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There has been quite a celebration of Bob Gibson in Omaha this week with the unveiling of a statue in his honor at the minor league stadium. He is certainly the state's most decorated athlete and still lives in the community. Gibson was a Creighton basketball and baseball player prior to a short career with the Harlem Globetrotters and then his HOF career with the Cardinals.

I wondered who the other Big East schools considered their greatest single athletic alum to be?

Q: What got you started to professional success?

Gibson: The steppingstone to the success I had as a professional was getting the opportunity to go to Creighton University. I was trying to get into Indiana University at the time, and they had their quota (of black players), which was one — and after watching them play, they got the wrong one. Creighton gave me a scholarship, and that was the thing that got me going. Four years at Creighton, basketball, baseball. More than anything I think it taught me how to be a decent human being, and hopefully I am one.

Most famous/best athlete would probably be James Posey/ or David West. Famous baseball player and frmr senator Jim Bunning. Most famous alum is probably current speaker of the house John boehner

Athletes: Dwayne Wade
Sports Related: Rick Majerus, Doc Rivers,
General: Chris Farley

The most infamous alum would be Dennis Kozlowski from Tyco Intl...

From the 50's hoops heyday Bobby Wanzer & Bob Davies are both in the NBA HoF.
Nikos Galis was part of the inaugural FIBA HoF. He dropped 50 on Michael Jordan in a 1983 game w/ the Greek National Team.
Currently Sam Dalembert is playing for the Bucks (just to show it wasn't all in the distant past).
On ESPN you've got Bill Raftery, Dick Vitale & Bob Ley. Not that Dukie V. would ever let you know...
In baseball, Craig Biggio got shafted in the HoF voting this past year.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito taught Constitutional Law @ Seton Hall Law School prior to being nominated by GW Bush.
And just for kicks, you've got Max Weinberg & The Amazing Kreskin.

marquette wrote:Athletes: Dwayne Wade
Sports Related: Rick Majerus, Doc Rivers,
General: Chris Farley

Marquette Basketball's Butch Lee,Dean Meminger and Maurice Lucas were all early 1st round draft picks that won NBA Championships with their respective teams like Dwayne Wade(Who technically isn't an Alum). Steve Novak will get there soon. Looks like Jimmy Butler has been quite the story this week though.

While not Alums cant help but mention the rest of Rick Majerus team, Coach Hank Raymond and their legendary Al McGuire!!!

Also Doc was a great player in his pre coaching days.

Other Athletic Alums:Ralph Metcalfe(3 time olympic medalist, was known as fastest human being for two years), George Andrie(Dallas Cowboys 5 time pro bowler, Pro bowl MVP)

Didn't mean to list so many but its not really fair to just list Dwayne Wade as are only athlete as so many have matched his accomplishments.

Non Athletics Alums-Senator Joe Mcarthy(of the Red Scare), Danny Pudi of Community is also an alum, Patrick Haggerty founder of Texas Instruments,Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker attended but was unable to Graduate after 4 years.

Famous Athletes: Gordon Hayward (Basketball Player - attended) & Thad Matta (Basketball Player & Coach)
Beloved Athletes: Bobby Plump ("Jimmy" from Hoosiers) & Matt Howard (The One And Only)
Coach: Tony Hinkle (among many accomplishments, he invented the orange basketball)
Other Alumni: Arthur Cope (perhaps the most important organic chemist in American history), George Daugherty (Emmy Award winning conductor), David Starr Jordan (first President of Stanford University), Ed Carpenter (IndyCar driver, part of the Hulman-George Family - owners of Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
Infamous Alumni: George Ryan (former Illinois Governor in prison), Jim Jones (of the Jonestown mass suicide)
Didn't graduate: Kurt Vonnegut (Author), Sarah Fisher (IndyCar driver), Maurine Dallas Watkins (wrote the play Chicago)

MUSeashells&Balloons wrote:Marquette Basketball's Butch Lee,Dean Meminger and Maurice Lucas were all early 1st round draft picks that won NBA Championships with their respective teams like Dwayne Wade(Who technically isn't an Alum). Steve Novak will get there soon. Looks like Jimmy Butler has been quite the story this week though.

While not Alums cant help but mention the rest of Rick Majerus team, Coach Hank Raymond and their legendary Al McGuire!!!

Also Doc was a great player in his pre coaching days.

Other Athletic Alums:Ralph Metcalfe(3 time olympic medalist, was known as fastest human being for two years), George Andrie(Dallas Cowboys 5 time pro bowler, Pro bowl MVP)

Didn't mean to list so many but its not really fair to just list Dwayne Wade as are only athlete as so many have matched his accomplishments.

Non Athletics Alums-Senator Joe Mcarthy(of the Red Scare), Danny Pudi of Community is also an alum, Patrick Haggerty founder of Texas Instruments,Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker attended but was unable to Graduate after 4 years.

I admittedly left off a lot of notable people, but very few of them are recognizable (famous) names.

marquette wrote:I admittedly left off a lot of notable people, but very few of them are recognizable (famous) names.

Butch Lee,Dean Meminger and Maurice Lucas were very well known at the time.

But Dwayne Wade and Steve Novak are the most recognizable now(maybe Jimmy Butler though not on the same level yet).

Bob Gibson from Creighton...and he made his baseball career in St. Louis.

If the cards fall right, we can have the Gibby game between SLU and Creighton at some point.

Lou Carnessecca
Lou Carnessecca
Lou Carnessecca

Other sporting notables: Chris Mullin, Metta World Peace (we knew him as Ron Artest back in the day ) and Mark Jackson probably our most notable basketball alumni. John Franco (notable for his time with the Mets) and Keegan Bradley (who is sporting his Red Storm Pride at Augusta this weekend)

A few NY governors have also attended as well as William Casey who used to head up the CIA.


and Lou Carnessecca