Former Bradley assistant coach Ron Harris passes away

[Da Coach]

Former Bradley grad and coach Ron Harris has died. He was an assistant coach under Joe Stowell from 1965-72, as well as the freshman head coach. He left Bradley to become head coach at Samford University.

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20180902/ex-bradley-assistant-ron-harris-dies-at-83

Ron had battled illness for a long time, but still made it to some games in recent years.

[Mikovio]

I actually wheeled him in and out of a few games in recent years, parking him up in front of Snell and Klein. It did get harder to understand him but you??™d just smile and nod. R.I.P.

[capecod]

Former Bradley grad and coach Ron Harris has died. He was an assistant coach under Joe Stowell from 1965-72, as well as the freshman head coach. He left Bradley to become head coach at Samford University.

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20180902/ex-bradley-assistant-ron-harris-dies-at-83

Coach Harris had two great Frosh BB teams at Bradley.

The 1965-66 Bradley Papooses finished 15-1 with stars LC Bowen, Al Smith and Cal Criddle.

The team was 15-0, but lost the season finale at the St Louis Frosh 68-71.
The Papooses had beaten the St Louis Frosh earlier in the season 99-86 at the Fieldhouse.

Harris' Frosh team beat the Freshmen squads of Cincinnati, Drake, S. Ill., Illinois St in addition to the St Louis Frosh.

That Frosh team lost one of it's better players halfway through the season when G Ron Rhoades of Pekin left. Rhoades had helped Pekin to the 1964 State Championship along with fellow backcourt teammate Dave Golden.

Both were Juniors when Pekin won, and were favored to win State again in '65....but lost in a major upset to Lockport Central at the Fieldhouse in the Supersectionals.......Golden went to Duke, Rhoades to Bradley.

I can't remember why Rhoades left Bradley-he was averaging over 8 pts a game when he left.......the Bradley Media Guide said that Rhoades would have been the first ever Bradley letterman from Pekin IF he had stayed....


The other great Frosh team that Coach Harris had was the 1970-71 Papooses.

They DID finish undefeated 15-0....with a memorable 105-79 victory over a talented Notre Dame Frosh team in the Fieldhouse Finale. Seymour Reed, Mike Harrell, Dough Shank and Dave Klobucher were among the starters for the BU Frosh.

Along the way of that undefeated season, the Papooses beat Louisville twice, St Louis twice, Drake, SIU and Illinois St Frosh teams.

Notre Dame's Frosh team starred future AA & first rd NBA pick John Shumate + local products Ken Wolbeck (Spalding) and Gary Novak (LaSalle Peru) & the Irish frosh had hammered the Illinois Frosh earlier in the week before losing to Bradley in the Fieldhouse.

RIP Coach Harris

[tornado]

I later had a "professional contact" with John Shumate in regard to the medical condition that ended his pro career... - it was quite similar to the condition that ended Pierre Cooper's career at Bradley...
Shumate's 24 point game plus his excellent defense on Bill Walton were the keys to Notre Dame upsetting UCLA and ending their 88-game winning streak in 1974.

[capecod]

Coach Harris had two great Frosh BB teams at Bradley.

The 1965-66 Bradley Papooses finished 15-1 with stars LC Bowen, Al Smith and Cal Criddle.

The team was 15-0, but lost the season finale at the St Louis Frosh 68-71.
The Papooses had beaten the St Louis Frosh earlier in the season 99-86 at the Fieldhouse.

Harris' Frosh team beat the Freshmen squads of Cincinnati, Drake, S. Ill., Illinois St in addition to the St Louis Frosh.

That Frosh team lost one of it's better players halfway through the season when G Ron Rhoades of Pekin left. Rhoades had helped Pekin to the 1964 State Championship along with fellow backcourt teammate Dave Golden.

Both were Juniors when Pekin won, and were favored to win State again in '65....but lost in a major upset to Lockport Central at the Fieldhouse in the Supersectionals.......Golden went to Duke, Rhoades to Bradley.

I can't remember why Rhoades left Bradley-he was averaging over 8 pts a game when he left.......the Bradley Media Guide said that Rhoades would have been the first ever Bradley letterman from Pekin IF he had stayed....

RIP Coach Harris

more on Ron Rhoades

Rhoades had been named to the State All Tourney team along with teammates Golden & Jim Sommers (6'3) in that Pekin State Championship year of 1964

Rhoades was considered by far the best defensive player on that Pekin squad-who beat the Cobden Appleknockers in the State Championship game.

http://www.ihsa.org/SportsActivities/BoysBasketball/RecordsHistory.aspx

I remember that Rhoades got into a famous fight after a game at Galesburg, with his coach Dawdy Hawkins taking exception to the Galesburg coach placing his hands on Rhoades- 'get your hands off my player' IIRC...got lots of press......a bitter rivalry back in the day

Ironically Galesburg player Dave Lundstrum became a teammate of Rhoades on that Harris coached BU Frosh team....I don't believe it was Lundstrum that Rhoades fought though in HS.

Rhoades and Golden came back to Pekin the next season & were ranked #2 heading into the tourney....& as mentioned were upset in the Superregionals at Bradley.......Sommers had graduated but Pekin had a 6'3 soph named Fred Miller on the 65 team...........two years (1967) later Miller led Pekin to another State Championship-then went off to Illinois

[tornado]

Obit for Ron Harris

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pjstar/obituary.aspx?n=ronald-v-harris&pid=190189658&fhid=10868

[bradleyfan124]

Coach Harris had two great Frosh BB teams at Bradley.

The 1965-66 Bradley Papooses finished 15-1 with stars LC Bowen, Al Smith and Cal Criddle.

The team was 15-0, but lost the season finale at the St Louis Frosh 68-71.
The Papooses had beaten the St Louis Frosh earlier in the season 99-86 at the Fieldhouse.

Harris' Frosh team beat the Freshmen squads of Cincinnati, Drake, S. Ill., Illinois St in addition to the St Louis Frosh.

That Frosh team lost one of it's better players halfway through the season when G Ron Rhoades of Pekin left. Rhoades had helped Pekin to the 1964 State Championship along with fellow backcourt teammate Dave Golden.

Both were Juniors when Pekin won, and were favored to win State again in '65....but lost in a major upset to Lockport Central at the Fieldhouse in the Supersectionals.......Golden went to Duke, Rhoades to Bradley.

I can't remember why Rhoades left Bradley-he was averaging over 8 pts a game when he left.......the Bradley Media Guide said that Rhoades would have been the first ever Bradley letterman from Pekin IF he had stayed....


The other great Frosh team that Coach Harris had was the 1970-71 Papooses.

They DID finish undefeated 15-0....with a memorable 105-79 victory over a talented Notre Dame Frosh team in the Fieldhouse Finale. Seymour Reed, Mike Harrell, Dough Shank and Dave Klobucher were among the starters for the BU Frosh.

Along the way of that undefeated season, the Papooses beat Louisville twice, St Louis twice, Drake, SIU and Illinois St Frosh teams.

Notre Dame's Frosh team starred future AA & first rd NBA pick John Shumate + local products Ken Wolbeck (Spalding) and Gary Novak (LaSalle Peru) & the Irish frosh had hammered the Illinois Frosh earlier in the week before losing to Bradley in the Fieldhouse.

RIP Coach Harris

I talked to a relative of Ron Rhoades and asked him why he left Bradley. He said he thought it was just because he got tired of school. He later was drafted into the Army.

[Dubl R 1]

more on Ron Rhoades

Rhoades had been named to the State All Tourney team along with teammates Golden & Jim Sommers (6'3) in that Pekin State Championship year of 1964

Rhoades was considered by far the best defensive player on that Pekin squad-who beat the Cobden Appleknockers in the State Championship game.

http://www.ihsa.org/SportsActivities/BoysBasketball/RecordsHistory.aspx

I remember that Rhoades got into a famous fight after a game at Galesburg, with his coach Dawdy Hawkins taking exception to the Galesburg coach placing his hands on Rhoades- 'get your hands off my player' IIRC...got lots of press......a bitter rivalry back in the day

Ironically Galesburg player Dave Lundstrum became a teammate of Rhoades on that Harris coached BU Frosh team....I don't believe it was Lundstrum that Rhoades fought though in HS.

Rhoades and Golden came back to Pekin the next season & were ranked #2 heading into the tourney....& as mentioned were upset in the Superregionals at Bradley.......Sommers had graduated but Pekin had a 6'3 soph named Fred Miller on the 65 team...........two years (1967) later Miller led Pekin to another State Championship-then went off to Illinois

Fred Miller was my Teacher in 7th and 8th grade. As a fun teacher and just overall good guy as I remember.

[Mikovio]

It's tough if you don't have a strong family support network as you get older, but Ron had a lot of good friends, like Chuck Buescher, Daren Epley and Joe Stowell.

[capecod]

Obit for Ron Harris
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pjs...658&fhid=10868

Harris only season playing basketball at Bradley was the 1952-53 Frosh team coached by Chuck Osborn. The team finished 19-1.

Harris' BU Frosh teammates included 6'4 Jerry Hansen (Rock Island), Lee Utt 6'2 (Decatur) and Jack Gower 6'4 (Quincy)....all played later on the 1954 Bradley team that met LaSalle in the NCAA championship game.

Another player on that Frosh squad was 6'5 Charlie Fast (Quincy)

Gower in particular had a big game in the NCAA upset of Oklahoma City leading to the run in the tourney all the way to the championship game.