Then & Now: Norman Coufal

Then & Now: Norman Coufal

Compiled By Dave Brandon

Norman

Coufal played for Nebraska from 1955-1956, and was a

Husker during the Jerry Bush era (1955-1963, 81-132).

A 6’1”

shooting guard from David City, Coufal is our latest

guest in this Sunday's version of "Then & Now."

HHC: Nice to

speak with you. Do you keep up with Nebraska basketball

these days at all?

NC: I don’t follow them near as much as I

used to. I don’t know anyone there anymore. The coaches

are all gone and they are all different, so I don’t

follow it quite as closely, but I do keep an eye on it,

and I’ve got all kinds of friends back there.

We’re

thinking of having a get together, actually, us

old-timers, from both the basketball and baseball teams.

We did it back in 1983 and again in 1993, and it was a

great time. All these guys that left don’t get to see

each other.

We’re

thinking about doing it again for Bus Whitehead and Bob

Cerv.

HHC: Very cool. You were a shooting guard

at David City High School. What was that experience

like?

NC: It was great. We won the state title

my junior year, the Class B State Championship.

HHC: And what made you decide to play

basketball at Nebraska?

NC: Well I don’t know, I grew up there,

and everything was there. I had a chance to go there,

and had a chance to play basketball and baseball both. I

had a couple of other places to go, such as Kansas State

and Oklahoma State, but I wasn’t interested. It was 50

miles from home and nice and close.

HHC: What did the recruiting process

consist of back then?

NC: They’d come and see you, and then

you’d visit. Nothing too different. They didn’t have to

worry about me, though, because that’s where I wanted to

go and I didn’t have that problem (of being persuaded

otherwise).

HHC: Your first year on varsity was Jerry

Bush's first year at Nebraska. Before we talk about that

though, tell us about Coach Harry Good (1947-1954,

86-99), whom you played for on the JV team. How well did

you know him, and what was he like as a man?

NC: I knew him, for sure. My sophomore

year he was there. I don’t want you to print anything

that I’d say about him, though (Laughs). But he was a

fine man.

HHC: Fair enough. Do you know what

happened to him?

NC: He stuck around there and he worked

there in the Phys Ed department for a while, as long as

I can remember. We had Jerry Bush the last two years, so

I don’t know.

HHC: Talk about Bush, and describe what he

was like as a man?

NC: Jerry Bush was enthusiastic and

excited. He was the best player we had. If he got out

and played with you, he could play. Hell, I don’t know

how old he was then, but he could still play the game

(Laughs). He knew it, and could play probably as good as

he could coach.

HHC: Really?

NC:

Yes, and that’s incredible, because he could get out

there and do things none of the rest of us could do. And

we had Rex Ekwall, Bill Johnson, Fred Seger, just some

pretty dang good players that Bush could get out there

and play with.

I liked

him a lot.

HHC: What do

you know about his basketball background?

NC: He played at Toledo, and then he

played with the Pistons, I think. He was big and he was

probably 6’4” or 6’5”; he was a pretty good-sized guy.

He could play at 40 whatever years old, I’ll say that

(Laughs).

HHC: What kind of coach was he?

NC:

Same old stuff. We played a lot of man-to-man defense,

not too much zone, just played whatever we had. But it

was a big improvement over what we had my sophomore

year.

HHC: Was he well liked by the players?

NC: I think everybody liked him. I don’t

think anyone disliked him. He was enthusiastic and

excited about life; he was a neat guy.

HHC: What was the atmosphere like in the

old Coliseum, and what kind of home court advantage did

it create?

NC: I don’t know if we had all that much,

honestly, as far as an advantage. It was what we had and

it’s where we played.

When we

were playing, all the places were the same, and then

they got a new place at the University of Kansas, and

Kansas State was always nicer, but they were a lot

newer. Oklahoma, Iowa State, and Colorado were like what

we had though, or maybe not quite as good.

Then we

played Iowa, and played all over the country. Our arena

was just about as good as anybody’s with the exception

of the new arenas.

HHC: Right on.

Your first season on varsity was 1954-1955, which was

also Jerry Bush's first year. You guys went 9-12 (6-6,

T-3rd) and were led by Willard Fagler (13.6 PPG) and Rex

Ekwall (11.5 RPG). Talk about those guys, and what kind

of players they were?

NC: Both of those were not only good guys,

but they were great players. Everybody loved them; they

were just neat guys, and they could play.

HHC: Your last year on varsity was

1955-1956, and the team went 7-16 (3-9, 6th). The

biggest moment of that season was beating UCLA and John

Wooden (Home, 71-65), who went on to win the Pac-8

Conference. What do you remember about that game?

NC: (Laughs) Well, us and the clock and

the referees, we didn’t do too bad, huh? (Laughs).

HHC: (Laughs) What do you mean by that?

NC: What I mean is we got a few breaks

that night. Actually, we got a bunch of them. It was no

contest, but we had a referee and everything else that

was pretty good there in Lincoln, and we gave it to them

pretty good, I thought, and everybody else thought the

same (Laughs).

You play

the game and you win a few and lose a few, and sometimes

we got a lot of help, and we got plenty of help that

night. I mean, that was no contest (Laughs). 

HHC: (Laughs)

What else sticks out about that senior year?

NC:

I had a great time that year, and we had a great bunch

of guys, and traveled all of the country. You know, it’s

a great deal for any young man that’s fortunate enough

to do it. It’s a blessing.

I ended

up down here in Texas when I got out of school in ’56,

and I would have never come to Texas if I didn’t come

down here every year when it was 20 below zero up there

(in Nebraska) when we were getting on the bus to leave

for our Texas and southern trip.

We’d get

down here and it’d be 70 during the Easter Holidays. And

then I came down on June 6, 1956, when I got out of

school, and there was a whole bunch of different heat

that day. I came down in wool suits and hell, I thought

I was going to burn up (Laughs).

But you

know, I grew to like it, and it’s a great place here.

Actually,

every place is great in this country. Every place you go

is better than what our service men and women are going

through overseas to protect us everyday, so I value

everywhere.

HHC: Very good point. Here’s a good question; if

you had to pick the biggest play or shot that you made

during your two years on varsity, what would it be?

NC: I made one from the opposite free

throw line at Colorado right before the half one time.

It was off to the right a bit on the other side, and I

let it fly, and it went right through.

And the

worst disappointment I had was when I was guarding the

little guy from Oklahoma… I forget his name… But we were

tied, and he stood out there in the middle, and he came

over across the free throw line and hit a jump shot to

beat us with 2 seconds left (78-76 Oklahoma, February 21^st,

1955). Lester Lane was his name.

HHC: Who were

some of the other great players you guarded?

NC: Kansas had some good guys, and a guard

in particular, but I forget his name. BH Born was there.

Man, it’s been so long… Norman Stewart, we competed

against him in basketball and baseball at Missouri.

HHC: “The”

Norman Stewart?

NC:

Yes, “the” Norman Stewart (Laughs). He was a baseball

pitcher, so I saw him two or three times a year.

HHC: Yeah,

that’s right, I forgot to ask you about that earlier.

Talk more about your baseball career at Nebraska?

NC:

Well, I played shortstop and played the last two years.

Don Brown was an All-American on our team at 3^rd,

Murray Bachus was the catcher, and was from Millard.

Bill Giles played, Cedar Gall… Dirx Ralston was the

second baseman my junior year, and Tony Sharpe was the

coach.

We played

right there behind the Coliseum, kind of by the track,

where they now have the new Osborne Center, if I’m not

mistaken.

HHC: What are your favorite off the court

and field memories of UNL?

NC: I had a great time there. I met a

bunch of great guys, I traveled all over the country… I

mean, I was blessed.

Here’s a

kid from David City, who traveled all over the west

coast, all down south, and in the Midwest… Chicago,

Michigan, where it was 25 below zero and the wind was

blowing about 400 MPH, and the gym was about 350 years

old, and we wore short pants in that sucker (Laughs). We

about froze to death, and I’m telling you, you didn’t

want to play that game, you just wanted to get your wool

underwear on (Laughs).

I’d never

been that cold as our trip to play Michigan (in

1955-1956, a 77-71 Nebraska loss); we were cold at

Nebraska, but nothing like that, brother.

HHC: (Laughs)

And have you stayed in touch with any of your old

teammates or coaches, and if so, what are they up to

these days?

NC: I’ve seen them from time to time, and

then at those parties in ’83 and ’93, and we think we’re

going to do it again, but that’s about the only way to

keep everybody together.

HHC: Do you

know of any deaths of former teammates?

NC: In baseball, Jim Cedardog passed on

some time ago… Bob Giles is gone. But I think pretty

much everyone with the basketball team is in pretty good

shape, as far as I know.

HHC: Finally,

what have you been doing the past fifty years, and where

will we find you today?

NC: I’ve been in business for myself, and

I’m retired. I’m going to be 72 years old soon; I’m

getting old, brother (Laughs).

And I’m

going to play basketball tonight at Second Baptist with

my brother and friends, and we’ve been playing for about

25 years once a week. Can you believe that?

HHC: No, I

can’t! You’re probably in better shape than I am

(Laughs)!

NC: I don’t know about that (Laughs). I

don’t think I am, because I’ve had prostate cancer and a

heart bypass, so I don’t know about that, but I’m out

there. My brother comes and picks me up, he’s five years

younger than me, and I’m the old guy in the bunch.

It’s a

long ways from being any kind of good basketball, but

it’s a good time.

HHC: Well

thanks a lot for taking the time to do this. Do you know

how to access the Internet and would you be interested

in taking some e-mails from our readers?

NC:

My wife knows how to do that, but I don’t.

But I’d

like to let you know that I appreciate you doing this

and sorry if I didn’t help you out much. It’s been a

long time.

But bless

your heart for doing this, and thank you.<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">