Then & Now: Bob Harry

Then & Now: Bob Harry

Compiled By Dave Brandon

(No Photo Available)

Bob

Harry played at Nebraska from 1958-1960, and donned the

scarlet and cream in both the Big Seven and Big Eight

conferences. Individually, the 6’5” post player from

York started the majority of his games at Nebraska, and

played a large role in Nebraska defeating Wilt

Chamberlain and #4 Kansas in 1958.

Harry is our latest guest on this

Sunday’s version of “Then & Now.”

HHC: We’re glad to

have you on Husker Hoops Central!

BH: No problem, I am

glad to do it.

HHC: Before we talk more about you and the

teams you played on, we’d like to talk about Jerry Bush,

because you are the first player we’ve talked to from

his era. First, talk about Coach Bush as a man and human

being?

BH: Oh, Jerry Bush was a fun loving guy.

He made it enjoyable to play basketball; he didn’t work

us too hard. (Laughs) Maybe that was a fault, but he was

just a great guy. He was full of stories about the old

days. He was from the East and he played some pro

basketball in the early days, before it was so much of a

big deal. He knew all the old timers, and we played once

in Minnesota, and George Miken came down to the locker

room; he was a friend of Jerry’s.

His attitude was great. He always

went out before practice and played 3 on 3 with the

guys. He would always try to bounce them in (shots) from

mid court; that was one of his tricks. He’d stand out

there for 15 or 20 minutes trying to bounce one in. But

it was just that attitude of “This is fun, guys.” I

mean, he was serious about winning, but there was more

to it than that.

HHC: And as a Coach, what did Jerry Bush

believe in, both offensively and defensively, and what

kind of motivator was he?

BH: Offensively, we beat Kansas and Kansas

State back to back in my sophomore year, and that was an

offense that just kind of evolved during the game. It

wasn’t necessarily all that planned. Eventually, I guess

it became known as the 4 corners, because we just kept

the ball outside and guys would just break to the

basket. Pretty soon, guys would break free and we’d

shoot lay ups. And, that’s about all we’d shoot most

games. It was a pretty standard offense. A center, 2

forwards, and 2 guards.

Defensively, we played both man to

man or zone.

HHC: Was Bush well

liked around Lincoln and the conference?

BH: Oh, I think so, very much. When he

quit coaching, he stayed in Lincoln, and was very well

liked. He was a man’s man, if you know what I mean. He

liked to go out and have a good time.

HHC: What came of him after his time at

Nebraska (1955-1963) was over? When did he ultimately

pass on?

BH: I don’t know the exact time, to be

honest.

HHC: Now, refresh and educate our readers

about what kind of player Bob Harry was.

BH: I’m 6’5”, and I

played in the post, which is hard to believe, but I did.

(Laughs) I was a good rebounder, and that was my

specialty. That and defense. I wasn’t much of a shooter.

HHC: What brought you to UNL from York,

Nebraska?

BH: Well, I had a few letters from other

schools, but Jerry Bush came out and recruited me. He

came out to my house, and that was about it. He met my

Dad, and we talked, and that was about it.

HHC: What do you remember about the

Coliseum and Nebraska basketball fans back when you

played? Was it as electric an atmosphere as we’ve heard

from other players?

BH: Well, it was. The

fans were right on the court. I mean, when you took the

ball out of bounds, you kind of had to stand between the

fans legs that were next to the court. That always

worked in our favor.

The fans were loud, and we didn’t

necessarily pack the place each game, but for some we

did. And the fans that came made a lot of noise. It was

hard to hear the coach during timeouts.

We didn’t have a very outstanding

team, but the state did go crazy when we beat Kansas and

Kansas State. But we didn’t have much of a football team

in those days either.

HHC: 1957-1958 was your first season on

the varsity team at Nebraska, and you guys finished in a

4^th place tie in the Big 7 (10-13, 5-7).

However, the highlight of the year was defeating two #4

teams in the same year (Kansas and Kansas State). Talk

about those two games and what you remember about them?

BH: I do remember those two games. Those

were Kansas and Kansas State. They had Wilt Chamberlain,

of course, Kansas did, and I remember perfectly well a

few highlights.

One was that I went up for a

rebound and had Chamberlain checked out. And I went up,

and these big hands came up over my head and took the

ball away from me. And in the process, he (Chamberlain)

split his pants, so he had to go to the locker room and

change. And when he got back from the locker room from

changing his pants, we just played keep away. And that’s

how we won. So I’d like to take some credit for that,

the fact that we could do that. (Laughs)

And of course I’m sure you know the

whole Jim Kubacki  story, right?

HHC: I don’t think

so, tell us!

BH: Well, the shot he

hit to beat Kansas, it was a top of the key shot that

year. But the thing that most people don’t know is that

he wasn’t even suited up at the start of that game, but

he kept pestering Bush to let him get suited up. He

wasn’t a starter really, but finally Bush let him get

dressed.

So then, when one of our guards

fouled out, Bush was so excited that he just sent

Kubacki in, and he’d forgotten that he’d been injured!

So he sends him in, and just a few seconds left, I threw

him the ball, and he put it in, the winning basket. That

was quite a story.

HHC: Wow, I never knew that! Talk more

about Kubacki.

BH: Well, he played

intermittently, but that was his claim to fame. He was a

little guy, but he was a good player. But, I don’t think

he ever did start.

HHC: Hit that big

shot against Kansas though, huh?

BH: Yeah, but when we

beat Kansas, we went down there and got beat 102-46, and

Wilt had 46 points. But I didn’t get to play in that

game, because I was not a starter at that time. So when

they came up to play us two weeks later, Bush wanted to

shake things up a little bit, so he put me in to help

defend against Wilt. And from then on, I started every

game the rest of my college career.

HHC: Was Wilt

Chamberlain the best player you ever faced?

BH: Oh, I think so. Bob Boozer was there

and was a great player too, but nobody was better than

Wilt.

HHC: 1958-1959 was

the first year of the Big 8, and your team finished in a

5^th place conference tie at 12-13 (5-9). Did

you notice any changes in the style of play in the new

conference, like people so often say, or was it

essentially the same thing as the previous year?

BH: No, I think it was pretty much the

same. Oklahoma State joined that year.

HHC: 1959-1960 was a

disappointing year for Nebraska basketball, as the team

finished in a 7^th place Big 8 tie at 7-17

(4-10). However, one lone bright spot was that Nebraska

Basketball Hall of Famer Herschell Turner became the

first 1,000 point scorer in school history. Talk about

what kind of player and teammate Turner was?

BH: He was a great player. For his day, he

did things that a lot of other guys weren’t doing. He

was kind of a Bob Cousy style of player, I would say. He

could take the ball behind his back, and everybody does

it nowadays, but back then, nobody was doing that sort

of thing He was a great ball handler and great shooter,

and very nice guy, fun to be around.

HHC: Talk to us about

some of your other teammates during those years?

BH: Wilson Fitzpatrick was a 6’4” forward

that had been in the Air Force, and then came back to

college. And he helped us keep our head straight, I

think, because he was a great leader.

Don Smidt was on that team that

beat Kansas, and he was about my size. And he and I

teamed up on Chamberlain.

Gary Reimers was a guard, he and

Herschell both were. Smidt and Fitzpatrick were

forwards, and I was the center.

HHC: Do you still

stay in touch with any of your old teammates?

BH: Unfortunately not. I think a couple of

years ago there was a reunion, and that was about it, to

be honest. We’ve all gone our separate ways.

HHC: What are your best memories of UNL?

BH: Oh gosh. It was a

lot smaller back in the 50’s, and you kind of knew

everybody. Well, not everybody, but a lot of the people.

Each time we beat Kansas or Kansas State, we got a day

off from school, and I don’t know if they do that

anymore. But that was a friendly atmosphere. The

football team beat Oklahoma once, and we got the day off

for that, too. It seemed a lot lower key, the whole

deal.

HHC: Do you still

follow Nebraska basketball?

BH: Not real closely, but just in the

paper.

HHC: And finally, what will we find Robert

Harry doing today?

BH: I graduated from

the university and I went to the marine core as a

lieutenant. I was there three years. Then, I got out and

went to medical school, and then I took a residency in

surgery, and taught at the university for three years.

By then we had four boys and still

do, and I enjoyed growing up in a small town and thought

they would too, so we moved to Lexington. And after the

boys all went off to college, we moved to Kearney, where

I became the Director of the Trauma Department.

We have a Trauma Center in Kearney,

and I’m the director. That’s what I’m still doing these

days. And then about ten years ago, I was instrumental

in developing the statewide trauma system.

HHC: What exactly

does that mean?

BH: Well, what it

really means is that we hope that by having this system,

people in rural areas can have their access improved,

and receive better transportation and better

communication. We want to be able to get patients to the

most appropriate hospital in the quickest amount of

time. It is our hope that somebody in Mullen can get

just as good of care as Omaha.

HHC: Sounds like you are doing something

really good these days.

BH: Most definitely.

HHC: Bob, thanks a

lot for taking the time to join us. Would you be willing

to take some emails from our readers if we set you up an

account at

[email protected] and tell you how to check

it?

BH: Definitely.

HHC: And any final

things you’d like to add?

BH: Yes, as far as I

know, every one on our teams graduated, which is nice to

note when you consider what I read the other day, that

nobody graduated over a ten year period at the

University of Cincinnati. So that is neat, I think. And

I’ve checked out your site and like what you have going.

Thanks for having me.<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">