Pat Summitt, 1952-2016

Pat Summitt died Tuesday. Her accomplishments in the sphere of women's basketball are unparalleled.

One of the most appreciated individuals in University of Tennessee history, Pat Head received her physical education bachelor's in 1974 after four years on the Martin campus, and that fall she started coaching in Knoxville. She was teaching in Martin when she received the letter requesting that she dedicate her winters to the "excellent potential team" that was the Lady Vols. They finished 16-8 in her first year, and the 16-11 team of the next year would remain the only Tennessee squad on her watch not to win at least two-thirds of its games.

Head was so young in the mid-'70s that after her first season on the sidelines in Knoxville (and the one grad school year it took for her to get her master's), she was on the court for the US team at the 1975 women's world championship and the subsequent Pan American Games. She won a silver medal at the '76 Olympics, and she coached the national team in 1980, the year she married the man with whom she'd stay for over a quarter-century.

Her first staff included Judy Rose, UNC-Charlotte's future athletics director. Though Rose began her time at Charlotte in 1976, she remained a close friend over the years. Rose recalls, among many other things, Summitt's willingness to "mentor younger people coming up," something she saw on frequent encounters in high school gyms with the woman who'd hired her in '74.

There was much more to Summitt than her signature stare. She was all business when she needed to be and less serious other times. Like any good coach, she'd have players work hard (and preferably smart), but even while she was on the job, they could call her Pat.

[EDIT 11/30/2023, 2:15 p.m.: Added "basketball" label]

Gordie Howe, 1928-2016

Gordie Howe died Friday.

In the 1973-74 season, after two years off the ice, the 45-year-old first laced up skates for the Houston Aeros of the WHA, leaving an uneventful job in the Detroit Red Wings' front office to join sons Mark and Marty. His signing in June of '73 no doubt captivated audiences and drew all sorts of reactions.

His wrists might not have been what they used to be, and fears of the comeback being a flop preceded the season, but he was still a very capable player, and it didn't just seem that way because of the league in which he played. His 69 assists in '73-74 were the second-most in the WHA, and his total of 100 points was the third-highest. Led by the Howes, the Aeros won the Avco Cup. Also among Gordie's hardware was the MVP award, which by the end of the league's time bore his name.

Before the next season, Gordie joined the WHA's delegation for a series structured almost like the Summit Series two years before. His wearing of the Canadian red and white, he said, would assure his countrymen that despite over a quarter-century in Detroit and his move to Texas of all places that he was still one of their own. A repeat of '72 wasn't to be, but it gave the Soviet players a chance to play against Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull, two legends who couldn't be present the last time.

With another championship in '74-75, as well as 34 goals and 65 assists, Gordie was once again the right winger for the mythical all-WHA team (as opposed to the one that visited Moscow). His role in the WHA's influence on hockey was no small one, to say nothing of his illustrious career in the NHL.

Muhammad Ali, 1942-2016

Muhammad Ali died seven days ago.

The rebuilding of his career following the time when he was barred from the ring for draft evasion was completed in 1974.

The Louisville Lip's 1971 loss to Joe Frazier when both were undefeated stuck with him. The rematch at Madison Square Garden January 28 could be seen only on closed-circuit television, but anyone with an antenna could see the buildup on ABC, culminating in a bit of a scuffle on Wide World of Sports. Smokin' Joe tried to prevent Ali from getting into his head, and it seemed to be working before their encounter in the studio.

The full tale of the tape can be found in newspapers of January 27, and the full results in papers of the 29th. BoxRec shows that the twelve-round fight was closer in referee Tony Perez's mind than in those of the judges. He saw Ali as the winner of six rounds and Frazier as the winner of five, the other one being a draw. Tony Castellano had Ali down as the 7-4-1 winner, and Jack Gordon's score was 8-4.

Later that year, Ali had his match with unbeaten champion George Foreman, victor over both men who'd beaten Ali. The bout was a big break for Don King, who coined the famous name for it. The combatants trained in what was then known as Zaire, and Ali charmed the locals into supporting him for the bout that began October 30, 4 a.m. local time.

It was thought to be a cinch for the younger and stronger of the two men, so the guys in Big George's corner figured what he had was going to be enough for a quick win. After eight rounds of fast punches, Ali won the fight of his life and the world championship.

Those fights were important to an outstanding career that for years had a place in the ESPN Sports Almanac. What's more, they cemented Ali's place in popular culture and sports history.

EDIT 2/4/2023 9:22 a.m. EST: Link to BoxRec changed

MLB First-timers of 1974

With the MLB Draft beginning tonight, now's the time to post something I noticed a while back.

Exactly half of the players who made their major league debuts in 1974 played in the '80s.

Of the 72 who made it past the decade line, 43 were still playing in 1985. Of the 72 whose careers are confined to the '70s, 42 didn't even make it to 1977, when two expansion teams surfaced.

When it comes to rookie seasons (teams with which players made MLB debuts are listed along with most common positions in careers):

• Twenty-seven (including Brewers SS Robin Yount, Rangers C Jim Sundberg, and Rangers 1B Mike Hargrove) went on to be 1974 rookies.
• Forty-two (including Expos C Gary Carter, Cards 1B Keith Hernandez, Bosox LF Fred Lynn, and Bosox DH Jim Rice) were 1975 rookies.
• Twenty-two (including Cards LF Jerry Mumphrey and Cards CF Larry Herndon) were 1976 rookies.
• Nine (including Expos LF Warren Cromartie) were 1977 rookies.
• Six (including Reds 3B Ray Knight) were 1978 rookies.
• Two (Mets LF Benny Ayala and Mets C Ike Hampton) passed the rookie requirements in 1979.
• One (Chisox RHP Jim Otten) finally met the rookie standards in 1980.
• Thirty-five would still be rookies if they suited up today.

The players just getting their cups of coffee were Erskine Thomason, a 26-year-old righthander who pitched the ninth inning for the Phillies September 18, and Rex Hudson, a 20-year-old righthander who put in two innings of mop-up work for the Dodgers July 27.

Yount was the youngest of the 144 and the one whose career lasted the longest; he played for 20 years.

Hernandez, a 42nd-round pick in the 1971 draft, made his debut with the Cardinals August 30, 1974, and played until the middle of 1990, while the Mets' Rich Puig, a fellow infielder and a first-round pick in the same draft, lasted less than two weeks in September.

All of those whose careers ended in 1980 are pitchers; middle infielder Stan Papi, an April call-up for the Cardinals, outlasted Sergio Ferrer -- a fellow middle infielder born just days before Papi and making his debut with the Twins six days earlier -- by two years (Ferrer's last season was '79, Papi's was '81).

Oscar Zamora, the Cuban righthander from Miami whom the Indians signed in 1965, began his career with the Cubs at 29 on June 18 and continued for 4 years. Jesus Hernaiz, the Puerto Rican righthander whom the Cubs signed in 1967, got called up to the Phillies when he was 29 and made his first appearance June 14, but was finished in the majors that year.

The top seven career home run hitters (Rice, Carter, Lynn, Expos C Larry Parrish, Yount, A's RF Claudell Washington, Hernandez) made All-Star teams at least once, as did the top eight in hits (Yount, Rice, Hernandez, Carter, Lynn, C.Washington, Parrish, Hargrove).

Twenty-five of these players made All-Star teams a combined 71 times. Carter, Rice, and Yount are the Hall of Famers in this group of 144, making up 2.1 percent of it (the group of 144, that is, not the Hall of Fame).

Feel free to start here and draw your own conclusions.

I'll have a look at the draft picks of June 1974, regardless of when (or even whether) they made their MLB debuts, sometime very soon.