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C Luke Witte (official thread)

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Buckskin86

Buckskin86

Head Coach
Luke Witte
Luke Witte Center / Power forward
Born October 19, 1950 (1950-10-19)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Listed height 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight 250 lb (113 kg)
College Ohio State
Draft 57th overall, 4th Rd., 5th pick, 1973
Cleveland Cavaliers
Pro career 1973?1975
Former teams Cleveland Cavaliers (1973?1975)

Luke Witte (born October 19, 1950 in Philadelphia) was a U.S. college and professional basketball player who is now a church minister. He played at the collegiate level for Ohio State University and professionally for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was during his time at Ohio State that he was severely injured in one of the more brutal on-court assaults in basketball history.

High school and college

Witte was a standout high school player at Marlington High School in Alliance, Ohio, where he scored over 1500 points during his career.

He went on to the Ohio State University, where, as a sophomore, in 1971 he led the team in rebounds (331 for the season) and was all-Big Ten. The Ohio State team were Big Ten co-champions, and teamed with fellow Buckeye standouts Allen Hornyak and Jim Cleamons.
[edit] Assaulted in Minnesota

In the Ohio State-Minnesota game, played at Minnesota on January 25, 1972, in the second half, Ohio State led 50-44 with 36 seconds to go. Witte went for a layup but was fouled hard. Immediately following the foul, Minnesota player Corky Taylor extended an arm to help Witte up, then kneed Witte in the groin and punched him in the head. While on the floor, he was also kicked and stomped by Minnesota player Ron Behagen, knocking him unconscious.

What followed was an extended brawl. Witte's teammate, Dave Merchant, attempted to come to his aid, but was struck in the face several times by Gopher Jim Brewer. Another Buckeye, Mark Wagar (currently the President of Empire BlueCross BlueShield in New York), was attacked from behind by Minnesota player?and future Major League Baseball Hall of Famer?Dave Winfield, who landed five punches in Wagar's face.

When order was restored, Minnesota Athletic Director Paul Giel announced the game was over and the Buckeyes were a 50-44 victor, prompting Minnesota fans to boo and throw objects as Witte was carried from the floor. Hospitalized for several days, including 24 hours in intensive care, Witte's injuries, which included 29 facial stitches and a scarred cornea, in the views of many permanently affected his career. In all, three Ohio State players were taken to hospitals.

Aftermath

The Big Ten Conference suspended Taylor and Behagen for the rest of the season. Ohio State head coach Fred Taylor was angered that the universities (including his own), the NCAA, and the Big Ten Conference refused to pursue sanctions against the Minnesota program, and said later that his enthusiasm for the game was lost as a result; he retired early, in 1976.[1] The Minnesota coach, Bill Musselman, was blamed for fostering a thuggish Gopher atmosphere?for instance, he had his team perform dunks and slams during pre-game workouts. Musselman denied that he ordered his team to play dirty or to initiate fights. Despite losing two of its key players, Minnesota went on to win the Big Ten championship with an 11-3 record.

Following the incident, the NCAA banned the practice of players performing dunks and slams during pre-game warm-ups when officials are not present. Witte chose not to pursue legal or any other avenue of retribution against his attackers. Instead, he has extended forgiveness and tried to achieve reconciliation.

Pro career

Witte was selected in the fourth round of the 1973 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who also drafted fellow Buckeye Hornyak?Jim Cleamons was on the team as well. Witte saw part-time action over three seasons; his 250 pound body spread over 7 feet was not mobile enough for an NBA then stocked with very good centers. He still suffered from vision impairment as well.

After basketball

Following his career in professional basketball, Luke Witte established his own sporting store in Alliance, Ohio which he operated for more than five years before becoming a minister. Luke Witte is now the Carolinas Division Director with Marketplace Chaplains in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Luke Witte - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Luke Witte shares experiences of his life
By Andy Harris
The Suburbanite
Posted Feb 14, 2010

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Andy Harris
Luke Witte

Malboro, Ohio ?

Luke Witte may have been gone from Northeast Ohio for more than a decade, but when he returned Jan. 25 to speak to a group of several hundred men at the Chapel in Marlboro, he was right at home.

"I look out in the crowd and I see so many familiar faces. I see guys I played basketball against growing up and guys I played with and I'm thrilled to see all of you," he declared.

Witte, who is now a division director for an organization called Marketplace Chaplains, returned to speak at an event hosted by the men's ministry group at the Chapel in Marlboro. Marketplace Chaplains trains and places chaplains in corporate settings and Witte is responsible for his home state of North Carolina and also South Carolina. The former Marlington High School, Ohio State and Cleveland Cavaliers star also spoke to the current varsity and junior varsity teams at his old high school on the trip before the evening's dinner and message at the church.

The focus of his talk was to draw from his own life story and experiences and share lessons for life. It was also a cathartic experience of sorts for Witte, who shared the story of what brought his family to Marlboro when he was a child and admitted afterward that even his friends in the audience may not have heard the story previously.

"When I was 12 years old, my father, who was a Presbyterian minister, went on a trip to New Zealand and when he returned, we found out that he had met a woman there and was going to leave us to go back and be with her," Witte recalled, the emotion apparent in his voice.

With their husband and father gone, Witte's mother moved the family from western Ohio to Marlboro and they settled in as part of the community. Witte explained that looking back now, he realizes that he was extremely introverted and kept all of his feelings to himself about what was happening in his life. Still, he pointed out that no one ever pressed him to share and he was accepted and made to feel at home, thanks in large part to basketball.

"There are some of you in the crowd who have known me since I was a kid and that's the first time you've ever heard me tell that story," he admitted after finishing his tale.
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Luke Witte shares experiences of his life - Akron, OH - The Suburbanite
 
Buckskin86;1660176; said:
Luke Witte shares experiences of his life - Akron, OH - The Suburbanite
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This news article captures the details of the events from Minnesota, but missed what Witte wanted to emphasize--the details of the reconciliation process with those who were part of the Minny program at the time.

Included were his accounts of the invitation to talk with the children and families of Gopher's Taylor and Behagen, who were forced to deal with the legacy of shame and the stigma of their fathers being the victimizers of the SI articles.

Witte later sought reconciliation with Coach Musselman and offered a redemptive eulogy at the death of Musselman.
Having witnessed the horrific unfairness of this attack. I was inspired to release my own anger against Musselman, Behagen, Taylor et al, when the one who had the heaviest claim of personal harm had already done it.

One of the best messages of the power of forgiveness I have ever heard.
Witte is a great ambassador for OSU.
 
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gracelhink;1662576; said:
This news article captures the details of the events from Minnesota, but missed what Witte wanted to emphasize--the details of the reconciliation process with those who were part of the Minny program at the time.

Included were his accounts of the invitation to talk with the children and families of Gopher's Taylor and Behagen, who were forced to deal with the legacy of shame and the stigma of their fathers being the victimizers of the SI articles.

Witte later sought reconciliation with Coach Musselman and offered a redemptive eulogy at the death of Musselman.
Having witnessed the horrific unfairness of this attack. I was inspired to release my own anger against Musselman, Behagen, Taylor et al, when the one who had the heaviest claim of personal harm had already done it.

One of the best messages of the power of forgiveness I have ever heard.
Witte is a great ambassador for OSU.
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GPA

also can we get a Buckeye Leaf for this thread?
 
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Cavaliers notes: Former Cavs center has kept his wit (with video)
Published: Wednesday, August 24, 2011
By Bob Finnan
[email protected]

AKRON ? Former Cavaliers center Luke Witte participated in the 26th annual Cavaliers Youth Fund Golf Classic on Tuesday at Firestone Country Club.

When asked what he shot, the 7-footer deadpanned, ?I finished.?

Golf wasn?t the only reason the former players converged on Akron. They were raising money for kids and reacquainted with many old friends.

Witte, who graduated from Ohio State, was a fourth-round of the Cavs in 1973. He played three seasons with the Cavs, including 22 games during the 1975-76 Miracle of Richfield season. He averaged 3.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 118 games with the Cavs.

?I get invited (to the golf outing) every year,? Witte said. ?A lot of the guys I played with ? Footsy (Walker), Austin (Carr), Jim (Chones), Campy (Russell) and Dick Snyder ? it?s a great time to get together and enjoy each other?s company.?

As far as his golf game goes, Witte has a good excuse for the high score. He had back surgery two years ago.

?I?m still trying to recover,? he said.

He no longer plays basketball.

?I?m 60 now,? Witte said. ?There?s no reason for me to run up and down the court.?

Witte is best known for the beating he took from the Minnesota basketball team in January 1972, when several Gopher players stomped him on the court.

Now, he spends his time helping others.

?I?m a minister at Marketplace Chapel (in Charlotte, N.C.),? Witte said. ?We sent chaplains into corporate settings. We have about 60 chaplains in North and South Carolina. What a blessing. We?re able to help some people through some tough spots.?

The NBA is currently in a tough spot. Witte said he doesn?t know the particulars of the lockout, but he feels for everyone involved.

?It?s unfortunate whenever there?s a stalemate, especially when it affects so many people,? he said. ?I know there?s a lot of money on the table.

?With what I do, there are so many people that need those positions and jobs. Let?s get back at it. Not only are the players affected, there are the vendors and others. The trickle-down is huge.?

He made good use of the trip back to his native Ohio (he was a prep star at Akron Marlington High School). He dropped off his daughter, Emily, who attends Baldwin-Wallace College.

Other former players on hand were Michael Cage, Larry Nance, Cedric Henderson, John ?Hot Rod? Williams, Ira Newble, David Wesley, Brevin Knight and Anthony Johnson.

?Having all these players come back, it?s a big part of who we are and who we want to be as far as us building our culture,? Cavs general manager Chris Grant said. ?It?s not just present day, but these guys were a part of some great teams and became a part of our community. That?s important. There?s a little piece of them that is here in Northeast Ohio, and that?s important to us. I was pretty excited about it.?
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http://news-herald.com/articles/2011/08/24/sports/doc4e54895a43806065463168.txt?viewmode=fullstory

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxnCY0CZ1pE"]1972 College Basketball Brawl - Minnesota vs Ohio Buckeyes - YouTube[/ame]
 
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original.jpg


How A Career Ends: I Went For A Rebound And Realized All The Hands Were Above Mine

Tell Me When It's Over is an interview series in which we ask former athletes about the moment they knew their playing days were over. Today: Luke Witte, Ohio State center and on-court stomping victim.

In March of 1971, Witte, listed at seven feet, put back a teammate's missed shot against previously unbeaten Marquette to send the Buckeyes to that year's Elite Eight. The following January, in a Big Ten game against Minnesota, Witte, after being fouled hard on a drive, was kneed in the groin by Corky Taylor, then, at the center of college basketball's most despicable brawl, stomped in the head, repeatedly, by future NBA player Ron Behagen (Behagen was recently found guilty of stealing more than $7,000 from an Alzheimer's patient).

Though Witte was later a fourth round draft pick by the Cavaliers, his career was never quite the same. After three seasons of play in the NBA and a year overseas, Witte returned to Ohio and owned and operated a pair of sporting-goods stores before entering the seminary. He now lives in North Carolina, where he supervises workplace and corporate chaplains.
* * *

Somebody asked me not too long ago: Did you ever win a game on a last second shot? And I remember one game against Purdue. We were playing at home and it was a foul shot that was missed by our team. One of our players was shooting a foul shot, missed, and I tipped it back in. And we won the game on kind of a last-second shot. That was the only last-second shot, so I don't think the Marquette shot was a last-second shot. It may have been a game-winner, but I don't recall it at all [laughs].

I had a game, professionally, against the Lakers out there that kind of sticks in my mind as a pretty neat game. College ball, the game at UCLA. I'm not zeroing in on L.A. But the game against UCLA: We did lose, but I had a fairly decent game against a first-year player by the name of Bill Walton and, you know, he went on to do some fairly good things. But other than the Minnesota thing that gets a lot of hype and play obviously, I would say that as far as winning Big Tens and things like that, you know, there were not?

It's funny. I seem to remember games that we lost more than we won. There was a game against Michigan State where their uniforms were stolen and they had to wear our away uniforms, and so it was Ohio State versus Ohio State. That was my sophomore year of college. And we lost that game. It was the only game we lost in the Big Ten that year. It was just a weird setting.

I obviously do remember the Marquette game. Jim Chones was their center and I went on to play with him for a few years with Cleveland. But I remember the Western Kentucky game probably a little more, and that was a game we lost and so... [laughs] I suppose if we had lost a lot of games I wouldn't be able to remember a lot of them, but we didn't lose of games so I guess those stand out in my mind more. And not as regrets. Not as regrets, either. It's probably because there were a lot less of those than the wins in my college career.

I don't watch a lot of basketball now. I basically will thumb through the sports page in the morning because I'm expected to know when I go out on the streets, Did Ohio State beat Northwestern last night? That kind of stuff [laughs]. And, What did you think of the game? And I say, Well, I just didn't have time to watch it. I just follow it, cursory following at best. Sports in itself has not been a significant thing that I dwell on very much at all.

cont...
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http://deadspin.com/5897868/how-a-c...nd-and-realized-all-the-hands-were-above-mine
 
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