Flying Bodnar Brothers

20 posts / 0 new
Login or register to post comments
Last post
April 22nd, 2012 at 5:15 PM
#1
riverrat
Joined: 02/01/2009
MGoPoints: 435
Flying Bodnar Brothers

 

For the old-timers, just finished listening to an interview on Akron radio with the Bodnar twins (Mark and Marty). Great hearing stories of Ohio athletes who play in Michigan ('we have a special bond with all those guys'), Phil Hubbard ('strong head and heart, weak knees'), beating MSU in East Lansing while Magic was there, and playing against Isiah while he was at Indiana ('after you played Indiana you felt like you had played the Black and Blue Bears').  

The stories made me remember a time when the Big Ten was definitely king in basketball, and, as someone who grew up in Ohio but went to Michigan, think about that sense of being an outsider that I felt when I first got to Ann Arbor, a place that I had grown up being taught to loathe but then fell in love with. 

I know, I know, csb, but maybe there are some other elders ('hey you kids get off my memory lawn') on here...

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rockinroll...

Top
Tags:

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
April 22nd, 2012 at 5:32 PM | Wish you had linked the (Score:2)
gordie bell
gordie bell's picture
Joined: 03/15/2009
MGoPoints: 7961

Wish you had linked the interview. Bodnar's Barberton HS team was one of the best in the country. Carter Scott went to OSU and the Bodnar's to M. Did they talk about that rivalry at all?

April 22nd, 2012 at 5:47 PM | I was in school from 78-81 so (Score:3 Normal)
mGrowOld
mGrowOld's picture
Joined: 10/04/2010
MGoPoints: 13158

I was in school from 78-81 so I watched the Bodnar brothers, Mike McGee, Paul Heurman and the rest of the guys from a front row seat on the floor (senior year anyways).  And from 90-93 Marty and I shared season tickets to football and I can tell you from first hand experience he and his brother are GREAT guys!

I've always wondered what those late 70's BBall teams would've been like if the three point line existed.  The Bodnar brothers range?  

Unlimited.

 

 

April 22nd, 2012 at 5:57 PM | Agreed on the range, and Mike (Score:1)
riverrat
Joined: 02/01/2009
MGoPoints: 435

Agreed on the range, and Mike McGee could shoot as well.  

I'll bet they were great guys, as they sounded humble despite all of their success both on and off the court. One of them (Marty I guess?) also had great Bo stories, as he worked for the Athletic Department for several years. And of course Bo was born in Barberton.

One of his stories gave me a feel for just how deeply those Barberton ties run. One of them noted that when he went to visit Michigan on a recruiting trip it was fairly close to the state championship game that they lost. When the assistant coach took him in to meet Bo, the first words out of Bo's mouth were 'What happened?', referring to the basketball game.  Bo obviously knew the score, but he wanted to hear the story himself like any fan.

 

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rockinroll...

April 22nd, 2012 at 5:50 PM | From your username (Score:2)
bwlag
Joined: 07/29/2008
MGoPoints: 178

I would have guessed you grew up in Ann Arbor.

April 22nd, 2012 at 5:51 PM | Sorry about not linking - (Score:1)
riverrat
Joined: 02/01/2009
MGoPoints: 435

Sorry about not linking - actually listened to it on the radio and couldn't find a podcast. They mentioned the Carter Scott rivalry, saying that they keep running into Scott at basketball functions. They even talked about one dinner at which they sat with Scott and Phil Hubbard and talked northeast Ohio high school basketball until late in the night. As someone who graduated from high school in 1980 I would have loved to hear that. 

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rockinroll...

April 22nd, 2012 at 6:00 PM | I'm a Michigan boy but grew (Score:2)
gordie bell
gordie bell's picture
Joined: 03/15/2009
MGoPoints: 7961

I'm a Michigan boy but grew up listening to 1100 3WE radio, heard in 38 States and half of Canada. Fell asleep at night listening to Pete Franklin. "Pigskin Pete Predicts". That show was classic. Pete Franklin talked about Chimichangas on every show before I had any inkling what a Chimichanga was.  I loved it when Mr. Sourapple would call into the show. We have alot of Mr. Sourapples on this blog.

I imagine anyone growing up in Northeast Ohio with a sports pulse had to listen to Pete Franklin.

April 22nd, 2012 at 6:10 PM | Yep. I still don't know what (Score:1)
riverrat
Joined: 02/01/2009
MGoPoints: 435

Yep. I still don't know what a chimichanga was/is, but I loved getting big city radio in my little town (grew up in Marion, 45 minutes north of Columbus). Before 1980, the only thing I knew about Cleveland was that show and Browns football...of course, seeing The Jam at the old Agora changed that a bit...

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rockinroll...

April 22nd, 2012 at 7:04 PM | Heurmann (Score:1)
geno
Joined: 11/23/2009
MGoPoints: 197

Paul Heurmann was turrible. I went to M from 77-81. Had seats in front row my last year. Johnny Johnson was one of the coolest players ever. Hollywood cool.

April 22nd, 2012 at 7:15 PM | Those are the same years I was there (Score:1)
True Blue Grit
True Blue Grit's picture
Joined: 01/21/2011
MGoPoints: 1212

I give you credit for going to more games (probably) than I did.  The whole team was terrible mostly during that period.  It was a real letdown after the halycon days of 1975-1977.  

"You owe it to every man, woman, and child in the State of Michigan to beat the Buckeyes and silence their fans!  Now go out there and make it happen!"

- Bo Schembechler (Result: U-M 22  OSU 0)

April 22nd, 2012 at 7:47 PM | I was there at that time too. (Score:1)
Blueroller
Blueroller's picture
Joined: 06/08/2010
MGoPoints: 403

I was there at that time too. Not a great era for Michigan hoops, but I've always treasured the memory of upsetting the 79 State team with Magic Johnson that went on to win the NCAA. It was 49-48, a freshman guard named Keith Smith hit two free throws with no time on the clock. That and Anthony Carter's catch against Indiana made 79 a year to remember.

April 22nd, 2012 at 7:55 PM | Kieth Smith All State point (Score:2)
gordie bell
gordie bell's picture
Joined: 03/15/2009
MGoPoints: 7961

Kieth Smith All State point guard out of Detroit Mackenzie. Another of my many all time M favs

April 23rd, 2012 at 11:54 AM | I remember that vividly (Score:1)
Loukdogg
Loukdogg's picture
Joined: 07/13/2008
MGoPoints: 80

I was still in Junior High but I remember Keith Smith making those free throws and running directly into the tunnel.  The Bodnars, Dan Pelokoudas, Thad Garner, ...those teams did struggle.  How I loved to hear Mike McGee from the top of the key.

I agree with another poster, this is the first time I've felt that everyone on the string wasn't a total newbie.  Most of the people on this site believe that MSU has always owned the state.  I went to Michigan in the 80s.  Michigan was always at the top or fighting at the top almost the entire decade in football and basketball.  MSU was definitely the irritating little brother back then.

Stop the Pain!

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:11 PM | those late 70's BBall teams (Score:3 Normal)
Don
Don's picture
Joined: 06/30/2008
MGoPoints: 19190

Steve Grote and Dave Baxter could play some hellacious defense, and Ricky Green on the fast break was a wonder to behold. Plus Baxter's Afro had it's own gravitational field.


April 23rd, 2012 at 12:41 PM | I was wondering when.. (Score:1)
jmdblue
Joined: 12/01/2010
MGoPoints: 652

I was wondering when someone would mention S. Grote and R. Green.  I'll never forget an interview with Green after a win during the '75 or 76 tournament when he credited his mom for his jumping ability.  I was 8 or 9 and still remember our whole living room in joyful hysterics.

 I had forgotton about Dave Baxter.  I think you may be wrong in your physics though.  The 'fro didn't have a gravitational field; but his skull apparently had the reverse effect.

We're gonna play with toughness, we're gonna be responsible and we're gonna play with toughness.  This is Michigan.

April 22nd, 2012 at 9:45 PM | First thread in a while that (Score:2)
mgovideo
mgovideo's picture
Joined: 04/07/2009
MGoPoints: 13885

First thread in a while that made me feel young.

@mgovideo

April 22nd, 2012 at 10:47 PM | Ok, who is going to break out (Score:1)
bringthewood
bringthewood's picture
Joined: 09/07/2009
MGoPoints: 444

Ok, who is going to break out the Jo-el Thompson stories?  I remeber him playing pinbal in the Union.  If he was playing ther was no room to play the machine behind him because he needed all the space for his arms and legs.  As I remeber he work a big elbow pad when playing.

"I knew Bo Schembechler and you sir, are no Bo Schembechler!"

April 22nd, 2012 at 10:59 PM | Just a little (Score:1)
MadtownMaize
MadtownMaize's picture
Joined: 09/14/2009
MGoPoints: 1465

after this time was when one of my fav's played for UM; Thad Garner. He was a beast (on teams that lost a lot of games). Also, Dan Pelokoudas!

April 23rd, 2012 at 12:30 PM | Pete Franklin (Score:2)
jimtresselissatan
jimtresselissatan's picture
Joined: 07/05/2008
MGoPoints: 41

I grew up in Ann Arbor and I listened to Pete Franklin after sunset. He was a sports talk radio host ahead of his time. He was very nasty to callers, but it was fun to listen to. Didn't his show end with a Jimmy Durante song? 

 

Ed: This was a response to Gordie Bell. Doh!

Theme provided by Roopletheme; sidebars adapted from Chris Murphy.