Here's Johnny Orr-92-P

Iowa State University men's basketball coach Johnny Orr shouldn't have to share a theme song. He's earned one in his own right since 1980 by taking a program at a school better known for agriculture and engineering than for basketball and bringing it into the national spotlight - into the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament in 1992. But this book is about more than Iowa State. It is a chronicle of Orr's life, starting with his boyhood days in the southern Illinois town of Taylorville during the Great Depression. Under coach and mentor Dolph Stanley, young Johnny in his senior year of high school led the Purple Tornadoes through an incredible undefeated season capped by a state championship. College years saw Johnny at 17 becoming the youngest University of Illinois freshman ever to compete in three sports. After a brief stint in the U.S. Navy toward the end of World War II, Orr resumed his college basketball career at Beloit, where he garnered enough attention to be drafted into the pros upon graduation. Coaching seemed to be Johnny Orr's true destiny, however, and after a long climb up that career ladder, he found a niche at the University of Michigan. His 1973-74 team made it into the Elite Eight at the NCAA tourney and Orr was named Big Ten Coach of the Year; his 1976 team was the NCAA tournament runner-up and Orr was named National Coach of the Year. People thought he was crazy to leave a high-profile job at Michigan to go coach in the cornfields, but Orr's long-range vision for the Iowa State program is being borne out. Along with the facts of his life, this book also reveals Johnny's human side. There are family stories from his wife, Romie, and four daughters, along with testimonials from those who have followed him through the years. And of course Johnny himself has a chance to speak out, revealing the warmth and humor that have made him a beloved figure over the course of his distinguished career.


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