JOHNNY ORR

Basketball was a better option than working in the coal mines. At least for Johnny Orr, the former Iowa State University (ISU Cyclones) head men's basketball coach. He was born in 1927, in the southeast Kansas town of Yale. A few years later his parents moved to the central Illinois town of Taylorville, where his Dad found work as a miner in the coal mines. Johnny was an only child and by the time that he reached high school age, his Dad was able to get a job for him in the coal mines, too. "I worked in the mines one summer and I knew that was enough for me, I never wanted to do that kind of work again," Orr stated. Johnny was a star athlete at Taylorville High School in four sports (football, basketball track and  baseball). During his senior year, Orr lead Taylorville to an undefeated basketball season culminating in an Illinois state championship. Later that same year, he was named Illinois high school baseball player of the year, which landed him on a Midwest all-star team that had Bud Grant (National Football League Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Viking Head Coach) as his teammate and (Major League Hall of Famer) Rogers Hornsby as his coach. That fall of 1944, Johnny was off to the University of Illinois to continue his eduation and athletic career.

Orr was a three sport athlete at Illinois before joining the Navy. When he completed his military service, he returned to college, although he was off to a different school. Johnny went to Beloit College, where his high school coach, Dolph Stanley had accepted a job as head basketball coach. Orr focused on basketball at Beloit and upon his graduation in 1948, he played professional basketball for a few seasons. Johnny told me, "Professional basketball didn't pay nearly as well back then as it does now. I was newly married and starting a family, so I needed to find a stable job that I loved and Coach Stanley set me up with a coaching and teaching position in Milton, Wisconsin." After one succesful year, Dubuque Senior High School came to Orr with an offer for him to coach and teach. At that time, they were the largest high school in Iowa and Johnny accepted their offer to teach and coach football and boy's basketball. After eight successful years at Dubuque Senior, Orr was going to move up to the college game and he went to be the top assistant coach for the University of Wisconsin (UW) men's basketball program.

After four great years at UW, Johnny had another wonderful opportunity. He accepted the men's head baskeball job at the University of Massachussets (UMass). Three years on the East Coast was enough for Orr, so he came back to Illinois with his family, to work in the insurance industry. A handful of years later, a meeting with a former associate and then head coach of the University of Michigan, Dave Strack, lead Johnny back to the college game and coaching. Strack left a few years later and in 1969, Orr was named head coach of the men's basketball team for the University of Michigan. In his eleven years at Michigan, Orr lead his team to the 1974 Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and that same year he was named the Big Ten Conference's Coach of the Year. His 1976 team made it all the way to the National Championship Game, before losing to undeated and Bob Knight lead, Indiana University. Orr was named the National Coach of the Year for the 1975-76 season. When Johnny accepted the Iowa State head coaching job in 1980, he left Michigan as the all-time leader in wins with 209 (he is still currently number one). 

Orr was just what the Cyclones of ISU needed. At the end of his fifth season in Ames, his team qualified for the NCAA Post Season Tournament, for the first time in forty years. The following season, his Cyclones made it to the Sweet Sixteen, by beating his former school from Michigan. "That is still my favorite moment in my many years of coaching!" Johnny exclaimed. He lead ISU to four more NCAA Tournaments before retiring in 1994 as the leader in wins, with 218 (here also, he is currently number one). Orr, along with his wife, now split their time between wintering in Florida and spending the rest of their year in Iowa (West Des Moines). Don't you Cyclone fans miss the playing of the old "Tonight Show" theme song, "Here's Johnny," every time that Orr walked out onto the floor?

Continued success to Johnny Orr.

QUICK HITTERS

1. My favorite type of music (and musician):

Jazz and blues (Stan Kenton)

2. My favorite television show:

The News

3. My favorite movie:

"Ben-Hur," 1959 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture, (That was the last time that my wife and I went to a movie)

4. My idol while I was growing up:

My high school coach Dolph Stanley and my Dad

5. My favorite sports memory:

When my 1986 ISU team beat my former school, Michigan, to go to the Sweet Sixteen of the 1986 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

6. My favorite life memory:

The birth of each one of my four daughters 

7. The person (living or dead) that I'd like to meet (and have):

A tie between College Basketball Hall of Fame coaches, Adolf Rupp and John Wooden

8. My advice to kids:

Enjoy your sports and activities...have fun

9. My advice to parents:

Encourage your kids in their activities, but don't force them or try to live vicariously through them