As a proud alum of the University of Houston I have always been a big fan of Elvin Hayes. He's not only a Hall of fame basketball player but an inspiration and wonderfully friendly guy. He wasn't always that way. He had a serious stuttering problem growing up and it took until adulthood for him to get past it. He says it was just all hard work.
On the court he was a workhorse and his numbers are worthy of a Hall of Famer. I attended The Game of the Century back in January of 1968 and it changed my life, a story I've told before and won't repeat again here. Elvin currently works as a color man on the UH basketball broadcasts and he is a big supporter of the program.
This signed Panini card is my latest pick-up.
My favorite Hayes collectible, except for the GOTC game program, is a 2'x3' photo/poster of the game signed and inscribed by Elvin. Too big to scan of course so I took a picture (not a very good one).
The sig says:
The Game of the Century
UH 71 UCLA 69
The Big E
Elvin Hayes
Do you own the Sports Illustrates. If not I think have a copy I could send your way
ReplyDeleteSent ya an email, Mark
DeleteAll of those items are awesome. It's an awesome collection. But the fact that you attended the game is coolest thing ever. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad had bought the tickets but my less than stellar report card the previous month almost torpedo'd the whole thing (Algebra kicked my ass!) Wonder what my life would be like had I not gone to the game and then attended UH. I'd have been at Rutgers or Glassboro State and never met the wonderful, patient woman I married.
DeleteI'm one of those guys that believe some things happen for a reason. Sounds like this is one of those things ;-)
DeleteAwesome pieces!
ReplyDelete