Dan Issel, the all-time leading scorer for the Kentucky Wildcats, reflects on his 1975 ABA Championship with the Kentucky Colonels.
Issel also talks about today's NBA popularity, chances for expansion, college NIL, his favorite teammates from the ABA, and much more.
Issel also talks about today's NBA popularity, chances for expansion, college NIL, his favorite teammates from the ABA, and much more.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
He's still the all time leading score for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Never mind, and he's a six time ABA All Star
in a one time NBA All Star. He's the number
one Wildcat and that's all that matters in this universe.
Dan Issel, Welcome back to the program.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hello, Terry, how are you?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Life is good? Where are you on the farm or
are you milking a cow? What are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
No?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
No, no, I'm in Denver, relaxing.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
There's nothing wrong relaxing lately.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Nothing wrong with that. Brother. Well, you know you're going
to be getting a lot of calls from people if
you haven't already, because two days from now, it's the
fiftieth anniversary of something magnificent that happened in Freedom Hall
right here in Louisville. You know what I'm talking about?
Your ABA championship with the Kentucky Colonels. Take us back
(00:59):
to the night, Dan.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
It was a great night for sure, winning the championship,
But really, Terry was kind of of a relief because
two or three seasons before that, I think we had
the best team in the A B A with artists
and Louis and and and some of the others but
it took HB. Brown being our coach to to win
(01:24):
the championship. And I can remember when it was all
over when we beat the Pacers there in game number five.
UH fans rushed the floor and everybody was standing there.
We we we finally did it. So it was it
was a great night and uh and and and and
a rewarding night for a lot of us that had
(01:47):
put a lot of sweat and tears into that team.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
No doubt. And then after the championship was over, did
the power go off in Freedom Hall? I?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I think it did for a short period of time,
but by the time we got to the locker room,
it was it was back on.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Okay, the basketball gods were like shock, But thank goodness
you got it done that because I mean that team
that you had was filled with personalities too. I mean,
you know, you obviously been beloved here for so long,
but man, you had a lot of other guys on
that squad, the championship squad, with great personalities that you
(02:28):
were heroes everywhere.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Well, you know, Terry, the championship was great.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I mean it's the only one I ever won, and
so it's it's very very.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Special to me.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
But what's even more special was the people that you
accomplished it with.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I mean, we were family.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
We would on a lot of home game nights, we'd
wind up at the same restaurant together, or somebody would
have a party and invite everybody over. And and I mean,
to this day, two of the best friends I have
in the whole wide world are artist Gilmore and Louis Dampier.
So the championship was important, but being able to accomplish
(03:11):
it with all those people you just referred to, that
made it even more special.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
No doubt about it. And I know you stay in
touch with Louie and artists all the time, and that's terrific.
Are you guys going to do anything to celebrate this
or just gonna let it quietly pass now?
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I think I think you know artist is in Jacksonville
and I'm in Denver and Louis Louie doesn't leave his
couch ever anyway, so there might be some phone calls
and some texting going back and forth. But I think
you know, with even with it being the fiftieth anniversary,
(03:49):
I mean, I talked to Louis yesterday on the phone,
and I was texting with artists on Sunday when when
my Nuggets went down and went down the tubes, and
so there'll probably be some of.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
That going on, but that's about the extent of it.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Were you shocked that the Nuggets did flame out this year?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Not really? Not really. The Nuggets have a lot of problems, Terry.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
They had no bench and as a result, the starters
were having to play many more minutes than they should have.
And I mean, let's be honest, Oklahoma City is probably
the best team.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Now.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
As I said earlier, the best team doesn't always win
the championship. But you know, I was amazed that they
were able to take that series to Game seven because
I thought Oklahoma City was quite frankly, the much better team.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Yeah, no doubt about it. Here they go, they get
underway tonight, Timberwolves at the Thunder, and then the Pacers
and the Knicks. Since you do go back, you know
quite a ways. Let's talk about the Knicks of old.
What the world has taking New York and it's money
and must so long to put themselves back. Well, they're
not in the finals yet, but to work themselves into
(05:05):
the frenzy that they're in right now.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
It isn't that amazing.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I mean they were one of the model franchises for
for a long long time. But uh you know, injuries
and mismanagement and and and drafting players that don't pan out.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Uh it.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
It takes a lot of talent and quite frankly, a
lot of luck to win a championship. And uh so
we'll we'll see what happens. I like this Pacer team.
I think they have the depth that I talked about
that the Nuggets don't have. And they don't have a
lot of big name players, but they play basketball. They
don't you know, It's not a bunch of individuals going
(05:47):
one on one.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
They play the game as the way it's supposed to
be played.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
So and being an ex ABA franchise, that's the team
I'll be pulling for.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
And what makes sense as long as they can keep
their parents from running on the floor and taunting the opponents.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Well, you know, parents are a problem.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Cooper Flag's mom is going to be difficult. That NBA
just doesn't know that yet we know it on the
college ranks. Yeah, what about that the whole deal of
one point eight percent, Because there you were with the
Nuggets and management all that business too, So you guys
would sit there and sweat out, you know, the draft
night and all that business. What in the world, how
(06:30):
did Dallas pull off a one point eight percent and
then get that number one thing? Do you think it's rigged?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
No, I know it's not rigged. Now when you go back,
you remember when when the Knicks we were just talking
about got the number one pick and got to be
to pick Patrick Ewing. They they had envelopes in a hopper. Yeah,
and a lot of people said a lot of people
said that they froze the Knicks envelope so that it
(06:58):
was cold to the touch. And so who was ever,
who was ever pulling them out knew which one the
Knicks word.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
I can believe. I can believe that might have been fixed.
But I've been in terry. I've been in that.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Room where they pull the ping pong balls and there's
there's no way. I mean, it's just just luck. I mean,
the Dallas just had luck on their side that day.
There's there's no way the way they do it today,
there's no way you could fix it.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
A frozen envelope that is kind of brilliant. That sounds
very state Fair, Midway con Man sort of thing.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Well, you know, nobody, nobody ever accused.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Them of being a con man. But I wouldn't put
Commissioner Stern above that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
We know you worked hard on the NBA to lou
project and we don't know whatever's going to happen. Do
you still smell an expansion for the NBA here in
the United States? I know they're talking about other countries,
just like the NFL, But will there be an expansion
in these lower forty.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Eight terry That's a great question.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
And if if Commissioner Silver had his way, I think
I think that there would there will be. But I
don't know that that Adam Silver has the pull with
the owners that that David Stern had. Remember when David
(08:30):
Stern became commissioner, you know, these franchises weren't worth two
cents and and he made them very, very valuable, and
so he could do whatever he wanted to do and
the owners fell in line.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Well, now you've got you know, high tech guys and.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Guys that made the billions and billions of dollars on
their own, and I don't think they're going to listen
to a commissioner like the old owners did. And so
as a result of that, a lot of these owners
don't want to cut the pie any finer, and I
think they're just fine with there being the thirty teams
in the NBA. So, uh, you know, it's it'll happen
(09:10):
at some point. I'm not sure it'll happen during my lifetime.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Well, speaking of Danissel, let's jump to college. What in
the world with Nil? Do you see this as we
or have we gone over a cliff already? Can it
be salvaged? What do you think, Dan?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
No?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
I you know, it's one of those things terry where
you can't put the toothpaste back in in the in
the can. I mean, it's just that the the n
c a A handled this so poorly that, uh, you know,
their their their strategy was they were going to win
the lawsuit. And and I don't know why they had
(09:47):
that strategy because I don't think they've ever won a lawsuit,
But when when they had, they they let this get
to the point where it was out of control before
they put any any bumpers on it. And so I,
I don't know. I guess the colleges could get together,
but if you try, if if anybody tries to limit
(10:11):
the ni L. Now they'll be in the courthouse in
about a minute and a half because the athletes aren't
going to let that happen, and and the courts have
already proved they're going to side with the.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
With the athletes.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
So I just wish they they would have had ni
L at Kentucky when I was there. I would have
made even more money than I did.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Indeed, it's just the slide I read. I read Rex
Chapman's book, and I believe every word of that. About
the shoe box full of cash under the bed.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yeah I might have got.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
I might have gotten a hundred dollars handshake every once
in a while.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I didn't.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
I didn't get any shoe boxes, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
But when we see that ISSUL banner hanging up arena,
I don't feel like we're going to see that again
where we're going to retire banners unless there's a championship,
just because there's there's very little loyalty. Everybody's a mercenary
soldier who's just here for six or seven months and
(11:17):
then they're gone.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Yeah, yeah, that's a that's a great point. And and
you know, there there have been some great players come
through Lexington. You look at the NBA. Uh, you know
they were in that Nugget OKC series. There were three
three former UK players that played prominent roles in that series.
And so there's been some great players. But you're absolutely right,
(11:42):
it's hard to Uh. I saw just today, I saw
Boogie Flann, who was one of Cal's big recruits at
Kentucky and then he went to Arkansas with CAL. This
past year, he just signed with the Florida Gators. Yep,
now that's got the If that's not mercenary, I don't know.
I don't know what is. So yeah, it's I mean,
(12:05):
you're gonna have to get used to it because it's
it's it's gonna be it's gonna be very different. But
I think Mark's doing a terrific job at UK and
and getting in the transfer portal and he's playing the game.
You might not like it, but he's playing the game
you have to play to be successful, There's no doubt.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
But for you, dan Issel Kentucky Wildcats, that means everything
that's branded into your soul because that's you know, Adolph
Rupp came to find you on the farm and whatever
in Batavia, Illinois, and then so that's you. You're forever
associated with Kentucky. But now people are associated with the
team again, like they're waiting at a bus stop and
(12:46):
then they move on.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
To the next thing.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
It's weird.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I mean, you look at and with the extra year
of COVID, now you've got play. You got players that
have been in college for you know, five, six, seven years.
For crying out loud, I got I only got to
play for three years at Kentucky. But you're absolutely right.
It was going to Kentucky. Whether I chose coach Rep
(13:11):
or Coach Rep chose me. It was the greatest thing
that ever happened in my life because I played for
the best college basketball program in the country, and I
met a cute little cheerleader who became my wife, and
it's it was. It was the best thing, for sure.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Sweet Sherry, make sure you say all right. Last thing.
Lloyd Gardner was on a couple of days ago. He
says that after you and your teammates won the nineteen
seventy five ABA Championship here in Louisville, the Kentucky Colonels
beating the Indiana Pacers, that John Y Brown, the owner,
was asked if he would follow up on the promise
(13:51):
of letting you guys go to Las Vegas and that
he apportioned two hundred dollars per player and staff member
and then ultimately took it out of your paycheck later.
Your you're is that true?
Speaker 2 (14:03):
That is that's the truth. That's the true story. Listen.
You don't you don't get to.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Be a millionaire throwing money around Terry's.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Boy.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
That's exactly That's exactly what John. Why did I remember
after the game we all went I never could tell
Harry and Larry Jones apart, but we went to one
well maybe it was Larry. We went to one of
their houses and uh and the team I partied all
night long.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I remember driving home and with the with the sun
coming up. So uh uh.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Once we won a championship, we we took advantage of it,
for sure.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
No doubt about it. The late Harry and Larry Jones
hilarious because Harry would would look over at Larry and say,
because they're twins, whenever I want to know how ugly
I'm going to be in ten minutes, I look at him.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
I think they I think they played football at UK
and I think their numbers were one A and one B.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Right like secretary. Oh fantastic, dan isl You are the best,
And congratulations on fifty years since that championship and you
are still hilarious and I get a kick out of
you every time I see you.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Thanks, Terry, I really appreciate being on with you.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Okay, brother, great talking to you. Hi to Sherry, See
you soon, all right, Bye bye, dan Issel live from Colorado.
He's in Denver and getting ready with all the others
to celebrate fifty years since the ABA National Champions World
Championship back so I think they call themselves world champions.
The Kentucky Colonels from nineteen seventy five
He's still the all time leading score for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Never mind, and he's a six time ABA All Star
in a one time NBA All Star. He's the number
one Wildcat and that's all that matters in this universe.
Dan Issel, Welcome back to the program.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Hello, Terry, how are you?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Life is good? Where are you on the farm or
are you milking a cow? What are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
No?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
No, no, I'm in Denver, relaxing.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
There's nothing wrong relaxing lately.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Nothing wrong with that. Brother. Well, you know you're going
to be getting a lot of calls from people if
you haven't already, because two days from now, it's the
fiftieth anniversary of something magnificent that happened in Freedom Hall
right here in Louisville. You know what I'm talking about?
Your ABA championship with the Kentucky Colonels. Take us back
(00:59):
to the night, Dan.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
It was a great night for sure, winning the championship,
But really, Terry was kind of of a relief because
two or three seasons before that, I think we had
the best team in the A B A with artists
and Louis and and and some of the others but
it took HB. Brown being our coach to to win
(01:24):
the championship. And I can remember when it was all
over when we beat the Pacers there in game number five.
UH fans rushed the floor and everybody was standing there.
We we we finally did it. So it was it
was a great night and uh and and and and
a rewarding night for a lot of us that had
(01:47):
put a lot of sweat and tears into that team.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
No doubt. And then after the championship was over, did
the power go off in Freedom Hall? I?
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I think it did for a short period of time,
but by the time we got to the locker room,
it was it was back on.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Okay, the basketball gods were like shock, But thank goodness
you got it done that because I mean that team
that you had was filled with personalities too. I mean,
you know, you obviously been beloved here for so long,
but man, you had a lot of other guys on
that squad, the championship squad, with great personalities that you
(02:28):
were heroes everywhere.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Well, you know, Terry, the championship was great.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I mean it's the only one I ever won, and
so it's it's very very.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Special to me.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
But what's even more special was the people that you
accomplished it with.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I mean, we were family.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
We would on a lot of home game nights, we'd
wind up at the same restaurant together, or somebody would
have a party and invite everybody over. And and I mean,
to this day, two of the best friends I have
in the whole wide world are artist Gilmore and Louis Dampier.
So the championship was important, but being able to accomplish
(03:11):
it with all those people you just referred to, that
made it even more special.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
No doubt about it. And I know you stay in
touch with Louie and artists all the time, and that's terrific.
Are you guys going to do anything to celebrate this
or just gonna let it quietly pass now?
Speaker 3 (03:27):
I think I think you know artist is in Jacksonville
and I'm in Denver and Louis Louie doesn't leave his
couch ever anyway, so there might be some phone calls
and some texting going back and forth. But I think
you know, with even with it being the fiftieth anniversary,
(03:49):
I mean, I talked to Louis yesterday on the phone,
and I was texting with artists on Sunday when when
my Nuggets went down and went down the tubes, and
so there'll probably be some of.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
That going on, but that's about the extent of it.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Were you shocked that the Nuggets did flame out this year?
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Not really? Not really. The Nuggets have a lot of problems, Terry.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
They had no bench and as a result, the starters
were having to play many more minutes than they should have.
And I mean, let's be honest, Oklahoma City is probably
the best team.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Now.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
As I said earlier, the best team doesn't always win
the championship. But you know, I was amazed that they
were able to take that series to Game seven because
I thought Oklahoma City was quite frankly, the much better team.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Yeah, no doubt about it. Here they go, they get
underway tonight, Timberwolves at the Thunder, and then the Pacers
and the Knicks. Since you do go back, you know
quite a ways. Let's talk about the Knicks of old.
What the world has taking New York and it's money
and must so long to put themselves back. Well, they're
not in the finals yet, but to work themselves into
(05:05):
the frenzy that they're in right now.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
It isn't that amazing.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I mean they were one of the model franchises for
for a long long time. But uh you know, injuries
and mismanagement and and and drafting players that don't pan out.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Uh it.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
It takes a lot of talent and quite frankly, a
lot of luck to win a championship. And uh so
we'll we'll see what happens. I like this Pacer team.
I think they have the depth that I talked about
that the Nuggets don't have. And they don't have a
lot of big name players, but they play basketball. They
don't you know, It's not a bunch of individuals going
(05:47):
one on one.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
They play the game as the way it's supposed to
be played.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
So and being an ex ABA franchise, that's the team
I'll be pulling for.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
And what makes sense as long as they can keep
their parents from running on the floor and taunting the opponents.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Well, you know, parents are a problem.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Cooper Flag's mom is going to be difficult. That NBA
just doesn't know that yet we know it on the
college ranks. Yeah, what about that the whole deal of
one point eight percent, Because there you were with the
Nuggets and management all that business too, So you guys
would sit there and sweat out, you know, the draft
night and all that business. What in the world, how
(06:30):
did Dallas pull off a one point eight percent and
then get that number one thing? Do you think it's rigged?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
No, I know it's not rigged. Now when you go back,
you remember when when the Knicks we were just talking
about got the number one pick and got to be
to pick Patrick Ewing. They they had envelopes in a hopper. Yeah,
and a lot of people said a lot of people
said that they froze the Knicks envelope so that it
(06:58):
was cold to the touch. And so who was ever,
who was ever pulling them out knew which one the
Knicks word.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
I can believe. I can believe that might have been fixed.
But I've been in terry. I've been in that.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Room where they pull the ping pong balls and there's
there's no way. I mean, it's just just luck. I mean,
the Dallas just had luck on their side that day.
There's there's no way the way they do it today,
there's no way you could fix it.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
A frozen envelope that is kind of brilliant. That sounds
very state Fair, Midway con Man sort of thing.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
Well, you know, nobody, nobody ever accused.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Them of being a con man. But I wouldn't put
Commissioner Stern above that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
We know you worked hard on the NBA to lou
project and we don't know whatever's going to happen. Do
you still smell an expansion for the NBA here in
the United States? I know they're talking about other countries,
just like the NFL, But will there be an expansion
in these lower forty.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Eight terry That's a great question.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
And if if Commissioner Silver had his way, I think
I think that there would there will be. But I
don't know that that Adam Silver has the pull with
the owners that that David Stern had. Remember when David
(08:30):
Stern became commissioner, you know, these franchises weren't worth two
cents and and he made them very, very valuable, and
so he could do whatever he wanted to do and
the owners fell in line.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Well, now you've got you know, high tech guys and.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Guys that made the billions and billions of dollars on
their own, and I don't think they're going to listen
to a commissioner like the old owners did. And so
as a result of that, a lot of these owners
don't want to cut the pie any finer, and I
think they're just fine with there being the thirty teams
in the NBA. So, uh, you know, it's it'll happen
(09:10):
at some point. I'm not sure it'll happen during my lifetime.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Well, speaking of Danissel, let's jump to college. What in
the world with Nil? Do you see this as we
or have we gone over a cliff already? Can it
be salvaged? What do you think, Dan?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
No?
Speaker 3 (09:26):
I you know, it's one of those things terry where
you can't put the toothpaste back in in the in
the can. I mean, it's just that the the n
c a A handled this so poorly that, uh, you know,
their their their strategy was they were going to win
the lawsuit. And and I don't know why they had
(09:47):
that strategy because I don't think they've ever won a lawsuit,
But when when they had, they they let this get
to the point where it was out of control before
they put any any bumpers on it. And so I,
I don't know. I guess the colleges could get together,
but if you try, if if anybody tries to limit
(10:11):
the ni L. Now they'll be in the courthouse in
about a minute and a half because the athletes aren't
going to let that happen, and and the courts have
already proved they're going to side with the.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
With the athletes.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
So I just wish they they would have had ni
L at Kentucky when I was there. I would have
made even more money than I did.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Indeed, it's just the slide I read. I read Rex
Chapman's book, and I believe every word of that. About
the shoe box full of cash under the bed.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yeah I might have got.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
I might have gotten a hundred dollars handshake every once
in a while.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
I didn't.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
I didn't get any shoe boxes, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
But when we see that ISSUL banner hanging up arena,
I don't feel like we're going to see that again
where we're going to retire banners unless there's a championship,
just because there's there's very little loyalty. Everybody's a mercenary
soldier who's just here for six or seven months and
(11:17):
then they're gone.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
Yeah, yeah, that's a that's a great point. And and
you know, there there have been some great players come
through Lexington. You look at the NBA. Uh, you know
they were in that Nugget OKC series. There were three
three former UK players that played prominent roles in that series.
And so there's been some great players. But you're absolutely right,
(11:42):
it's hard to Uh. I saw just today, I saw
Boogie Flann, who was one of Cal's big recruits at
Kentucky and then he went to Arkansas with CAL. This
past year, he just signed with the Florida Gators. Yep,
now that's got the If that's not mercenary, I don't know.
I don't know what is. So yeah, it's I mean,
(12:05):
you're gonna have to get used to it because it's
it's it's gonna be it's gonna be very different. But
I think Mark's doing a terrific job at UK and
and getting in the transfer portal and he's playing the game.
You might not like it, but he's playing the game
you have to play to be successful, There's no doubt.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
But for you, dan Issel Kentucky Wildcats, that means everything
that's branded into your soul because that's you know, Adolph
Rupp came to find you on the farm and whatever
in Batavia, Illinois, and then so that's you. You're forever
associated with Kentucky. But now people are associated with the
team again, like they're waiting at a bus stop and
(12:46):
then they move on.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
To the next thing.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
It's weird.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
I mean, you look at and with the extra year
of COVID, now you've got play. You got players that
have been in college for you know, five, six, seven years.
For crying out loud, I got I only got to
play for three years at Kentucky. But you're absolutely right.
It was going to Kentucky. Whether I chose coach Rep
(13:11):
or Coach Rep chose me. It was the greatest thing
that ever happened in my life because I played for
the best college basketball program in the country, and I
met a cute little cheerleader who became my wife, and
it's it was. It was the best thing, for sure.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Sweet Sherry, make sure you say all right. Last thing.
Lloyd Gardner was on a couple of days ago. He
says that after you and your teammates won the nineteen
seventy five ABA Championship here in Louisville, the Kentucky Colonels
beating the Indiana Pacers, that John Y Brown, the owner,
was asked if he would follow up on the promise
(13:51):
of letting you guys go to Las Vegas and that
he apportioned two hundred dollars per player and staff member
and then ultimately took it out of your paycheck later.
Your you're is that true?
Speaker 2 (14:03):
That is that's the truth. That's the true story. Listen.
You don't you don't get to.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
Be a millionaire throwing money around Terry's.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Boy.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
That's exactly That's exactly what John. Why did I remember
after the game we all went I never could tell
Harry and Larry Jones apart, but we went to one
well maybe it was Larry. We went to one of
their houses and uh and the team I partied all
night long.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I remember driving home and with the with the sun
coming up. So uh uh.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Once we won a championship, we we took advantage of it,
for sure.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
No doubt about it. The late Harry and Larry Jones
hilarious because Harry would would look over at Larry and say,
because they're twins, whenever I want to know how ugly
I'm going to be in ten minutes, I look at him.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
I think they I think they played football at UK
and I think their numbers were one A and one B.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Right like secretary. Oh fantastic, dan isl You are the best,
And congratulations on fifty years since that championship and you
are still hilarious and I get a kick out of
you every time I see you.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Thanks, Terry, I really appreciate being on with you.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Okay, brother, great talking to you. Hi to Sherry, See
you soon, all right, Bye bye, dan Issel live from Colorado.
He's in Denver and getting ready with all the others
to celebrate fifty years since the ABA National Champions World
Championship back so I think they call themselves world champions.
The Kentucky Colonels from nineteen seventy five
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