to learn on the job. We all know that the last guy we hired had prior AD experience, but that hasn’t worked out too well. I am ready to nominate a guy who I think would take to the job quickly and do a fine job. Not just a better job than the incumbent – who couldn’t. I mean a first rate job and would have us back to where we belong in no time.
I would like to ask Mexi if he would take the position. And I am not kidding. Who has a better candidate?
Where are the Andy Hills of UCLA?
That letter exudes all of the greatness that UCLA Athletics is about. Where are all the Andy Hills of our great athletic history during this dark period? Imagine if a group of these guys got together and brought reason and righteousnous, for lack of a better word, back to Morgan Center. If we were guided by, among many others, the words of John Wooden, the courage and greatness of Jackie Robinson and Arthur Ashe, and hutzpah of Bill Walton and Reggie Miller, we would be unstoppable.
former editor, DumpDorrell.com ... formerly posted as DumpDorrell
I have to admit, I did not know much about Walt Hazzard, Gail Goodrich, et al
until now. Reading and sharing Andy’s tribute is moving. Since sharing this I have gone back and read up on the original class of Coach’s first Championship team. I don’t want to interject current politics into this piece, but it just goes to show how little Murphy Hall and Morgan Center do to inculcate in us and current students the rich history and tradition of U.C.L.A.
For those of you who have proposed it, I am ahead of you. I asked Andy if he would serve his university in the role of AD. He is not interested. I asked him this many months ago, before the deflating Football season and lack of a hiring process. He is flattered, but politely declined.
I want to thank you Fox, for your endorsement. I would take it. In a heart beat. I even look good in a suit, but they would never give it to me.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
I just heard from Andy that he had sent this same email out to about 50 friends
And, the first person to reply was Gail Goodrich.
Feel free to state the fact that I sent it out to around 50 friends…and like perfect symmetry…#42 hits #25 for the open jumper…Gail is my first response. How do moments like that happen? How does Tyler Trapani make the last basket in Pauley? Beats me.
Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi
Goosebumps
Andy Hill also wore #25. So, #42 hits #25 for the open jumper, with an assist by #25.
Gail “Stumpy” Goodrich also wore #25 for the Lakers. Having led the Lakers to their first NBA championship in L.A., His jersey was retired in a ceremony hosted by Chick Hearn. Special guests: Wilt Chamberlain and John Wooden.
I went to Uni High with Andy Hill...
By far the best player we had during my era. Good guy. I wonder what he and the other Coach Wooden era Bruins think about the job Ben Howland is doing.
I don't know Andy Hill
but from what I have seen and read from him over the years, I suspect he would be nothing but respectful and classy.
While he might have nits to pick or philosophical disagreements with CBH if he were, say, an assistant coach, nothing good would come from his being critical from the outside. He, of all people, knows that you just don’t replace John Wooden.
Hill was a deadly free throw shooter
Once, in a rare close game, one of our guys got fouled hard. It didn’t look hard enough to keep him from shooting, at least to me, but I guess it looked really bad from where Coach was sitting. So all of a sudden, our guy who shot free throws like Kurt Bevacqua, was limping toward the bendh and Andy Hill came in to swish to free throws and start the jello jelling, to mix my broadcast metaphors.
Hill is the first guy to say that as a player, he didn’t always get along with Coach. Like basically everyone else who played for Coach, he didn’t appreciate what Coach was doing and saying and teaching until he got on in life a bit.
I wonder how I might have turned out if I had been lucky enough to make the basketball team. Certainly everyone who ever came in contact with me would have been better off.
I agree
My point though is in his own mind he is probably appalled at the current situation as other Wooden era players probably are. They are certainly not saying anything publicly, either good or bad.
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