Watched the ESPN Chris Lofton tribute for the first time

#1

Savannahbayvol

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#1
First of all kudos to ESPN which catches a lot of flak in this forum including from me. But when it comes to these documentaries nobody does it better. What a great example for all young men Chris set in his playing career including his senior year when .almost nobody knew he had been diagnosed with cancer . Especially when he passed up a chance to criticize Tubby Smith for not recruiting him when he had a chance. By the way there were two Smiths, Tubby and Sonny , who I would have loved to have as head coach at UT.

Anyway on another subject I dont want to sound paranoid but has there ever been another college BB program that has been fooked so many times by off court tragedies or miscues as we have?

In 1964 Mears' assistant coach Bill Gibbs was killed in a plane crash in Florida returning from a recruiting trip.

Then a few years later another cancer victim, David Moss career was cut short:


Then of course we had the story of Mears fighting Demons during the Ernie-Bernie years.

Lofton's senior season.

Then the self-imposed tale of Bruce Pearl getting fired for lying about an innocuous bar b-que. Ask Richard Nixon, it's not the crime but the cover-up that always gets you.

And then the Pat story, where one of the Top 2 coaches in womens bb history had to step down way too early due to early onset Dementia.

Still hoping for that 1 Magical season in hoops to somewhat offset the misery the basketball program has suffered over the year. Came close the past few years but can't quite get over the hump. But at 79 I am running out of time.
 
#3
#3
I have to confess to having years of anger at Mike Hamilton. More than what someone should have towards a stranger who oversaw something that didn’t directly affect me or my family. The Lofton documentary definitely gave some perspective.
Exactly was thinking the same thing. Instead of directing our anger to him it should be to the people who placed him in a position for which he was not qualified. Thx for the reminder.
 
#5
#5
On the documentary…I’ve watched it multiple times and am deeply touched each time. Chris’ faith was grown immensely during that time. You could sense the great respect everyone had for Chris. And now…Chris has the best retrospective understanding of why the Lord would allow him to endure that trial. “It’s not about me…it’s how can I help others who may be going through the same thing”. Now THAT is spiritual maturity!!!
 
#10
#10
On the documentary…I’ve watched it multiple times and am deeply touched each time. Chris’ faith was grown immensely during that time. You could sense the great respect everyone had for Chris. And now…Chris has the best retrospective understanding of why the Lord would allow him to endure that trial. “It’s not about me…it’s how can I help others who may be going through the same thing”. Now THAT is spiritual maturity!!!
To this day, when I toss something towards a container, I react with "Bottom!" Or, when I miss: Chris Lofton is rolling his eyes. :rolleyes:
 
#11
#11
Those are 2 totally different stories and different times.

Yes. Two different stories. One lost his leg and then his life. The other’s cancer was a bit higher. What other players were diagnosed with cancer while on UT’s roster?

David Moss was going to be a star. But who knows if Bernard would have even ended up at UT if they had Grunfeld AND Moss?

It’s not difficult to see the analogy even if they did play in different eras. Pearl and Mears were/are often discussed together despite being totally different stories and different times.
 

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