COACHING LEGEND RUSSELL "SOX" WALSETH PASSES AWAY AT 77
BOULDER?Russell “Sox” Walseth, the legendary University of Colorado basketball coach who was likely the first and one of only a few to have coached both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at the same NCAA school, passed away Wednesday morning in his Boulder home after two-year battle with cancer. He was 77.
A player, coach and administrator, his time at CU spanned 38 years, starting as an athlete in the 1940s when he lettered a combined six times in both basketball and baseball.
Taking over the reins of the men’s program for the 1956-57 season, Walseth proceeded to coach the next 20 Buffalo teams. The winningest coach in CU men’s basketball history with a 261-245 record, the Buffs won three Big Eight titles under his direction, in 1961-62, 1962-63 and 1968-69. He was the Big Eight Conference coach of the year on five occasions, and his most prominent players included Wilky Gilmore, Roger Voss, Ken Charlton, Jim Davis, Milt Mueller, Chuck Williams, Lynn Baker, Bob Bauers, Cliff Meely, Pat Frink, Jim Creighton, Scott Wedman and Dave Logan.
All three of his Big Eight champion teams represented the conference in the NCAA regional tournaments (in those days, only one school could advance from a conference). Eventual NCAA champion Cincinnati eliminated the Buffs in the first two appearances, while his third tourney team may have represented his best coaching job in his tenure as he piloted a sophomore-dominated team to the league title and an NCAA berth.
He retired from coaching for the first time in the spring of 1976 and remained on in an administrative position with the athletic department. But four years later (1980), and CU hit with budget woes, then athletic director Eddie Crowder asked him if he would come out of retirement to help the program to which he had devoted much of his adult life. Sox answered that call and would coach the CU women’s team between 1980-83, then known as the “Lady Buffs,” compiling an impressive 77-21 record. That mark included an incredible 43-0 record at home, and once again, he earned coach of the year accolades.
In 1996, thanks to funds raised by a host of his former players, the basketball floor at the Coors Events/Conference Center was named after him. In 1998, he was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, and four years later in 2002, he was a member of the fourth class inducted into the University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Fame.
Sox (the origin of that nickname was always unknown to him, but he had it since childhood) was born April 6, 1926 in Aberdeen, S.D. He was an all-state performer in basketball at Pierre High School, where he graduated in 1944.
He spent two years in the Navy’s V-5 and V-12 programs during which he began college, attending Carroll College in Helena, Mont. The Navy moved him to Colorado in the fall of 1945 and he was a regular on the basketball team in his first year at CU while still in the Navy program.
After his discharge, he stayed on at Colorado, playing guard with the reputation as a brilliant floor leader during the 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons. He lettered three years as a shortstop for coach Frank Prentup on the baseball team, and would also try his hand in the minor leagues, spending two seasons with Victoria (B.C.), a member of the B League.
Perhaps his greatest game as a collegian occurred during his first year at Colorado when the Buffaloes made an early season tour that took them to New York’s Madison Square Garden. Accounts at the time referred to his performance as, “Cool and crafty beyond his years, Walseth was unruffled at playing for the first time in the nation’s top arena against one of the country’s top teams, NYU.” Though CU lost 66-52, Walseth led all scorers in the game with 20 points.
After his graduation from CU in the spring of 1948, he remained with the school as head freshman basketball coach while he worked toward a Master’s degree in Education. He spent five seasons in this capacity, three years under his college coach, Forrest B. “Frosty” Cox, and two with H.B. “Bebe” Lee.
With that experience along with his Master’s from Colorado, he left Boulder to become head basketball coach at Arvin High School in Bakersfield, Calif., in 1954. After one year there, he was named head coach at South Dakota State College and quickly reshaped that school’s cage fortunes. In his first year there (1954-55), his team forged a 14-11 mark, but the following year the Jackrabbits fashioned a 17-7 record in winning the North Central Conference crown and went on to play in the NAIA national tournament.
Walseth had the combined outstanding qualities of two fine coaches in Cox and Lee, and those along with his excellent background combined with a solid blend of youth and fire made him the easy choice to succeed Lee as CU’s coach prior to the 1956-57 season.
Walseth is the fifth CU icon to pass away since the turn of the century, as the Buffalo family also lost long-time athletic staff members Fred Casotti (2001), and Les Fowler and Dan Stavely (both in 2003), along with its first All-American and former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron "Whizzer" White (in 2002).
He was preceded in death by his first wife of more than 40 years, the former Eleanor “Ellie” Hahn, and is survived by his current wife, Joan, sons Joe and Nick, daughter Cynthia and four grandchildren.
Services are pending; in lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to the University of Colorado Foundation, in care of the Russell “Sox” Walseth Scholarship Fund, c/o 369 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0369.
Sox Walseth Year-By-Year
Conference Overall
Men/Season W L Pct. Rank W L Pct.
1956-57 5 7 .417 t-4th 14 9 .609
1957-58 3 9 .250 t-6th 8 15 .348
1958-59 8 6 .571 t-3rd 14 10 .583
1959-60 8 6 .571 t-4th 14 10 .583
1960-61 7 7 .500 4th 15 10 .600
1961-62 13 1 .929 1st 19 7 .731
1962-63 11 3 .786 t-1st 19 7 .731
1963-64 9 5 .643 2nd 15 10 .600
1964-65 8 6 .571 t-5th 13 12 .520
1965-66 6 8 .429 t-5th 12 13 .480
1966-67 10 4 .714 t-2nd 17 8 .680
1967-68 3 11 .214 t-7th 9 16 .360
1968-69 10 4 .714 1st 21 7 .750
1969-70 7 7 .500 t-3rd 14 12 .538
1970-71 6 8 .429 t-5th 14 12 .538
1971-72 4 10 .714 7th 7 19 .269
1972-73 9 5 .643 t-2nd 13 13 .500
1973-74 4 10 .286 6th 9 17 .346
1974-75 4 10 .286 t-7th 7 19 .269
1975-76 4 10 .286 7th 7 19 .269
Totals 139 137 .504 -- 261 245 .516
Conference Overall
1980-81 10 0 1.000 1st 28 5 .848
1980-82 8 2 .800 t-1st 28 8 .778
1982-83 7 5 .583 3rd 21 8 .724
Totals 25 7 .781 -- 77 21 .786
Combined 164 144 .532 -- 338 266 .560
THE EULOGY DELIVERED BY BOB BAUERS
(Bauers played for Walseth from 1964-67)
“It is with great honor, privilege and humility that I am here with you all today to honor a man for whom we all have a great deal of love and affection. We are here to celebrate the life of Sox Walseth, a man who has had a huge impact on the lives of many of us here, and many that couldn’t be here with us today.
“Sox came to Boulder by way of Pierre, South Dakota as a young athlete. He was a member of the 1944 State “A” basketball champion Governors as well as an outstanding baseball player. In 1944 after graduation, he enlisted in the Navy Pre-Flight Program and like many good Catholics, requested being sent to Notre Dame for training. However, in typical government fashion, he was sent to a small college in Helena, Montana?Carroll College. As the war ended this group of young men were transferred out, with Sox requesting the University of Washington. But as fate would have it, he ended up in Boulder in November of 1945. As he stood in line to register, someone asked that if anyone in the line could play basketball, they could move to the front. So Sox raised his hand and the legend began.
“At CU he competed in both basketball and baseball. He built a reputation for being a brilliant floor leader during the 46-47 and 47-48 seasons. His best game was probably his appearance at Madison Square Garden against hometown NYU, scoring 20 of his team’s 52 points. Accounts described him as ?cool and crafty beyond his years,’ somewhat like he would be referred to as a coach many years later.
“Sox became the head basketball coach at CU in 1955, winning three Big Eight titles, and was named coach of the year five times, along with a sixth time with the women. He is still the winningest coach in CU history, and as he himself was always so quick to point out, the losingest coach in CU history! He coached the women for three years and never lost a game at home. Sox has had an unsurpassed influence on the CU basketball programs for over 50 years, as well as the countless lives of the men and women who were fortunate enough to play for him and know him.
“His coaching accomplishments don’t begin to reflect the many successful men, women, fathers and mothers who under his guidance left the University prepared in their chosen field, prepared to raise a family, and prepared to compete in life on a daily basis. He would teach you to be flexible, he taught you to work with others to achieve common goals. The true measure of a man or a coaches did he leave the world a better place. Sox’ best accomplishments aren’t the games he won, the honors he received for the titles his team’s gained, but the men and women who have become productive citizens and successful parents.
“I know that as the years passed after leaving CU, I realized the lessons Sox had taught. He was a devoted husband, father and coach. When Ellie became ill, Sox gave up his golf games, his friends and his basketball games to care for her. For over two years, Sox rarely left home except to get groceries and attend mass. What a rare man, one in a million. In the ensuing years, Sox was lucky enough to find Joan, who brought Sox joy, companionship and love. Throughout this past year there were many of you blessed to be able to talk to and see Sox and help him through a difficult time. As usual, he was the coach we all loved: humorous, never self-pitying, showing his usual class.
“There are a lot of different things that we all will remember about our playing days and our time we spent with coach. Funny things, sad things, but probably mostly happy and funny events. A room would change when Sox came into it, as he was never lost for a one-liner that would crack up the crowd. At his CU Hall of Fame induction, he had everyone in stitches as he told stories of his career. He didn’t give a speech so much as have a conversation with everyone there to honor him. Sox didn’t speak to people, he always talked with them. Despite the late hour and the restless audience, everyone was spellbound with story after story and amazing experiences, sometimes poignant but usually funny to the point of tears.
“But they never were about him, never about a lifetime of wonderful accomplishments, never about a great personal sports history as a player and a coach, never about the achievements at CU that will always be the standards for others to strive to achieve. Never about the hundreds of athletes who are better men and women because of what we learned from him, never about a great group of children, Joe, Nick, Cindy who are so very proud to call him Dad. Never about the many, many friends who cannot help but smile whenever they think of Sox. He never took himself seriously and was always quick to downplay any of his accomplishments. He always had a hunch, but we all probably know by now that it was likely a well thought out ploy that would result in out coaching his opponent. He usually presented things as the glass being half empty, but in his own style it was really always half full. I know each of you can sit here today and smile at the quirks and superstitions that adorned his life. Coach the women’s team was a true joy for Sox and probably left the women with hilarious memories.
“Today, we should all count our blessings for having had the opportunity to be associated with such a loving, devoted man. For those of us who were fortunate enough to be asked to attend the University of Colorado to play for Sox, and those of you who were lucky enough to know and associate with Sox as a friend, he would dismiss his contributions that he made to so many of us. And the opportunity to play for him, the loyalty he had to his players, friends and family and mostly his many contributions to the University of Colorado. But that is why we are all here today, to celebrate and honor Sox for what he has passed on to us all. There are many of us better off today because of what Sox has contributed to our lives. We all should be honored and grateful that we could be a part of his life. I also feel honored that Sox always shared his family with so many of us; Sox and Elly would always make young people away from home feel comfortable, and part of their clan. Joe, Nick and Cindy have always been like family to us, sharing their Dad and Mon during the time we were in school.
“In the very last year, we have all been very blessed, because we got to keep Sox around for a lot longer time than we all thought. There are many people who were able to see Sox and talk to him, many who I believe prolonged his life because they were able to share with him how much he meant to them. It was all of our turns to make a difference in his life and you all did. He cherished the people who would stop by and see him and the many who would call and check on him. His line was often busy these last few months. I know that each and every day he looked forward to the calls and visits, and believe me they kept him going.
“When you talk about Sox, you talk about someone who loved what they did and cared about all the young people whose lives he affected. He could remember things about everyone who ever played for him, he could recant games that we’ve all probably forgotten, and what happened and by whom. And how bad the referees might have been! Sox would have everyone believe that they were the best and that they always had contributed to winning. He would always give you a pat on the rear for encouragement, but by did he struggle with that one when he coached the girls!
“Sox gave me very implicit instructions about what was to be done here today. He planned his own funeral, and didn't want a llot said about him! He wanted a letter from him good friend Bud Davis read to everyone. Sox said, and I quote, ?I couldn’t have said it better myself.’ (Bauers read the letter, excerpts of which appear under Bud Davis below.)
“Once you’ve played for Sox or knew him well, you carry him with you forever. You hear his voice, you see his face, you long for his smile of approval. With each success in life, you wanted Sox to know about it. You wanted to say, ?Hey coach, look what I’ve done.’ And you want to thank him for teaching you that success is not an accident. You waned to apologize for any failure, because he did not teach us to fail.
“We will leave here today without the physical presence of Sox, but his spirit will live in the hearts and minds and souls of all the young boys and girls he touched, all the kids who became men and women under him. His spirit will move us and motivate us and comfort us for the rest of our lives.
“Few people in the life of a University are immortal; Sox is one. People will be remembering Sox one hundred years from now.”
(There were scores of former players and staff in attendance; some of those in the over 1,200 present included: Lynn Baker, Gary & Mary Barnett, Bob Bauers, Sandy Bean, Milt Branch, Liz Brugger, Jon Burianek, Ken Chartlon, JoJo & Chris Christenson, Dan Creedon, Jim Creighton, Debbie Descano, Ken Farris, Sonny Flowers, Don Garramone, Burdette Haldorson, Bill Harris, Julie Hoehing, CU president Elizabeth Hoffman & husband Brian Binger, Michelle Irving, Kim Kenyon, Jim Kithcart, Tom Lawrence, Duane Lewis, Jack Lintz, Linda Meadows, Rich Newton, Corky O’Rourke, Ricardo & Jennifer Patton, Boyd Pickens, Joel Ripmaster, Joe Romig, Tim Simmons, Gwen & Mark Sparn, Dick & Melinda Tharp, Lisa Van Goor, Laurie Welch, Chuck Williams, Lloyd Williams and Brigitte and Larry Zimmer. Those out of town who could not attend but expressed well wishes included Ceal Barry & the entire CU women’s basketball team, which won 68-66 in Sox’ honor at Missouri; Dave Logan and John Meadows).
REACTION TO WALSETH’S PASSING
Reaction from some of those who knew Sox Walseth best:
Tom Apke, CU Basketball Coach (1981-1986)
“We not only shared the Events Center, we shared the same office suite. It was a great experience to be around him. He had more funny stories about things that had happened over the years, and more funny stories about the differences in coaching the men and coaching the women. He was a delight to be around, to have as a confidant. He will surely be missed.
“I remember one night I came back to the office after practice to tend to a pile of phone messages. Sox told me, ?Tom, just throw those away and go home to your family. If any of those are important, they’ll call back; the others will just go away. Now there’s no way I could really do that, but you know he was right. He was a good man. With all of the issues that we’ve had recently with some college coaches, it’s neat to look back on a man who had great integrity and who truly represented the profession with class.”
Gary Barnett, CU Football Coach (1999-present)
“We not only lost a tremendous coach, husband, father, but a great Buff. The kind of man we all aspire to be.”
Ceal Barry (CU Women’s Basketball Coach, 1983-present)
“Well I think Sox is going to be remembered not just for all of his basketball knowledge and his accomplishments here as a coach at CU, but more for the person that he was and lives that he touched. I don’t know any figure in the CU community that I’ve met in the 21 years I’ve lived in Boulder that had more impact on more people than Sox Walseth.
“I think it was a combination of his sense of humor and his personality and his compassion for people that made him so special. As for our relationship, Sox was integral to me in helping put the triangle offense in. We spent hours and hours and hours talking and laughing and comparing notes. He was really a friend to me, especially when I was going through a tough time when the players transferred. He really was with me all the way. That was really when our personal relationship started, back in 1999.
“Even though my association with Sox was short and it was in his last five years of his life, I think it was very special to both of us. We were two, really, two veteran coaches who saw the game the same way. I enjoyed sitting in his living room watching the game tape, which he’d call the movies. He’d say, ?Bring the movies over,’ and we’d sit in his living room and watch the movies and he’d pull out that old Tennessee game, Tennessee vs. Colorado back when Lisa (Van Goor) and Sandy Bean played. But he was special, very special. He cared about how I felt and the day-to-day challenges that I felt; he was always with me as a coach. His experience as a coach, as a head coach, he lived and breathed everyday with me.
“It was really special to have his grandson, Patrick (a team manager), at practice and Sox in the stands, and Sox would be telling Patrick what to do, but that was special. I’m sure he was so proud to have his grandson out on the court where he spent so many of his years, so much of his life. He’s going to be missed, and he’s going to be missed for a long time.
I’m proud that we’re running his offense. Everyday that we run it and every game that we run it and every win that we get, it’s part of his legacy that’s living on. Because he really put it in for the women’s team here.”
Sandy Bean (Biestek), Player (1978-82)
“Sox was a wonderful man in every regard. I am fortunate to have known him for more than 20 years, and I am honored to have played for him for, too. I wish I had kept a written diary of all the funny things he said and did. It would have been lengthy and very entertaining.
“I knew we were in for something special during our first day of practice, which began with a rebound drill. We had just started when he blew his whistle and stopped us abruptly, asking us what we were doing. We told him we were blocking out. He barked that he didn’t want us to block out, he wanted us to jump. We tried to explain that the reason we were blocking out, was that we couldn’t jump.
“It was immediately obvious that while Sox had tremendous basketball knowledge; it was just going to take him some time to adjust to female players. I believe Corky O’Rourke demonstrated the jump, so we went right back to blocking out. And only recently I learned that the GMA (general milling around) offense we ran in the 80’s was really the vaunted triangle offense.
“I always looked forward to attending CU football and basketball games so I could spend some time with him. I can’t recall who won or lost most of those games, but for 20 years I have held onto many one-liner gems that Sox directed my way.
“It wasn’t just me. He made hilarious comments about most everyone, and many of his best shots were at himself. During one round of golf, he had our foursome laughing start to finish. Back at the clubhouse Sox announced he had accumulated 16 riders. When we asked what that was, he said it was the number of times he hit his ball far enough on the fairway to actually get in the cart and “ride” to his next shot.
“I am going to miss Sox. I don’t want to be sappy, but I think he will still be with us in the West Stands and behind the team bench. I’m counting on Joan, Joe, Nick and Cindy to continue on and give me a few more gems along the way.”
Irv Brown, CU Baseball Coach & Director of Development (1970-79)
“We coached together, worked together and handled fundraising together. Everything he did for the University was tops, done with class. He was CU; he and Fred Casotti lived and died for CU, they were just terrific for the place. I watched Sox play when I was growing up, and then watched him coach. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a coach have a better rapport with his players. Sox was simply just terrific.”
Jon Burianek, Longtime CU Administrator (1970-present)
“You always knew the game was getting tight when Sox would throw his coat over the back of the chair, and start to rub his fingers through his hair while pacing along the bench. What I remember about Sox was his dry sense of humor his quick wit, his passion for the game of basketball, his deep devotion to the athletic department, and (as he affectionately called them) the ?KIDS.’
“But what really stands out for me was when the athletic department found itself without a women’s basketball coach, facing budget troubles, and a program just starting to get on its feet, Sox stepped forward and filled a void in our program. He provided the leadership for our women’s team that desperately needed a coach. His KIDS had winning seasons, and most importantly, that had a great college experience working with a great coach and made a friend for life.”
Jim Corbridge, Former CU Professor, Chancellor & Faculty Rep (1965-present)
“He was a friend for almost 40 years. We often sat around and talked basketball, both men’s and women’s, and about the University of Colorado. He was a great enthusiast and a terrific person. He was from the old school, a genuine, warm and loving person. We’re all going to miss his warmth and good humor and his love for the University of Colorado.”
Bud Davis, CU Student & Head Football Coach (1962)
(Excerpts from a letter he directly penned to Sox in December 2002, which was read at his memorial service)
“Dear Sox: As the years wind down, it seems to be an appropriate time to tell special people how much they have meant over almost a lifetime. To put it succinctly, you are one of the greatest men I have ever known.
“Over the years, you have garnered many laurels, but the most impressive has been your ability to earn the respect, admiration and friendship of all who have been lucky enough to know you as a coach, a man, and a great teacher. You rank among the giants of this past century, both at CU and nationally, guys like Harry Carlson, Fred Casotti and Whizzer White. As a historian, it is a pleasure to write about your many contributions to CU over half a century.
“Throughout your productive career, you have always projected great humility, modesty under praise, poise under duress. You have been a master at self-deprecating humor, always taking your job seriously, but never yourself. You have enlivened many a dull party and stand at the top of the list as good company on any occasion. You have been loyal to your school, your adopted state, and your legions of players ad co-coaches and friends. For each of us it is a badge of honor to brad that we know Sox Walseth.”
Alvin Gentry, CU Assistant Coach (1980-84)
“I know that he will truly be missed in Boulder. He was a very unique person and a damn good basketball coach. I have never met anyone so up beat. He was always on the move and never in one spot very long.”
Dave Logan, Player (1972-76)
“He made the game fun. He was an excellent coach and just flat out fun to play for. And he was even a better guy.”
Cliff Meely, Player (1968-71)
“One of the major reasons I came to CU was Sox standing by me when I injured my knee as a senior in high school. A lot of other schools that were recruiting me backed off, but Sox was there for me. And once I was here, he was just a great man to play for and learn from. He wasn’t just interested in us playing basketball, he wanted us to get our degrees.
“He also had a great sense of humor,” Meely continued. “He would make us laugh. Whenever I would see him, including the last time I saw him, he’d always say, ?How ya doing, kid.’ His wife, Ellie, too. When you played for Sox you were part of his family. He’ll always be with us. The things he taught us in sports, the things he taught us in life. He will always be a part of who I am, who we are.”
Mike Moran, CU Sports Information Director (1968-79)
"Sox Walseth could just as easily been Coach Rockwell at Valley Falls High and taught Chip Hilton to make at least six passes before shooting. This was the ultimate old-school coach, but one who was a father to many of his players and a smart, dry, witty genius who often got more from his teams than he should have. I will never forget one game, I think at Air Force, when CU brought him back as the women's coach. He broke the huddle with his women at the start of the game and slapped one of them on her posterior. He turned around and looked at me as if to say, "I shouldn't have done that." In today's environment, Sox would be correct, but in his time, and in his world, he was never out of tune."
Ricardo Patton, CU Men’s Basketball Coach (1996-present)
“Our hearts and prayers go out to Sox and his family. I will always cherish and remember our game day lunches, and what he meant to me as a person and his support through the years. It was a pleasure and an honor to talk basketball with him. He may have been out of coaching for 20 years, but he knew the game as well as anyone. We have truly lost a great man.”
David Plati, CU Sports Information (1978-present)
“We’ve lost some great Buffs over the past few years, and Sox is most definitely on that list. It’s sad when so many ties to the past leave us, because people like Sox, Fred Casotti, Les Fowler and Dan Stavely were and are a very big part of our history.
“Sox was so ?cool’ to work with, a flat out joy. I remember back in 1982, when we were one year away from officially starting women’s basketball in the Big Eight in the sense that the conference was going to recognize the sport and start keeping track of league leaders. Iowa State wasn’t playing a league schedule that year, so it was just seven teams. We thought it was kind of dumb for the conference to ignore keeping stats, even though they were tracking standings, so Sox said for us to do it, right here out of CU. And we did. I know that’s kind of out there, but to me, it showed me he just wanted to do what was right for the players.”
Dick Tharp, CU Athletic Director (1996-present)
“I could go on forever about Sox. He was the perfect example that you never fully understand the greatness and quality of some people until they have passed, or it is almost too late. His humility, his self-deprecating humor and constant conversation often disguised his steady values, his principles and his deep caring about his students, his family and his friends.
“When did you and when did we all realize how special Sox was? For me, it occurred five years ago when I met Dick Morgan, grandfather of my son Travis' baseball teammate at Northwestern. He heard I was from Boulder and wanted to know if I knew Sox. They were minor league teammates together 50 years before. He had never forgotten Sox and couldn't wait to make contact again so they could visit about their days together and past friendship. I hope all of us can say that we will create that type of impression 50 years in the future on the people whose lives we touch.
“From that day I viewed Sox in an entirely different light and spent as much time as possible being around him and trying to learn from how he treated all of those around him. Many of the former players who were so close to Sox are my best friends in life. I feel their deep sense of loss and all of us in CU athletics will carry the emptiness created by his passing forever.”
Lisa Van Goor, Player (1980-85)
“I don’t think at the time I played for him I appreciated a lot of the things he tried to teach us and impart to us. Only in the past couple of years have we appreciated what he meant to us. All the girls. He said he didn’t understand us, but I’m not sure that’s true. I think one of the best things about his career was coaching the women’s team. There is not a single player that didn’t keep in contact with him. I think six of the original players from that first women’s team he coached were there last night.
“I feel very fortunate to have had the last year and a half and have been a part of his life during his illness. The last year and a half meant a lot to me and a lot to Sox. It meant a lot to him to have players call him and come and see him. I think it gave him a lot of strength to fight his illness. The way he passed on is a model to us all. He accepted it. He didn’t make a big deal about it, and tried to detract attention from himself. The way he carried on even in his death made it easier for us to accept it.
“It’s hard to describe what that man meant" you don’t know until you lose him how much of an impact he’s had on my life. He’s been a constant in my life for the last 23 years. We always knew his door was always open to all of us. The percentage of his players that stayed in touch with him is a testament to what he was to everybody.”